Two new (to me) karts! The addiction begins.

[Sandrion]

I posted in the Welcome forum but figured I would make a new thread here for in depth discussion.

The Yerf-Dog is, (I think), a Model 3200 with a torque converter and a huge sprocket.
The smaller kart is a Manco (according to the person who posted in my Welcome thread) and it said Phoenix on the floor pan. It has a clutch.

Is there a good place to start on the 3200 as far as quality of life upgrades/modifications? Things to buy? People to see? Folks to talk to?
As I always say, any information is good information.

Thanks in advance!

 

[BaconBitRacing]

I’ve never worked with Yerf-Dogs before but intuition says better tires to me. Those turf tires help the yard just a little, but they lack the bite that dogs can get. Be careful at high speed, looks a bit tippy. from what I see it looks like it has a Duromax 440 (Not a Chevy) which is good news. Does it run and drive?

 

[Denny]

Run the tires off the Godfrey!
The MANCO could use a 30 series TAV II CVT put on it. The ones from the jungle store have been great just throw away the belt and use only Genuine Comet Belts!
The centrifugal clutch that is on there is not original to the kart and will quickly burn up if you try to use it. On both karts pull the wheels off the axles and put anti seize on them. Check all bearings for looseness and make sure they spin smooth.
The Godfrey same thing use only Genuine Comet Belts! Do not use any kind of oil on the cvt, only lube with graphite spray or powder. Maybe take the clutches off and clean them and re graphite them.

 

[BaconBitRacing]

Denny got it right, use the dog as much as ya can, you really scored, those are good karts.

 

[Sandrion]

Neither one run and drive at this time. The smaller Manco has a Predator, and the YD has a Central Machinery, which is the precursor to the Predator I think. All the cables are semi-frozen, and the Central Machinery has a bottom end and cylinder full of gas. First order of business will be getting both of those back in operation and running smoothly.

YD definitely needs new tires, I would like to go with a little knobby similar to what the Manco has on it.

Does seem to be narrow, which can lend itself to being tippy. Would a wider rear axle solve this issue a little? And if so, are those available or would extensive modifications be needed.

The little "shocks" don't seem to be real shocks. Look to be just a guide tube for the springs? Any truth to this? And if so, are actual shocks with oil available somewhere for these to actually absorb some shock rather than just spring around? Would definitely like to make it as nice as I can without spending a mint on it as it won't be the main ride in a few years. A Honda Odyssey or Pilot is going to purchased at some point, but would like to have this as a toy in the mean time.

Definitely don't want to lube the CVT with oil because of the sling off. I am pretty well versed in them from working on Bridgeport Milling machines for the past decade, so that will be an easy thing to handle for sure.

 

[Denny]

There is no reason not to upgrade the coil overs! Just find ones with about the same extension and compression length. As far as putting a wider axle in the rear goes remember the olden days when you rode your old AMF tricycle? Remember how tipsy it was when you made a turn at a high rate of speed? Same thing will happen if you go to a wider rear axle.

 

[Sandrion]

There is no reason not to upgrade the coil overs! Just find ones with about the same extension and compression length. As far as putting a wider axle in the rear goes remember the olden days when you rode your old AMF tricycle? Remember how tipsy it was when you made a turn at a high rate of speed? Same thing will happen if you go to a wider rear axle.

Awesome! I will have to take one off the front and rear and hit up my local autoparts wholesaler.

As for the wider rear, I feel like a slightly wider rear would be a good thing. A MUCH wider rear would definitely cause more problems than it solved. For the time being I am going to get it running and driving and then drive the wheels off of it to see what it feels like before I do anything other than get upgraded shocks.

 

[Sandrion]

The little Manco has a disc rear brake and looks pretty legit, the YD has a band style. Any reason to keep the band and not put a mechanical disk on the YD?

 

[Denny]

I’ve never had bad luck with band brakes. No need to mess with perfection! Look for coil overs from the jungle store. Cheaper that way. BMI, GoKart Supply, MFG supply, Go Power Sports are some of the bigger and better suppliers for parts.

 

[BaconBitRacing]

Bands are fine for most stopping. If you do decide to upgrade, check out @karl 's Mechanical disk brakes no good? thread. I would definitely get knobbies if I were you. I don't know where you're going to be Driving, but traction is always king. Especially since the tires are already worn.

 

[Sandrion]

Bands are fine for most stopping. If you do decide to upgrade, check out @karl 's Mechanical disk brakes no good? thread. I would definitely get knobbies if I were you. I don't know where you're going to be Driving, but traction is always king. Especially since the tires are already worn.

Yeah, I enjoy knobby tires on most of my power sports. I am a huge fan of them on my ATC's, they just...work, and are reasonably priced, light, don't pack up, etc.

 

[BaconBitRacing]

Yeah, I enjoy knobby tires on most of my power sports. I am a huge fan of them on my ATC's, they just...work, and are reasonably priced, light, don't pack up, etc.

You have ATCs? Nice. Those things are crazy prices now.

 

[Sandrion]

Yeah, my best friend and I are big ATC geeks. He has a 250r, a 250sx, a 250 Big Red, a ATC70 with a CR80 engine swap, and also a Honda Pilot FL400R. I have my very first ATC110 and not much else at the moment other than my Yamaha XT350 Dual Sport.
I will be purchasing the Big Red from him at some point in the near future, if I can keep from spending my money on other stuff.

 

[Master Hack]

Denny, Have you given this guy the required meds? He's got it bad.

 

[BaconBitRacing]

Denny, Have you given this guy the required meds? He's got it bad.

I’ll prescribe some Saw-Glu, should increase his addiction level by 300%, thereby keeping him here for longer, just like you, Denny, me, thepartsguy, vtdad, EZ, bansil, etc…

 

[panchothedog]

I've had two Yerf-Dogs, still own one. They both have tires exactly like yours and let me tell you they work great. We take ours to the desert all the time and traction is no problem. Unless you're just itching to spend money, give them a try and see. They can be a little bit trippy but not real bad. Mine is driven by my teenage Grandkids and I have seen up on two wheels on the pavement. They like doing power slides in the dirt and it handles well. You've got a nice kart. Get it running as is . It will never good vehicle for for jumping. Expensive
shocks will leave you disappointed for the money spent. Best thing you can do for more comfort is add thicker foam rubber to the seats. Especially the back.
Ask me how I know. We love ours, and believe me this thing has taken a beating. I have four off road karts, and while the Yerf-Dog may be the least complex and simplest it has NEVER let us down.

 

[BaconBitRacing]

I've had two Yerf-Dogs, still own one. They both have tires exactly like yours and let me tell you they work great. We take ours to the desert all the time and traction is no problem. Unless you're just itching to spend money, give them a try and see. They can be a little bit trippy but not real bad. Mine is driven by my teenage Grandkids and I have seen up on two wheels on the pavement. They like doing power slides in the dirt and it handles well. You've got a nice kart. Get it running as is . It will never good vehicle for for jumping. Expensive
shocks will leave you disappointed for the money spent. Best thing you can do for more comfort is add thicker foam rubber to the seats. Especially the back.
Ask me how I know. We love ours, and believe me this thing has taken a beating. I have four off road karts, and while the Yerf-Dog may be the least complex and simplest it has NEVER let us down.

Yerf-dog are like the advanced yard kart, simple machines. If you want to jump get a four wheeler or dirt bike or side by side.

 

[BrownStainRacing]

I’ll prescribe some Saw-Glu, should increase his addiction level by 300%, thereby keeping him here for longer, just like you, Denny, me, thepartsguy, vtdad, EZ, bansil, etc…

Yeap, I agree . Saw-Glu is ez to get inside your body. You can eat it, drink it, smoke it, sniff it, huff it. You can take it orally, you can take it........well...any other way that pleases you,

I jus dont recommend sharing it with the neighbors wife. Every time her ol man is outta town, she's over here looking for more......Saw-Glu, that is.

 

[BaconBitRacing]

Personally I take Saw-Glu on my toast at breakfast as a spread, it’s delicious and keeps up my addiction and I have a large supply because I am the CEO of Saw-Glu after all.

 

[Sandrion]

I've had two Yerf-Dogs, still own one. They both have tires exactly like yours and let me tell you they work great. We take ours to the desert all the time and traction is no problem. Unless you're just itching to spend money, give them a try and see. They can be a little bit trippy but not real bad. Mine is driven by my teenage Grandkids and I have seen up on two wheels on the pavement. They like doing power slides in the dirt and it handles well. You've got a nice kart. Get it running as is . It will never good vehicle for for jumping. Expensive
shocks will leave you disappointed for the money spent. Best thing you can do for more comfort is add thicker foam rubber to the seats. Especially the back.
Ask me how I know. We love ours, and believe me this thing has taken a beating. I have four off road karts, and while the Yerf-Dog may be the least complex and simplest it has NEVER let us down.

Definitely not looking to jump stuff at all since that isn't my idea of fun, but I do appreciate a good actual shock vs a spring and tube. As for the tires, I have ran some like that before on a go kart growing up. They worked well but these are pretty dry cracked and need to be replaced just for peace of mind. I have looked at some shocks that aren't pricey at all that are actual absorbers and not the spring and tube setup currently on it. These also need new bushings, and if I am going to have them off, might as well replace them.
Good call on the seat, I was thinking of making it more comfy for sure. It feels like I am sitting on a brick at the moment.