Bought first go kart... Need assistance!

[mtbutts]

I just bought my first go kart for my girls. They are 5 and 6. I wanted something with a little speed, but not crazy. I bought one that looks like the attached picture for 30 dollars. It is black, and had a briggs motor that the crank was bad on. I bought the 6.5hp from harbor freight, but I was wondering how difficult it is to swap out. The guy said I may have to adjust the linkage, but everything else works great. Did I get a good deal?

 

[T-man]

mt: that looks like an ok kart. it shouldnt be to difficult to do the swap. If your going to have a TC (torque converter) then put up some type of mesh stuff behind the seat so the girls hair dont get cought.

 

[mtbutts]

Thanks

Hey, thanks for the response. This is a poor pic in comparrison to what I have. It is just the closest I found to the fram. i will post an actual pick tonight. I'm really ignorant to most of this so I must admit not sure what a torque coverter is. Right now the motor sits behind the driver, the clutch and chain is on the driver - rear tire (one tire set up). Looks like 4 bolts hold the motor down to the plate beind the seat. Again I'll post an actual pic, and if I can get any more insight after that please don't hesitate. Thanks again.

 

[jandj]

When you go to hook up your throttle linkage, do a search here or at the kart page at oldminibikes and you'll find all the tips and pics you need.
Also, clutch or torque convertor- put a chain guard on it. Don't want the girls hair to get caught and it can happen.
What kind of brakes does it have?
For just fartin' around with the kids one wheel drive is fine.

 

[shake this]

You will want to add a jackshaft or convert it to a torque convertor...trust me.

The jackshaft will allow you to gear it down so it won't be so fast. I just finished building a kart for my 8 year old and clocked it with me on it going 25mph. It had a 5hp Briggs and Stratton. That's way to fast for younger kids.

Don't listen to anyone that says to just run a throttle stop or something to keep the gas peddle from going all the way down. If you try and go the cheap rout, you will end up burning up the clutch. Once again...trust me on this.

 

[mtbutts]

throttle

Thanks for the advice on the converter. On a different note I saw a few post about the blue clones saying I might need to modify how the throttle hooks up. Is that the case or would that depend on the current set up prior to swapping it out. Like i said it is a briggs motor on there now. Again, i'll post a pic tonight. Thanks again for all the help.

 

[shake this]

You will need to modify how the throttle hooks up but as long as you keep the governor in place, it won't be that hard.

Search HF clone throttle or throttle hook up on clone and you will find some great direction.

 

[r_chez_08]

Shake this is correct, however a torque converter is not a neccesary spend at this stage, as they are atleast $150 new. But a jackshaft is a good idea, as you probably don't want them going more than, let's say 10mph tops so therefore unless you want to burn your clutch up with a stop and your girls riding the clutch then I would put a jackshaft in to gear it down. It will be plenty torquey enough without the converter.

 

[mtbutts]

pics

Ok, finally got some pics. not sure how good. took them on my phone. The label on the frame says "cobra karts". Couldn't find much online, seemed like it was out of business. Thanks again for the tips, and feel free to keep them coming.

 

[shake this]

From the looks of it, you have the same Briggs and Stratton engine that came with the one I built for my daughter. It's a snappy little engine so you need to get a jackshaft for it.

Other then that, looks like a great lettle kart from what I can see in the pictures.

 

[jrmints1415]

if you dont want it to be to crazy just add a jackshaft and gear it down a bit and as they get older just swap out the gears so they can have a little more fun

 

[mtbutts]

crazy is fine

Well I had them sit in it and they can't reach yet, so it can be fast for a while. Like I said the crank on the engine that is on there is broke, so I just replaced the whole motor with the hf clone. Should I have tried to fix the briggs? The guys that sold it said he looked for the part, but couldn't find it. He was the one that advised me to buy the new motor. Will it run any better with the clone than if I were to fix the briggs.

 

[mtbutts]

So is this all in all a good deal for the 160 I've put in to it so far? 30 for the kart / 120 for the motor

 

[Bluethunder3320]

great deal. heres a trick, if you dont want them going too fast, put a bolt under the gas pedal so that they cant push it down all the way.

 

[redsox985]

great deal. heres a trick, if you dont want them going too fast, put a bolt under the gas pedal so that they cant push it down all the way.

But then you roast your clutch by letting it slip. This is why speed reduction by gearing is better than a throttle stop.

 

[shake this]

If you were able to get the hf clone at a good price then you made the right choice. You can even sell the good parts of the Briggs to help make up the difference. It's still a very popular little engine.

I've seen three in town while I was research mine and this is not a very popular area for horizontal shaft engines. One was on Craig's list for $75.00 and another was on an air compressor so people use them for more then go karts.

 

[Doc Sprocket]

great deal. heres a trick, if you dont want them going too fast, put a bolt under the gas pedal so that they cant push it down all the way.

I would ONLY recommend doing this with a centrifugal clutch if you are 100% sure that you'll still be running above the clutch lockup speed. No tach? No WAY!

 

[Blazkowiez]

Thats a good looking Thunder Kart you've got there. You might need to move one of the cage support bars, the tank takes more space than the Briggs did and occasionally gets in the way.

 

[MacfarlaneRacers]

Bluethunder..If My Dad Done That I Would Go Mental!

 

[mtbutts]

Alright, I've been out for a while. I feel dumb asking this one, but here goes. I took the old briggs off. The chain next to the engine connects to the clutch, and I can't figure out how to get the old clutch off the briggs and put it on the new engine. Can I? or do i need a new set up on this one? Dumb question, but I probably already messed it up. I tried wrenching both sides at the same time and broke the bolt off the briggs. The bolt that is actually possible to break, not the hub. let me know if anyone has any ideas or needs a photo.