DIY Deer Cart – The Full Guide

Almost everybody with experience in hunting knows that the best and biggest games are in remote parts of the hunting ground.

But what happens when you bag a game you can’t lift in such a remote area?

It is a problem deer carts exist to solve. Despite being light, they retain enough strength to carry games running well over a hundred pounds.

There are many brands of deer carts out there, but you can build yours at a lesser cost than you would buy.

And this is why you have this ultimate guide to building a DIY deer cart to ease your hunting.

Tools Needed To Assemble Your DIY Deer Cart

To build your deer cart, you need to have the required tools. It would be best if you had a drill to make holes and a saw to cut your materials to the necessary magnitudes.

The materials needed are:

• One ½-inch round bar metal stock 36 inches long
• One ⁵⁄₁₆-by-1 inch flat bar metal stock 36 inches long
• Six lock pins
• Two ¾-inch electrical conduit EMT 10 feet long
• One ½-inch electrical conduit EMT 10 feet
• Two 15-inch wheels
• Two ¾-inch 90-degree EMT connectors
• Two ¾ EMT connectors
• Three 1-inch-by-10 foot PVC pipes
• One ½-inch-by-10 foot PVC pipe
• Twelve 1-inch PVC T-connectors
• Six 1-inch PVC cross connectors
• Six 1-inch PVC plugs
• Six 1-inch PVC caps
• Six lock pins
• PVC cement
• Spray paint

Step-By-Step Guide To Assembling Your Cart

Now that you have all you need to build the cart, follow these steps to start building:

Step 1: Do Your Calculations

The first thing you have to do is put pen to paper and calculate the exact dimensions you want.

With the dimensions, you know the needed length of each pipe and the number of materials you’ll need.

Step 2: Get Your Materials Ready

Now that you know everything you need, the next step is to go on a trip to a hardware store. There you can get all these materials and then start building.

Step 3: Build Your Framework

The first building to do is to construct the framework of your cart. To start with, fit the ¾-inch galvanized conduit inside the PVC pipe.

It makes your construction strong enough to carry a game of up to 50 pounds. Cut the strengthened pipe to get the dimensions of your cart’s upper and lower frames.

You can use whatever dimensions you want, but most important is to get an L shape with one side longer.

After getting the individual pieces of pipe, use the PVC cross connectors and T-connectors to join them to the desired shape.

Step 4: Build The Axle

Now that you are done with the framework, the next step is to build the axle of your cart. Cut a piece of the round bar stock to use as the axletree.

Ensure that the piece is longer than the width of your framework, so it will extend past enough to take the wheels and leave a few inches.

Drill two holes a half-inch away from each end of the axle, where you’ll use the pin to attach the wheel to the axle.

Add pieces of ½-inch PVC pipe between the frame and the wheel to avoid touching, which can impede movement and spoilage.

Step 5: Connect The Upper And Lower Frames

To connect the upper and lower frames, you will use the ½-inch electrical conduit. It will make the cart solid and stable enough to carry heavy loads.

However, you need four U-brackets to attach the galvanized conduit to the frames.

You can make these U-brackets by cutting pieces of the 1-inch flat bar stock and bending them to form U shapes.

Drill the holes needed for the pins used to attach the brackets to the ½-inch electrical conduit. Also, drill a hole in the middle of each bracket.

These holes will connect each bracket to a PVC T-Connector along each side of the frames.

Bolt the brackets to the T-Connectors and use pins to attach your ½-inch galvanized conduit to the brackets.

Step 6: Connect All Remaining Parts And Add Finishing Touches

Check the dimensions and confirm that all is well when all these are done. After doing this, use PVC cement to glue the PVC pipes together.

It will make the construction firm and prevent accidental removal of the parts.

When the gum has hardened, apply paint as you want. However, make sure that the paint doesn’t get to the moving parts, affecting the movement.

After painting, mount the wheels on the axle and use the pins to secure them in place.

Step 7: Test Run

Now that you are done, test your deer cart using an approximate weight to the maximum the cart can carry.

Make sure you drive it about on an intelligent and rough surface to simulate something close to a hunting ground.

Note that the pins used for all the attachments are removable. Hence, you can fold the cart by removing the pins to unmount the wheels and remove the arms.

Considerations In Building A DIY Deer Cart

In the previous section, we discussed how to build a deer cart for your hunting.

However, the specifications can not be taken as gospel, as different contexts might require different approaches.

Therefore, when building your cart, there are some things you should consider to know what you need to build.

Cost And Budget

It is essential to consider as it is crucial that the costs of the equipment and your budget match.

If you want to reduce the cost of the whole project, you can use wheels from a bicycle or other used wheels big and robust enough.

The main reason for building a DIY deer cart is to save cost; an expensive building process wouldn’t make much sense.

Intended Game

Another vital factor to consider is the type and size of your catches.

Some Deer carts can take more weight than some, and you should keep this in mind when building yours.

It can lead to changes in the materials used and the cart’s dimensions.

For bigger games, you will need to increase the size of your cart. For smaller ones, the reverse is the case.

Terrain

What kind of hunting grounds do you visit? How far away from the beaten path do you stray?

These are the questions you need to answer to know the kind of cart you want to build.

For example, a hunting ground with rough stones on the ground will require wheels sturdy enough to last there.

Conclusion

There are few things as valuable to a hunter outside the regular hunting gear as a deer cart.

It is one of the essential things a hunter should have in their arsenal, especially one who has hopes of bagging big games.

You can get a deer cart at any store. However, you can build on yourself at a low cost without much effort.

You need a few pieces of equipment, things to make the components of the cart, and the right know-how. And with this article, you have all the knowledge you need.