2013 - pvc buggy

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freqster

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Well if any bike wheels will hold up then they will

But they still aren't ideal

It's not the spokes it's the bearings

From experience in making a much lighter similar type of vehicials

Bike bearing don't like side loads
They are made to lean into the corners

In the end we milled the hubs out to hold needle bearings
But then the hubs start warping after a few hours of service

On a differant note
You got 6 tyres from 15 bikes
Wow

Well, I am always on the lookout for better wheels, but for now I am using the bicycle wheels.

I am not using the original bearings or axles that the bike wheels have. I have already stripped them and I will be adapting 4 of the wheels to attach to a live axle using this method: http://www.instructables.com/id/26-wheel-upgrades-for-pedicabs/

I think the axles that the bike rims are originaly mounted on are way too small so I will be adapting them to fit a bigger axle, with some bigger bearings.
 

freqster

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How much are you looking for? The cost is about 10 cents per square foot. The problem is it comes in very large rolls. They will start taking it off of boats here in the next month and there are usually some decent stuff that gets thrown out. It is not uncommon to reuse shrink wrap once or twice, but some people toss it every season.

I imagine this is the same stuff they use for wrapping up cargo before they truck it away like this : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-ZIEdwlYDU

I would try it out if I could get the stuff for free! I live close to Galveston, TX. Maybe on my next trip down there I will look around for the stuff and see if I can get some.
 

freqster

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freqster

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So I made my purchase today. I will soon have a nice welder to add to the tools. Looking forward to that.

After looking at Fabromans's spindles, I noticed that they looked a lot like the ones from the chinese quad that I have, so I decided to pull them off and use them on my buggy. I will be able to use most of the hardware which should be nice. I think I will draw something up tonight and post it to get some ideas going.

So is the angle of the spindles the ackerman angle? I get a little confused about it. Maybe someone can shed some light and explain it to me Barny style.
 

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OzFab

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So is the angle of the spindles the ackerman angle? I get a little confused about it. Maybe someone can shed some light and explain it to me Barny style.

You're confusing ackermann with KPI (King Pin Inclination).

KPI Is when the top & bottom mounts are not square but lean in at the top leaving the stub axle level.

Ackermann is the angle of the steering arm in relation to the stub axle. This is one place where square is not desirable.

FWIW, I'm not even sure my spindles will have enough ackermann...
 

freqster

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Ok, I see the ackermann angle looking at my spindle steering arms. After reading that post, I discovered that there is a lot to the geometry of steering/spindles. The spindles I pulled off the quad might not be best suited for the 20" tires I am using, but I was just going to make then straight anyhow so I will go ahead and try them out.
 

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Nothing stopping you from altering the spindles to your application, is there?

I guess modifying them is probably easier then making new ones.


So here is what I have come up with on how to use the spindles. I don't know which design to go with. The bottom one has brackets on it that I could use, or I could remove the brackets and go with the top design. For some reason I am thinking I could build the bottom one a little easier, but I have never built any before so I am probably wrong. Thoughts?
 

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OzFab

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I would think the top design would be easier; it would be a simple matter of bending a piece of flat stock & drilling a couple of holes for the kingpin whereas the bottom design requires acquiring sleeves & attaching them to the flat stock.

My rule of thumb is less parts used means less parts can break, wear out, etc
 

freqster

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I would think the top design would be easier; it would be a simple matter of bending a piece of flat stock & drilling a couple of holes for the kingpin whereas the bottom design requires acquiring sleeves & attaching them to the flat stock.

My rule of thumb is less parts used means less parts can break, wear out, etc

I will agree with you on this one. Less parts used is less parts that can break. I am still deciding if I will try to use some valve springs like you used on your spindles. I will have to try to find a source for them.
 
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