I like to use gas pipe for my projects like adding on to my kart since it is the only pipe sold at home depo and menards besides galvinized which is dangerous to weld, but is it strong to with stand the offroading abuse if you were to use it for a entire frame? I also want to know if any body knows were to find kart axles that are 1 inch thick, around 35-45 inches long, a 1/4 inch key way (not the hex ones), and that is as strong as an atv axle not the normal kart axles thanks.
Is gas pipe good for making kart/buggy frames? And were to find strong axles
- Thread starter khank1995
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modelengineer
Lord of the noise
Acceptable? Yes. Good? No. It's very heavy, and not very strong for it's weight.
KieranM
Doin It!!
Galvanised piping only causes a real threat to your health if you weld it in a place that is not well ventilated. You can weld it, best to do it outside and make sure you have a quality mask. You could also grind off the zinc coating, but then there is no need to pay the extra for galvanised when you can just get normal mild steel piping.
That been said its best to stay away from the galvanised piping as if you misuse it during welding it can cause harm
That been said its best to stay away from the galvanised piping as if you misuse it during welding it can cause harm
Kenny_McCormic
Kartless....
Find a metal store.
Doc Sprocket
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I have made many things out of Sch40 gas pipe, it's quite useful and widely available. It is not the best choice, as it is pretty heavy for it's size, and fairly malleable, too. In order to construct something solid out of it, you'll need to keep a close eye on strength over weight, so as not to let the weight get out of hand. Ultimately, it boils down to this- By the time you've triangulated, gusseted or otherwise reinforced your design, you've added some significant weight. My steel reference guide shows 1" Sch40 gas pipe as typically about 1.6 lbs/lin ft. That'll add up pretty quickly. For the record, wall thickness is shown as .133", a smidge over 1/8".
It is quite doable, just not the premiere choice.
Ideally, you want to go with a thin, light tubing, using gusseting and triangulation. This is not always feasible, not all of us are structural engineers (I surely am not) so you do what you can, right?
It is quite doable, just not the premiere choice.
Ideally, you want to go with a thin, light tubing, using gusseting and triangulation. This is not always feasible, not all of us are structural engineers (I surely am not) so you do what you can, right?
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Linksep
New member
We can be... When I was in high-school we entered 3 vehicles in the Minnesota Supermileage competition (IIRC we got ~650MPG using box-stock 3.5 briggs). Anyway, we built scale models of our chassis designs using heavy copper wire and hot-glue; we then stress-tested our chassis designs by placing them across a gap and measuring the weight they would support in the middle before collapsing.
The chassis my team built weighed 14lbs with motor plate and supported 3 people (including me @ 250lbs) with no noticeable chassis flex - yeah, it was triangulated to the extreme.
Don't think that just because we have no formal engineering education or fancy CAD programs we can't be engineers. The Wright brothers didn't have CAD either, and they had a far loftier goal than tooling around on the ground.
Doc Sprocket
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Absolutely! And that was kind of my point. Mind you, you had a bit of an educational thing going on there, some don't. But there's something to be said for thought, and common sense, too.
In fact, I wasn't sure how it would be recieved- But I was even thinking about throwing a concept out there. I think that with some careful design, one might even be able to build a frame from something like 3/4" EMT, which is commonly available electrical conduit available in places like Lowe's and Home Depot...
EDIT- And YES, use copious ventilation while welding, it IS galvanized
In fact, I wasn't sure how it would be recieved- But I was even thinking about throwing a concept out there. I think that with some careful design, one might even be able to build a frame from something like 3/4" EMT, which is commonly available electrical conduit available in places like Lowe's and Home Depot...
EDIT- And YES, use copious ventilation while welding, it IS galvanized
me and my friend were lucky we started building a gokart out of galvinized last winter and since my parents little barn is heated we had no ventilation. we were out side for hours and before we went in we couldnt see anything. The next day at church we were talking to this one guy who welds and he asked us what material we were using and we told him we were using galvinized and he said that one time he was welding that stuff and he ended up in the hospital.
Doc Sprocket
*********
Hospital? He//, that'll KILL you!!!
chetcpo
New member
I gotta agree on this one. Quality steel tubing is dirt cheap. Check your local steel supplier. It doesn't cost anything to call and get a quote. You can buy it over the phone with a credit card, but you need to be able to explain exactly what you want. (Hot roll is the cheapest- 1" square/round .120 wall, 1.25" square .120 wall or .095 wall, etc. etc.....) Tell them what you're building and ask what they have in stock because it will always be the cheapest. Bear in mind that most of their product is sold in 24 foot long sticks so when you come to pick it up bring a hacksaw. Some yards won't cut it for you since you are a pain in their arse with your small order. These suppliers are used to loading the majority of their orders into semis.
I like to show up in my old Volvo wagon and let them watch in disbelief as I strap several hundred pounds of steel to the roof.
Kenny_McCormic
Kartless....
The Alro outlet in my town is always really helpful with smaller orders, cuts stuff, etc. They have a public welcome sign in the window.
Volvos are known to roll and only need paint touch up, I wouldn't be in too much disbelief. If you want to see disbelief go to a landscaping place and buy a cubic yard of sand on day after some heavy rain, then drive out back to the pile and have them load your half ton Chevy.
"You guys are gonna come back for the other half, right?"
"Nope, load the whole yard!"
"OK"
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