go-cart - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

kinsaj · 12-21-2003, 09:15 PM

I have an old edger with a 5 horsepower engine(horizontal shaft).
I was wondering if I could get plans or a general idea of how to go about making a go-cart with this engine. I have no knowledge with a welding machine... though I do have access to a welder. Is it possible to make a wooden frame? Any general suggestions will be helpful.
Thanks

ananayal · 12-21-2003, 09:23 PM

my thoughts on the frame... you could pick up an old rider mower from a junk yard. find one without the motor, or a non working motor. with any luck you'll end up with a good start to a go cart. you would have your wheels, your steering, and maybe even a seat. with a little cutting, drilling and such, you could have something that resembles a gocart. i know this sounds kinda ghetto, but i think that would get you further ahead than building one from wood.

with a little cutting and such, i'm sure you could get the center of gravity a lot lower, and you may not even have to replace the wheels. seems like you could come across an old broken rider mower for 50bucks or less. maybe even check with a small engine repair place?

i dunno if this is even along the lines you are thinking. this suggestion is aimed more for a tinkerer than someone building a racing machine.

kinsaj · 12-21-2003, 09:31 PM

Thanks.
This is definetly in my field...
there is no way in hell that I am going to race this thing if I ever do get to building it.
I will pursue this idea
Other suggestions will still be helpful.
Thanks again

ananayal · 12-21-2003, 09:36 PM

no problemo. your thread was kinda up my alley. a few years ago i picked up an old rider at a yard sale for 15bucks. the only thing that was missing was the mower deck. one tire was always flat, the chain and sprockets were very worn out, and the seat was in ruins. with a little tinkering, i got the motor to run and it was a well spent 15bucks. it was fun to work on, and fun to tool around the yard with. i was thinking then that it would have been fun to cut up a little and regear, but i never got around to it. good look, and let us know what ends up happening.

kinsaj · 12-23-2003, 08:19 PM

I learned to weld over the last few days... so plans involving welding will now be open game. Thanks again.

offrapel · 12-25-2003, 02:37 PM

I put 'go kart plans' into Google and came up with a bunch of cool plans, some are $2 and some more.
Here is one:
http://www.mxk.com/1ykplans/ykmenu.htm

Now that you can weld, you could build a kart with a 'live axle' which will keep you from wearing out the single rear wheel drive tire so often.
I built three go-karts as a kid, most of the frames I picked up from advertisements in the paper. I didn't have the welding skill needed to build my own.
Let us know what you decide on.

12-21-2003, 09:15 PM	#1 (permalink)
kinsaj Psycho Location: somewhere out there	go-cart I have an old edger with a 5 horsepower engine(horizontal shaft). I was wondering if I could get plans or a general idea of how to go about making a go-cart with this engine. I have no knowledge with a welding machine... though I do have access to a welder. Is it possible to make a wooden frame? Any general suggestions will be helpful. Thanks __________________ boom

12-21-2003, 09:23 PM	#2 (permalink)
ananayal Upright Location: Michigan	my thoughts on the frame... you could pick up an old rider mower from a junk yard. find one without the motor, or a non working motor. with any luck you'll end up with a good start to a go cart. you would have your wheels, your steering, and maybe even a seat. with a little cutting, drilling and such, you could have something that resembles a gocart. i know this sounds kinda ghetto, but i think that would get you further ahead than building one from wood. with a little cutting and such, i'm sure you could get the center of gravity a lot lower, and you may not even have to replace the wheels. seems like you could come across an old broken rider mower for 50bucks or less. maybe even check with a small engine repair place? i dunno if this is even along the lines you are thinking. this suggestion is aimed more for a tinkerer than someone building a racing machine. __________________ Snoogins

12-21-2003, 09:31 PM	#3 (permalink)
kinsaj Psycho Location: somewhere out there	Thanks. This is definetly in my field... there is no way in hell that I am going to race this thing if I ever do get to building it. I will pursue this idea Other suggestions will still be helpful. Thanks again __________________ boom

12-21-2003, 09:36 PM	#4 (permalink)
ananayal Upright Location: Michigan	no problemo. your thread was kinda up my alley. a few years ago i picked up an old rider at a yard sale for 15bucks. the only thing that was missing was the mower deck. one tire was always flat, the chain and sprockets were very worn out, and the seat was in ruins. with a little tinkering, i got the motor to run and it was a well spent 15bucks. it was fun to work on, and fun to tool around the yard with. i was thinking then that it would have been fun to cut up a little and regear, but i never got around to it. good look, and let us know what ends up happening. __________________ Snoogins

12-23-2003, 08:19 PM	#5 (permalink)
kinsaj Psycho Location: somewhere out there	I learned to weld over the last few days... so plans involving welding will now be open game. Thanks again. __________________ boom

12-25-2003, 02:37 PM	#6 (permalink)
offrapel Insane Location: Seattle, WA	I put 'go kart plans' into Google and came up with a bunch of cool plans, some are $2 and some more. Here is one: http://www.mxk.com/1ykplans/ykmenu.htm Now that you can weld, you could build a kart with a 'live axle' which will keep you from wearing out the single rear wheel drive tire so often. I built three go-karts as a kid, most of the frames I picked up from advertisements in the paper. I didn't have the welding skill needed to build my own. Let us know what you decide on.