Kart won't turn

[shovelhead]

Are the rear tires too big? Is that the reason it is so hard to get it to turn?
Also, if I left the current rear tires on and found some the same height but not as wide for the front, would that do the trick?

Thanks

 

[Sail8870]

It's a live axle I'm guessing, so most of the karts with live axles are harder to turn than kart with 1 wheel drive or a differential

 

[shovelhead]

Really, man that sucks. I don't think my seven year old will be able to turn it.
Is it hard to swap over to only one wheel pulling? It has a comet 30 on it now. I guess that would be a torque converter.

 

[devino246]

Is it hard to turn the steering wheel or does it just not turn very tight? Wider front tires would help with turning radius.

 

[anderkart]

Your seats mounted back pretty far back. Next time your riding slide forward as far as you can and see if it suddenly turns better. If it helps, move that seat forward.

 

[shovelhead]

Guys,
Thanks for replies. To answer first question, the steering wheel and everything connected to it turn easy. Steering is setup the way I think is correct. It has the Ackerman effect thing happening and it tracks good. It just wants to snowplow when trying to turn.
Yes, the seat is back pretty far. I am planning on moving it up tomorrow. My son likes about one or two inches being able to reach the pedals and be comfortable and able to control the Kart.
I just got finished putting the carb back on after new diaphram and cleaning. I don't know if the air adjust screw is out of adjustment or what. But I couldn't get it to crank.
I'm done for the night. These things will drive you crazy. Always something. And this is a simple little yard Kart. I can't imagine dealing with everything on a big one.

 

[gcarter95]

I would suggest smaller rear tires might help if the steering is working ok and you have a live axle.

 

[shovelhead]

That's what I was thinking - smaller tires on rear. I was hoping I could go the other way with bigger on front.

 

[gcarter95]

With a live axle, you are scrubbing the rear tires on a turn. On loose dirt or wet grass, not so bad, but if the tires are gripping at all those are kind of big IMHO

 

[shovelhead]

But they look cool.

 

[xoltri]

But they look cool.

Form over function...you should work for Apple.

 

[devino246]

Bigger on the front. On my kart, before i changed it, i had to add like 40 lbs to the front to get it to turn decent.

 

[Fast Eddie]

Wide 2 seater kart + wide rear tires = tough to turn. What about just pulling the key out of the keyway on one of the rear wheels and sprayin' some lube in there to allow the axle to turn in the hub. Poor-mans one wheel drive. May chew up the keyway/mating surfaces on the axle and hub though.

 

[devino246]

What about just pulling the key out of the keyway on one of the rear wheels and sprayin' some lube in there to allow the axle to turn in the hub.

That sounds like a terrible idea.

 

[gcarter95]

Agreed. A hub with bearings doesn't cost THAT much.

 

[Fast Eddie]

That sounds like a terrible idea.

Why? As long as he doesn't spin the tire all the time. The only turning the axle would do in the hub is maybe a revolution or two in a tight turn. Otherwise, both tires spin at the same speed in a straight line.

Good luck finding a hub with a 1" ID bearing.

 

[gcarter95]

Well, that was an easy challange....

http://www.mfgsupply.com/m/c/100H..html

 

[freakboy]

is all your steering geometry set up right?
also try deflating your front tires some.

 

[shovelhead]

Yes, everything is set up like it should be. It just has NO weight on the front. The seat is mounted to where it almost touches the engine. When sitting in seat, my son's legs are about 3 in. too short. So I am going to remount the seat. Moving it up and maybe a smaller tire and wheel setup on back should help this.

 

[slideways]

I second the pulling a keyway option. I do that on my barstool most of the time. Make sure the axle is clean and free of burrs though or else you will have a tough time filing a keyway back in there.

You need skinny front tires to get it to dig in and turn. Wider ones are going to make it float and slide more. Moving the rear tires inward will help a little. Airing up the rear tires will also help since they wont have as much weight on them downward in a contact patch.