kid friendly upgrade help

[nhkarting]

i got this old yerfdog and im looking to add another set of peddles maybe foldable? something my kids will be able to reach they are 5 and 6. they are not tall enough to reach. im looking for ideas.

 

[BaconBitRacing]

People here can help. It shouldn't be to hard, if it looks janky it probably is.

 

[Hellion]

Ages 5 and 6 on an engine-powered go kart of this size is a no-no in my estimation. All these fun karts are built for 12,13 year olds and up.

Get something smaller like one of those 79cc go karts for them or a Razor Dune Buggy... or get a 2-seater and have them ride along with you.

I see my neighbor with his toddler on his lap as he mows (John Deere riding mower). Only takes one second of inattention for that kid to fall off and have dear dad run over his boy with the back tires.

 

[nhkarting]

Ages 5 and 6 on an engine-powered go kart of this size is a no-no in my estimation. All these fun karts are built for 12,13 year olds and up.

Get something smaller like one of those 79cc go karts for them or a Razor Dune Buggy... or get a 2-seater and have them ride along with you.

I see my neighbor with his toddler on his lap as he mows (John Deere riding mower). Only takes one second of inattention for that kid to fall off and have dear dad run over his boy with the back tires.

i would govern it. make it so they couldn't go stupid fast. more like putt along.

 

[Master Hack]

I found the grand brats were not capable of properly handling machinery like that until 7 minimum. It took a lot of supervision even then.

 

[Hellion]

i would govern it. make it so they couldn't go stupid fast. more like putt along.

Could also use a throttle stop on the pedal. Weld a nut under the pedal and insert a bolt that you can use to alter the pedal throw.

For the Kid Friendly kart, the simple answer is, get two extra sets of pedals and mount them closer to the seat than the current pedals. Drill pivot holes in the frame where you want them and then the pedals need an extra pivot hole in them for a linkage to connect them to the front pedals. That is all you need, the kid pedals operate the main pedals with a rod linkage. That linkage will be mounted above the current pedal linkages to clear them. I have seen this done on karts before; two sets of pedals.

Don't try to make the distance to the kid pedals perfectly suited to the length of your kids' legs. Most everyone drives with their knees bent, even in full size automobiles and they will need that leverage especially for the brake.

 

[panchothedog]

Hellion. Had my oldest grandson driving a 196cc kart on his own, A week before his 5th birthday. It was on a dry lake bed. Nothing to hit and no rough terrain. Don't underestimate kids abilities.
nhkarting. For making pedals reachable, I took pieces of C channel about 10" long, bolted a door hindge, one side to the C channel, the other side to the floor pan of the kart. Put him in so I could position them where they needed to be. Got some threaded rod and turn buckles. One end on the back side of the C channel, the other end to the original gas and brake pedals of the kart. Worked great. Left them on there for about 3 years, until he could reach the regular ones.

 

[panchothedog]

Some photos of photos.

 

[panchothedog]

Little one in photo ( probably still wearing diapers at that time ) is now a senior in high school and 6' 3". His older brother ( driving ) a few inches shorter is getting ready to start his 2nd year in college.

 

[Master Hack]

To be fair the grand brats never had an opportunity to drive until one was 7.
Up until that point, though a path of destruction followed in their wake...



Now that I think about it, those may be Egors grand kids! I was gone a lot back then????

 

[ezcome-ezgo]

I took a photo of your photo so you'd have a photo.

 

[Byynow]

i got this old yerfdog and im looking to add another set of peddles maybe foldable? something my kids will be able to reach they are 5 and 6. they are not tall enough to reach. im looking for ideas.

I was in your position a while back. Wanted go karts (still looking for #2) for the grandkids to play with., but needed to be able to test drive it myself. So I will show you what I did and maybe you can make use of my ideas. I will do this with three posts. Throttle, brakes, and steering wheel position, so as to avoid confusion (mine) with the pictures.

As with many go karts, my Yerf Dog had a sliding seat. After a fitting session with my grand daughter I decided to make the pedals move fore and aft.
As mentioned in a previous post I drilled horizontal holes in the lower right frame tube and welded in small tubes with 5/16" id. The throttle pedal is then held in the selected position (fore or aft) by a 5/16" dia. drilled pin which is secured by a hairpin clip. I also use a mousetrap type spring as a throttle return spring.
Back toward the seat area I welded the same size tube across the top of the lower frame tube and made a rely lever with a bolt as an axle. A rod joins the throttle pedal to a pivot mounted on the relay lever. The rod has holes drilled in it at the pivot and is held in fore or aft position with hairpins. Also attached to the relay lever is a pivoting cable clamp that secures the throttle cable.
To change throttle pedal position I unclip and pull the pedal pin, pull the clips in the rod, move the throttle pedal and re-install the pin, spring and clip, then put the clips back in the rod in the appropriate holes.
In the pictures you can see the throttle pedal in both positions.

 

[Byynow]

i got this old yerfdog and im looking to add another set of peddles maybe foldable? something my kids will be able to reach they are 5 and 6. they are not tall enough to reach. im looking for ideas.

For the brakes I used a relay lever system similar to the throttle. 5/16" pin, tube welded into frame, etc. No return spring necessary. Pictures tell the story.

As a side note, I originally had a cable operated mechanical disc brake. I couldn't find an appropriate short cable to make a relay system work so I just let the cable loop upward when I moved the pedal aft. To work effectively the mechanical disc took more pedal pressure than a five year old could generate so I changed to a hydraulic brake which cut the needed pedal pressure by half.

 

[Byynow]

i got this old yerfdog and im looking to add another set of peddles maybe foldable? something my kids will be able to reach they are 5 and 6. they are not tall enough to reach. im looking for ideas.

After the grand daughter fitting session it was apparent the steering wheel would have to tilt. Using a tube that slides within another, a u-joint, a spherical rod end and a pin, I came up with the solution. A nut welded inside the bottom end of the inner tube holds the rod end. A flat washer welded to the top of the inner tube keeps it from falling through.
I considered a telescoping steering wheel but found it wasn't necessary.
Again, the pictures tell the story.

Hope I have made all this clear.

 

[BaconBitRacing]

This a family forum Brownstain!

 

[BrownStainRacing]

This a family forum Brownstain!

There ya go, it's off.

But nobody is forcing anybody to hit play.