newbie from alberta

[Revhead]

looking for some help/info on some karts i have picked up, bought 3 karts to use on our acreage for bombing around and letting the kids get into trouble (me too I guess). I think they are from an old amusement go kart track, they had plastic/fibreglass bodies but I did not keep them.

Anyways, all 3 have GX160's with a gear recuction (I think there 2:1), and final drive is a belt drive. karts are in great shape have dual hydraulic disc brakes on the rear. I am looking to remove the gear reduction and add some larger rear tires as they are strictly used off road on our property and the slicks that came on them are useless.

I need/want to do the following:
1) remove gear reduction.... what should I run Centrifigal clutch or torque converter? Or can I get a different gear reduction to get better off the line traction and speed? will I have to change to a chain drive or can I still run the belt?

2) the motors seem to be pretty tired, not a lot of power, I have access to some GC190's, 5.2hp, are the worth using?

3) the hubs are all 3 bolt and I would like to change the rear to a 4 bolt so I can run a taller tire as well as more of a turf saver or ATV for better traction on the grass and dirt. Is this a simple swap?

Thanks in advance for any advice

Keith

 

[OzFab]

1. Why do you wish to remove the reduction boxes? For offroad use, you're better off with CVTs (torque converters). With a torque converter, you'll need both...

2. IIRC, the GC engines have the muffler on the opposite side of the engine to the carb so, they're not really usable on a go kart without modification. It would probably be easier to put new rings & gaskets in the GX 160s...

3. Providing the axle is a "standard" size & config, that shouldn't be too difficult.

Add some pics so we can give you more specific answers...

Oh, & if you do decide to remove the redux units, you can send one or two my way

 

[landuse]

Welcome to the forum

I would also have to ask why you want to change out the reduction unit? They are pretty much bulletproof. If you do take them off and go with a centrifugal clutch, it will mean that you would need an axle sprocket twice the size of what you have now. That would be because the reduction box is 2:1. That would probably be impractical for you. To get better torque from what you have at the moment, you will either have to get a larger axle sprocket or smaller gear reduction unit sprocket

A TC would work, but they are going to set you back at least $300 for both (if not a bit more). For offroading, I would suggest that you have at least a 7 or 8:1 gear ratio with a TC. That would be something like a 10T TC sprocket and 72T axle sprocket.

Oh, and when you take them off, send one to me as well. Tony can't have both

 

[Revhead]

Guys thanks for the advice, my issues is we are cooking the tires off these karts and its getting pricey, so my thought was to get rid of the gear reduction which will decrease torque and increase speed.

I want to run larger tires for a little more ground clearance as we just bomb around our acreage and the driveway (about 700').

I have 4 GX 160 motors, one has a cracked case but runs, one is smoking bad, one is extremely under powered and one has an output shaft that is smaller than the rest so the gear box will not work unless I change or build a sleeve on a lathe.

I have 5 brand new GC 190 motors that were given to me and they all run like a top, will the 160 gear reduction boxes fit these motors? They sure look like they will.

I will try to take some pictures tonight when I get home and post ASAP

Thanks again for any/all help

Cheers,
Keith

 

[OzFab]

Oh, and when you take them off, send one to me as well. Tony can't have both

Why not??

Guys thanks for the advice, my issues is we are cooking the tires off these karts and its getting pricey, so my thought was to get rid of the gear reduction which will decrease torque and increase speed.

I want to run larger tires for a little more ground clearance as we just bomb around our acreage and the driveway (about 700').

Using larger tyres will effectively change your gearing which may solve your problem. If not, simply change one or both of the sprockets.

I searched unsuccessfully for months for an engine with a redux box to eliminate the ground clearance issue so, it's hard for me to comprehend why someone would want to remove one...

Do a tooth count on the axle & engine sprockets & report back. If you're having ground clearance issues, it's possible your axle sprocket is too big...

I have 4 GX 160 motors, one has a cracked case but runs, one is smoking bad, one is extremely under powered and one has an output shaft that is smaller than the rest so the gear box will not work unless I change or build a sleeve on a lathe.

I have 5 brand new GC 190 motors that were given to me and they all run like a top, will the 160 gear reduction boxes fit these motors? They sure look like they will.

The redux boxes should fit the engine but, again, will the engine work on the kart? You'll need to scrutinise them to compare any differences

I will try to take some pictures tonight when I get home and post ASAP

That's gonna help a lot

 

[landuse]

/\/\

What he said.