New member building a cart for kids

[Hayrod]

Hi, im new to the forum. I am in the process of re-building an old go cart for my kids. I don't know what brand it is, but its old and well built. I took the old 5hp briggs off because it didn't have any compression and I got a 6.5hp briggs from a log splitter and Im trying to figure out how to attach the throttle cable. The log splitter of course had manual throttle and I need to know where the return springs and throttle cable need to be. Any advice would be great!

Also, I live next to the river in south texas and my yard is nothing but river sand (like a volleyball court). Any suggestions on low end torque would be great because I will have to put bigger tires on the back for sure. Right now the sprocket is about an inch off of the ground and that sand is going to eat it right up.

Thanks in advance, Hayrod!

 

[landuse]

Welcome to the forum!! First of all, post some pics of the kart and the engine so that we know what you are talking about. Without knowing what engine you have, we cannot help you with the throttle connections.

With bigger tyres and sandy soils, your best bet might be a torque converter. Depending on the engine HP, it would either be a 30 or 40 series. I would probably gear it to around 8 or 10:1, just so that you have that torque you need. You might even have to utilise a jackshaft to eliminate a large rear sprocket

 

[JTSpeedDemon]

Yes, let's see what you have to work with. The Briggs 5 HP flatheads have a little throttle plate under the carb, let's see a pic of the original one.
We also need to know if you have a 6.5 HP OHV or a 6.5 HP flathead, as that will also make a big difference. I have a suspicion that the 6.5 HP had a fixed throttle...
If it's a 6.5 HP flathead with fixed throttle, or something like that, you may want to just revive the 5 HP. Head gaskets are really easy to replace. Unless it's the rings or bore causing the compression issue, it shouldn't be too hard to fix.
And if the log splitter engine is an OHV, the 5 HP will most likely have more torque right off the bat.

Sorry for rambling on, I'm done now.

 

[Hayrod]

Thanks for the replies! I've been busy, but I got a chance to take some pictures and I'm going to try to get them posted.

Thanks again, Hayrod

 

[Hayrod]

Pictures of engine

http://www.diygokarts.com/vb/attachment.php? http://www.diygokarts.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=114194&stc=1&d= http://www.diygokarts.com/vb/attachment.php? http://www.diygokarts.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=114191&stc=1&d=1576243929

I hope these pictures work, not very good with technology.

 

[JTSpeedDemon]

Try attaching the throttle cable at the circled point. Or somewhere so it pivots that arm.
EDIT - Don't know why the picture shrunk when I downloaded it. Oh well, you get the idea.

 

[J.S.@SMS]

For the throttle, take the front bolt, that used to hold the cover on, off, and put on a throttle clamp off a predator or similar (the threads are the same, so it'll bolt right on). then run the cable housing through the clamp, and the cable through the hole on the throttle control arm, into a barrel nut (or wire stop as some call them).
Pretty much these:
https://www.ombwarehouse.com/wire-stop-round.html
https://www.ombwarehouse.com/conduit-clip-for-honda-16516-891-000.html

I'm working on one of these that was on a free pressure washer. The pump works great, but my engine was seized, and the carb was junk. I did find out that clone rings fit this engine well enough to make decent compression.

 

[Hayrod]

The circled part is very stiff and has no return springs. If I added springs to it, wouldn't I need to link it to the carburetor somehow? That arm controls the RPM's, but there is nothing to open the butterfly valve on the carb. Sorry if I'm confusing, I'm tempted to tear the whole engine down just to see how everything works, once I know how it is operating inside, I'll be able to fix it correctly.

Thanks again guys!

---------- Post added at 09:49 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:43 AM ----------

Would it hurt anything if I loosened that nut on the throttle lever and put a spring on the end like you said? I looked at it a little closer and I think that might work. Just not sure if loosening that nut would effect anything else other than making the throttle easier to move.

Sorry about the confusion, I'm at work looking at the pictures.

Thanks, Hayrod