Pack a mixed cart in a fixed order: heavy items on the floor as a base, fragile items on top and padded, liquids low and sealed, food separated from fuel and chemicals, and the goods needed first at the destination loaded last. Work out the balance with moments: a 370 kg cart with 200 kg of grain sitting 0.5 m ahead of the axle puts 26 kg on the shafts, which is 7% of the load and inside the 5-10% target. Weigh each item and write the plan down before you load.
Part of Logistics & Load Planning
Loading a vehicle with several kinds of cargo, such as heavy goods, fragile goods, liquids and food, in an order that protects each and keeps the vehicle balanced.
Different Cargo Has Different Needs, And Order Matters
The parent article lists four pairings. Heavy and fragile: put the heavy items at the bottom as a stable base, the fragile ones on top, padded with hay or cloth. Liquid and dry: liquids go low, so that leaks drain downward and not onto other cargo; seal containers and assume they will leak. Food and non-food: separate them with a tarp or barrier, because fuel, chemicals and animal feed contaminate food. Load order: items needed first at the destination go on last (top or tail), and items needed last go on first (bottom or front).
These rules sometimes conflict with balance: fragile items on top raise the centre of gravity, and heavy items at the front load the animal. The calculation below checks the balance.
What You Need
- A manifest — each item, its weight and its container.
- Padding — hay, cloth or straw.
- A barrier — a tarp or a board between food and everything else.
- Securing gear. See Securing Methods.
Method: Plan The Load Before Loading
Step 1: List and weigh Write every item with its weight. See Weight Calculation & Measurement.
Step 2: Sort by role Mark each as heavy, fragile, liquid, food or non-food, and when it is needed.
Step 3: Place the base Put the heavy items on the floor, grouped around the position that gives the right shaft load.
Step 4: Place liquids and fragile items Liquids low in sealed containers. Fragile items on top, padded.
Step 5: Separate and order Divide food from non-food, and put first-needed goods last in the load.
Worked Example: A 370 kg Mixed Cart
Inputs, mine: a two-wheel cart whose bed runs from 1.0 m behind the axle to 1.0 m ahead of it; a shaft length of 2.5 m. Positions are measured forward of the axle, in metres, to the centre of each item.
| Item | Weight | Position | Moment (kg·m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grain sacks (heavy, floor) | 200 kg | +0.5 | +100 |
| Water barrel (liquid, floor) | 80 kg | −0.3 | −24 |
| Tools (heavy, floor) | 40 kg | +0.2 | +8 |
| Pottery (fragile, on top, padded) | 30 kg | −0.6 | −18 |
| Blankets and hay (light, top) | 20 kg | 0.0 | 0 |
| Total | 370 kg | +66 |
- Centre of gravity ahead of the axle: 66 / 370 = 0.178 m.
- Shaft load: 370 × 0.178 / 2.5 = 26 kg, which is 26 / 370 = 7.1%, about 7%, of the load. That is inside the 5-10% from Cart & Wagon Loading.
- With the grain at +0.4 m instead: moment 80 − 24 + 8 − 18 = 46; centre 46 / 370 = 0.124 m; shaft load 18 kg, or 5.0%, the bottom of the range. Moving the grain 10 cm changes the shaft load by 8 kg.
- The total of 370 kg is below the 600 kg lower bound for a two-horse cart.
Unloading order: blankets and hay first (top), then pottery, then the rest. The grain, which is needed last, stays on the floor.
Common Mistakes
- Heavy items on top of fragile ones — they crush. Fragile goes on top.
- Liquid above dry goods — leaks soak the cargo below.
- Food next to fuel — contamination. Use a barrier.
- Loading in the wrong order — you unload the whole cart to reach what you need first.
- Forgetting balance — a good order that puts all the weight at the tail lifts the shafts.
Safety
Fuel, chemicals and fragile glass
Fuel and chemicals spilled onto food or feed can poison people and animals; keep them in sealed containers, lower than and apart from food. Padded glass and pottery can still cut; handle broken pieces with gloves.
What’s Next
- Learn next: Securing Methods — holding the load once placed
- Combine with: Cart & Wagon Loading — balance and tipping