Building a Go Cart - By: Tauqeer Hassan

Everything is not lost because one does not have a car or a driver’s license. If one feels the need for speed but does not have any means to fulfill it, one can always try to learn to build a go cart. But it should be remembered that these vehicles are not actually suitable for driving on the road.

A welder is definitely needed for building this project. Equipment like this can be hired but has to learn to weld properly, doing good quality welds with identical beads and good penetration. The plans for go cart notwithstanding the size of the vehicle will differ with that of the driver. Kid-sized drivers generally need a frame that is 50 inches long and 30 inches wide while the frame of an adult-size has to be about 72 inches long and 40 inches wide.

Parts for go cart can be recovered from a junked go cart or even a discarded riding lawnmower. Yard sales and junk yards can be searched to find all the necessary parts. The metal tubing should be cut out based on the blueprints before welding the pieces together. Adding gussets to the corners will help provide more strength to the structure.

Next, the steering connection has to be assembled with 0.5 inch wide steel rod for the connections and 0.75 inch wide steel rod for the axles. A torch hat might be needed to heat the 0.75 inch rods for bending them at right angles. This is not a task that can be done in a rush if satisfactory results have to be achieved. The axle has to be built with a straight piece of 0.75 inch steel rod and attached to the frame with the help of 2 bushings. The arrangement is kept in position by using washers and drilling cotter pins through the axle.

The drive pulley has to be attached on the axle before the axle is mounted on the bushings. It can be held in place by using a set screw or it can be directly welded to the axle. It should not be forgotten to align the drive pulley with the engine pulley in order to know how to properly build a go cart. To mount the engine, a flat 0.19 inch steel plate is welded to the frame’s rear. The engine is first placed on the plate so that the holes for the mounting bolts can be marked and the engine and drive pulleys line up on the axle. The floor boards and seat of the go cart can be built using plywood lumber or even from metal. As go cart is a small vehicle only to be used for recreation, a large engine or high gear ratio should not be used for it. It must always be remembered to wear protective gear when driving a go cart.

About the Author

You might want to learn how to build a go cart and also how to build a halfpipe skating ramp.

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