Picked up two karts trying to get some ideas

[MadMechanic01]

As stated I picked up two karts recently and just wanting to get some ideas about how to get them where I want them to be. The first is an old thunder kart with a 5 HP Briggs it needs carb cleaned and some TLC on the paint also needs chain and bearings. Picked it up for 150 it was going to be for my daughter for Christmas this year but my wife found this other one.

From what I gather it is the Manco Dominator and I won't tell you what I paid for it till later so guess lol. It has the 5 HP robins engine and was just rebuilt the guy repainted the kart and put new decals. It also has new back tires cranks halfway through the first pull just need a new sprocket. So this is the one I'm fixing for my daughter. My problem is that my property is very hilly and access to the back of it is pretty rough. What can I do to make these karts able to handle this terrain?


. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[anderkart]

Welcome to the forum

This link has some good info about posting pics: http://www.diygokarts.com/vb/showthread.php?t=737

 

[firemanjim]

If it doesn't have one yet, get a torque converter. Then, play with the gear ratio. If its got big back tires, you want something like 7:1-8:1..... BUT we need to see what you got before we could give any pertinent information....

 

[MadMechanic01]

I am actually offshore at the moment so I cant get good pics I'll try to upload what I have of the Dominator. at the moment they both have small tires and I was wanting to go up to at least 16" tires I would prefer to go with bigger atv tires but not sure that is possible with the engines I have. The Dominator is not going to be changed much since my daughter will be riding it but the thunderkart will probably be built into a monster. I have no pics of it at this time.

 

[landuse]

Welcome to the forum

 

[firemanjim]

Well, I'd say leave the front tires at that size... They look like 14" in height.... Then find some wide 15" tires that are the same diameter as your wheel. If you go a couple sizes wider than your wheel, you'll grow some height..... Not much, but enough to give it the right look......
You are gonna need a torque converter though......

 

[MadMechanic01]

ok I have been doing some searching for parts and I will add that to the list lol

 

[OzFab]

Those wheels/tyres are simply too small, it even looks wrong

I was wanting to go up to at least 16" tires I would prefer to go with bigger atv tires but not sure that is possible with the engines I have.

It could have a little chainsaw engine & 22" tyres on it & still move, it's all about the gearing...

How old is your daughter? If the kart doesn't need to be super fast, simply gear it down so it has more torque than speed, kill two birds with one stone...

 

[Poboy kartman]

I think you are in way over your head on this....It's way too hard to start with 2 karts at once.......

It would be much easier to just deal with one kart at a time. ....
So.....what I would do is find some needy soul....and dump one of those karts. ....

Maybe like some "Po" boy in White Settlement Texas? ??????

Welcome to the forum and please fill out your profile so we know where you are from! !!!

 

[MadMechanic01]

Oh yeah I'm not doing but one at a time lol and my daughter is 10 so she is not going fast that was my plan to gear it way down and put big enough tires that she can do more than just laps around the house


. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[OzFab]

Well, that works out fine then...

The current engine will be fine, just get yourself a torque converter with a small sprocket & the biggest axle sprocket you can find...

 

[MadMechanic01]

I may have more questions once I get off of this rig Friday and actually look at it as I have worked on the engines before for other people but never had one to build. **** I never had one as a kid either lol. But it can't be much different than my atvs and sxs's that I built to get my mud fix lol


. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[OzFab]

I may have more questions

That's why we're here

But it can't be much different than my atvs and sxs's that I built to get my mud fix lol

In my experience, industrial engines are probably the easiest to work on, because the design itself is so simple...

 

[Poboy kartman]

Where are you? ????

 

[MadMechanic01]

I'm in the Gulf of Mexico on Chevrons Genesis project


. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Poboy kartman]

That's cool...... do you get to do any fishing...... (do you care)....and where's home when you hit dry land? ?????

 

[MadMechanic01]

I do fish from time to time out here but I usually don't have time I live in Columbia MS


. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Young One With A Manco]

Hey,
I have a Manco American Challenger Fox. It's basically the same exact kart with different stickers...Has the exact same engine. If you need any help feel free to ask or pm me, i've been through a lot with gearing with it. Also, shoutout to Jim for helping me with the gearing all the way through. He's good with that stuff as well. Not saying others aren't, most are here, Jim's just who helped me.
If you have a jackshaft:
Stock gearing is 10 tooth clutch, to 35 tooth jackshaft sprocket, to 12 tooth on jackshaft, to 30 on axle. It'll do 18mph with that gearing. Now i swapped the 35 for a 29- i can run 23mph now. It comes stock with 15" tires front and rear.

 

[firemanjim]

Boy, talk about an ego boost....

Sammy actually brings up a good point. If you have a jackshaft on that thing with a cent clutch, just keep it like that a nd gear it down for a top speed of 12-15 mph..... Later one she gets used to driving, you can just swap out a $15 sprocket and upgrade her speed,according to her skills..... Then, next time you have that big family get together, you can easily slow it back down so all the kids could drive it,at a safe slow speed. Gear it for 10-15mph but limit the throttle so they only get maybe 8......

 

[MadMechanic01]

Yeah lol thanks for the info I got it going the other day and that thing is crazy with me on it 350 lbs it spins down in my driveway lol kinda caught me off guard but I have to get new sprockets and it does have the jack shaft. It keeps stretching the chain out in like two days of playing on it what would cause this?


. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk