Dumpster kart!!

[The Mechtician]

Dumpster kart, now with Lawn Boy power!

I fished this out of the scrap metal bin here at work last week. It appears that it's been set up for a pitbike engine, of which there are plenty here in the lower mainland. It's also stupidly heavy, which makes me suspect that it's made out of 3/4" steel gas pipe. However, for the price, I can't complain

 

[B man]

Wow! nice find!

 

[Doc Sprocket]

That is a wee bit overbuilt, isn't it? You could probably put it on the ol' Jenny Craig diet and make something out of it. You've gotta dig free though, eh?

 

[anderkart]

Yeah that's cool, excellent score! Just needs a big motor and that thing'll scoot.

Is that a drum brake on the axle?

 

[Clayton]

18hp Kohler anyone???

 

[The Mechtician]

That is a wee bit overbuilt, isn't it? You could probably put it on the ol' Jenny Craig diet and make something out of it. You've gotta dig free though, eh?

That's exactly my plan, start chopping out pieces until it folds up on itself, then put the last piece back in I read that Colin Chapman designed the frame for the original Lotus Seven that way! I suspect that its prodigious weight is part of the reason it was in the scrap bin, hopefully I can change that.

Is that a drum brake on the axle?

It sure is, no doubt salvaged from the same pitbike that donated its engine. It seems to work, although not very well. I'm planning on scrapping the whole axle (I suspect it is also made from 3/4" gunbarrel since I don't see keyways anywhere) for some good keyed shafting so I won't be keeping it, but whoever built the thing gets points for ingenuity

 

[Bluethunder3320]

Hey at least you can play some bumper karts without damaging it. How much it weigh?

 

[The Mechtician]

How much it weigh?

I would guess it weighs 150 lbs, if not more. I plan on weighing it with one of the load cells @ work to find out for sure.

 

[CriticalMass]

That rear end is crazy. A torch and grinder does a body good.

Nice find, wish I found a kart instead of smelly Mazda bucket seats in my local dumpster

 

[bighead]

The rear of the kart looks bolted to the original kart frame. Is that an add on at one time? Or is that how you adjust the chain?

Amazing what people toss out.

 

[shaggy0001]

Wow what a find you lucky bugger, makes me want to go out to the scrap yard and seach

 

[Orange Krate]

What's that wrench lever for?

Have you scored a 2 speed belt tensioner project start?

 

[robbie]

Holy crap, that thing looks heavy!

 

[The Mechtician]

What's that wrench lever for?
Have you scored a 2 speed belt tensioner project start?

The wrench is (or was) the shifter handle For those who are wondering, it's a Proto 1-1/16". Kind of a shame, really It's probably the nicest piece of steel on the whole kart...

The rear of the kart looks bolted to the original kart frame. Is that an add on at one time? Or is that how you adjust the chain?

Yes, that entire frame was just bolted on (crooked, I might add). It was a cradle arrangement to allow a pitbike engine with 4 speed trans (hence the shifter) to power the kart via a jackshaft. I've removed most of that crap, I'll try to snap some pics today. Found a large crack in one of the rear rims, poked it with my finger and a HUGE piece of the rim fell out! Luckily I've been doing nothing but welding aluminum @ work these days, so a repair should be fairly straightforward, but it sucks to add things to the "to do" list instead of crossing them off...

As for power, I'm still trying to source an engine. I don't have any sitting around, although I've talked to a coworker who says he has about 20 old Honda pump motors sitting around in various states of disrepair that I can have for free. So we'll see I'll be sure to keep the thread current and snap lots of pics!

 

[The Mechtician]

Just picked up a Lawn Boy Professional "Gold Series" 4.5hp mower. The gentleman was asking a measly $30 for it, which I paid without question. He fired it up for me so I could see/hear it run, and even threw in a 2.5L jerry can of 2 stroke mix Nice old fella.

I have some research to do on this particular model and its quirks, but any suggestions, input or information would be much appreciated

 

[RedLine Go Kart]

Great Find, Looks heavy tho!!!!

 

[Bluethunder3320]

nice!!!!!!

check what shaft it has.

russ can help you ID it ill bet.

 

[redsox985]

Great Find, Looks heavy tho!!!!

You aren't talking about the motor are you?! And yes, I'm sure Russ will be able to fill you in completely.