Floating wagon?

May 28, 2010 12:35 PM

I work in the marsh and we need to carry some pretty heavy equipment soon; we have been trying to think of some way we can carry it all. We are thinking of some sort of sled/wagon that could handle diverse ground going from firm ground to puddles/ponds to very muddy, soft ground. Does anybody have good ideas?

So far I have been thinking of something like an inflatible raft ontop of a wagon. Are there floating wheels? If anybody knows of something better I would greatly appreciate it.
I have seen the Argo ATVs wich look awesome, but way out of our price range. Simplier and cheaper the better.

posted by Rustbeard to Technology (5 answers total)

How heavy is the equipment and how marshy is the terrain? How far do you have to go? Can you bridge the worst sections with long sections of plywood or 2x6? Not really what you had in mind, but it might get the job done if you don't have to go far... pretty labor intensive though.

You could rig a frame on either side of a raft that put four mountain bike tires outboard, but then allow the raft to float the wheels through ponds and such. That would get pretty bogged down in mud though.
posted by Pantengliopoli at 12:48 PM on May 28, 2010

Lookup Jet Sled at Cabelas dotcom.
posted by bricksNmortar at 12:48 PM on May 28, 2010

Dragging a small and light but very strongly-made canoe might work.
posted by meepmeow at 1:20 PM on May 28, 2010

Flat-bottomed fiberglass fishing boat (10 ft size?) with custom, removable wheels attached to lightweight aluminum frames? Only use the wheels on terra firma, and store them *in* the boat when floating. You don't need to secure the wheels under the boat if the equipment is heavy enough.
posted by PixieS at 4:12 PM on May 28, 2010

Arctic expeditions often rely on sledges. You basically harness up and drag the thing. I don't know how boyant they'd be, but if you can find one with enough displacement -- that is, high enough sides -- to carry your load, it'd work. If the mud is super tacky, maybe not, but grass and shrubs are usually reasonably slick.
posted by klanawa at 11:15 AM on May 29, 2010