The weight of a Rhino depends on its configuration. The frame by itself weighs 37 pounds. Each standard configuration, the Rock Hauler and Log Hauler, weigh 118 pounds when all components are attached. If you look under COMPONENT SPECIFICATIONS in the product details, you can find the weight of each component.  Rhino Tool Systems are made from heavy duty A-36 Steel Tubing and Schedule-40 pipe, however the Rhino’s good balance, unique versatility, low load height, and durability more than compensate for the weight. Pushing over flat ground is nearly effortless, and tow straps can be easily connected for assistance with heavily loaded uphill travel.

No tools are needed. Stainless steel detent pins, that just push in or pull out, hold most components in place.  The axle and wheel(s) are secured by 2 lock ring lynch pins.

Each flat proof wheel has a load rating of 400 lbs (180 kg) at walking speed.  Even when 3 wheels are used,  the other components are designed for more than the combined maximum wheel load rating of 1200 lbs (544 kg)!

No. The high handles keep the Rhino frame parallel to the ground, so the front doesn’t tip up and catch when you are pushing.  In addition the puller front and the common fronts, which are often used as front load retainers for the Firewood Hauler and the Firewood Hauling Trailer, are made from smoothly bent pipe that won’t catch on obstacles even if it did make contact.  Also there are no leg stands protruding down in the rear that can catch or bend. The actual front clearance is the same as a common wheelbarrow and the rear clearance is higher than legs of a common wheelbarrow.

Sliding round structural pipe components into square receiver sockets allows relatively close fitting components to be readily inserted and removed without the risk of seizing or binding.  In addition the flat surfaces of the square frame tubing provide easy mounting for accessories while strong, nicely curved components can be efficiently formed by bending structural pipe.

Two wheels give you plenty of weight carrying capacity, but if the ground is a little soft, 3 wheels will give you better flotation.  If the ground is excessively soft, boards  or even better, modular panels can be laid down for ease of travel.  An advantage of having 3 wheels is that you can lay down single boards and roll along with just the middle wheel on the board.  With 2 wheels, wider boards are required.  Carrying capacity with 2 wheels is 800lbs, and with 3 wheels is1200lbs.

The high rise handles allow the frame and the load to ride low and parallel to the ground providing excellent stability, yet you can maintain a comfortable posture while pushing.  Also when you lean into a load to really push, the force seems to transfer better into rolling, since it is directed parallel with the ground rather than at the somewhat downward angle common with conventional wheelbarrow designs. The handle design also reduces back strain.

The Rhino Tool System carries its load 24″ off the ground, thus in most situations, there is adequate clearance for the ends of long timbers to clear the ground on uneven terrain.

Wheel spacing is 18″ tread center to tread center when two wheels are installed.  With three wheels installed the outside width is the same, since the third wheel is added in the middle.

There are a lot of factors that determine the size of the rock you can move with a Rhino Tool System.

The leverage advantage is fitted with a pair of pry bars is approximately 2.5:1.  That means pushing down on the handles with 100 kilograms of force (220 pounds) will lift a 250 kilogram (550 pound) rock. Rolling a rock up onto the frame behind the wheels helps the user to add leverage weight by creating a more balanced load.  Also, since the Rhino is so ruggedly built, two people can push down, one on each handle to increase capacity significantly.

However, if you just have the pry bars on the front, a rock that is more than 30″ across will tip off the pry bars because its center of gravity will be beyond the ends of the pry bars.  Adding the clamp assembly works very well to keep an oversized rock from tipping off the pry bars, which means that not only larger rocks can be moved, but also the pry bars do not have to be shoved so far under smaller rocks to pick them up.

How easily rocks can be moved depends on how firm and smooth the surface is and whether it is up or down hill.  You’ll have no problem rolling a 250 kg. rock on a smooth, level surface, provided you have enough weight behind the wheels in the form of rocks piled on the frame or a heavy person or persons pushing down on the handles.

When rolling heavy loads uphill, adding a handle cross bar allows you to use your body to help push.  If you don’t have a handle cross bar, put your hands partially over the ends of the handlebars.  That way you don’t have to grip as hard to keep you hands from sliding forward and can lean in while keeping the frame of the Rhino parallel with the ground.  

To minimize the rolling difficulty on uneven ground, it helps to rake about a 2 foot wide path free of sticks, stones and small humps before trying to push a heavy load.   If the ground is soft or rutted it is a huge help to lay down boards, sheets of plywood to make a smooth, firm rolling surface.

The Rhino can pry up rocks considerably larger than one person can roll uphill or across soft ground, so if possible you want to head downhill with heavy loads, avoiding slopes that are too steep to allow you to maintain control.  Alternatively you can enlist one or more people to help you pull the loads uphill, by attaching straps to the Rhino frame so they can pull from the front while you push from the back. Car tow straps work well as do straps made from old seatbelts.

The bolts with wing nuts are just for base of the upright post of the clamp assembly.

The loose fit and short detent pins for the Rhino’s components allows very rapid and easy assembly/disassembly or change of components without having an adverse affect on performance in addition to eliminating the chance of components seizing.  However, if you want to tighten up the fit without substantially affecting ease of assembly you can switch out the 3/8″ (0.375″) diameter detent pins for longer 10mm (0.394″) diameter bolts from a hardware store, since the receiving holes in the Rhino’s frame and components are 0.404″  diameter.  If you want to tighten up the fit more, you can add self-locking, nylon insert nuts to the 10 mm bolts and tighten them down, but then you will need two wrenches to assemble and disassemble your Rhino.

The detent pins are intentionally short for components that are frequently changed.  They are longer for the handles which are not frequently changed, but are occasionally folded down for rolling heavy objects onto the rear of the frame.  While the handles work fine with short detent pins, loose handles are not the norm for hand tools, so the longer detent pins that go through both the top and bottom holes provide more handle stability.  For an even more rigid handle mount you can use the 10mm bolts and nuts described above.

The bolts with wingnuts in the clamp assembly are there to prevent the bolt flange from spreading under heavy load and should be snugged finger tight before use.  The bracket itself is slightly loose to allow fast and easy assembly and disassembly without tools.  If you will be leaving your Rhino assembled with the clamp or don’t mind taking a little extra time to use tools to make a component change, you can switch to bolts with nuts and tighten them down.

Not at this time. If and when the cost of shipping lowers, we hope to resume international shipping.

Larger diameter wheels roll better over obstructions, but still sink into soft ground unless they are quite wide  The best solution I have come up with is the triple wheel configuration.  The triple wheels give maximum flotation while still keeping the wheels within the width of the frame and do not raise the height of the Rhino which would make it harder to load. The triple wheel configuration will also make it easier to roll over a stone beach since it is less likely that all three wheels would drop down between stones at the same time.  This said, if you have an 800 pound rock load, you will need a couple other folks with tow straps to pull you through the sand or over the rocks.  

Another solution that makes rolling really easy over soft and/or rough ground is to lay down plywood panels or boards, or modular, interlocking, structural panels such as WorkHorse.  WorkHorse panels  are 24″ wide by 42″ long. You can see them at www.WorkhorseGS.com. The panels are far easier to use than boards or plywood, and provide better footing and stability.

The physical size of a rock that the Rhino clamp can handle depends on the shape of the rock. If a rock is perfectly round, two feet is about the diameter limit. If it is any larger, the clamp won’t reach over the curve of the rock with enough bite to secure it onto the pry bars. However, if the rock is somewhat flat, the clamp can be flipped upside down and it will resist the rock tipping off the pry bars even if the rock exceeds a diameter of two feet.

Based on physics, the short answer is no. Leverage only increases by moving the load closer to the fulcrum (the axle) or lengthening the handles to increase the ratio of lever length on the handle side to the length out to the lift point on the load side. Raising the height only allows you to lift the load higher, however all that is needed is to lift the load high enough so that it can be rolled.

Yes, the 3 wheels do allow for use of the clamp arm for gripping rocks, but when transporting the clamp arm without a rock in its jaws, it can jiggle down and rub on the middle wheel. That small problem can be solved by sliding the clamp arm off and laying it on the frame behind the wheels, by installing the wheel shield, or using a short bungee from the clamp arm to the open top of the post.

The Rhino three wheel configuration is rated for up to 1200 pounds. While a two wheel configuration is rated for 800 pounds, you are going to need at least 310 pounds of downward force on the handles to lift 780 pound rocks. Thus the total weight on the wheels will be at least 1100 pounds.  If you weigh less than 320 pounds, you will want a person pushing down on each handle or, if you are alone, roll a heavy counterweight rock onto the Rhino’s frame behind the wheels.

The handles are heavy steel and you would be safe sliding heavy pipe into the end of the handles to extend them a few feet and give yourself considerably more leverage. In theory the pipe extensions on the handles can be as long as you would like. However when the Rhino is tipped up vertically to pry out an embedded rock, adding extensions may put them out of reach above your head. The extensions work well when a Rhino does not have to be tipped at a near perpendicular angle to the ground to get the pry bars under a heavy object.

1. Slide the tips of the pry bars under the edge of the rock, then quickly push down and forward on the handles to work the pry bars farther under the rock.
2. If you can’t get the rock entirely on the pry bars, place a small rock next to the bigger one, then use the Rhino’s pry bars to lever one edge of the big rock and pivot it onto the smaller rock. This will create a space so the pry bars can better slid underneath your targeted rock.
3. If the rock is still too heavy too lever up after step 2, pull the handle pins, pivot the handles down, and roll a decent size rock onto the frame behind the wheels, then pin the handles back in place. This creates a counterbalance load. Now place the pry bars back under the rock you want to lift and give it a try.
4. The clamp arm is designed to be loose so that it will drop down easily onto the target rock. As the rock starts to tip off the pry bars, the double steel rings of the clamp assembly will self lock onto the upright post and will stabilize the rock from additional slippage.
5. If the clamp arm cannot reach over the rock, flip the clamp arm over so that the clamp’s curved end faces upward and the flat portion of the clamp holds the top of the rock in place.
6. Over soft or rough ground, adding a third wheel gives better flotation and aids in smoothing out uneven surfaces. Additionally, laying down boards or plywood to create a track is far easier. With a third wheel in place, a single track board such as a 2×10 will likely be sufficient.
7. One person will not be able to push a very heavy load up a hill or over soft and/or extremely rugged terrain. It can be beneficial to have a friend or coworker push while another pulls the Rhino with a rope or strap tied around the front portion of the assembly. 

The long pins are for the handles.  All the rest are short to facilitate rapid changing of components.  If you are not frequently changing components then you can use 3/8″ diameter through bolts or if you want a more snug fit you can use 10 mm diameter bolts.  

The Rhino Tool System is purposely designed with loose fitting components so that there is never any issue with components being easy to swap in and out as long as the loose fit does not affect performance or durability.  The loose fit also makes it easier for users to fabricate their own components.

If you slide a five foot piece of 1″ schedule 40 pipe inside each handle with four feet protruding from the handles, you should double your mechanical advantage to 5:1.  So if you weigh 200 pounds in theory you should be able to pry a 1000 pound boulder that is not embedded in the ground.  You can also pry up large embedded boulders, but the ground adds resistance.  Even on flat hard ground a 200 pound person with pipe extensions on the handles can not roll a 1000 pound load because all your body weight is being used to lever up the load on the front and your feet will barely touch the ground, thus you need to add a counter weight behind the wheels or better yet, recruit a second person so you can both add your weight and pushing power to a handle.  Be sure to drill a 7/16″ hole through each pipe extension so that you can pin them with about a foot of pipe inside each handle.

Unfortunately, no. We manufacture the Rhino Tool System by hand in small quantities which allows us to employ small business fabricators to produce all of the Rhino’s steel products.

The rock hauler with the clamp works even better with large round stones, since the curved clamp holds the rounded surface of the rock well.  Also, the rounded surface is even less likely to slide off the two pry bars.

The long curve of the Rhino’s clamp will fully accommodate up to 15″ diameter, however the tips of the curved clamp will just reach over the top of the curve in an object 28″ in diameter. The self locking and tightening action of the clamp should clinch the load as long as the tips of the clamp are just over the crest of the curve. You would need to add a front extension to the vertical clamp post for extra height for anything over 20″ diameter.

If the object is a cylinder or virtually any other shape, it can be clamped from one end using the shorter side of the clamp or by turning the tips of the long side of the clamp up and just using the flat back of the long side of the clamp to hold the object from tipping forward off the pry bars.

A two wheeled Rhino is rated for 800 pounds and with three wheels 1200 pounds.  With a 2.5:1 leverage ratio at the tip of the pry bars, your real limitation will be how much downward force you can exert on the handles.  A 200 pound person can effectively exert about 150 pounds of downward force (if all your body weight is used your feet won’t have any traction on the ground for rolling the load).  Therefore, if you weigh 200 pounds your load limit will be about 375 pounds.  However, there are several ways you can increase the load you can handle.

1. Add counterweight behind the wheels
2. Use two people, one on each handle
3. Add pipe extensions to the handles. The longer the extensions, the more weight you can lever up.  
4. Combine all of the above.

When working on a slope as steep at 40%, you can slow the descent by pushing down on the handles so that the where plates on the back of the frame drag on the ground. Also, you can moderate the descent by going diagonally across slope if the clamp is set firmly enough to prevent the load from slipping sideways off the pry bars.

When going up slope, two people can push since the handles are long and strong enough for one person to push on each handle. Alternatively, a tow strap can be attached to the front so that one or more additional people can pull. If you are working alone and have an anchor point at the hilltop, you can attach a set of pulley blocks or a portable winch to pull the assembly up the hill by attaching the pulling line to the center of the frame in the front with the line running under the load on the pry bars. If there is no natural uphill anchor point, driving a stake firmly into the ground will serve the purpose.