The lightest cheapest reverse trike? 40lbs $350.00

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dowies

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I'm a new guy here on DIY, but I've been around for months now. I thought I'd sign up and share my project. My goal was to design, engineer, and fabricate the lightest and cheapest reverse trike. My goal was to be under 100lbs total and under a $400.00 budget. So far my total rig with a Harbor Freight 6.5HP motor is 80.2 lbs. Right now I'm at a total cost of $350.00. I still have work to do, but Three Dog is well on it's way. Check out my pictures and let me know what you think. I owe it to DIY Go Karts for the inspiration.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpR0jNbqH94
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DwYk1sq_XA














 
dowies

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t0x1k said:
I'm going to assume you drive it by moving the handle bars like a joystick?
Click to expand...
It steers similar to the green machine. The levers move in tandem. Right back, left forward = Right turn. Left back, Right forward = Left turn. Unconventional steering, but engineered to work perfect. I even incorporated steering dampers with die springs and friction plates.
 
t0x1k

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What made you go with that setup? It looks like it would be difficult to steer at high speeds.
 
dowies

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t0x1k said:
What made you go with that setup? It looks like it would be difficult to steer at high speeds.
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It actually allows you to lean more into the curves right? Actually, I just wanted to do something different. A standard steering wheel would have been too easy. I wanted to challenge myself a little with the unconvensional five bar steering linkage.
 
SpyGuy

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The Green Machine ... man, haven't been on one of those things in over thirty years .....

Dude's REALLY put some thought into this .... I like it. Good design, well-made, and awesome sketching, very professional. Make sure you keep all notes and build photos in a folder so you can look back over your progress from start to finish. If you go to show the trike, then you'll have all your documentation of the build for others to see, too.

I see you have dual levers on the handles. I'm assuming one is throttle, one is brake? Rear wheel brake only?

One minor suggestion? The seat may be kinda umcomfortable for riding, as you'll tend to lean back, and seeing as how the engine is RIGHT THERE ..... I would suggest using an old office chair with the full backrest.

Man, I may hafta try this myself ...
 
dowies

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SpyGuy said:
The Green Machine ... man, haven't been on one of those things in over thirty years .....

Dude's REALLY put some thought into this .... I like it. Good design, well-made, and awesome sketching, very professional. Make sure you keep all notes and build photos in a folder so you can look back over your progress from start to finish. If you go to show the trike, then you'll have all your documentation of the build for others to see, too.

I see you have dual levers on the handles. I'm assuming one is throttle, one is brake? Rear wheel brake only?

One minor suggestion? The seat may be kinda umcomfortable for riding, as you'll tend to lean back, and seeing as how the engine is RIGHT THERE ..... I would suggest using an old office chair with the full backrest.

Man, I may hafta try this myself ...
Click to expand...

Thanks for the positive feedback. I used an old motorcycle seat that was laying around the shop. I did a few gravity test rolls down a steep street with this rig, prior to the motor. The seat actually works well for leaning into the turns. I'd love to find an old WWII aluminum bomber seat or something.

This is my first full go kart build and I decided to engineer it in SolidWorks. My plan was to keep the center of gravity perfectly centered between the three wheels. I also tried to get the CG as low as possible.

I've fully documented the engineering, bill of material, and total cost of this build. I'll be willing to share once the build is complete.
 
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Sweet deal on the motor. That setup is sick I love home made and when its something no one has done before.
 
dowies

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Smurph said:
Why didn't you use ackermann steering on your spindles? They should follow the two equal sides of the CG triangle.
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Good point. I did do some research on the ackermann angle. I should correct myself. The only thing I purchased was the Northern Tool spindles and wheels, along with a Harbor Freight motor. I bolted the spindle brackets to the frame about radial slots that allow me to adjust the caster from 12 degrees to 25 degrees. If I make custom spindles down the road I can bolt them to my frame. If and when I do, I will apply the ackermann angle.
 
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dowies said:
Thanks for the positive feedback. I used an old motorcycle seat that was laying around the shop. I did a few gravity test rolls down a steep street with this rig, prior to the motor. The seat actually works well for leaning into the turns. I'd love to find an old WWII aluminum bomber seat or something.

This is my first full go kart build and I decided to engineer it in SolidWorks. My plan was to keep the center of gravity perfectly centered between the three wheels. I also tried to get the CG as low as possible.

I've fully documented the engineering, bill of material, and total cost of this build. I'll be willing to share once the build is complete.
Click to expand...

You're already showing good fabrication skills on the rest of the build ... why not build one of those WW-Deuce seats yourself? I'm pretty sure you can find plans for them online, and plenty of pictures on the hot rod sites - bomber seats are pretty common for rat rods and stripped-down roadsters. Also check the local junkyards, maybe military scrap sites ... ebay probably has one floating around somewhere.

Keeping the CG low is a good thing. Centering it perfectly between the wheels ... possible, but kinda hard to do. From the research I've done on reverse trikes, about 70% of the weight needs to be over the front end for good handling. Not knocking the work you've done on it, though .... this is gonna be cool when you're finished. Keep us posted on progress, and keep your camera handy during the build.
 
dowies

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SpyGuy said:
You're already showing good fabrication skills on the rest of the build ... why not build one of those WW-Deuce seats yourself? I'm pretty sure you can find plans for them online, and plenty of pictures on the hot rod sites - bomber seats are pretty common for rat rods and stripped-down roadsters. Also check the local junkyards, maybe military scrap sites ... ebay probably has one floating around somewhere.

Keeping the CG low is a good thing. Centering it perfectly between the wheels ... possible, but kinda hard to do. From the research I've done on reverse trikes, about 70% of the weight needs to be over the front end for good handling. Not knocking the work you've done on it, though .... this is gonna be cool when you're finished. Keep us posted on progress, and keep your camera handy during the build.
Click to expand...
Great info again. Actually, the seat of this rig is centered about the three wheels. But, the riders legs are forward of the front wheels. So, the Actual CG might not be perfectly centered between the three wheels. It might be just forward like the 70% - 80% that you're talking about. I got the throttle all figured out today. I'm hoping to take a test ride tomorrow. No brakes yet, but I'll get that dialed in very soon. One great thing about this design is that I can move the rider position forward if need be to tweak the CG forward if necessary.
 
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