What are they made from?

[monkeymark]

What are shopping trolleys normally made from?

I wad walking my kids into town the other day and saw a few abandoned near a beck.

Thought the sides could be ok for a grill and the wheels for a welding trolley maybe.

If they are stainless, how do you weld them to mild?

 

[Shox Dr]

Chromed Mild steel, if they were SS, they wouldn't stay put for 5 mins

 

[outofthefire]

A lot of them are galved mild steel

 

[monkeymark]

Thats even better. I should be able to just clean up and go then!

 

[scott0031]

I think you will find you are all wrong on the finishing front. They are BZP (Bright zinc plated) Chrome far to expensive and galv far to yuk. Although like galv its still zinc its a electro plating process and not a hot dip. They are made from bog standard softest bright mild wire you can buy.

I was involved in a pricing and production development process for shopping trolleys years ago.


Kind regards,


Scott

 

[monkeymark]

I think you will find you are all wrong on the finishing front. They are BZP (Bright zinc plated) Chrome far to expensive and galv far to yuk. Although like galv its still zinc its a electro plating process and not a hot dip. They are made from bog standard softest bright mild wire you can buy.

I was involved in a pricing and production development process for shopping trolleys years ago.


Kind regards,


Scott

So do they clean up well enough to weld? And wI'll the wheels be ok for a welding trolley? Im a big fan of recycling, especially if it saves me money!

 

[Shox Dr]

I did wonder that when I typed it Scott. Thanks for the correction

 

[shed or dead]

In my teen years I made the mistake of throwing a shopping trolley on it's side and using as a BBQ, more than a few passers by came over to tell us we'd be poisoning ourselves if we ate off it.

The wheels are very useful, just remember to carry a Torx set.

 

[zx9]

So do they clean up well enough to weld? And wI'll the wheels be ok for a welding trolley? Im a big fan of recycling, especially if it saves me money!

Back in the early 90's a mate of mine was a mobile trolley repairer, used to mig weld the broken spot welds on some of the less badly damaged ones. IIRC he did not last long in that job his welds were always a bit chicken s____ like.

 

[monkeymark]

The wheels are very useful, just remember to carry a Torx set.

Thats good to know, cheers.

 

[cecotto479]

I'd advise a look at the law on theft by finding before purloining anything.

 

[tlovatt]

FYI there has been and continues to be a tight clampdown on their theft, there is quite a risk you will get a visit from the police if you are seen and they have a policy of prosecution. BT cable and railway cable are a higher priority, but only just.

 

[scott0031]

So do they clean up well enough to weld? And wI'll the wheels be ok for a welding trolley? Im a big fan of recycling, especially if it saves me money!

Its still only zinc all be it a lot thinner coating than hot dip. It should be treated exactly the same as any zinc coating, remove from the weld and surrounding areas so it can not burn off. If you don't you will most likely regret it and wont make the same mistake again.

The wheels I would think will be OK, shopping trolleys can get a lot of weight in them. Only exception i think would be if your welder is a big industrial unit at 300 kilos or something silly. Wheels are rated at load per wheel so if rated at 20 kilos x 4 ( one for each corner) that's 80 kilos total load, even then like everything with a rating, there is a built in safety margin.


Good luck and kind regards,


Scott

 

[Shox Dr]

What about borrowing

 

[PTvor]

What about borrowing

I recall theft being about being an attempt to permanently deprive the owner of the item and damage, such as using it as a barby grill, would be taken as evidence of wishing to permanently deprive. It certainly wouldn't be bona fide finding it and attempting to return it.

cecotto479 and tlovatt have a good point, you don't want to be found in possession of one anymore than a BOC gas bottle or an aluminium beer barrel you are cutting up.

I don't say I wouldn't do it, but I'd be very wary about being caught.

 

[skotl]

Kinda hard to allege that it belongs to you when it has a dirty great "TESCO" bar joining each side

 

[anjum]

They will weld ok to make a welder trolley, but I didn't say that!!

 

[Sean]

And wI'll the wheels be ok for a welding trolley? !

only if you want your welder to career sideways across the garage/workshop and crash in to the paint tins

 

[normspanners]

Ha and I thought they had a homing device for my passat coz they seem to 'dock' with it quite regularly !!

 

[Wallace]

I wondered if they were fitted with homing devices. A Tesco trolley sat in various places along our road for a few days where the kids were playing with it so I decided to be a good citizen and remove it before someones car ended up damaged. I casually wandered over and started wheeling it back home then as if by magic a Tesco delivery van turned into the road!