Yerf Dog 3020

[ddpotter]

Hi all! New guy, OLD problem! Yerfdog 3020 steering! My 12 year old son got a GREAT deal at a garage sale that has turned in to HOURS of fun cleaning and fixing this thing up! When he first brought it home it would "jerk" to start and go about 20mph... After some internet searching, found out how to clean the torque converter/clutch assembly and replaced the 3/4" drive belt which had worn due to the "sticky" clutch to about 1/2"!!! After this fix, my son came back from his test drive with a HUGE smile on his face and I was his new hero! It has smoooooth power now and can climb hills and top out at 30-35mph! I had noticed the front wheels can be steered into the frame and coached my son on avoiding doing this to increase the life of the tires as well as safety! I did not realize until further searching for info that the Yerf dog 3020 had been recalled for this problem and upon discovering this I went to the garage and found I COULD crank the wheels almost sideways like the articles and pictures mentioned! I was shocked! After coaching him on oversteering I felt he was safe enough as he is a SMART kid and is safety conscious! But after reading the articles about the potential of the wheel getting "bumped" while steering due to a rock, rut or what have you, I decided I better find the fix and apply it as no matter how safe he was, the POTENTIAL for something happening at a high enough speed scares me! The tie rods and arms are NOT bent like some I've seen in pics so this cart has probably not had this happen in action, but of course I'd like to KEEP it that way!!! So my first reason for joining this site is to find out about the "extension" fix that was designed for this recall, find out if any kits are STILL available, and if not how I might manufacture a kit to keep this a fun and SAFE kart! Any help would be appreciated! I heard a name "blaze" that had info on this and has modified his own as well as helping others do so. I would really like to find all the info I need to modify this safety hazard and keep my boy safe! Thanks, Good Day, and I look forward to seeing and hearing more about the "mods" and fun the rest of the group is up to!

 

[B man]

Give me a sec. I have blazes exact words on this problem in my own post.

Ill dig it up and be right back!

 

[B man]

The problem was the size of the steering arms on the spindles and the position, you notice how its the same length as the main arm on the column? They need to be double the size and sitting near the wheels, the kit was an extension to accomplish this.

And put another way by blaze.


You need to nearly double the spindle length on the kart in order to achieve proper steering geometry, you'll need to cut and re-weld new arms on both spindles, flip the steering so it connects over the top, and purchase new tie rods to achieve proper toe-in.

 

[OzFab]

Just thinking out loud but, wouldn't shortening the pitman arm have the same effect?

 

[landuse]

Here is what I said in your other thread. Try not to ask the same question (copy/paste) in 2 threads

to the forum. Blaze is actually a member called blakowiez. He is not a regular member at the moment due to some work commitments that he had going on now.

There are a few guys that have sorted out their steering on their karts. Here are the threads.

http://www.diygokarts.com/vb/showthread.php?t=9837
http://www.diygokarts.com/vb/showthread.php?t=18272
http://www.diygokarts.com/vb/showthread.php?t=12154

I am sure there were more threads regarding this issue, but I cant seem to find them now. Some other members will help you out there

You can also send a PM to Bman at

http://www.diygokarts.com/vb/private.php?do=newpm&u=8030

or Qtband at

http://www.diygokarts.com/vb/private.php?do=newpm&u=8739

The fixed theirs if I remember correctly