big help! - First electric go kart!

[baileyboy1]

hi all!

I'm totally new here, and i came to seek advise and help on my electric go kart which i have yet to start due to lack of knowledge. this is were you come in.

I have decided to build a electric go kart with a 36v motor and I would like some help with:

1. the batteries I should use, what type, how many, charger? stuff like that.

2. how I should wire the kart - because I'm not too sure. with this I would like an on/off switch, a speed controller, batteries or battery and the motor itself. any schematics, pictures and videos you could recommend would be useful.

well that's it really. I don't have a huge budget but i will pay for what I need and i am only a beginner entering with no idea on what he is really doing . Plus any tips on where to get stuff from would be good - I'm in the UK, so UK websites would be good!!!

please help

baileyboy1

 

[gvfc2]

how much weight do you expect to move?

that comes into play when selecting a motor. also how fast do you want to go and how much power do you? want to be able to climb hills easily and do burnouts?

 

[baileyboy1]

the kart and me and whatever is i need to make it work overall 120kg + but i hope to use a large gear ratio to help it with speed and power.
oh and yes i will be going up slight hills and burnouts would be nice!

 

[gvfc2]

you could use a 745 watt motor. but wont get much speed and power.

1 hp = 745 watts aim for around a 2kw motor to balance it out.

if someone doesnt agree hope they chime in.

to find watts its ampsXvolts=watts. or to find volts or amps its watts/volts or amps.

so for a 745 watt motor at 36 volts looking at 20 amps.

EDIT: what is your max price? i know you said you have a low budget but how low?

 

[baileyboy1]

well the motor i was looking at is a 800w, 36v motor at this website: www.quadsunlimited.co.uk and it costs £64. i might also be buying a welder which costs £135 and i hoped everything else i could get at a cheap cost. i already have a battery charger which my dad used to charge his motorbike batteries so i need the electronical stuff and steel tubing, the chains, the gears and the steering stuff, wheels and batteries so i think i will be willing to go up to £150 not including the welder.
if you dont think that will be enough please tell me.

 

[arno9173]

its better to use a 24v 600w motor and overvolt it to 36v
you get a lot more power

 

[gvfc2]

its better to use a 24v 600w motor and overvolt it to 36v
you get a lot more power

you would get the same amount of power.

with the 800 watt it would be more power

that motor will do fine. they also have a 36v 800w motor controller for sale there too as well as throttles. they also have batteries and wheels and sprockets almost a one stop shop

 

[machinist@large]

you would get the same amount of power.

with the 800 watt it would be more power

that motor will do fine. they also have a 36v 800w motor controller for sale there too as well as throttles. they also have batteries and wheels and sprockets almost a one stop shop

Do they have any of the schematics that you might need/want for any possible variations in design? I only know enough about the electric projects to say "Yeah, thats the battery, theres the motor......." I guess it's what you're familiar with; most of the drive components that show up on a gas powered kart or buggy I've seen used (or have used) in other applications; the electrical stuff is still kind of Greek to me.....

Pat

 

[gvfc2]

i dont know much myself but i know enough to help guide people along.

machinist what do you mean variation in design? for the motor or?

 

[baileyboy1]

so that website is good. that's good!
i was wondering what would be cheaper?

A. to buy a rolling chassis
or
B. make my own chassis and buy the axel, wheels and brakes

because as i have said i don't want to spend loads and i don't want to buy a welder and start to make a chassis when it would be cheaper just to buy a rolling chassis.
what should i do?

 

[gvfc2]

Do you have welding experience? If not then buy a rolling chassis. some cases it would be cheaper and better to buy a rolling chassis

 

[baileyboy1]

ok thank you. but i am going to buy a welder anyway as i would like to know how and it would be good if i need to add anything to hold the motor.

 

[gvfc2]

that would be good. make sure to get some scrap steel and practice welding. there is loads of info about welding on youtube

 

[baileyboy1]

i would like to get a mig welder, but i was wondering if any of you know of anywhere i could get one cheap?

also i would now like help with batteries. like what brand, how many and stuff. i will be getting a 36v 800w motor!
thank you!

 

[Gopedude]

i would like to get a mig welder, but i was wondering if any of you know of anywhere i could get one cheap?

also i would now like help with batteries. like what brand, how many and stuff. i will be getting a 36v 800w motor!
thank you!

You need 3 12 volt lead acid batteries wired in series. You need a controller that is a rated for 36 volts and at least a 800 watt minumum range for your motor

 

[J_Walker]

i would like to get a mig welder, but i was wondering if any of you know of anywhere i could get one cheap?

also i would now like help with batteries. like what brand, how many and stuff. i will be getting a 36v 800w motor!
thank you!

One cheap? craigslist my friend. That's your best bet. Hope you can haggle though!

 

[machinist@large]

i would like to get a mig welder, but i was wondering if any of you know of anywhere i could get one cheap?

What part of the world do you call home? If you're here in the States, Harbor Freight is probably going to be the cheapest place to find one. A lot of folks here on the forum have built some pretty snazzy rigs using both Flux Core and full Mig rigs. The biggest thing with them is to take the spool of HF wire that came with the machine and pitch it; get some name brand stuff instead (I personally have had good results with Lincoln & Hobart).

The biggest thing to remember with these lower cost rigs is that they need a little finesse to achieve good results. Also, if you go that route, take out the extended warranty. Odds are you won't need it, but if you do you'll be d*** glad to have it.

If you're looking higher up the food chain, especially if you're looking at used, Miller, Lincoln and Hobart all build good consumer grade units and provide excellent support for them.

Hope this helps.....

 

[baileyboy1]

Thank you to all three people above for help. I have luckily been able to find a friend who has allowed me to use their welder and teach me how to use it!

I am unfortunately not based in the USA, I'm in the UK. Also thank you for the help with the electronics (batteries). Right now I am trying to get a pre-made go kart and then then disassemble it to get to know what everything is.

Quick question:
What is cheaper, to buy each part to make a rolling go kart or should I get a pre made rolling go kart?

plus i think i have found the batteries i am going to use, they are Power-Sonic PS1270, 12V batteries and i will use 3 of them.

 

[baileyboy1]

My dad found his old electric lawn mower, and I was wondering if its motor would be better for the go kart. The lawn mower is called a flymo sprintmaster XE 38 twin. Can anyone find out if it would be a good motor and its stats. e.g. Watts volts.

Thank you

 

[Camn]

I built an electric go kart with a 36v 1000w motor and I would say this is the smallest motor you can get away with using if you want any kind of speed/ power. My cart can go about 30 km/ h on flat roads. As for batteries they are rated in amp hours (Ah) and the size you need will depend on how long you want to run the kart for. I am using 3 12v 35amp hour batteries and I can get a good hour or so of running time.

I found my frame on Craigslist for $50, and I replaced all the wheels and gave it a new paint job. Getting a used frame is probably your best bet.

Cameron