new timer.

[whait86]

the title may be misleading..

but im a new timer to karting and im going to build my son a mini mini buggy to replace his power wheel that, frankly is to weak for him and all the neighbor kids to ride on. they love the thing but its time to upgrade. ive looked to the ends of the internet and back for parts and guides and all the other intracasies of karting. basically i want to build a mini mini buggy with two seats that can cruz around a bumpy field. im pretty proficent in welding and auto engineering but not in grammer (lol sorry) so i plan on fabing my own frame and such but what i have questions on is the streering linkage. should i go with a tie rod set up or a rack and pinnion set up, my concern is the front susspension will be to rough on a tie rod set up, am i unfounded in this assumption? the rear will probably be a hinge type where the back axle and engine hinge on the main frame with a couple of mechanical coil overs for the susspension. ive seen wheel hubs (on cars they bolt the wheel on ) do they work they same on karts? will the key notch turn the hub wich will turn the wheel? or is it more simple then that? im also thinking about the brake, i think a hydrolic would be easier to actuate or a mechanicle? and has anybody done anything with servos to create a remote brake or maybe an engine cut off if the driving gets to crazy? im sorry to be dumping this all at once but none of my friends have any sort of knowledge regarding karting. and yep i have used the search function, but the answers im getting are kind of grey and not really what im looking for. any help or guidence would be awesome

-alex

 

[whait86]

Also, would a 49 cc be able to push about 70 pounds worth of kids, or should i just go a touch bigger and put a speed limiter on it?

 

[Doc Sprocket]

Welcome to the forum! I invite you to have a good, long cruise through this forum, there is a vast wealth of information available that will help you figure things out. No problem asking questions (that's why we're here) but we have lots of existing info and pics to help, too.

Offhand, you'll need a bigger engine. Look into the very common 6.5hp clone engines, amongst others.

As for the steering, R&P systems ARE superior, but don't react as quickly, cost more, and may require more engineering to integrate into your project. Your call.

You've got the hub thing right.

Hydraulic disc brakes are the best of the best, no question. As far as "servos", no- I don't suggest anything of the sort for safety reasons. K.I.S.S., and there's less that can go horribly wrong.

Cheers!

EDIT- Thoughts on speed. Don't let engine size fool you. You use GEAR RATIOS to limit speed. You can power a kids' kart with 4, 8, even 20hp and still hit the same kiddy-friendly top speed at maximum RPM.

 

[whait86]

thanks so much, man this site is awsome, absorbing so much information..

 

[Jake.B]

You may not need front suspension depending on the location of the seat. If your building the frame, then a swingarm that attaches to the rear on a hinge with some shocks may be suficcient. If the seating is in the middle it should be fine especially because of the low speed. Just my 2 cents, full suspension is nice but somtimes a little complicated and not needed depending on the setup.

 

[whait86]

i thought i might do the full suspension due to the fact that my son loves driving off theses little berms in the field, just using the tires to absorb the impact might be hard on the frame/kid ( its about a 18-22in drop) his power wheel can do it, but when i did it i thought i broke my butt.