CARGO CARRIER TAKES WEIGHT OFF
Larry Edsall
The Detroit News
AID=/20090204/AUTO03/902040314/1149/AUTO01
Feb 4 2009
MI
Four-wheeled device gets items from car to kitchen without use of
heavy lifting as it pivots from vehicle.
Serge Agopian and his family and friends were talking one day about
how easy it was to wheel their groceries from the store to their
vehicles in a shopping cart, but how cumbersome it was to make many
trips from the car to the kitchen once they got home.
There must be an easier way, they thought.
Agopian, of Oxnard, Calif., did more than think about it. He went to
work and created the Autocart portable cargo carrier and started a
company to build it.
The company is Jackson Cargo Management Solutions Inc. "Jackson" is
the English translation of Serge’s Armenian family name. He thought
Agopian might sound like a nice ethnic restaurant, but that "Jackson"
sounded more like a contractor’s or manufacturer’s name.
The basket part of an Autocart looks much like the basket in a
typical grocery shopping cart, but the base comprises four wheels,
a shelf and two L-shaped arms that support the basket.
The arms are height-adjustable so the basket can be wheeled onto
a lowered pickup truck tailgate or into the cargo area of a sport
utility vehicle or minivan.
Once the basket is in place in a vehicle, the base can be pivoted up
right behind the base.
The unit fits in 38 x 26 x 24-inch space, and the basket can be raised
to as high as 35 inches from the ground.
Though groceries provided the inspiration, Agopian said the Autocart
also can carry sporting goods or tools, even heavy tools. The basket
will hold up to 200 pounds and the base is designed for a load of up
to 300 pounds.
The Autocart retails for $349.95 and is sold through the
When we checked the site, it was offering the cart at a special
reduced price of $249.95.
In addition to the Autocart, Jackson Cargo Management has two similar
carts in development. One is a larger xAC cart and the other is a
lighter-weight Omnicart that folds almost flat when not being used.