Looking to BUY plans

[firemanjim]

Since your gonna use a 49cc motor, I think I would try to find a chainsaw motor. They have a lot of torque versus a weed eater motor. Dont know what kinda motor you mean exactly. The square tubing you posted is perfect. 1X1X.095 Its easy to work with and weld.... gonna look for some pics of my kids "H3" wannabe. .... it's made with the same material.....

 

[OzFab]

How does 1"X1" .095 wall thickness sound?

IMHO, too thick. Anything from 0.065 - 0.085 will be fine.

caster (Thats the wheels turning degree right?) I want.

No, caster is the kingpin angle looking from the side. Have a good read of this & see how much sense you can make of it.

I think the main issue I'll have is where the steering wheel connects to those two chunks of metal that make the wires turn (This is clickable)

Ok, terminology lesson:
The chunk of steel on the end of the steering shaft is called a pitman arm
The bits of "wire" are called tie rods
The steel chunks on the ends of the tie rods are called (here's a simple one) tie rod ends
The piece of steel connecting the tie rod end to the spindle is referred to as a steering arm, the position of which controls the amount of angle you achieve in turns

Believe it or not, IMO, the first thing you need to consider is the type of & width of your rear axle

 

[xXPhasemanXx]

Since your gonna use a 49cc motor, I think I would try to find a chainsaw motor. They have a lot of torque versus a weed eater motor. Dont know what kinda motor you mean exactly. The square tubing you posted is perfect. 1X1X.095 Its easy to work with and weld.... gonna look for some pics of my kids "H3" wannabe. .... it's made with the same material.....

I'm looking for something along he lines of this. I heard that chainsaw motors wear out easy, is that true?

I wouldn't be too sure about that. If AB laws are anything like ON laws, it's not going to happen. Have you checked out the ministry's website or asked anyone who'd know?

I'll look into that before I start to build

How does 1"X1" .095 wall thickness sound?

IMHO, too thick. Anything from 0.065 - 0.085 will be fine.

I think I'll go with 0.065 if I can (Cheaper the better for my wallet )

caster (Thats the wheels turning degree right?) I want.

No, caster is the kingpin angle looking from the side. Have a good read of this & see how much sense you can make of it.

I'll be sure to read that when I have time

I think the main issue I'll have is where the steering wheel connects to those two chunks of metal that make the wires turn

Ok, terminology lesson:
The chunk of steel on the end of the steering shaft is called a pitman arm
The bits of "wire" are called tie rods
The steel chunks on the ends of the tie rods are called (here's a simple one) tie rod ends
The piece of steel connecting the tie rod end to the spindle is referred to as a steering arm, the position of which controls the amount of angle you achieve in turns

Believe it or not, IMO, the first thing you need to consider is the type of & width of your rear axle

I would live a live driven axel. It'll be somewhere around 3ft (Maybe, I'm not sure yet). Thanks for the terminology You guys have been a lot of help.

Edit:

What do you guys think?

I based it off of this image​

 

[OzFab]

That's pretty close, what I can make out without dimensions but, it may need a tweak or two; incase you didn't notice, the frame is actually narrower at the front than it is at the rear, otherwise, the front wheel track* will be wider than the rear.

Just another point of opinion: I think the front bumper would look better if it was narrower, so the ends line up with the side rails

*Track = the distance between the wheel centres

 

[xXPhasemanXx]

That's pretty close, what I can make out without dimensions but, it may need a tweak or two; incase you didn't notice, the frame is actually narrower at the front than it is at the rear, otherwise, the front wheel track* will be wider than the rear.

Just another point of opinion: I think the front bumper would look better if it was narrower, so the ends line up with the side rails

*Track = the distance between the wheel centres

I did notice it was narrower. The reason as to why I didn't do it is because I couldn't figure out how to do angles ad the time. But you may notice that I did figure out later on where the front bumper is. I'll make the changes today and post multiple pictures with dimensions.

 

[firemanjim]

I agree with Fabroman about the front needing to be a little narrower. And I would shorten the front bar/bumper so that the 45's end at the frame width. Dude, you got skills, dont be scared to go out there and start cutting and welding. You got the pic in your head and can calculate the dimensions as you go. Your no dummy! Thats how I do it, my blueprints are in my head.
As far as that motor you linked to, you'd be happier with a 49cc chainsaw motor ..... IMO. I have a couple of those and I just dont really care for them. As far as the tubing I use ,I prefer .095 in most case's and also use .065 tubing. The "projects" use factors into the thickness I use as I know how hard and abused our toys get, I'm the worst I think. As contemplate a project, I picture myself "playing" and then start adding bracing here,bars there, padding.....well we no need no stinking padding.... lol
Good job man! I bet you have a cart built within a month..... lookin forward to seeing it...

 

[xXPhasemanXx]

Good job man! I bet you have a cart built within a month..... lookin forward to seeing it...

I'm going on vacation in 8 days so I'll be gone for a couple weeks. I'll probably start building in September.

I would shorten the front bar/bumper so that the 45's end at the frame width

Sounds like a good idea to me.

you'd be happier with a 49cc chainsaw motor

Anyone else think this would be better for my budget?

 

[firemanjim]

If you're stuck using a 49cc motor, how about a motor from like a Suzuki Jr 50 or honda 50? They are really 49cc's..... The motor you posted will work. It will move you around at a good pace. Street use only. I'm starting to like this lightweight/small motor kart. I might try somethin like this for my 7 y/o daughter. Her n the house cat weigh about the same.... lol Have a great vacation. ....

 

[xXPhasemanXx]

If you're stuck using a 49cc motor, how about a motor from like a Suzuki Jr 50 or honda 50? They are really 49cc's..... The motor you posted will work. It will move you around at a good pace. Street use only. I'm starting to like this lightweight/small motor kart. I might try somethin like this for my 7 y/o daughter. Her n the house cat weigh about the same.... lol Have a great vacation. ....

Thanks The only thing I'll be using this kart for is getting around town. Even if I have to avoid the cops Believe it or not, it's a RARE RARE RARE occurrence to ever see a police car. I haven't seen one in over a year. a PEACE OFFICER though, is more common to see. But I only see them every once in awhile. It's like officer figures don't exist here in Spruce

Update on the plans: Remember I'm not done changing the front bumper yet (As you can plainly see )

Edit: Added in the (Is this the right term?) steering arms

 

[Doc Sprocket]

Knuckles (aka spindle brackets).

 

[xXPhasemanXx]

Knuckles (aka spindle brackets).

So close

I got the rear axel mount done. It's meant for a 1/4 axel. I don't know anything about axels so I just chose a random size. Thoughts?

 

[Doc Sprocket]

Thoughts-

The most common size for a kart axle is 1". In addition, make a cutout in each bracket at just over 1" so you can R&R the axle without disassembling the whole shebang. Why- In 6 months, or maybe a year or so- you'll go to replace a bearing, change gearing, whatever- and those components are going to be nature-welded on there!

Basically, you want the bearing bracket to resemble a capital "c".
As such-

 

[xXPhasemanXx]

Thoughts-

Basically, you want the bearing bracket to resemble a capital "c".
As such-

Should I just buy a bracket instead of trying to create one? Those look a little difficult to make.

As for brakes go, I have some disk brakes I can take off of an old bike that is broken and not worth fixing up. Would those be fine for such a low rated engine that I'm using?

 

[OzFab]

Should I just buy a bracket instead of trying to create one? Those look a little difficult to make.

I had no choice, I couldn't buy so I had to make. Given the option, I'd buy them

As for brakes go, I have some disk brakes I can take off of an old bike that is broken and not worth fixing up. Would those be fine for such a low rated engine that I'm using?

What size bike? It is possible to have over efficient brakes & it doesn't come down to engine size, it's all about weight.

My daughters kart has a brake setup from a Kawasaki GPX250, the brakes on my kart are from a pit bike & mine are more efficient; ok, there's less weight in my kart, hers is a single wheel drive but, hit the brakes too hard & they just lock up, mine I have to push a little harder...

 

[Doc Sprocket]

I use bike brakes as a matter of habit. For the most part, an "over efficient" brake system can be dialled in by adjusting pedal/master cylinder leverage.

 

[xXPhasemanXx]

As for brakes go, I have some disk brakes I can take off of an old bike that is broken and not worth fixing up. Would those be fine for such a low rated engine that I'm using?

What size bike? It is possible to have over efficient brakes & it doesn't come down to engine size, it's all about weight.

21 speed ORYX Energy. It fits me perfectly (I'm 5'6"). I would give more info but thats all the bike says

I use bike brakes as a matter of habit. For the most part, an "over efficient" brake system can be dialled in by adjusting pedal/master cylinder leverage.

So it sounds like it'll work for the most part

The disk on the bike is approximately 4 inches in diameter (I eyeballed it)

I have my design with the measurements Pics are availbe in a zip file because I don't want to make this post too big. Available for download here. I know they aren't the best of quality, but when I make them into plans, it'll be clear and concise.

 

[Doc Sprocket]

What we have here, is a failure to communicate!

What I meant (and thought YOU meant) was motorcycle brakes! I think that's what Tony thought too. So-

No, I would never condone or endorse bicycle brakes on a go kart. Sorry for the confusion.

 

[xXPhasemanXx]

What we have here, is a failure to communicate!

What I meant (and thought YOU meant) was motorcycle brakes! I think that's what Tony thought too. So-

No, I would never condone or endorse bicycle brakes on a go kart. Sorry for the confusion.

No no :c I meant bicycle brakes I think I'll still test it out on my kart, just to see if they work due to it being a small motor and I'll only have it going no more than 35km/h. It's worth a test imo since I'm still new. Live and learn right? Even so, I know what you guys recommend is good advice because you're all so experienced. I want to experiment with what I have. The bike is going to be taken apart for scraps anyways.

 

[firemanjim]

Make a simple scrub.brake.... they work pretty good and are super simple to design/build. And yes, buy the bearing hangers . Makes things a little easier. I work in a machine shop and have lots of tools at my disposal to make those kinds of things in exact multiples with minimal effort. You can't expect the same kinda tool accessibility in a typical home garage.
I started laying out the same basic framework on 1" stock i have extra. I just might whip out a pocket version for my daughter this week. I have all the necessary components from a 49cc baby quad that pulled me around pretty d@mn quick. Its going to be donor ......

 

[xXPhasemanXx]

Make a simple scrub.brake.... they work pretty good and are super simple to design/build. And yes, buy the bearing hangers . Makes things a little easier.donor ......

Sounds cheap