[Kartbuilding] Wooden push kart

[Stephen Burke]

Hi Andrew,

You seem to be well on the way.

The design of the axles will be ok. There is a much simpler design using 
"spring caps" to secure wheels onto an axle ( 
http://www.alwayshobbies.com/Models/Wheeled-Toys/Axle-Rods-$1-Spring-Caps/Spring-Caps-(pack-of-4).ice 
), however these are not 100% secure.
Drilling a 2 or 4mm hole in the axle and then inserting a split pin (or 
even a small nail) and bend over to keep the pin in place, will make for a 
really strong joint.

As for the steering, make sure there is at least a reasonable turning 
circle. Too much of a turning circle can cause the kart to be unstable, so 
putting the "stop" blocks into place is good.

I would worry about the rear bumper, especially if people are going to 
push the kart there. You will have to bulk up here and add struts and 
supports to make sure.

Have you decided what wood/materials you are going to use? Plywood is very 
strong and easy to secure and won't split.

The best of luck with it. If you do take a few photos, send them on and I 
can put them up on the kartbuilding website to help inspire others.

-steve


On Mon, 15 Nov 2010, Andrew Robertson wrote:

> HI, Stephen.
>
> Thank you for replying...
>
> Im happy that the kart is a good one...
>
> I did think that the v shape would be cool to do, but I need to make it
> simple, and if I have to many angles, and id get confused... Well ill have
> to see when I start building.... I had gone to the local diy, but they dnt
> supply wheels, anyway I found a company that sells split wheels for flat bed
> trollys, and wheelbarrows... So we are sorted on that part...
>
> I had seen your design with the axels, and was concerned about how
> complicated it would be, building this kart, and I wanted to go the shortest
> root, but I dnt wanna half aars it,  so we will go with your design...
>
> The wing on the back is more for the two people who will be pushing the
> kart, I hope that it will hold, but we will build the first kart, and if we
> have to modify it, then its fine, cz the first one it more of a ³tester² to
> see if it works.
>
> I have sorted out the problem with the steering... I have added a block
> stopper on the main middle wooden plank, so that it stops the wheels from
> hitting the sides, it will however shorten the turning circle, but it will
> make it harder for the racers to steer, and make the race harder, and more
> challenging... Which we want... So that¹s sorted....
>
> Thank you for your input, and I will send you some pictures of the finished
> product...
>
> I really appreciated the feedback....
>
> Kind regards.
>
>
> On 2010/11/12 9:25 PM, "Stephen Burke" wrote:
>
>>    Hi Andrew,
>>
>>  You can easily use any of the kart designs on www.kartbuilding.net
>> <http://www.kartbuilding.net>
>>  Unfortunately I don't know of any single website where you could source all
>> the parts. However you should be able to get all the materials you need in a
>> local DIY Hardware store (B&Q in the UK for example). The wheels can be the
>> dearest part however. You may be able to get wheels from an old trolley or
>> bicycle etc.
>>
>>  It would be worth looking at ebay for suitable wheels. A quick search led me
>> to:
>> http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=pneumatic+wheels&_frs=1&_trksid=p3286.c0.m359
>>
>>  In relation to your design.
>>  I was wondering alright why you wanted sides and a bonnet! I can see your
>> point in the teams wanting to be able to paint it and put their designs on it.
>>  The design you have planned is fairly good. You will however have to be very
>> careful with the front steering.
>>  You may need to widen your Front Axle. When the Front Axle turns/pivots it
>> will need room to do so, otherwise the front wheels will hit off the sides
>> when it turns. Perhaps you could make the chassis a "V" shape when looking
>> from the top.  See the attached image.
>>  With the back part of the kart it looks nice with the rear "spoiler"/bumper,
>> however I don't know how strong it will be. It might break off quickly. If you
>> have the axles done good, it won't matter if a side or rear piece comes off.
>>
>>  As for attaching the wheels on the axle, make sure you look at the following
>> page:
>>
>> http://kartbuilding.net/Lawnmower_Powered_Wooden_Go-Kart_Plans/front-axle-asse
>> mbly.html
>>  If you use a metal bar for the axle. Then you can drill holes in the metal
>> bar either side of the wheel. You can insert a "split pin". This is 100%
>> strong and an excellent method of securing wheels onto an axle.
>>
>>  I hope it goes well. If you have any other questions just ask.
>>  Best of luck,
>>  -steve
>>
>>
>>
>>  On 11/11/2010 07:29, Andrew Robertson wrote:
>>>  Wooden push kart Hi, im not sure if you can help me.
>>>
>>>  We need to build a wooden push kart for a client, for a team building day,
>>> in the end we need to supply the client with about 8 karts, which they would
>>> need to build from the precut parts that we would have supplied.
>>>
>>>  Now I was wondering if you have any designs that we could use? And maybe if
>>> you know of any website where we could order wheels, axels and any other
>>> supplies that we would need???
>>>
>>>  We have come up with a design on the based on one I have found on your site,
>>> and one I found on the web. I was wondering if you could take a look at it,
>>> and give me some advice, and comments on it? Keeping in mind the kart has to
>>> have sides and a ³bonnet² so the team can paint there designs on it, they
>>> would be steering the kart with there feet as per your design.
>>>
>>>  I am just real worried how we would attach the wheels or axels on the kart
>>> (the easiest way) with out things going wrong while the teams are racing.
>>>
>>>  I have attached the jpegs on this email...
>>>
>>>  Kind regards Andrew.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>
>
>
>