Want to build Go-Kart for 1st Grandson

[ddinham]

I will get my first grandchild sometime in December. I would like to slowly start building a go-kart for him. Half of the fun will be building the kart from scratch for him to enjoy later. Does anyone have a lead on a cheap frame that I can get started on?

[David]

It's tough to beat the price of a complete package. A used kart would get you in cheap and then you could strip it down, paint the frame, and clean all the parts.

I assume you're talking about a lawn mower powered kid's kart and not a racing kart.

[Mr.Puff]

I always wanted one of those off-road carts. When I finish with the Porsche I think I will go there.

[ddinham]

Thanks for the reply. Lawn mower powered would be safest but there's always that tendency to overbuild.

[David McLaughlin]

I"ve seen kits through places like Harbor freight. Some are welded some are weld yourself. Either one requires motor and clutch plus I'm sure a few other pieces.

If I could weld, I'd like to buy one of the unwelded kits and modify the design to be more of a cage or at least a roll bar and somewhat dune buggy looking shell.

[David]

I've never seen the weld it yourself kits, that's pretty cool!


If you want to soup up the lawnmower engine in a few years, let me know

[ddinham]

125shifter,

Thanks for the offer.
My inclination is to build something far beyond the purpose but I'm afraid I'd be labled the Grandpa from h*ll.

Dana

[126coupe]

Just buy one, and avoid the "learning by mistakes" scenario
Not to mention your grandson yearning just to get in the seat

[DasBoot]

Originally Posted by ddinham

My inclination is to build something far beyond the purpose but I'm afraid I'd be labled the Grandpa from h*ll.

[onewhippedpuppy]

l I looked at the ones for sale and was very unimpressed. Many of them are made (poorly) in China. Building one would be a fun project. I bought my son an electric 4-wheeler, he's 4 and loves it.

[ddinham]

Great picture Matt!
Maybe electric's the way to go to start?

[Zeke]

Novel. Electric would be very cool. I mean fast electric. You could always put a stop on the go pedal until he gets familiar with the thing. You can pick up old race karts sometimes for just hauling them away. Not that old, though, as the vintage ones are now selling for serious money.

I know some retailers offer steering and axle kits. You do the rest.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by ddinham

Great picture Matt!
Maybe electric's the way to go to start?

He can do that until the battery goes dead, round and round in circles on two wheels. I went electric because we live in a small neighborhood, having him whiz around with a gas one would be a bit obnoxious. Plus, there's no worries about my kid or wife trying to pull start a gas motor.

The one we bought is a Razor brand, it was around $330 at Sams Club last Christmas. I haven't seen them since at Sams, but they're on Amazon for $399 with free shipping.
http://www.amazon.com/Razor-Electric-Four-Wheeled-Off-Road-Vehicle/dp/B000EYF7LO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=automotive&qid=1225058959&sr=8-2

It goes up to 8 MPH, once my son got used to the touchy throttle it wasn't an issue. He can easily manipulate the speed with the twist grip throttle, just like a real motorcycle or atv. No issues in almost a year. Big advantage over a PowerWheels is real rubber inflatable tires instead of the fake plastic ones. That allows him to go just about anywhere. It also has a rear shock, so going over bumps doesn't beat him up. Overall no complaints, it was a great gift from Santa.

[gprsh924]

The only good thing about the plastic tires on the powerwheels was that I could floor it going down my asphalt driveway, nail the brakes and fully lock the steering and spin for days, especially if it was wet out.

[ddinham]

When I first thought about this I thought I would pick a cheap "enduro" cart like the kind that I remember from my earlier days and govern it untll the time was right. As Milt said those are like early 911's now. Plenty of time to think about it. Still sounds fun to me.

[porsche4life]

I have an enduro cart with big ballon tires just sitting in the shop b/c the torque converter is screwed. Its like an 89 and the briggs motor still runs good. It will pull itself up a pretty steep hill. You interested in buying it?

[austin552]

Build one together with him.