Manufacturing the Africart

The AfriCart is designed to be

built by 'village' carpenters
with a minimal investment in view full exploded diagram,
commonly available view chassis 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
carpenters tools. view carts in production
view instructional seminars in Malawi Workshops
Any carpenter capable of producing a chair,
table, or window frame can easily build an Basic Tools:
AfriCart, although we have found that many
village carpenters have difficulty following a • Rip Saw,
dimensioned construction drawing. • Crosscut Saw,
• Claw Hammer,
Most types of seasoned wood (hard of soft) are • Screwdriver (Slotted
suitable, but a stronger hardwood is preferable and/or Phillips depending on available screws),
for the handles. • Chisel,
• Pliers or Shifting
Nails are widely available, but small bolts for Spannner,
the handles are harder to come by in rural areas. • Brace and 3/8" bit,
Some bicycle bolts are suitable for this purpose. • Triangular Saw File,
• Oil (Sharpening) Stone,
The handles are currently being affixed just • Twist Drills (sized to suit wood screws),
below and parallel to the upper edge of the cart • Smoothing Plane,
body, so as to have a maximum length bolted or • Sash Clamp (If necessary this can be improvised
screwed to the body for added stiffness. The from a narrow wooden plank with transverse blocks
earlier angled handle arrangement has been clench nailed to it and tightened by hammering
found to be prone to breakage, as the lever arm wood wedges between the end block and the work
of the handle is too long relative to the short PIECE.),
length screwed or bolted to the body. • Tape Measure,
• Pencil
NOTE: More detailed construction
instructions and material list to be provided in Useful Additional Tools:
future.
• Hacksaw,
Bicycle Components used to build the • Countersink (for flathead wood screws),
AfriCart Rasp,
(Best to use heaviest duty "nylon" tires • Jack Plane,
available, and heavy duty rims if available) • Hand Drill (for small bits),
• 3/4" or 1" Auger Bit,
• 'Ordinary' bicycle spokes are of 14 gauge • Carpenter's Square
thickness, and their
nipples are 4mm in diameter.

These spokes will pass through the holes in

'ordinary' hubs and rims. Heavy duty spokes are
of 12 gauge thickness, and their nipples are
5mm in diameter. They require heavy duty hubs
and rims, as the holes in 'ordinary' hubs and
rims are too small for them. If these heavy duty
components are available, they use is highly
recommended.

Link to page with bicycle part descriptions

MALAWI CART 2002 PHOTO UPDATE

1. Mr. Chika Muchogho (in cart), the Malawi Handcart Project’s

only paid employee, demonstrating the Malawi Cart at Meeting
of the Malawi Congress Party at the Natural Resources College,
Lilongwe, Malawi in June of 2002.
2. Stand of the Mark II version. It is now screwed directly to the
rear end of the chassis, as opposed to the rear of the body on the
Mark I version. This not only allows it to be used without the
body, but also with other bodies. In addition this design is more
rigid and sturdier. Note: The pattern of screws holding the catch-
plate has been changed since this photo was taken, to two
staggered rows, so as to make a stiffer joint.

3. Front inside corner detail, showing the three long bolts

(actually 7” bicycle rear axles, nuts and washers) fastening the
joint. The bolts were positioned in this pattern so that the bolt
nearest the end of the plank would be less likely to split the wood,
as it is in the middle of the plank. If it was near the corner of the
plank, the compressive force would tend to split the corner. It is
possible that only two bolts would suffice. However as the axles
are sold by the dozen at a discount, it seems worthwhile to spread
the load and employ three per corner. To ensure that the inner nut
on each bolt does not loosen, the washer and nut are first screwed
onto the axle-bolt as far as they can go. Then that end of the axle
is pounded with a hammer so as to deform the threads or the end
of the bolt so that when the nut is screwed out to the end, it is an
interference fit, and will not loosen. The bolt is then inserted into
the frame joint from the inside, and the outside washer and nut are
threaded in place.
4. Front top corner detail of Mark II Malawi Cart. Note that 2 ½”
wood screws are screwed into the spacer blocks, and not into the
wheel bearers. Also, the design has been changed so that the
outer wheel bearer is made to project about ½” at each end, so as
to enable it to be more easily removed by hammering on it to
allow the wheel to be removed for repairs.
5. Front bottom corner detail of Mark II Malawi Cart. Note that
fewer screws are used than on the top, as the bottom transverse
member bears no weight. The screws have been positioned so as
not to hit the through bolts fastening the wheel bearers and their
spacer blocks together.

6. The front of the Mark II-b version, showing the triangular

gusset screwed to the front sidewall of the body. It function is to
resist outward forces and keep the front of the sidewall from
bending outwards. Any outward movement of the top of the
sidewall will be resisted by the gusset pushing down on the top of
the crossbar of the joint it is resting on. The earlier model had two
vertical battens on each side, extending down to the bottom of the
chassis frame. (See the photos of the 2000 “Livingstonia Cart.”)
They not only resisted the outward forces on the sidewalls by
pushing on the frame, but also served to locate the body laterally
on the frame. They have been removed from this prototype.
Their removal substantially increases the wheel clearance,
allowing for a considerable wobble of the rim before the wheel
rubs on the cart body. [Note: If the rear as well as the front of the
body is made removable, with a sliding gate, then triangular
gussets must be placed at the rear corners as well as the front
corners.]
 7. Bottom view of the Mark II-b Malawi Cart. Note the
longitudinal cleat clench-nailed to (each side of) the bottom of the
body. These two cleats serve to laterally locate the cart body.
Also, note (two of the four) swivel catches serving to attach the
body to the chassis. They are best bolted to the floor of the body,
although screws were employed in this prototype.

8. Two methods of affixing the handles to the rear sidewalls of

the Mark II cart body. The former method was by three bolts
(bicycle rear brake bell-crank bolts and nuts). The improved
method is via four rear wheel chain adjuster bolts and two 4”
nails. The nails pass through the handle, and through the eyes of
the chain adjuster bolts, much more securely clamping the handle
to the sidewall than the earlier bolt pattern. The rectangular
washers and nuts that come with these bolts are all readily
(inexpensively) available from market vendors selling bicycle
spares.

Bicycle Components used to build the AfriCart

best to use heaviest duty "nylon" tires available, and heavy duty rims if available
1. ‘Ordinary’ bicycle spokes are of 14
gauge thickness, and their nipples are
4mm in diameter. These spokes will
pass through the holes in ‘ordinary’
hubs and rims. Heavy duty spokes are
of 12 gauge thickness, and their
nipples are 5mm in diameter. They
require heavy duty hubs and rims, as
the holes in ‘ordinary’ hubs and rims
are too small for them. If these heavy
duty components are available, they
use is highly recommended.

2. Rear axles are of 10mm diameter and

come in various lengths. The best
ones to use for bolting the chassis
joints are nominally 7" long, as the
Utility (India) brand illustrated. The
Sim Hwa (China) axles depicted are 6
3/4" long.
 3. The crucial dimension here is the width
between the spoke flanges, and not the width
between cone faces. However when replacing
a wheel/hub, it is best to use one that matches
the original in this dimension, as otherwise
the bearers will have to bend to accommodate
the different dimensions.
NOTE: There must be washers fitted between
the inner cones and the wooden wheel
bearer/frames, and washers fitted between the
axle nuts and the frame. So, each wheel
requires four washers.

It is best to use the longest available axles. It

is easy to and inexpensive to exchange a
shorter axle/spindle for a longer 7" one. The
longer axles allow for the use of thicker wood
bearers, not requiring counterboring for the
axle washers and nuts.

Rear hubs with 40 holes vary in width between flanges:

Eastman (India) = 58mm

Avon (India) = 57mm
Sim Hwa (China) Special Grade = 63mm
Sim Hwa (China) De Luxe = 64mm

It is best to use the widest flange distance hubs available, in order to ensure
maximum wheel rigidity.

Rear hubs vary in width between inner cone faces:

= 100mm
Eastman (India)
(= 110mm with lock nuts)
Avon (India) = 105mm
Sim Hwa (China) Special Grade = 108mm
Sim Hwa (China) De Luxe = 106mm

Rear hubs vary in length of axle / spindle

Eastman (India) = 7" (178mm)

Avon (India) = 6 ½" (166mm)
Sim Hwa (China) Special Grade = 6 3/4" (172mm)
Sim Hwa (China) De Luxe = 7" (178mm)
 4. A selection of bicycle bolts useful as
fasteners for the Africart. The chain
adjuster bolts stamped (as opposed to
bent) can be cut apart to produce
washers of 10mm inside diameter,
which are useful for both the chassis
corner bolts, as well as the wheel
axles. As washers of this size are hard
to find in rural areas, and as the cost
of the chain adjuster bolts is
frequently less than that of a washer in
a hardware shop, this is a useful and
cost effective to obtain washers of this
size. These bolts are used for
attaching the handles to the cart body.
The other bolts are used to fasten the
handle cross bar to the handles, to
secure the four swivel latches to the
bottom of the body, and to attach the
swiveling stand to its base.

Cart being used to collect rubbish. Notice the difference in volume that can be held by the Africart.
Women using Africart for collecting rubbish for the Mzuzu City Assembly.

Elasto Chanza, field assistant, Malawi Handcart Project

Woman using handcart to carry water, Mwandama Millennium Research Village, UNDP-Malawi, 2008
Click here for photos from June of 2003
Click here for photos on the Hastings Mkandawire Workshop
Click here for photos from the Agricultural Fair in Llongwe
Click here for photos from AfriCart's participation in the 2003 Tanzania Workshop on "Improving Mobility for
Rural Poor"
Click here for photos of the first AfriCart prototype, the Livingstonia Cart
View More New Uses!

2008 Trials of Handcarts by Millennium Villages Project/UNDP

Woman using handcart to carry bags of maize, Mwandama Millennium Research Village, UNDP-Malawi
Photo by Elasto Chanza

2008
Imported Taiwanese handcart wheels bound for Mwandama Millennium Research Village in a pickup provided
by the Malawi Rural Travel and Transport Programme.
Photo by Elasto Chanza
February 2004
Pililani Women's Group Chenga Village Dedza Region. AfriCart has been modified with motorcycle wheels.
Photos by Christian Casillas, environmental engineer/ex-Peace Corps Namibia, taken during his month long
voluntary assessment tour of the Malawi Handcart Project.

Hastings Mkandwrie purchasing bicycle components for AfriCarts at the Mzuzu hardware market.

Click here for all photos in Casillas' Asessement Project

Cart Usage in other parts of the world

In Brooklyn, NY
and in city streets

Other Carts

History and Global usage of carts

Goat Carts and usages