Crawler Multi-Use Cart

I own 3 other deer carts that I've accumulated over the years and while they work well they each have their drawbacks so I'm always on the lookout for a cart that has features that my current carts don't have and that will make hauling my deer out of the woods even easier and less work, especially as I get older. I've been looking at the Hawk Crawler for over a year and finally ordered one when I saw it on sale on Amazon for $94 with free shipping. I read all the reviews on Amazon for this cart and even though there were quite a few reviews that mentioned issues with missing parts I ordered anyway. The crawler was delivered a couple of days later and I immediately got concerned about missing parts because the box had taken a beating and there were a couple of fist sized holes in the box in a couple of places. I immediately removed the contents and took inventory, checking each piece against the parts list and was pleased to find all the parts were accounted for even though two (2) large screws were laying in the bottom of the box. How they didn't fall out of the holes in the box I have no idea but luckily they didn't. The assembly instructions were adequate, not great but adequate, and assembly was pretty straight forward. Total time for assembly was about an hour, with me taking my time and going slowly. All the holes lined up correctly, all the pieces fit together as designed and all the screws, fasteners, bolts, etc worked as designed without any problems. The tubing/structure of the crawler is nicely constructed and is extremely beefy and sturdy. The mesh fabric that holds your cargo is a very sturdy, thick, tough and strong fabric that clearly will stand up over time and use and it is very securely attached to the cart frame. The wheels are advertised to be filled with some sort of foam to make them "never flat" tires, however they do have air valves installed in them. I cannot definitively state that their is foam inside of them or not but all 4 of my tires arrived in excellent condition and filled (inflated) and easily handled cargo weight. From what I've read it appears to be general consensus that they are in fact partially filled with some sort of "never flat" foam material to prevent them from going totally flat if you get a puncture but they do in fact require 25 PSI of air in each tire for normal use. Not being able to prove that there is foam inside each tire I will assume that what I've read is true and that each tire is indeed partially foam filled. I guess time will tell. My plan is to carry a can of "Flat Fix It" in my pack just in case. The "free floating" suspension system of the wheels that enables each individual tire to pivot up and over obstacles is very simple in design but works smoothly, effortlessly and perfectly, while all the time insuring that your load really does stay level. I tested it out in my yard using different obstacles and I was very impressed by this feature. The front portion of the crawler folds down flat, as does the long handle, making the folded crawler much smaller in length and it easily fits inside the bed of my pickup. One thing......the instructions diagram shows 2 small spring clips that install through the pre-cut holes in the support tubing on the smaller front section and serve to lock the section in the fully extended (open) position so it doesn't flop up or down, however those clips are not included in the hardware. I went to the hardware store and purchased two 1/4" x 2" spring clips for $5.00 and they work great. The clips are not listed on the parts list and you have to look very closely at the assembly diagrams to see them but they are there. One of the other things I really liked about this crawler is the long handle. One of my complaints with my other carts is that the handles are to short and don't give me the length that I need to easily balance the carts and comfortably pull or push them. That's not a problem with this cart. The handle is quite long and for me the perfect length to make using the cart extremely efficient and comfortable. There's actually enough room for you to stand "inside" the handle to pull it. The front handle is secured by one (1) long bolt on each side with a large plastic star shaped "Delta" nut on the end for you to tighten/loosen the tension to secure the handle into position. It works well and once tightened down locks the handle into position however with weight in the cart the handle has a tendency to "pop" out of it's locked position. This is due to the fact that the handle is secure by only one (1) bolt on each side which allows it to "pivot" even after being tightened down if enough weight/pressure is place on it. The remedy for this is simply to either drill another hole in the tubing on each side and insert a spring clip or use a hose clamp slipped over the tubing and tightened down. Either of these solutions is quick, simple and easy and will give each side of the handle two (2) securing points thus totally eliminating the issue of the handle pivoting out of "lock" under weight load. I went with the hose clamp method as I didn't want to drill another hole in the handle tubing and possibly weaken the strength of the handle frame. The cart is really nicely constructed and sturdy as heck. As a result it's heavy. I didn't weigh it but it's much heavier than my other carts. It's to heavy to pack any distance, at least for me, but I can lift it in and out of the bed of my pickup and that's all I need. From there I can unfold it and wheel it wherever I need to go. One final point... maneuverability. Due to the four (4) tire design the cart doesn't "turn on a dime" like traditional 2 wheel carts. It tracks/rolls perfectly in a straight line however if you need to take a hard right or left turn the tires tend to "drag" a bit instead of rolling through it. It's really not an issue for me though as the crawler does turn nicely as long as you start your turn while you are moving forward and just give the wheels a bit more distance to track into the turn. I can't think of anything else to write about the crawler except that I am very impressed with this cart and very happy with my purchase. It really is a great cart and will make getting my harvested deer out of the woods much easier and efficient, not to mention being used to haul firewood and other materials around my property as the need arises. Sorry my review is so long but I wanted to get in as much information as I could think of. I hope this review helps someone who may be thinking of purchasing the crawler.

I pulled 4 deer out of the woods my first season using this cart. Pros: pulls easy, balances well, deer stayed cradled in the nylon webbing material very well with no straps or bungees. I had to float cart and deer through about a 3ft deep fast running creek, over logs and ditches no problem. Works very well compared to other carts with the “bicycle” type single wheels. Not that much heavier than other carts. Folds up nicely.Cons: with the 4 wheels it doesn’t turn easy on pavement. (No biggie) just have to skid the tires. I do wish the axle locked in position when folded up. Picking the cart up let’s the axles swing freely who’s is a pain while handling but a few bungee cords or ratchet strap helps that. Would like a few attachment points made on the frame for bungees. These can be modified.

Overall quality seems good, I just got this at Christmas and haven’t used it yet so I’m only going by first impressions. Took about 20 minutes to put together. From prior reviews regarding the included wheels I decided to swap them out with different ones. I picked up 4 no flat 13” solid rubber tires at Harbor Freight. Each tire was $25 but with a Christmas gift card to harbor freight I basically bought 2 tires out of pocket and the other 2 with my gift card. HF tires fit perfectly. They did add some extra weight, not much though. To me it’s piece of mind knowing the tires won’t go flat when I’m out somewhere using the cart. With nearly 2 feet of snow on the ground now I’ll have to wait until spring to test out and use the cart. I can see where the handle needs extra support bolts to keep it from folding over. I’ll tackle that project later. The mesh “seat” or carrying portion seems pretty durable, we’ll see. I’m planning on using it for hauling deer stands where I can’t use my atv and to hopefully haul out a deer or two where atv’s are illegal to use. I think it will work well early to late fall prior to snowfall then I’ll switch over to my jet sled to haul out deer.

Just arrived and working on assembly. Instructions OK but hardware listed as SAE and it's all METRIC. Still had two questions for customer service.First there seems to be a pair of clevis pins missing that would secure the "rear frame" and, when removed, allow it to fold.Second the attachment sequence for the "handle bar" shows the hopper straps in the wrong position. The straps can't fit between the "main frame" and the "handle bar". If you assemble the cart with them there you cant tighten the "handle bar" down enough to jeep it from folding.I made three separate calls to customer service no one spoke english well enough to even know what I was talking about when they had the assembly instructions on their screens and right in front of them.Review upgrade. 11/2024. - After sorting the cart out, and using it several times both around the house and for trail work I really am beginning to like it. I made an insert for the web basket out of rubberized pond liner for added protection when hauling my trail maintenance stuff around in the wildlife/bird sanctuary I volunteer in. Trail work involves a lot of digging and cutting tools (sharp edges and pointed ends) so the OEM liner needed protection. But the best thing I made was a couple of angle and clevis pin locks for the main frame that converted this into a fixed position cart. When the pins are removed the cart is fully articulate and the pins store in the spare holes by the locking knobs of the main handle. Happy Camper now.