[AndyB]

We did something like this and used it these past two years. Our cart had oversized pneumatic tires, places to charge 4 batteries, and a series of compartments for storing tools, cables, etc...

By no means did it replace the pit, but it was nice for transporting a compressor for charging our accumlators, as well as tether cables, programming cables, and of course a few zipties.

I don't know that I would recommend the chargers. I don't know if we ever used that capability once after the initial regional. Usually we just have our battery farm nested underneath our table in the pit so it's not that big of a deal.

The other hassle with using a multifunctional cart is that it is going to be much higher off the ground in most circumstances, due to the need for pnuematic tires so tools aren't flying around. We have had troubles in the past with 5' robots and getting them underneath doors.

We ended up having two carts this year. We used our multifunctional at Wisconsin and then we made a VERY simple cart using the kitbot frame and a few casters which we used at Toronto, Atlanta, and IRI. The simple cart was preferred for its easy maneuverability and overall, it was just easier to transport and ship with the robot.

I can see the practicality in building a pit-cart, but in my opinion as long as you're organized and plan ahead, it isn't really much of a benifit. It was nice at times to have the compressor or tether cables right there at times, but like I said, if you plan ahead, you won't really need it.