Electric Kart idea?

[DudeRadster]

Hey guys,

I was wondering if I could get some advice on a kart idea I have.

I have a paper route, and it gets a little bit rough to do it on saturdays and thanksgiving day (Thanksgiving paper has a bunch of black friday flyers in it) in these Minnesota winters and springs. I've designed a kart that I could use in all weather (be it too hot, too cold, or raining/snowing/slushing/sleeting.)

I would build the whole frame out of wood, except for the axles and things that should obviously be made out of metal. It would resemble an AMC Gremlin, with a rear cargo hatch where I could put the newspapers, and then a forward hatch where the motor and battery would be. It'd just be a one-seater. I was planning on buying a 5 hp electric motor and hooking it up to a controller and a car battery, but after I did some research it seems like it would be easier to gut a golf cart.

What do you guys think of my idea?

 

[wingnut]

Why a wooden cart? I'd at least start with some junkyard go-kart frame as a base. Otherwise, I'd go with the Golf Kart idea. You'll need a lift kit and off road tires and you'll still have a hard time getting through snow but I like that better than a wooden kart.

 

[Doc Sprocket]

If this is your first project, you might want to keep things simpler by starting with a golf cart.

Will you have any legal problems driving this around?

Welcome to the forum!

 

[DudeRadster]

Well, I thought I'd do a wood frame for three reasons. I wanted to keep it light, inexpensive and also I don't have a welder. Once I can get my scanner fixed I will post up a sketch of what I'm thinking of. Really the only thing I was going to use the golf cart for was the motor, battery and other electric hookups. Also, the only junk yard within 30 miles of my house won't accept anything lighter than 1000 lbs, so I wouldn't find a go-kart frame out there. There won't be any legal issues because it will be narrow enough to fit on the sidewalk and it won't (hopefully) do more than 30 mph, and so it won't be constituted as a "road worthy" vehicle. Also, this shouldn't have too hard of a time getting through my route since it IS plowed, but not very well. The road is really rough and so the snowplows don't put the plows down very far, and so there's always a layer of packed snow that can get slippery in places. Last year I slipped and sprained my ankle, and I had to hire a substitute for 2 weeks. This kart will hopefully prevent that and help get my route done faster.

I tend to ramble, if you couldn't tell.

 

[Doc Sprocket]

Given the snow thing, I would suggest you keep your eye out for some snowblower tire chains... With the setup you propose, you're going to have gobs of torque- But it won't do you a lick of good if you can't get any traction.

 

[DudeRadster]

Yeah, that was another part of my plans. I was planning to make the drive wheels out of snowblower wheels so that I could get factory tire chains. It had crossed my mind to make this thing a half track but I decided that would be far too complicated