Pure freedom trolley build

[Deleted member 3420]

Hi guys I use a gardiner backpack on a trolley, however have just been offered the frame of a mk1 pure freedom trolley for free and it’s in good condition he just used the parts to build van mount. so thought it would be a nice little project to rebuild it , I want to keep the weight down tho as a standard one is 23kg without a barrel which is bit much for me *bad back.  so want to use light pump and battery , has any one done this on a freedom trolley any pics would be appreciated. Thank you 

 

[Dave B]

I think it is @Marko067 who put a lighter pump and battery on his trolley

I may be wrong but sure it was him

 

[Deleted member 3420]

I think it is [mention=3270]Marko067[/mention] who put a lighter pump and battery on his trolley
I may be wrong but sure it was him

Thank you


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[Den]

I think it is @Marko067 who put a lighter pump and battery on his trolley

I may be wrong but sure it was him

Your not wrong for a change lol yes @Marko067 is your man for lighting a pf trolley. 

 

[Marko067]

Yep. Twas me.

Pnuematic tyres, a 7 or 10ah 12v battery depending on your needs, and the old 4-5lpm packpack styled pumps you can pick up on ebay for £10-£20, nothing higher rated than 100psi though. I also use a plain PWM controller. I don't like digital controllers due to the delay created by the callibration circuits in them which is much more noticable when using shorter lengths of hose as we trolley users are prone to do. I also use minibore hose on the trolley as opposed to half inch hose. I'd also recomment fitting an automotive 40amp relay to take the load off the smaller micro switches built into the pressure switches on these pumps, as I found that they burn out quite quick on these little pumps.

It all looks like this









And this is with the relay fitted. (Not as tidy looking but it does the job)



This mod almost halved the weight of the original trolley and makes everything very accessible

I keep spares for everything and any repairs that may need doing can be done roadside in minutes.

Wheels are the most common thing to be changed. Maybe twice a year, usually when the council hedge cutting team come round and leave loads of blackthorn debris lying around to puncture tyres. Wheels are cheap on eBay though. I usually buy them four at a time and just keep a spare in the vehicle for when it happens. Seconds to change.

The wiring for the relay is as follows if it helps

 

[Deleted member 3420]

Pnuematic tyres, a 7 or 10ah 12v battery depending on your needs, and the old 4-5lpm packpack styled pumps you can pick up on ebay for £10-£20, nothing higher rated than 100psi though. I also use a plain PWM controller. I don't like digital controllers due to the delay created by the callibration circuits in them which is much more noticable when using shorter lengths of hose as we trolley users are prone to do. I also use minibore hose on the trolley as opposed to half inch hose. I'd also recomment fitting an automotive 40amp relay to take the load off the smaller micro switches built into the pressure switches on these pumps, as I found that they burn out quite quick on these little pumps.

It all looks like this

View attachment 12371

View attachment 12372

View attachment 12373

View attachment 12374

And this is with the relay fitted. (Not as tidy looking but it does the job)

View attachment 12375

This mod almost halved the weight of the original trolley and makes everything very accessible

I keep spares for everything and any repairs that may need doing can be done roadside in minutes.

Wheels are the most common thing to be changed. Maybe twice a year, usually when the council hedge cutting team come round and leave loads of blackthorn debris lying around to puncture tyres. Wheels are cheap on eBay though. I usually buy them four at a time and just keep a spare in the vehicle for when it happens. Seconds to change.

The wiring for the relay is as follows if it helps

View attachment 12376

This is great thank you @Marko067 ,just what I want to do , and there’s still loads of space under trolley and is still neat and tidy , I think the original batteries they put on them are over kill , thanks for the diagram as well much appreciated ??

 

[spruce]

@Jag. I think the original batteries they put on them are over kill

Judging by @Marko067's modified trolley, you are probably right.

But what you have to consider is that you are talking about the first generation of PF trolleys. They have since (recently) upgraded the batteries which make the trolley much lighter. But there is a cost premium to pay for the lighter batteries.

PF set out to make a quality trolley using 'heavy duty' components. So they went for a Spring DE controller and a Shurflo HD pump. They needed a bigger battery to supply the necessary current. The Spring controller and Shurflo combination they opted for would last years and so their trolley gained the title of the best and most durable in the business.

Prehaps the Shurflo pump was overkill as these small, low current draw backpack pumps are proving pretty robust. Our experience is that they have served us well in the backpacks we have had. We have had the electronic controllers fail, but never a pump. If you would have asked me what I thought of the same backpack pumps 8 years ago, I would have thought you mad for suggesting I use one.

(At one time I was shocked that Renault was going to market a 1.5 diesel engine as I believed it was too small for a diesel. A 2.0 Hdi diesel engine was also too small as we were accustomed to 2.5 diesels 30 years ago. So to go to a 1.5 was ridiculous. How times have changed!)

In manufacturing and supply things move on and perceptions change. Sometimes our standards of acceptance also become lower.

Would PF feel happy marketing a copy of @Marko067trolley to their customers? I leave you to decide.

.

 

[Marko067]

What I like about the way I have this trolley set up is the ease with which I can maintain it. Everything is easily accessible. I'd prefer the wiring to be tidier, and I toyed with the idea of cable ties to tidy them up but then if any connections needed checking I'd have to cut them all to get to the connectors.  Water can also get trapped between the wires if they are all bunched together so I opted to leave them as they were.

Before I fitted the relay I even managed to swap out a pump in 12 minutes when a microswitch burnt out. I also give the trolley a stripdown and a good clean twice a year. Spring and autumn.

 

[Den]

Wished I had your knowhow, defo a good job.

 

[Deleted member 3420]

All set to build now , trolley has been powder coated in company colours, and some new wheels , looking forward to putting it together thank you @Marko067 for your advice. Will post when it's all complete 

 

[Marko067]

Gotta ask. How much did it cost to get it powder coated? I kept my old one as a backup and was contemplating getting it done to spruce it up a bit if it's not to much.

 

[Deleted member 3420]

Gotta ask. How much did it cost to get it powder coated? I kept my old one as a backup and was contemplating getting it done to spruce it up a bit if it's not to much.

£40 from a local firm , i thought that was fairly reasonable considering it should last good couple years 

 

[AGlassAct]

It’s worth asking local powder coaters/stove enamel as a place near me only charges a fiver if you don’t mind waiting so they can do it alongside other big jobs they do - they only do plain colours though (black!) as it’s all people with bigger items want


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[Marko067]

Thanks for that. I’ll have to do some phoning around

 

[Deleted member 3420]

(update) 

Been using finished trolley this week , waited a long long time for the pump to turn up but got it in the end. 

Im really happy with finished product! nice and light and looks smarter than backpack. So to conclude if you can get your hands on the carcass of a pure freedom trolley fairly cheap it's worth it , noticed there's 2 bare ones going cheap on eBay at moment. 

cost around £140 in total,

To get it powder coated ,small 100 psi pump , new analogue controller of eBay , 10 amp battery eBay , and a few small bits n bobs from pure freedom that I could find anywhere else, and wheels in B&Q. Sure you can just hand pure freedom £500 for nice shiny new one ,but if you like a little bit of a project and satisfaction I can recommend doing this ?

 

[KWClean]

Whats the weight of the trolley now?

 

[Den]

Nice job looks great ? 

 

[Marko067]

Very nice! Love the colour. You can get the square tube bungs as well on ebay for a couple of £s to tidy up those tube ends ans stop water getting inside.

If you haven't done it already or if you have problems with the pump pressure switch not lasting don't forget the 40amp relay mod. Mine's still going strong since I did it.

 

[Deleted member 3420]

Thank you @Den  , it’s 16kg @Karls Window Cleaning . Yeah been looking round for the tube ends but haven’t found any but will have a hunt around on eBay , yes will be fitting the relay , am gunna get a little electric box to put battery and relay in. Thanks for your help and advice @Marko067