My first shot at making a go kart and beginning welding

[doesgo]

I totally understand the money issues! As a point of clarification, however, most wire-feed welders that use flux-core wire can be upgraded to MIG (metal inert gas) with the addition of a conversion kit. No need to buy the entire welder. The kit just consists of a gauge set and a hose. Then you just need to get a spool of solid wire, rent a bottle of C-25, attach the gauges to the bottle, and you're golden. VERY little spatter and nicer welds.

Again, however, I'm not sure if your HF welder can be converted, and it does cost money. Just thought I'd throw it out there.

 

[Pellethuntr2]

Spatter-> What kind of welder are you using? Flux core wire needs straight polarity (electrode-negative) or you will get a tons of nasty splatter. Also clean your surfaces good before welding. Bare metal welds much better than rusty/painted.

I lost you can you exsplaine that better??? [the part about straight polarity and electrode negative]

 

[BigBlockRanger]

Wire welders (MIG or flux core) weld with DC current.

MIG's use reverse polarity -->wire (+) workpiece (-) This puts more heat into the wire to make it melt better.

Flux Core uses straight polarity --> wire(-) workpiece (+) This puts more heat into the workpiece.

If you are using flux wire with reverse polarity, you will get a ton more splatter/bird terd welds that you will with straight.

 

[lemegacool]

hmmm i was looking at the front spindles and... they are just holding by the bolt head... dont know but it seems to me that they will snap off pretty easily... just my 2 cents

 

[napalmfire]

should have done this sooner.. less time wasted. I took the spindles off again, i'll be doing them properly this time around.. I'm going to do the "weldless spindles" sticky, but I'll weld em up a bit to make them stronger.

 

[Pellethuntr2]

Thanks for clearing that up BigBlockRanger!!!

 

[napalmfire]

so yesterday was treasure trove of a discovery.

About 2 months ago my friend and I went around looking for throw away stuff to start the go karts we're making. During bulk trash week, the town has a special pickup for large junk that people can place on the street to have removed. We found nothing by looking for trash on the roadside, but while driving around we saw, around 200ft away from the road side, inside of a rain water retention basin, a Toro ride-on mower, a timecutter z420. The grass was all overgrown around it, thick weeds through all the holes in it, etc. It had been there for quite some time. We left it figuring we couldn't get it out, or anything off of it, and we weren't sure if it was just left there temporarily or what.

Went back yesterday!

It was still there! The grass and weeds were manageable this time around, but it was obviously still undisturbed. We went over to it and took a closer look. The front tires were all flat and bent but the rears were perfect, the grass collector on the back was cracked open, the blade housing was folded under and it appeared that it was just thrown away and was to be left there.

It had 18"x7.5" 4 bolt hub rear wheels, an excellent seat, and a 16hp B&S engine. We took the wheels, the seat, and the seat plate, and we're planning on going back for the engine in a few days to see if it is worth while to either sell or just mess with.

We're also going to see if we can take the hubs to use on my kart. Just in case those hubs arent the correct axle size, does anybody know what hubs I can buy to use with Kenda Super Turf tires? Does anybody know if Kenda is anything decent?

Anything else I should be able to salvage off of this timecutter z420?

 

[Kaptain Krunch]

someone ditched that zero turn?! **** those things are worth some money. might as well take the tranny while your at it, i could think of some cool things to use it for (crazy tracked vehicle ).

If it was me i'd take the whole thing and try to restore it, in running and mowing cond, even if its rusted or faded you could easily get 500 for a zero turn. The suggested retail of it is $2,800.

 

[napalmfire]

wow jeez. Figured it wouldn't be worth too much if someone just left it there.

So if I take the transmission can I convert this vertical shaft to a horizontal axle to use for some crazy moving contraption? lol

It would be quite a problem getting this out. I have no idea how the people who put it here got it in in the first place. There's a 5ft deep by 3ft across slope getting down to where it is. It's almost like they accidentally drove it down? haha.

 

[Kaptain Krunch]

Yea you could make something pretty slow and pretty sweet outa that thing, think duel snowmobile tracks powered by a duel hydro tranny so you could control each side on its own, and go just about anywhere. I've actually been looking for a duel hydro for a while, I'm not sure if it uses one tranny with 2 pumps or just 2 different ones but either way, you could find a use for them, or atleast sell them for quite a bit.

A single hydrostatic tranny for for average non commercial rider will go for over $250 on ebay, so imagine a commercial twin hydro tranny.

 

[napalmfire]

I think I may just part it out and sell what is worth the time taken for extracting. My main project right now is just getting my kart working. I'd like to use as much as I can from this and put it on my kart.

The main thing that I would like to get out of it would be something that could turn a vertical engine to a rear axle drive. It would be quite cool to be able to adjust each wheel's speed individually.

Any way of telling if the mower has a twin hydro?

Going back again tomorrow morning. I'll snap some pics.

 

[Kaptain Krunch]

I think I may just part it out and sell what is worth the time taken for extracting. My main project right now is just getting my kart working. I'd like to use as much as I can from this and put it on my kart.

The main thing that I would like to get out of it would be something that could turn a vertical engine to a rear axle drive. It would be quite cool to be able to adjust each wheel's speed individually.

Any way of telling if the mower has a twin hydro?

Going back again tomorrow morning. I'll snap some pics.

They all have 2 separate pumps, its just if the cases are molded together or 2 separate cases. I guess i worded it weird.
If the mower deck is in good condition i'd grab that, and anything else that looks useful. I'm a real scavenger myself so if it was near me i'd pull the **** thing out and take every possibly useable part and then scrap the frame. you should have seen the last sled i tore apart, before and after, it started out full size no engine, or track, after i took all useful parts (and i mean all, no waste) it ended up fitting it in the back of a car, every bit of scrap aluminum cut up into small pieces.


With a hydro tranny you wont be able to get much speed, you cant just swap pulleys because hydro's run hot and with more speed the pumps will just burn up.

 

[PyroKart]

hey napalm do you have a youtube acount called napalmfire. great find by the way. hope your kart goes well

 

[napalmfire]

Yep thats mine Pyrokart.

I think this had what you were looking for Kaptain Krunch! These apparently sell for about $300 a pop on ebay. If anyone wants em lemme know in a PM, i'll go cheap. That goes for anything in this post as well if I dont look like I'll be using it.

After further disassembly, the motor's piston rod and governor were completely SMASHED TO BITS! The motor is useless now, except for a few parts I may be able to sell.

Piston and junk bits:

Parts I may try to sell:

Engine crank cover

Head+valves+pushers+rods

Clutch assembly of some sort

The hubs are no good. they were made to fit into the hydro-gear assemblies. Unless I can find a shop to bore them out to 1" with a key way, they're tool box junk. I'll resort back to them if I can't find a hub to fit these wheels.

I took the seat plate with a spring assembly under it so now the person in the seat will have a reasonable amount of bounce when going over rough terrain. Gotta get more grinding wheels to remove the old seat and put the new one in.

The engine also had a starter motor. I'm not sure if I could use it to add an electric start to my honda clone, but it'd be worth a shot. It also has an Off/Run/Start key system which I could attach as well.

And heres some shots of inside of the crank case.

___________________

So once I sell some of this stuff off, I'll be able to get everything needed to finish this kart. Hope it sells..

 

[pmat]

dude i would have found a old mower and put the motor from it on the zero turn. even if you dont wanna mow with it, they are fast and FUN as hell!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Kaptain Krunch]

I hate you...thats the luckiest find ever man, you will be my god if you make a tracked vehicle with those trannys.

Anyways, looks like you got some good parts, and looks like you found why they left it there. i've never seen a stock governed engine blow that bad. I doubt the starter will be useful for your clone but you could sell it.

I'm somewhat interested in the hubs, what are they bored at now? maybe some pics would help. and how does that clutch system work? is it centrifugal or what?

 

[EagleTalons]

That starter may work on his engine! Here is a page. Microbusa made this. Amazing man. http://microbusa.synthasite.com/march-2009.php

 

[napalmfire]

Although a tracked vehicle sounds so cool, I am going to have to try to sell those transaxles. Need the money to continue what I'm currently working on. I'd rather have one project done than have two that are incomplete.

The hubs seem to be around 1/2" or so. The axle that goes into em are flat at the end and the receiving end is also flat.

I believe the clutch is electronic of some sort. it had wires running to it of all colors coming from the control panel, the transaxle controls, and the engine. Nothing else inside seems to be centrifugal.

 

[Kaptain Krunch]

That must be the mower deck clutch then, because hydro's dont need clutches...Either way it looks cool.

 

[napalmfire]

It was attached to the engine and came down between the two transaxles. had 2 or 3 belts attached.