kart manufacturer

[Poboy kartman]

That's alright Thim.. .........I'll keep you in my thoughts too.......

Believe it or not......it's been scientifically proven that a long legged Texan in cowboy boots can outrun a short legged Asian in sandals and ......kick him in the keister in the process?? ?.? Lol.....Luv ya man.....

 

[Karttekk]

need live axle

Finally finished my older Carter kart, looks like the 3/4" live axle is bent. Makes a rubbing noise in the rear while driving. It has a 3/16" keyway, not sure of the length. Anyone have an axle they'd like to sell?

Thank you

 

[firemanjim]

Finally finished my older Carter kart, looks like the 3/4" live axle is bent. Makes a rubbing noise in the rear while driving. It has a 3/16" keyway, not sure of the length. Anyone have an axle they'd like to sell?

Thank you

Get a dial indicator, find the bend, bend it back...... I've done it twice on my personal kart....

 

[Karttekk]

Would you elaborate on how you did that? I don't have a bench vise nor a dial indicator. I can buy a new axle for $40.00 with a warranty, not a bad deal. I'll try your idea if you'd be willing to explain the steps.

Thank you

 

[OzFab]

First, do you know for sure the axle is bent? If it is, you'd feel it when driving...

If you can buy a new axle for $40, it's probably not worth the hassle trying to straighten the old one; now, if a replacement was $100...

 

[firemanjim]

Mine was bent at the bearing.... So I pulled the wheel off and used a dial indicator to find the high side of the bend, and marked it. I took out the bearings and left the axle in the tube. I got three coworkers to stand on the opposite side of the frame. Then I used a long pipe over the axle to bend it down. You put the axle so one side of the bend rests against something solid. The end of the pipe goes all the way up,just before the bend. That way you localize the force your using to just the bent spot. After I bend it back, I check the runout at the end of the axle. I'm happy with .005-.010" of runout over 6". It hasn't been really noticeable when I'm riding. But i can "see" it when some one else drives.....
Do not apply heat.... Big no no!! You will have to try it a couple times to get it right or pretty darn close. Remember, you have to go past the position you want, to allow for natural spring back....

 

[Karttekk]

For now I rotated the wheels until the chain tightened and bound up. I loosened the engine bolts and let the chain find its own "sweet spot." I get minimal drag on the brake band and the chain doesn't make the "ruump" sound any more as it rotates. It's definitely bent, but my work around, even if temporary, will work for now. A new axle is available in case things worsen to the point of wearing something out prematurely. I appreciate the replies and the help.

Thank you

 

[OzFab]

For now I rotated the wheels until the chain tightened and bound up. I loosened the engine bolts and let the chain find its own "sweet spot."

Thank you

That sounds like you need a new chain; for some strange reason, chains don't stretch evenly & what you describe sound like it's loose at one point & tight at another... or your axle sprocket is off centre...

 

[Poboy kartman]

That sounds like you need a new chain; for some strange reason, chains don't stretch evenly & what you describe sound like it's loose at one point & tight at another... or your axle sprocket is off centre...

Or his axle is bent?????

 

[landuse]

Or his axle is bent?????

That would be my guess

 

[OzFab]

That possibility has been examined; Karttekk, I think you need to strip down the axle & put a straight edge on it...

 

[Karttekk]

I realized the axle was bent before I installed the engine. The first thing I did was install a new brake band and could see right away the brake drum ran out of round when I rotated the axle. It would turn freely then grab every time the high spot hit the brake band. I have a new chain, but waited until the engine and clutch were mounted to see how badly the run-out was. I ran the engine on jackstands and could see the left rear wheel "hopping" as it rotated. I have the chain adjusted to where it isn't too loose but doesn't bind while driving the kart. I think I'll run it with the old chain and wobbly axle to see how it holds up. There are axles available for the kart, so I can always fix it right if need be.

Thanks for all of the replies and suggestions

 

[Karttekk]

For those tall drivers that have to "scrunch" into their karts due to the pedals being so close, I came up with an inexpensive solution. I bought two side beam connectors at Home Depot and two 3/8 x 3 x 7 U-bolts from a hardware store, fabricated two pedal extensions so I could at least drive my kart for a good while without getting stiff with my knees almost straight up. That gave me about 4" of legroom and I didn't have to cut the cart in half and rebuild it. Something to consider. I'll post links and a picture.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Cramik-E...r-2003A/100135224?keyword=side+beam+connector


Thanks

 

[Karttekk]

I'd like to install a universal chain guard on my kart with a clone 6.5 HP engine, but I don't know the bolt size where the guard mounts. It goes behind the clutch. There are 4 bolt holes that surround the clutch, anyone know what size bolt they take?

Thanks

 

[OzFab]

More than likely 5/16" but, they could be metric 8mm

 

[Karttekk]

I ended up calling a Lifan tech, they confirmed the bolts were 8mm x 1.25 thread pitch. Removed the chain & clutch, installed the guard, then reinstalled the clutch and chain. Attached is a picture of my completed Carter Brothers barn find. Many thanks to everyone who replied to my inquiries and helped me out along the way.

 

[firemanjim]

Looks good!

 

[OzFab]

Looks a bit different from the pic in post #1; good job