Building a wooden gokart

[sideways]

Hey if think building a cart from wood is a bad idea, do a search for Morgan Automobiles, to this day you can buy a Morgan that is built primarily of wood, building a cart from wood is not that far fetched of an idea if approached properly.

Their chassis isn't wood though, their body is wood framed. The wood takes no load. The Aero 8 does have a chassis made from ash bonded to an aluminium alloy though.

Nothing wrong with a wood kart as long as it's well designed, it's usually the parts that hold the wood together that break, not the wood its self.

This is an actual wood chassis car, it's also quite possibly the coolest car ever made.

A pulley tensioner clutch will be fine but you need to gear it down a LOT more, with those pulleys and 13" wheels your kart would have a theoretical top speed of 54MPH.

Thanks

Hayden

 

[Doc Sprocket]

I would but its for sprockets and I'm using a belt.

Doesn't matter- the principle is the same. Instead of sprocket tooth counts, you measure pulleys by diameter. So, when using the calc, even though it's asking for # of teeth, just enter the diameter in inches. Still divides the same.

 

[fowler]

on the topic of wood being not as strong

dont forget there are 16th century cathidrals still standing in some of the harshest enviroments many with wooden roofs

to mount the engine id get some "crush tubes" which are esensialy bits of metal tube that will run though the wood

if u bolt straight though the wood the vibration will flogg out the holes and the engnie will loosen

 

[r_chez_08]

That gear ratio doesnt sound good. It gives you a top speed of over 50mph!
I would go for either setting up a jackshaft. You could get a much larger, eg.12" pulley on the axle and a 2" pulley on the engine, but this could pose problems of both ground clearance and belt slip due to the small engine pulley.

However a jackshaft setup could cost you as much as a centrifugal clutch, a length of chain and a rear sprocket.

 

[NateIngram1]

Well how i bolted the engine was i used these 1/4 width screw bolts at one end is a screw in part and the other its a bolt part. and i screwed it into the wood and on the part that was sticking out(bolt part) i put a rubber washer on each of them and then put the engine on them and bolted it, when i start the engine it doesnt vibrate very much at all and everything is holding very well.

 

[bighead]

How about an wood engine?

 

[r_chez_08]

No way does that work :O

 

[bighead]

No way does that work :O

Yah blower and carbs are fake. Real carb is under the blower. Not sure about the heads though.

It gets lots of looking at car shows. I see it all the time.

 

[jessez]

As long as it is built well I say no problem I think the problem will be with such a tall gear it won't wanna go very good and assuming it is like any dirt road I ever seen it will never have much chance to spool up very high.

Don't get me wrong sounds like it will be fun and will go just not fast.