New guy - few questions

[mbennett66]

New guy - few questions -pics added

Hello all. Glad to find this forum. If anyone has any other good kart resources, please let me know.

Anyway, tonight I picked up what I think is a pretty good deal on an older go-kart for my son. He is a tall 5 year old. I thought a small car of his own might get him interested in the larger ones such as my 66 Chevy Caprice.

The guy I got it from built it last year just as something to do. he didn't have any kids. Its a single seat job with new tires, new harbor frieght 6.5HP motor (tagged in the parts section), new clutch and chain. Needs a few fine touches, but a solid (and HEAVY) frame with all that stuff for $250. I could not have gotten a frame and built it for that.

My main question right now is about the drivetrain. It has a setup that I have never seen before until today. I actually found another frame that had the same setup. The motor is in the middle in the back. The shaft has cent. clutch belt drive with a 1/2" belt. The belt turns a pulley shaft that is about 8 inches long. On the other end of the shaft is a small gear connected to the large drive gear via a chain. What is this setup called. He said he had the shaft completely rebuilt as well, but it took about 3 months for all the parts to come in where ever he had it done.

I am use to seeing straight gear to gear chain drives from the motor to the axle sprocket.

Is this motor a decent one?

Is this drive system decent?

Speed is not an issue right now. My son is only 5, and anything faster than a PowerWheels vehicle is good by me.

I may tear it down and clean it up a little better before it gets warm. I may add a roll bar as well. I may also need to move the pedals up a little.

Anyway, thanks in advance for any comments. I will get some pics tomorrow and post them. The guy said he thought it was a Cutter brand frame, but I can't find anything on it online. Maybe someone can identify it.

With a motor at $150 new clutch at $60 and 4 new tires at $22 each. Im over the $250 cost right out of the gate.

Micah
Murfreesboro Tn

 

[modelengineer]

Thats a perfectly fine way to adapt a belt centrifugal clutch to a cart. It is impractical to just have a belt drive because you would need about a 12" pulley which could hit the ground.

The setup is called a 'jackshaft'.

 

[mbennett66]

Thanks I thought it was the jackshaft, but most of them I have seen in my search have a sprocket on both ends instead of a belt pully. The pulley is about 6 inches in diameter. I think its going to be fine for my son and not to fast at all. As he gets bigger we can change the pulley to a smaller one or change to a sprocket jackshaft on that end.

One thing I did notice on the sprocket end of the jackshaft, both the shaft and the small sprocket have a key slot. I assume the slots should be lined up and held in place by the key, since they are not, either the key is sheared or the there is no key. The guy I got it from did not know. When he got the jackshaft assembly back from the place that rebuilt it, it was already assembled on the sprocket end. He just had to add the pulley on the motor side. The sprocket also has two set screws. I may need to take a look at that.

 

[modelengineer]

I would put a key in the slot. However, it might be that one of the set screws is wound down into the keyway, which will work fine for the power you have.

 

[mbennett66]

Here are some pics of my $250 CL Go Kart

Not the greatest quality from my phone, but here they are. I think I got a pretty good deal. Any help in identifying the brand of the frame would be great. Still need to go seat shopping at Northern or TSC.

[/IMG]

 

[r_chez_08]

good price!

 

[BradenM]

Is it me, or are pedals on wrong? Swap em around, maybe more comfortable to use.