Used Kart 4 kids is to FAST

[boyscout]

Well we thought he was going to trade the cart to his lawn mower guy for a factory made kart/buggy, but it was to fast and the brake has gone to sh%*!.

Back to the speed discussion. With faulty brakes and my GPS I clocked 34.3mph. That was allowing at least 75yrds to slow down. With good brakes I could have gone faster if I was stupid enough.

BRAKES
Would a drum be the simplest and most economical? And will a drum or disk even work with the differential without skidding the kart sideways locking one tire?

MOTOR/SPEED
If I restrict the throttle length then I sure to burn the clutch. So, my options are to rebuild the governor or a motor swap?

 

[porsche930dude]

With an 8 year old riding it with such little weight and that much power i doubt the clutch will have any trouble with a restricted throttle. A goveroner wont really slow it down either itll just make it smoother to react and not max out. You can get a disk that bolts on with the sprocket and bumps it out for clearance. iv seen them used on those diffs. otherwize you need one on both sides

 

[Doc Sprocket]

@Porsche- An intact governor WILL slow it down, by restricting max RPM. Right now, we believe it is exceeding 3600.

@boyscout- What about the option of adding a jackshaft and lowering the gear ratio?

 

[boyscout]

I haven't considered a jackshaft because I thought they were used for increasing speed. Changing ther gear ratio was planed.

 

[Doc Sprocket]

Not at all. A jackshaft's usual use (aside from CVT setups) is to allow you to achieve compound gear reduction, allowing you to run a low ratio without having a retardedly large rear sprocket. My kids' kart, for example, has a final drive ratio of 12:1. Without a jackshaft, I'd need a 19", 120T rear sprocket. The rear tires are 15", so the sprocket would keep the tires 2" off the ground!

 

[GreyhoundOfYerfDogs]

Oh my, to think how much some people spend to have the problem of too much power. With the kidlets, it is understandable to want to limit the top speed.

Probably the simplest method is to leave the governor attached and limit the throttle travel. You could slacken the cable, or better yet, have a throttle pedal stop on a hinge in front of the pedal. Flip it to restricted when the kids are riding, and to open when grownups want to ride fast. (They will.)

Using the governor limits the top speed, but unlike a limited straight throttle, the governor won't leave them stuck in situations like turning around on a sloped driveway.

Changing to a taller ratio will reduce the top speed too (not by enough from the sound of it) and may be desirable if the kids mainly ride around slowly. It sounds like with that strong engine, though, it might plow right through a fence or something when geared for more torque, less speed. It might be "too much kart" for such youngsters, but they'll grow into it before long.

Changing to a smaller engine is the theoretical best way to address the issue. You could probably find someone who would gladly trade a 6 horse and some cash for yours.

 

[boyscout]

I put out a "feeler" on craigslist for a motor trade and have already had 1 bite.

How much do you think a gear change and larger tires would make. I have a couple old Snapper mowers setting over at my Dad's.

Any chance I could get a pic of some brake set ups. I can look at stock pics of brake parts all day but some mounting pics would be helpful.

 

[Doc Sprocket]

Well, it's all up to you. Regearing will make a world of difference. He//, with the right combo, you could top out at .0001 MPH and climb a vertical wall! But seriously, it's a matter of motivation, inclination, budget, etc. True, an engine swap would get you a functioning governor easily, and with a trade, maybe even make a few dollars. Of course, there's a chance it might still be too quick for the munchkins. Regearing will cost you some bucks and slow it down. Smaller (not larger) tires will slow it down too, but how small can you go? And as I said before, limiting the throttle is best done with the aid of a tachometer to avoid roasting clutches.

 

[boyscout]

Instead of me asking basic kart questions one after another do y'all have any recommended reading? I'm looking for links to sites and pages you found very helpful.

 

[Blazkowiez]

The best reading you have is on the forums itself on trial and error from people's projects. Just use the search functions with keywords and browse.

 

[boyscout]

guys are lining up to trade me motors. But, playing with the speed calculator I moticed it doesn't ask for HP. So, if I get a 5.5hp turning good RPMs then the cart will still scoot. It'll just take longer to get there.

toystory, where did you buy your other gear you modified? I'm thinking of useing my old sprocket as a brake rotor. And do you recommend any tach in particular?

 

[Doc Sprocket]

The sprocket was just a basic steel sprocket, designed to be welded to a standard hub. I purchased it at Princess Auto, which is a Canadian company, however, I believe Tractor Supply and others carry them. As for tachs, Google Tiny Tach. There are several ways to do it, that's probably the simplest. I use a handheld optical tach. I have to stick a small bit of reflective tape to the object being measured, and point the gun at it. The downside is that all tests must be done on the bench, as there's no way I'm going to be able to point it at my clutch driver at 45MPH!!!

 

[boyscout]

I wish I had my buddies luck. The guy he was going to trade, but got scarred off by the speed, gave him a call. He had a guy that would trade him the cart we looked at plus $400. Now lets recap that he only originally paid $150 for the kart. So, he was able to get a safer kart more suited for the kids and made $250.

Of coarse all the speakers and cd player are coming out. They don't need the distraction of music.

 

[redsox985]

It's a go kart. You don't need that $#!+, lol. It's just another thing to go wrong. Listen to those 6 horses scream and hit the trails.

 

[Blazkowiez]

Thats 100% Chinese stuff bro.