A bit of fun - Karts finished!

[jadboog]

Have spent the day building a prototype go kart from scrap wood ready to build a flashier model. Nice bit of fun for a Friday off work!

Will try to do a WiP for mark 2.

 

[Gary Morris]

Nice one! I've been mulling over making one for my nephew, asked friends and family to look out for some wheels
Can you post some pics of Mk2 please?

Gary

 

[Richard S]

Looking good but I think you may have trouble steering it, soapies like these rely on the forward pressure of your feet on the steering axle to stop it from turning in on its self under forward momentum, if that makes sense. I would shorten the main spar and do away with the intermediate footrests.
Richard

 

[Graham Orm]

Looking good but I think you may have trouble steering it, soapies like these rely on the forward pressure of your feet on the steering axle to stop it from turning in on its self under forward momentum, if that makes sense. I would shorten the main spar and do away with the intermediate footrests.
Richard

+1 on that.

Also that broom handle will be great for pushing but also great for collecting passengers on the way down hill, you may need to shorten it. (Or sit it in deep notches that the pushers can lift it out of when all pushing is done).

Good stuff. I vote it the best project on here for 2013! :lol: Looking forward to the development designs. :wink:

 

[Russ59]

Brings back childhood memories, used to make these as a kid back in early 70's.
Remember making hole for the front bolt to go through with a red hot poker just come out the fire :lol: Hard to get pram wheels now though.
As others have said, needs shortening so you can steer with your feet. Nice though!!

 

[bodge]

What Russ said!
That put an instant smile on my face with happy memories of sawing up prams shortly followed by skinned knees and elbows. You just don't see these nowadays.
Thanks for sharing jadboog. 8) I'd be very interested in seeing the WiP for a mk2.

 

[Graham Orm]

What Russ said!
That put an instant smile on my face with happy memories of sawing up prams shortly followed by skinned knees and elbows. You just don't see these nowadays.
Thanks for sharing jadboog. 8) I'd be very interested in seeing the WiP for a mk2.

Made me smile and glaze over all at once! Do you remember the excitement at finding a discarded pram?

 

[Russ59]

Big pram wheels for the back and small pushchair wheels for the front all held on with bent over nails :lol: :lol:
Bit of wood nailed to the seat that touched the tyre to act as a brake.

They dont make em like that anymore

 

[Graham Orm]

Ha! Bent over nails! I progressed to mole grips for a gear lever on an old Honda 90.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I rode ten miles home one night on my KH250 with the throttle cable wrapped around my right hand - great fun!
Incidentally, these carts in my part of the world were called "dandies". Absolutely lethal. Or they were the way I built them.

 

[jadboog]

Thanks for the comments all.

We built it to enter a Scouts competition on a racetrack in Pembrey. The rules require 5 people to push and one to steer, hence the long dowel at the back. The Kart will be painted black, have some sides installed and decorated with flames.

We tested using your feet to steer but found that they got in the way when you turned - we were limited by the axle length as we bought the weels from gokartdaddy.com. Nonetheless, we will make the next one shorter.

We built it in the front of my friends house - we had at least 4 people stop and give us advice as we were building, all reminiscing of better days - the red hot poker one came up, but I don't think I've even seen a poker for over a decade!

 

[brianhabby]

What a brilliant & fun project, would definitely like to see Mk2.

Is there any way you can find something to make a longer front axle, then you won't trap your feet when steering it.

It was great reading all the reminiscing above, bent nails, red hot poker, skinned knees & elbows. Kids today don't know what they're missing.

regards

Brian

 

[bodge]

Graham, I searched for months for a discarded pram, it was like a decade of Christmases all at once when I eventually found one! Spent about a week sawing off a set of wheels with a hacksaw blade that was about as sharp as a butter knife.
Russ, my wheels were also fixed with the, then, technologically advanced bent nail method and fell off with frustrating regularity. There wasn't a spare nail for two square miles by the end of the summer! No such luxury as brakes, even rudimentary bits of wood. With hindsight, that probably explains the skinned elbows and knees.
I also progressed onto mole grips. I used a pair as a steering wheel to tow a car to the scrapyard! In my defence it was only half a mile.

 

[bodge]

Thanks for the comments all.

We built it to enter a Scouts competition on a racetrack in Pembrey. ........

I think a lot of people on here would enjoy seeing photo's or footage of the event if you happen to get any, sounds like there is a lot of nostalgia on this one.

 

[nev]

:mrgreen: I nominate this thread for the 'Bringing back of best memories' award! =D>

 

[whiskywill]

Instead on extending the axle, why not insert a bolt in the middle of the footrest, to allow it to pivot, and add two steering rods connected to the axle?

A bit like this.

 

[Racers]

I rode ten miles home one night on my KH250 with the throttle cable wrapped around my right hand - great fun!
Incidentally, these carts in my part of the world were called "dandies". Absolutely lethal. Or they were the way I built them.

Hi, Phil

I had 2 KH250s the first one I wrapped around a 50mph sign, walked away with out a scratch, but it wrote off the bike

Pete

 

[jadboog]

Thanks Will, we had considered that design and may include it in MK2 !

Hope you haven't been too distracted from woodworking by doing some excellent drawing.

Glad this post is doing well! Booked in another building session next Friday (10th) so will post some more pics then.

 

[flying haggis]

memories, memories

they were known as guiders in my neck of the woods when I were a lad.

 

[bodge]

:mrgreen: I nominate this thread for the 'Bringing back of best memories' award! =D>

Good call, I second the nomination.