Cost to build 4-6 identical karts- GHS Project

[gijoe985]

I'm short on time so I'm keeping this first post shorter. I have the "bright idea" of trying to build/buy 4-6 identical karts for high school students to practice some basic automotive theory on. They don't need to be super fast. We do have 4 6.5hp Predator motors sitting in boxes. My main concern is the nickel and diming that will hit is if we build our own when it comes to seats, wheels and tires, etc. I do want a hydraulic disc brake. I want kids to practice bleeding brakes. I'd like to give the kids a variety of gear ratios to mess with, tire sizes (perhaps), so they can do the math and learn what works and what doesn't.

So what do you guys think as far as budget goes? I'm trying to look into it for next year. Get my budget numbers together. We could buy kits and then upgrade components as needed. Or look into buying 4-6 used karts (which may be cheaper, but I'd love for them to be identical)

 

[Whitetrashrocker]

I found 2 Manco Dingos local. Both were almost complete. By the time I went over them and got them all up to go I probably have 400 in each.

 

[gijoe985]

I just don't think we'll luck out locally to find 4+ comparable karts. I'm thinking maybe used from a kart track? Or an online store...

 

[Whitetrashrocker]

What kind of karts are you looking for?
Yard carts
Race karts
Suspentioned karts(buggys)

I've seen on some FB kart groups people​ selling out their collections. Couple karts and parts up the wazoo in package deals.

 

[KartFab]

rough numbers for one single kart:

if searching long enough, you can eventually find a kart in poor condition for $100-$150, which may need about $300 to fix up (mostly tire/clutch/engine cost)

Parts to build from scratch in total is about $500-$900, plus steel and hardware.

You have a near zero percent chance of finding identical used karts. You might want to loosen your requirement to 'all one wheel drive' or 'all live axle' or 'all one seat' or 'all bench seat'

So, a realistic budget would be $1000 per kart on the high end, and $400 per kart on the very low end, with lots of extra work trying to be frugal.

 

[itsid]

concession karts (rental track) karts are your best bet, they're quite cheap, take a predator engine as "default" (nearly all come with a Honda GX industrial engine, only exceptions are electric)
they're as tough as frick and comparably cheap..
And as a bonus; if you find a track that sells their old stuff, you'd bet they're all identical

belt driven and even the old ones come with hydraulic brakes
(since they're not only tough but also failry heavy as a result)

And if it couldn't get any better: since they're heavy they're worthless to a racing afficionado,
that's why they're also on the lower end of the price scale.

IMHO that's exactly what you want.

Most are belt driven (and we've seen them pop up just recently quite frequently around here as well)
means "it's hunting season"
Check CL ebay and if you find one, contact the seller if he has 3-5 more.

If you do not find such concession karts;
go for simple yard karts, racing karts more often than not are either made for two stroke engines (and converting is sometimes difficult to impossible)
or expensive.. and cheaper ones are very often offset karts (made for left turn only oval tracks) and handle right turns like *cough cough*

hydraulic brakes... ebay.. find buggy brakes (much cheaper than racing kart brakes) work well enough for any 6.5hp enigne;
since yard karts come almost exclusively with non hydraulic brakes (band mostly, rarely drum or disks)

'sid

 

[gijoe985]

concession karts (rental track) karts are your best bet, they're quite cheap, take a predator engine as "default" (nearly all come with a Honda GX industrial engine, only exceptions are electric)
they're as tough as frick and comparably cheap..
And as a bonus; if you find a track that sells their old stuff, you'd bet they're all identical

belt driven and even the old ones come with hydraulic brakes
(since they're not only tough but also failry heavy as a result)

And if it couldn't get any better: since they're heavy they're worthless to a racing afficionado,
that's why they're also on the lower end of the price scale.

IMHO that's exactly what you want.

Most are belt driven (and we've seen them pop up just recently quite frequently around here as well)
means "it's hunting season"
Check CL ebay and if you find one, contact the seller if he has 3-5 more.

If you do not find such concession karts;
go for simple yard karts, racing karts more often than not are either made for two stroke engines (and converting is sometimes difficult to impossible)
or expensive.. and cheaper ones are very often offset karts (made for left turn only oval tracks) and handle right turns like *cough cough*

hydraulic brakes... ebay.. find buggy brakes (much cheaper than racing kart brakes) work well enough for any 6.5hp enigne;
since yard karts come almost exclusively with non hydraulic brakes (band mostly, rarely drum or disks)

'sid

Very good info. Thanks.

 

[gijoe985]

So, the more I think about it, concession karts are really the way to go. Faster ones though. I've gone to go kart tracks and then I've gone to "family fun centers" and there is a huge difference. The FFC ones you can hold full throttle the entire time. Those kind usually have like a fully covered cockpit. The tracks I've been to with faster ones look just like a race kart. 4.5hp. And they were pretty quick. Having the 360 degree bumper would be great since we're working with high school kids and liability is an issue. I need to convince my district administration that nobody will die at 20mph. Now, the only issue is finding some old concession karts WHEN the time is right. I need to get things approved first.

Anyone know what an old concession kart would sell for?

 

[Rail rider]

I don't get why they need to be identical ,shake it UP A BIT. Get a one wheel peel, a live axle, one with a T.C. and a few with jack shafts... And then teach different drive systems wheel sizes and ratios on different set ups.

 

[Weezil]

Be sure to video the repairs and upload them here. Better yet, do an online course and I'll sign up.

 

[Panhead5496]

Just curious, but do you think this will be safe? The schools around here (very sadly) do nothing like this. I'm assuming it's high school?

Just seems to me that you get 4-5 high school guys (maybe girls? lol) going at it with go karts might be a little on the wild side. I would hate for you to get in trouble. At least make sure they all have protective equipment

Don't want to sound like a party pooper, I just know how me and my friends would have acted if we had had this opportunity in high school

 

[Keystone Motorsports]

Just curious, but do you think this will be safe? The schools around here (very sadly) do nothing like this. I'm assuming it's high school?

Just seems to me that you get 4-5 high school guys (maybe girls? lol) going at it with go karts might be a little on the wild side. I would hate for you to get in trouble. At least make sure they all have protective equipment

Don't want to sound like a party pooper, I just know how me and my friends would have acted if we had had this opportunity in high school

My Automotive class was super mature, even with me bringing in a lawnmower once and pulley swapping it (lol).

They do make frame kits, might be best bet. Or throw welding into your curriculum and get some cheap Campbell Hausfeld stick welders and DIY your own frames.

Heck, look up Colin Furze on Youtube, he did a 2 part series where he bolted together a frame from scratch.

 

[gijoe985]

Panhead- I'm working on the safety issues. Again, the goal here is 20mph karts. You can go that fast on a bicycle. Many of these kids drive turbocharged street cars, so hopefully they can handle a go kart.

Rail Rider- One of the reasons that I am hoping for identical is 1) so that the kids can compete somewhat evenly. 2) If you've ever taught a class like this, it is super nice to have identical things to work on. We're engine building right now and I can't wait until I have enough small block Chevys that it is all we work on. It is a pain when we need to stock parts to fit 3 different makes. (Advanced kids can work on any motor, but for the most part, having things identical makes my job way easier)

 

[Hellion]

I would consider the Azusa go kart frame, even though it's a compact kart. They have package deals or ferret out your own components such as wheels, tires, seats buying just basic items.

http://azusaparts.com/Category.aspx?catID=13&subCatID=44

Kart frame with steering hoop: $195.

 

[gijoe985]

I would consider the Azusa go kart frame, even though it's a compact kart. They have package deals or ferret out your own components such as wheels, tires, seats buying just basic items.

http://azusaparts.com/Category.aspx?catID=13&subCatID=44

Kart frame with steering hoop: $195.

The frame is the one thing I figure we DON'T need. I'd love to build that. But wheels tire, tie rods, etc.

They have a kit with 6" wheels and one with 5". Are the 6" wheels worth the extra $100 ($500 vs. $600)?

I wonder if they'd do a hydraulic brake upgrade.

 

[Hellion]

The frame is the one thing I figure we DON'T need. I'd love to build that...

Hey now, you cannot go and change the parameters of your inquiry halfway through like that. You wanted to build up/assemble some identical karts for cheap...or obtain some concession karts, also identical.

Now you want to build frames?

 

[Rail rider]

Hey now, you cannot go and change the parameters of your inquiry halfway through like that. You wanted to build up/assemble some identical karts for cheap...or obtain some concession karts, also identical.

Now you want to build frames?

Plot twist.

 

[gijoe985]

That fell under the "I'm short on time so I'm keeping this first post shorter."

So, we have every possible type of fabricating equipment here. We have a full blown metal shop. That said, that Asuza kit would be great. I have a friend with a kart rolling frame that I could use to mock up our own. The kit looks like a good price. When I was individually pricing parts, it just looked like buying a used kart would save us money. In the end, if building is cheaper, then we can go that route.

I've also considered designing our own suspension so that camber and caster were also adjustable. Not that it is needed on a kart, but more so that the kids have to adjust it.

 

[Bbqjoe]

Not that this means anything at all...
But when I was a kid living in a group home, we'd save up our entertainment money all month and spend it all on one day at a go kart place.
We'd let people in line in front of us if we had to, to make sure the 12 of us would get on the track at the same time.

We managed to get kicked out of every go kart place in MPLS.
It was pure mayhem.

 

[gijoe985]

Hey now, you cannot go and change the parameters of your inquiry halfway through like that. You wanted to build up/assemble some identical karts for cheap...or obtain some concession karts, also identical.

Now you want to build frames?

I want to add to my last post. I do want identical karts, as cheap as possible, and whether I get them with hydraulic brakes and some adjustable suspension, or i make them that way, whatever gets us there the cheapest.

We have a large supply of metal. So building a frame is essentially "free" for us. We could even build spindles. I'd want to buy tie rods, steering wheel, etc. Shoot, we could even weld up custom steering wheels if we wanted. This would be an awesome fabrication project.

Maybe I need to just figure out, at bare minimum, what needs to be purchased and what can be built? Maybe we could weld up sheetmetal seats? I guess we could probably fabricate a ton of the parts. I think a factory made seat would be much nicer, but we could figure it out.