Ever build a gokart?

[Musick17]

I just randomly googled homemade go karts because i have always wanted to make one and there is some awesome stuff on there, so I figured I would see what kind of things you guys have done.

 

[Str8sixfan]

I thought the same recently now that I have a welder

 

[daniel3507]

I've thought about it before. Last year me and a couple buddies had the drunk idea to buy old riding mowers and switch out a couple pulleys to make race mowers to cruise around on. Turns out it was a stupid idea. Go figure. Really it wouldn't be too hard to build one. Especially if you just wanted to use a pre built frame or something.

 

[pSycHOarsOnisT]

I am currently helping a buddy build a gokart at school, hes inlisted me for the welding because he sucks at it, weve just started with the chassis and are hoping to have it done by april. His cost for it so far has been $600, we started with a 5hp briggs and stratton he found at a garage sale and we rebuilt it. Ill try to get some pics of it and post for you to see what we have so far.

 

[det107]

....idea to buy old riding mowers and switch out a couple pulleys to make race mowers to cruise around on. Turns out it was a stupid idea.

What went wrong here ??

 

[faststang90]

i had one years ago that we made both back wheels turn. my dad made a solid axle for it. it would do about 45-50 mph. the brakes sucked trying to stop. my friend took a dirt track race cart and took the wing off the top and put the same size tire on it on the back. it had a 600 cc street bike motor on it. i think they called them sprint cars. it would do over 100 mph but it was way too scary at that speed. look for a sprint car that some stopped building

 

[straycat]

Years ago when I was a kid my dad and I did that. We used a lawnmower motor (6 hp). My dad took the motor to the base he was stationed at and we got to use a welder to build a neat frame around the motor. Rubber tires, VW bug steering assembly. We used a hand brake from a VW emergency brake to get it to come to a stop. The thing was fun to drive. Just very noisy at first until we got a muffler set up for it. I don't remember if we ever took pictures of it. I'll have to ask my dad this week when I am over there. Good memories of it!!!

 

[Sunk]

A friend of mine built one with his dad, it had a 5 HP Briggs and Stratton.. We spent hundreds of hours driving that thing. When we were older we bought a frame off another friend and put a Honda CB400 motor in it. We never had room to get it out of second gear.

 

[chrwilkins30]

Built this like 4 months back. Got about $550 in the whole thing.

The engine is a honda clone predator 6.5hp from harbor freight with a stage 2 hop up kit.

It hit 33mph stock and 44mph with the hop up kit.

 

[Mark_88]

Never built one....last time I drove one (and I do mean the last time) I almost flipped it going around a corner...made the mistake of putting my hand out to try to stop the flip and ended up running over my own hand...

Fortunately I walked away from it with minor scrapes and a severely bruised ego...lol

They are fun to drive and race...and mostly safe...but wear gloves...

 

[daniel3507]

What went wrong here ??

We bought 3 mowers in a package deal for $100. None of then ran. According to my roommate that wasn't an issue because we could get them going and "for a hundred bucks you can't really go wrong". All but one had the wrong kind of transmission, the one that had the right kind had the wrong pulley set up, and one was missing a fuel tank and ignition that we somehow overlooked. Let me clarify, you can go very wrong for $100.

 

[97ranger xlt]

go-kart gone wrong

when i was 12 a buddy and i decided to build one. we did not know what we were doing.. we took a lawnmower engine and mounted on the back of what i graciously describe as a slab of plywood. put a solid axle and direct chain drive to the engine ! no clutches for us no siree... lawnmower wheels and a wooden moveable 'steering arm' up front completed this beauty. i tell you it was a death trap! oh yeah one thing we forgot was brakes.. so literally you had to stop the thing with your feet needless to say we crashed the thing a lot. mercifully the engine blew up due no oil so that was the last of it.

 

[FritzTKatt]

Don't forget to cage it. That's a must. Even if they have to duct tape you in there for a belt, cage it.

 

[FritzTKatt]

EDIT: how bout you use a RBV seat?

EDIT2: edit failure...

 

[JoshT]

I've got a spare 2.8L that I've though about building a go cart around. Problem is the transmission and axle, I think it would turn into more of a buggy by the time I got finished.