4wd?

[IWannaGoFast]

My friend and i have been kicking the idea of building a 4wd go kart for a while now, how would i go about doing this? We thought that we could use an atv engine and 4wd system. Would this work?

 

[OzFab]

I don't see why not, but there are obvious limitations with doing that like wheelbase & track would be fixed unless you figure a workable way to extend them.

Give it a shot, the outcome should be cool...

 

[IWannaGoFast]

Huh, how exactlly does an atv's 4wd system work? Is it like a truck with two axles a transmission and some shafts? Is so, then if i bought some extended/extendable shafts then my idea should work?

 

[IWannaGoFast]

And then i would have a problem with my wheelbase.... Wheel spacers maybe? Or an extended axle size but keep the housing?

 

[IWannaGoFast]

Also would this welder work to weld a suitable frame? Idk what size? Tube probably and maybe a 1"-2" diameter? Looks like a arc welder...

http://columbus.craigslist.org/tls/3092629115.html

 

[Deadeye]

Some atv's that are 4x4 have a chain running up front. And I believe some are shaft driven.

 

[fowler]

That is a stick welder

It will be more than enough

But if u are learning to weld then stick is tricky
And at any level of skill stick us much slower than mig

I wouldn't use chain to join the front and back as it wil wip a lot

Makeing/ sourcing longer shafts wont be hard

How big will this engine be
To make use of 4x4 u will need something large

Look into agricultural quads
They will be the ones to have 4x4 and engines with less power but more torque

An Alternative is to look at this
http://www.diygokarts.com/vb/showthread.php?t=16176

This is a more serious
Build

 

[IWannaGoFast]

Wait, maybe i can do something similar to his, after all i am a big guy (6') and im about to get my temps, so i guess i could make it a street-legal one. Hmmm. Would that welder be enough to do stuff like what he did?

 

[IWannaGoFast]

I have basically all of the tools and i dont have a welder...

 

[fowler]

Bottom right of your post is an edit button
Use that rather than posting loads of posts after each other

 

[IWannaGoFast]

Ok sorry.

So?

 

[OzFab]

That welder would be ample to build a bridge based on the size of it

Theres a lot of money & work gone into that truck. If you can handle it, go for it

 

[fowler]

Theres a lot of money & work gone into that truck. If you can handle it, go for it

And a lot of skill and knowledge

 

[OzFab]

Theres a lot of money & work gone into that truck. If you can handle it, go for it

And a lot of skill and knowledge

Yeah, that too...

 

[spyder1968]

I am sure chains would actually work, I have seen plenty of 4WD quads with chains both front and rear. I have been playing with this idea myself, but I have simply not had the time to start another project kart.

 

[fowler]

but a quad is far shorter

dont forget a quad motor is in the centre where as a buggy motor is at the back
so where a quad chain is 1 1/2 ft
a buggy chain will need to be 4 ft long

a chain is thrown away from a sprocket and in a short use this is ok
but in a long chain this is very noticable and will cause issues very quickly

so u have to put in chain guides in the form of nylon stripes
these stripes will wear out
also chains hate dust and spinning fast and the chain its self will wear out quickly
8 ft of 530 chian is costly espesially as it is proper bike chain not some stuff from the hareware store

from what iv seen in the buggies expect about 10 hrs out of a chain

shafts are far simpler and last alot longer
also shaft driven diffs are a dim a dozen compared to chain driven diffs

 

[IWannaGoFast]

Hmm, it seems like if i went this route, that i would probably just use some samurai parts and maybe make my own frame or use a severely modified samurai frame. Which option makes more sense to you guys? I have no idea what an atv drive train looks like so i have no idea what to expect.

 

[bighead]

http://www.affordablegokarts.com/RaceKartsProjectKarts&More.php