Hello. Found you guys looking for help with a mini Jeep.

[TimC]

I have a nice little dirt track I built on my property for my four grandkids. It has a bunch of hills, jumps and turns for them to tear around on 4 motorcycles, (40cc to 125cc), a little 110 quad, and my lawn tractor that they get a kick out of driving around towing the others in the trailer.

This spring I added a XPro Mini Jeep to the fleet, and it immediately became the favorite, even tho it has a serious problem navigating the three hairpin turns. Because of the live axle it understeers so bad the kids have to reverse it 2 to 3 times in order to make it around the curve.

Has anyone here ever tried converting a live axel into a one-wheel drive by making one of the rear wheels freewheeling?

Thanks for any help.

Tim

 

[Edwin Spangler]

I would consider other options like a differential. You might ruin their favorite toy with a downgrade like that. It would make those couple turns easier, but ruin all other drivability.

My recommendation would be to teach them how to control something with a live axle on loose medium. You dont slow until the point of the apex then accelerate out, like you see race cars do. You have to slow well before the turn and start accelerating just before the point of the apex. That way youre hitting the apex during a controlled slide.

"Flicking" it into the turn is where they need to start. Just before a (for example) left turn, wander right slightly and then jerk it into the turn breaking traction in the rear. Do it little bits and build up but the idea is to catch that lost traction without applying throttle. Once youre able to throw it sideways and catch it without throttle, slowly start adding throttle each time you exit the turn. You want half of the slide to be under decel and half to be under accel.

Would a handbrake be plausible?

 

[TimC]

I've been able to master a drift turn in the jeep, but it is no way as easy or fun as on the quad, due to the tall gearing in 1st, and the fact that the engine sits in the rear mounted on the rear axle swing arm. The speeds required to slide around the corner are too high for the little ones to do safely.

I like that handbrake idea, and it could be very plausible. The Jeep has a parking brake lever on the steering column that operates both the front and rear disc brakes via separate cables. Would be simple to detach the front cable so the rears could be locked to slide in a corner.

I'm going to give that a try. Thanks for the idea.