Y'all be safe out there...latest crash left me with serious burns

[BigWes]

The title says it all. Was riding the streaker kart this past Saturday evening after doing some work on the thing and flipped it. Long story short I evaded most of the road rash but got twisted up in the exhaust system somehow. It burned through my shirt and I received 2nd and 3rd degree burns on my arm and hand.

So if anyone has the proper layout or roll cage design for my streaker cart please post it in the comments. I will put a picture of the thing below.

I intend on putting a bigger, more torque oriented engine on this kart so I haven't done any restoration work to it yet. Key start with electrical system is my goal.

I have seen various comments on what my cart my be but I think it might be a Ken-Bar Sand Dog.

Before I ride it again I will definitely do something with the current exhaust.

As far as the current setup goes it will make 48 mph on lvl asphalt with my hand in the throttle linkage. I know a few would say a 196cc clone won't pull it that fast..but my GPS will disagree.

 

[itsid]

Oh sounds mean.. I wish you a quick recovery!

regarding speed:
quite the opposite actually..
that kart if properly geared should easily crack the 50mph
(54 maybe 55mph) with a lightly modded gx200 free to rev to 5500 rpm
(hitting 50 with 5000 rpm)
(ratio 7.2:1 and 22" rears)

getting fast enough to actually hit the air density barrier for the kart

KartInfo by kartcalc.net:

[FONT="Verdana"]
[B][U]KART[/U][/B]
[INDENT][I]RW diameter[/I]: [B] 55.88 cm | 22 in[/B]
[I]Total weight[/I]: [B] 160 kg | 352.74 lbs[/B]
[/INDENT]
[B][U]ENGINE[/U][/B]
[INDENT][I]Original HP[/I]: [B] 6.5[/B]
[I]Asummed HP[/I]: [B] ~7.25[/B]
[I]Torque[/I]: [B] 12.86 Nm | 9.48 ft lbf[/B]
[I]RPM[/I]: [B] 5500[/B]
[/INDENT]
[B][U]TRANSMISSION[/U][/B]
[INDENT][I]Final ratio[/I]: [B] 7.2:1[/B]
[I]TC type[/I]: [B]  series 30 6" driven[/B]
[I]Lowest ratio[/I]: [B] 19.44:1[/B]
[I]Highest ratio[/I]: [B] 6.48:1[/B]
[/INDENT]
[B][U]PERFORMANCE[/U][/B]
[INDENT][I]Max Wheel Torque[/I]: [B] 250 Nm | 184.39 ft lbf[/B]
[I]Min Wheel Torque[/I]: [B] 83.33 Nm | 61.46 ft lbf[/B]
[I]Acceleration[/I]: [B] 3.18 m/s² | 10.43 ft/s²[/B]
[I]Top Speed[/I]: [B] 89.4 km/h | 55.55 mph[/B]
[/INDENT]
[B][U]PROBLEMS[/U][/B]
[INDENT][B]Max-speed cannot be reached![/B]
[I]Max Speed[/I]: [B] 89.14 km/h achievable | 55.39 mph[/B]
[B]Gear ratio too high![/B]
[I]Suggested final ratio[/I]: [B] at least 7.22:1[/B]
[/INDENT]
[/FONT]

bypassing the governor (finger in linkage) is a bad idea ...
imagine that thing spits metal your way while doing som,
because the governor fails (it will at such rpm)
or think you don't pa attention to the road enough and crash with your hand on the engine..
you could get cought by some edge and ...
Oh wait.. right... yeah you know that one already

remove the governor, and don't worry about max speed too much I'd say
the engine can get pretty close to the 60mph line,
in order to crack it you would need upwards of 12horses though
(air density is a mean one to defeat)

and the lack of torque is likely just a slightly misgeared setup
gear lower and it'll have more torque and appearantly more speed as well

But first: take care of your arm allow it to heal properly!

'sid

 

[anickode]

Sucks you got hurt, but you got off relatively unscathed. Scrapes and burns are superficial, and there's a lot worse that can happen.

As far as your exhaust goes, some header wrap would go a long way toward keeping the surface temp down. There are also some fancy schmancy (quite expensive) ceramic coatings that do the same or better, and look like paint.

Those knobby balloon tires aren't doing you any favors at high speed on pavement either. If you mainly drive on pavement and flat surfaces, something less luggy, and a flatter tread profile would do you well, for both front and rear. A turf tire is a pretty decent compromise if you do a lot of pavement with some grass and gravel thrown in.

 

[itsid]

3rd degree burns are all but superficial..
5% of TBSA in a third degree burn and you cannot get treated in a hospital any longer but need to see a burn center to get treatment.

one arm makes out for ~9% of TBSA (finger tips to shoulder)...
sooo it can be on the edge of being a major injury if more than half of the arm is affected..

And losing all your skin to a burn and be left with exposed raw fat and muscle tissue (that's what a 3rd degree burn means)
doesn't heal as quickly or easily as a broken bone would and leaves very tough scars.

second degree burns (blisters) are superficial true; but third .. I disagree

'sid

 

[anickode]

Not trying to discredit the severity of the injuries, but when I think exhaust burn, I think a line across or down the arm... Not 3rd degree burns from shoulder to fingertips. I have received a couple small 3rd degree burns and I know they are immensely painful and slow to heal.

Also why I don't (and nobody ever should) wear synthetic clothing doing hot work. 3rd degree burns are bad enough... 3rd degree burns with polyester or nylon melted into them and fused to the tissue... I hate to even think. Had a guy in a welding shop once, wearing some sort of moisture wicking "cooling" athletic socks. Some hots made it through a small hole in the knee of his jeans (also a no-no) and ignited his sock. From mid-calf down to the top of his boot was a mix of charred skin and melted plastic, with denim fused to it where he initially tried to pat it out.

I see videos all the time of people welding, cutting, and grinding in synthetic clothing and it just makes me cringe, because I've seen what can happen.

I was talking more about TBIs and spinal injuries than bones.

 

[itsid]

I'm not saying he has been burned from shoulder to fingertips.
I say shoulder to fingertips (one arm) makes out for 9% of your TBSA [total body surface area]

And 5% of TBSA affected by 3rd degreen burns are enough to not be treatable in an ordinary hospital any longer but require a burn center.

And since he said

I received 2nd and 3rd degree burns on my arm and hand

that can mean either.. 2nd degree blisters with the occasional 3rd degree spot;
or the worse way around. right up to the edge of burn center treatment required

And yeah when I think exhaust burn it's alot of first degree and some patches of second degree burns as well; but just because I never was unlucky enough doesn't mean BigWes
is exaggerating

Anyways: Jeans (Denim) is Cotton,
nothing to worry too much about if it's indeed Denim and not some 80/20 mix for extra stretch
[big butts or tight calfs]
But I totally know what you're talking about.

Shop safety is a non existent thing especially on yt...

'sid

 

[JTSpeedDemon]

Ouch.
That's my thought.
I remember when I was little and my brother, my mom, and I went to Vietnam, my mom got a big exhaust burn on her calf from the moped.
The mark stayed for about a year or so if I remember correctly.
Just picture me bringing you a get well soon card and flowers.
Ouch.

 

[BigWes]

All right, I'll let the pros here argue over what kind of burn this is. I labeled it as a second degree burn. This is the initial landing point on my arm.

I'll read some replies and post more pics and info later.

 

[itsid]

yeah that hurts...
Yes, I'd call that a 2nd degree (since it likely DOES hurt... that's the bad news)
not too big either so close to no risk of self inflicted blood poisoning (the good news)

3rd degrees don't hurt (all nerve ends have been burned away)

Still a nasty thing to deal with, keep it clean and dry and
if you feel it getting any worse seek medical attention to avoid and/or treat any starting infection as quickly as possible.

But yeah if that's the worst part.. you were indeed lucky, it could've ended much worse.

'sid

PS if you don't mind: in case you have any third degree burn, hide it behind an external link and provide a "Warning" info so that one (me) can avoid the gore if one (me) doesn't feel like it

 

[Kartorbust]

That looks painful. I agree, header wrap will go a long way. Also maybe get some 22 or 24 gauge sheet metal, take a cut off wheel and cut it up into a 6" long 2" wide piece, bend it in a bench vise and fasten it in place above the exhaust pipe a bit (less than 1" from the pipe) and it'll act as a heat shield. Steel works, aluminum may work better because it dissipates must faster than steel.

Life happens. You lived. Learn from your mistakes and get back on that horse.

 

[Tpdingo]

That looks painful. I agree, header wrap will go a long way. Also maybe get some 22 or 24 gauge sheet metal, take a cut off wheel and cut it up into a 6" long 2" wide piece, bend it in a bench vise and fasten it in place above the exhaust pipe a bit (less than 1" from the pipe) and it'll act as a heat shield. Steel works, aluminum may work better because it dissipates must faster than steel.

Life happens. You lived. Learn from your mistakes and get back on that horse.

Fix the horse to make it safer...then get back on the same horse.
My little sister got second and third degree burns...do not want to go through that again! Wish you the best of luck.

 

[BigWes]

The 'horse' was rode home and put away wet. I wasn't going to leave it and I sure as heck wasn't going to walk home either. Only minor damage to the kart. Bent steering shaft- I already bent back straight as I could. And a cracked spindle arm. I'm gonna try and weld it. If I can great if not I'll get with the forum gurus and get advice on a suitable replacement setup.

I'll let that picture say the thousand words and let that be that. The burns on the inside of my elbow and the back of my hand are deep enough that they are still bleeding a week later. The one on my hand was the one that my medical friend said she thought was a third degree burn because of the black charred spots. The black areas actually don't hurt, the area around the perimeter does though...and it does the more it heals.

Y'all don't forget...if anyone has good design for a cage for this sand dog please share it with me

 

[Kartorbust]

I would maybe take the design from the Manco Dingo 285 for the roll cage and modify to fit.

 

[Karttekk]

Some interesting reading regarding kart crashes and accidents. Older articles but relevant.

https://www.cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/pdfs/go-kart.pdf

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2847818/

 

[J.S.@SMS]

I’ll see about getting you a pic of my kart. Almost the same kart, but with a roll cage. Only differences are what I think is a custom front bumper, a predator 212, and, please don’t laugh, it’s purple. Not my choice, but I don’t feel like stripping it down and buying 10 cans of spray paint.

 

[BigWes]

No worries on the paint...I completely understand...you see what mine looks like. I got it that way first off, I really hate painting secondly, and you know the rest.

I think I made a purchase that will help towards making things a little less prone to roll over. I just hope I didn't over spend. I paid 175.00 for what's in the pic. Y'all let me know if I blew it. All the wheels are aluminum 3 hole racing wheels. I know the tires are probably no good. But I'm not putting them back on the track either.

 

[Dingocat]

On the topic of rolling things I just rolled my one kart acouple weeks ago, glad I was wearing a helmet. Went around a cul de sac too fast and it rolled, luckily into the grass in the middle, I was left on the ground and it flipped back over, acouple bruises and some grass stains, I was lucky. Broke a weld for the side bar on the kart, ripped the top of my seat and dented the gas tank. Rode it for an hour after that, did just fine and had fun

 

[BigWes]

On the topic of rolling things I just rolled my one kart acouple weeks ago, glad I was wearing a helmet. Went around a cul de sac too fast and it rolled, luckily into the grass in the middle, I was left on the ground and it flipped back over, acouple bruises and some grass stains, I was lucky. Broke a weld for the side bar on the kart, ripped the top of my seat and dented the gas tank. Rode it for an hour after that, did just fine and had fun

Glad you made it and continued to keep rolling! That's what I would've done if I hadn't been burned so bad! If I'd only gotten minor scuffs and burns I'd kept rolling myself!

 

[itsid]

Uhhh those wheels on that kart will make it stick like glue and rip like the Hulks shirt..


too bad you'll have to regear in order to not cut the road open with your sprocket

'sid

 

[anickode]

Uhhh those wheels on that kart will make it stick like glue and rip like the Hulks shirt..


to bad you'll have to regear in order to not cut the road open with your sprocket

'sid

That'll be fun with that diff axle