Is It Worth It? - $100 Homemade Sand Rail Frame

[pulsar2121]

I found this on our local craigslist. The seller recently dropped the price down from $150 - $100. The welds don't look great, but at the end of the day, is it still usable for a project? I'm looking for something I can build with a budget of $500. I already have an engine.

https://fargo.craigslist.org/bar/d/west-fargo-go-kart-minni-sand-rail/6788276934.html

 

[Joe-405]

It’s only tacked together. It may or not be straight. And it’s square tubing.

I think you could buy round tubing or square for that price and build your own honestly. And it would be built to your needs and not somebody else’s. You can usually score a mini buggy like a maxxam or yerf dog spiderbox that comes with a gy6 style engine for that price and use the whole suspension and just modify the rear Swingarm area for your engine like I did.

 

[pulsar2121]

Thanks for your honest opinion on it Joe. In regards to being able to pick up complete carts in need of repair for that price, I wish. In my area only a few carts go up for sale at a time at best and they usually go for the $600-$700 range if they are even close to running condition.

 

[Joe-405]

What engine do you have ? I meant to ask.

And yeah location definitely has a damper on pricing sometimes.

 

[pulsar2121]

I'm planning on using a Tecumseh HM80 that I pulled off of an old Jacobsen snowblower. It's getting a slide carb and straight pipe exhaust. I've already removed the fan, governor, and the compression-killer on the exhaust cam. Also, I re-seated the valves. So, we should be making a bit more power than the factory 8HP rating.