Newbee trying to make cart

[DutchSteel]

I guess you understand that I know nothing about mechanics, but really want to make a kart. I want to build a basic kart, no suspension, just engine, brake, throttle (and steering of course!)
So lets say I will use the Tecumseh (I believe it's actually an 11HP) snow blower engine, how fast could it potentially go? And what parts would I need to purchase?
I have the wheels and tires (for the drive-shaft) from that same snow blower that the engine came from. What type of wheels and tires should I use for the front?

I know, so many questions!! I can manufacture the frame, but that is about all I can do right now.

PLEASE HELP!

 

[gokartcrazy]

Should make it a live axle as in both tires spin disk brakes are best. if your gonna make your own frame most people here would use jack shaft with a torque converter from comet. if its gonna be a what ever kart then streight drive would be fine meaning from clutch right to sprocket im a noob as well so i am telling you thing that they had told me. im sure other will help out as well good luck and post pics as your kart comes together

 

[Ibnzmonkey]

11hp snow blower Tecumseh Engine! NICE! im using the same one. HMSK110? Its from the Snow king Line? That engine has a irresponsible amount of torque. Mine goes about 55 mph. If you need direction check out my thread.

 

[killawatt]

as far as wheels go i like to go off road and on road so i chose somthing in the middle i did 16x8-7 in the front in the back
20x7-8 mainly because they are cheap tires to buy on ebay bought all 4 for 60 bucks but definantly go with a torque converter like a tav2 will do might be to small for that engine though just do some research but with a nice exsaust and decent intake you could make probebly 60 65 70 really depends on much the intke and the exsaust affect it

good luck though guy oh and do go live axle its good for fish tailing and sliding around turns gotta love it

 

[DutchSteel]

Thanks for the advise! I took the Tecumseh engine off of my old snow blower this morning. It is actually a 10HP (HMSK100). This snowblower also has great wheels and tires, but I cannot get the wheels off the axle, it seems they are welded on. Any suggestions how to take them off? What should I use for the front tires? More questions:
1. Does this engine need a torque converter?
2. Can I just use a centrifugal clutch?
3. What is a jack shaft?
4. If I choose to add an exhaust, where do I install it on the engine?
How do you mount the sprocket to the axle?

Thanks for your help

 

[gokartcrazy]

if your gonna be on a hilly site yes torque conv. will be best. norm clutch wont allow you to climb hills. jack shaft is a shaft between the engine and sprocket basicly chain or belt from clutch to jack shaft and chain from jack shaft to drive sprocket or wheel sprocket wich you have to use a jack shaft for the torque conv. as far as mounting the sprocket depends if its a live axle then you would get a sprocket hub wich mounts to the axle. if you use a one legger "one wheel drive" then it would connect to the hub that connects to the rim some one correct me or add somthing if im wrong or short ill post a pic of my jack shaft to give you some idea

 

[killawatt]

definantly get a torque converter and a big one at that for that 10hp motor but i dont believe in jackshafts they rob power in ,my opinion i have a comet 30 series torq-a-veter and i just ran the chain from the torque converter to the sprocket on the axle much easier and much more powerful as far as putting a sprocket onto the axle i have no anser every axle i buy already had the hook ups for a sprocket but thats half the fun conqering the obstacles

 

[Buick455]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I dont think the TAV is rated for 10hp motors. I think there for 3 - 8hp motors. On a 10hp I'm pretty sure you going to want a Comet 40/44 driver and driven (driven goes on the jackshaft, driver on the crank) Link to Mfg Supply there a bit pricey though.. and Crazys pic is of a belt drive centrifugal clutch, I dont think that they make them in 10hp ratings either, but I could be wrong... If your going to be off-roading the Torque Converter will be your best bet in my opinion..

 

[modelengineer]

Torq-a-verters have a jackshaft built in, but it is very short. A normal, full length jackshaft for a larger CVT transmission shouldn't rob any more power than the unit on the torq-a-verter

 

[Buick455]

Those TAV units have just a single bearing between the driven pulley and sprocket, right? I'm not an engineer by any means, but I would think the torque pulling on that single bearing would rob more power then an aligned jackshaft with 2 bearings. Then again the added friction of a second bearing + the weight of the spinning jackshaft might be just as bad, maybe worse... who knows, if one steals a little power more then the other I don’t think its an amount of power worth losing sleep over...

 

[modelengineer]

Well said

 

[jr dragster T]

The TAV setup is very sturdy espeiclly if you get the one with the cast aluminum back plate. There is 2 high speed sealed bearings supporting the shaft. I'll be sure to let you know how it holds up to my 14-15 HP race clone.

 

[killawatt]

i wasnt saying he should buy a 30 series i know there to small for that motor im just saying thats what i have for my honda clone. but i didnt know they had short jackshafts in them and i do agree about the power not being enough to really make a diffrence i just try to avoid jackshafts i just dont like the whole set up

 

[DutchSteel]

Are clutches something that can be purchased used? Is it recommended to buy used, or are they mostly garbage?

 

[killawatt]

i wouldnt buy a used clutch i mean im not an expert on them but id reccomend against it i think a used torque converters fine the one i have is used i had to change the belt but i really dont k now if theres a big diffrence between a clutch and the torque converter

 

[Buick455]

Are clutches something that can be purchased used? Is it recommended to buy used, or are they mostly garbage?

Well that’s sort of a hard question that depends how the term used is defined... With the torque converters I would want to see both the driver and the driven in action considering the price of new ones and the cost of rebuild parts (they sell rebuild parts, but I myself have never rebuilt one). So to test it you would need a belt on it to actuate the driven pulley and the driver pulley on a working motor. Rust would need to be at a minimum since it kills the slide action (maybe on the outsides not in the belt line/track). Centrifugal clutches are cheep I wouldn’t buy a used one of them unless A. I really needed it. B. The price was right. I don’t see a problem with a torque converter that has been kept indoors or covered well, and was cleaned every now and again. I have a driven pulley that was buried in a buddies yard for 3 years and it’s locked up tighter then a dolphin’s butt hole... That being said it all depends on how it was abused and cared for...

If it doesn't look to rusty (you can tell if it’s been cleaned, when they rust they pit). If the price can't be beat, and it’s a complete set (Driven and Driver) I would probably jump on it.

I'm going to upload an animation to show you how a comet belt drive should work. Its a crap animation, but it gets the point across. If the animation works, yippy, if not, I tried

Good luck!!

 

[hedjhawg]

What issues will a person have when using a snowblower engine - built to run in COLD weather - to a kart (more or a WARM weather appication)? Is it jusy as simple as finding the right (colder) heat range spark plug?

 

[Buick455]

Depends on the snow blower motor I guess. I live well south of snow but most of the snow blowers I’ve seen have standard Tec or B/S 5-10hp motors on them. I don't think there setup for cold only weather in the sense that a snowmobile would be setup, but you better wait till one of the northerners can give you a definite yes or no...