[Kartbuilding] Go Kart

Stephen Burke stephen at sburke.eu
Tue Sep 25 00:12:03 IST 2012


Hi Aaron,

I am very sorry to hear you didn't get the steering to work successfully.
The detailed plans I created for this kart on kartbuilding.net were not
originally created by me.
See:
http://kartbuilding.net/Wooden-Push-Cart/Original_wooden_push_cart/Wooden-Push-Cart-Original-Plans.jpg
I must also admit, that I never personally built this wooden kart.

Do you know how much your son would weigh? Perhaps it is the weight
distribution that is the problem.
Looking at the above image, it appears that the child is sitting ontop
of the rear axle. This takes a lot of weight off the front end, and
would allow the steering to work better.
I agree that the steering setup is lightweight on this kart.

I will add a note to the plans to reflect your thoughts on the steering
and advise readers to be aware of the steering and possible weight limits.
If you have any more thoughts, feel free to email me as I would be
interested in hearing them.
For example, looking back over your emails you experimented with PVC
pipe for the steering arm. I think this is because you didn't have a
"vise" to bend the steel bar with. Perhaps I should also inform readers
that a "vise" is required to bend the steel bar.

Thanks for your honest feedback.
Stephen

On 21/09/2012 04:48, Aaron Singh wrote:
> You are responding 5 months after I asked the question.  I tried everything to get the steering to work. Nothing worked. I reduced the thickness of the steering arms because your design causes an interference fit. The steering arms are wooden; oil soaks thru them with time. I tried other things to make the steering arm have less interferance with the cart but nothing worked. The steering mechanism is clearly a bad design. Instead of enjoying the project with my son, it left us completely frustrated. I suggest you modify the design to make it fun for people, not frustrating.
>
> Thanks,
> Aaron
>
> --- On Wed, 9/19/12, Stephen Burke  wrote:
>
>> From: Stephen Burke
>> Subject: Re: Go Kart
>> To: "Aaron Singh"
>> Date: Wednesday, September 19, 2012, 1:40 PM
>> Hi Aaron,
>>
>> I take it you have build the kart with the plans on:
>> http://kartbuilding.net/Wooden-Push-Cart/
>>
>> If you apply some oil to the steering arms, it will make it
>> easier to steer.
>> See:
>> http://kartbuilding.net/Wooden-Push-Cart/JPG_wooden_push_cart/Sheet-6_Lower-Chassis-Assembly-2.jpg
>> Also, when the kart is moving, is the steering OK? With any
>> kart with a
>> standard steering setup, it is much easier to steer when the
>> kart is moving.
>>
>> Applying some oil or grease to the steering arms should
>> resolve the issue.
>> If it doesn't then you may have to modify the
>> "Track-Rod-Arm" and
>> increase its length from 70 to 100 or 120mm as on:
>> http://kartbuilding.net/Wooden-Push-Cart/JPG_wooden_push_cart/Sheet-6_Lower-Chassis-Assembly-2.jpg
>>
>> Let us know how you get on, and I can put a note on the
>> plans to help
>> others.
>>
>> Best of luck,
>> -steve
>>
>> On 04/08/2012 02:16, Aaron Singh wrote:
>>> I have built the simple wooden kart with steering wheel
>> per the plan on your website. For some reason the steering
>> is very hard to steer.  Can you advise why the steering
>> is not working. I build it per your plan. Please advise.
>>> Aaron
>>



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