Pontoon wheel

[muddydogs]

I have 2 pontoons and one small toddler bike that has about 8 inch wheels on it. I would like to build one wheel for both pontoon's and the simplest way I can see is using the foot pegs, which are not the same width, as the back of our pontoons are different. Mine has a motor mount and the wifes just has a net and two tube ends.

I am thinking about using the whole bike, both wheels and frame, which is missing the peddles and seat post already. My thoughts are to attach a piece of pipe or similar cut in half across the bike frame to create a trough to set the foot pegs in. By using the hole bike I will not have to secure the wheel from spinning front to back but might have problems with the bike falling over to the side which some creative shimming should take care of. I will also have to pin the front wheel from turning. I was thinking for short easy trips the weight of the pontoon should keep the pegs in the trough and if I had a harder launch I could use hose clamps to secure the trough to the pegs.

So if this makes sense to anyone what are some opinions and or pit falls I have not foreseen.
[signature]

[peter805]

I would love to see some pictures of that rig please []

Peter
[signature]

[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]There have been a lot of ideas posted on the board over the years on different designs for adding wheels to pontoons. Some of the pics and posts are in the archives. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]As a general rule, the one wheel system is adequate for getting your toon a short distance from vehicle to water. But the heavier the toon and the more uneven the terrain the more likely it will be to tip over...and the more difficult it is to stabilize.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I PMed you some info and pics on some of the different tube carts I have tried over the years. Hopefully that will give you some ideas on how to use what you have available to you.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]By the way, I have a couple of 3-wheeled baby strollers in my storage area that I got with the idea of converting into a toon cart. If you want to bring your toon down we can see what we can do to "McGuyver" something for you. They have a solid wheel base that should be easily stripped down and removed from the top part.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[inline STROLLER.jpg]
[signature]

[peter805]

I have been thinking of ways to put better transpo system
on my toon for some time now.
must be -light
-very easy to put on and remove
-take a lot of weight (battery + trolling motor ....

I'm working on a prototype now . Sub frame with removable kayak
wheel cart. It will be made of aluminum if it works well, wood
it is for now.

Hope this helps you a little.

Peter
[signature]

[pontoonman]

Some years back I used a cart based on the ball barrow type of arrangement with my pontoon: http://toolmonger.com/2009/04/30/the-nub...ncarnated/

I used a smaller dock wheel which was more readily available and much lower cost at the time: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000MUV...P7XAC1PJCE

Anyway, it was much more stable than a thin single wheel and could be used in narrow footpaths. The two ends of the pontoon served as the wheelbarrow handles. Lighter than any 2 wheel design I could come up with. It could be flipped down for transport and up for storage behind the seat or disconnected by removing a hitch pin in a few seconds.

I have switched over to the lightweight "V" tubes now which weigh just a little more than the wheel assembly alone and can be easily transported on your back.....

Pon
[signature]

[toadly]

Here is what I did. Works great. Just wheels around like a wheel barrel. I have launched 100 yard or so on uneven ground comfortably. TD is correct, it isn't as stable as two wheels, but it stows on the boat while fishing, and is light.
[signature]

[flygoddess]

Awesome job Toadly. My boat comes with the mounting hardware already there, just nee the wheel which you can purchase from NFO or build one like yours. I like the bike wheel idea, we have rocks and uneven trails.
Very clean and well thought out.
[signature]

[toadly]

Thanx for the praise! Just one other lesson though. I need to stow it as intended.
Last month I left the wheel near where I launched and (East launch spot at Mantua) someone took it.. Yep they took it for them selfs. Wow...
[signature]

[peter805]

I like your idea !
If my kayak wheels dont work out I just may copy yours
if thats ok with you. Only one way to tell- take it out
couple of times and see what happens.

cheers Peter
[signature]

[flygoddess]

I thought you had the same frame I have with the wheel mount already on it.
[signature]

[peter805]

Yes. But it does not work for me. It is very very difficult
to remove and install the wheel and leaving it in place
is not a option for me.
[signature]

[flygoddess]

Oh, it just looks to be the same thing as Toadly, except off the frame instead of the deck.

What is the difference? I don't use a wheel so just asking. I might someday.
[signature]

[muddydogs]

I think I am going the way toadly did. Looks simple and easy. I will need to add a deck to the other pontoon but it needs one anyway as the netting used for the deck is only so so.

Question toadly. My aluminum deck was bent when I got the boat probably from the weight of a trolling battery. Did you do anything other then adding a few bolts to secure the deck to strengthen the deck?

Thanks for the offer Tube Dude, if this doesn't work out I will take you up on your stroller idea.
[signature]

[toadly]

I did add some 1/4 20 nuts and bolts. If I were you I would use some ply wood 3/8th should do. The aluminum deck that came with this toon is very thin, and because of this it does flex a bit when going over bumps and rocks.
If you can find it, some diamond plate or plain aluminum plate would work better, but it is expensive.[]
[signature]

[peter805]

Off the deck- if toons too soft (underpressure) it may not
work very well with all that weight of battery and such.
Off the frame- does not matter what the pressure in the toons
is.........

Peter
[signature]

[flygoddess]

You are probably right in that you can build the deck yourself. I have the X5 frame, same as Peter and you can see, there is a short pipe welded to the frame right behind the seat area for the wheel.





But, unless you had a welder, this is a bit tough.
[signature]

[albinotrout]

[quote toadly].
If you can find it, some diamond plate or plain aluminum plate would work better, but it is expensive.[][/quote]

Goto metal supermarkets. They have an area with seconds in it that are the right size. I found a piece of diamond plate for $15 there once.
[signature]

[idahoron]

A 21"x 24" piece of diamond plate here is about 30 dollars. Ron
[signature]

[muddydogs]

So I had a piece of thicker aluminum sheet that I cut last night and fitted to my rig. I made the new deck as wide as I could which is about half again as wide as the deck that came with the rig. Since I have my seat all the way back it takes up about 1/4 of the deck anyways.

Once I got the hole cut, pipe installed and wheel set up I realized that my wheel was to small and I had to push the boat hunched over or the pontoons hit the ground. So today I hit KSL and found 2 part bikes for $5.00, picked them up and rigged the new tire which works way better but it is a tippy ride.

Had to remount my rear fishing rod holders onto the deck instead of on the frame, drilled an extra hole in the foot pegs so I can move them out as far as possible, (some times it sucks being 6'10" tall) and got my fish finder installed and plumbed.

Look out Willard because I am there in the morning.

Thanks for all the tips guys, this site rocks.
[signature]

[flygoddess]

Muddy, just wanted to pass on an idea for you seeing how you are getting into the metal.
All pontoon frames are somewhat similar in the way they break down and set up.
So with that in mind, yours could differ, but looking at the picture of my frame, there are two sides that attach to the center section for the seat.
My brother in-law, added pipe to that center section putting the side pieces put farther. Widen the boat, made it more stable, more room and still tracked the same as it didn't change the foot print.
[signature]