Crotchrocket
Ground Support
I am debating on which material to build my custom go kart out of. Trying to balance weight and strength. I am going big and clunky with a side by side two seater with suspension and had a mix of 1/4 and 1/8” wall 1x1, 2x3, 1x2 square and 1” round pipe. My partially finished design ended up weighing 800lbs so I can imagine the finished product being north of 1000lbs, so obviously I am running way too beefy on the first go round.
What materials do you usually use for a build? Is .065 wall thickness going to be too thin/difficult to weld? I only have a flux core mig with variable fees and hi/low temp settings so ability to not burn through really thin metal is going to be tough. I am thinking of sticking to 1x1 1/8 wall, but still a bit worried that will be overkill and too heavy. I may also be over reinforcing things like the floor which will be reinforced by the sheet metal bottom. Would expanded metal be a good option to lighten up the metal panel areas?
What materials do you usually use for a build? Is .065 wall thickness going to be too thin/difficult to weld? I only have a flux core mig with variable fees and hi/low temp settings so ability to not burn through really thin metal is going to be tough. I am thinking of sticking to 1x1 1/8 wall, but still a bit worried that will be overkill and too heavy. I may also be over reinforcing things like the floor which will be reinforced by the sheet metal bottom. Would expanded metal be a good option to lighten up the metal panel areas?
