I'm curious as to why 99% of the buggies are 3 wheelers. I've never buggied before so maybe after I've done it this would be a dumb question, but till
then can you guys please fill me in. I've seen a couple pictures of 4 wheeled buggies, but never saw anyone on one. The reason I ask is I'm thinking
back to my old motorcycle days and the atc (3 wheeler ) vs. the atv ( 4 wheeler ) and we can see which one won that battle.NPWfever - 15-11-2007 at 05:47 PM
I think it is because when going (I think it is upwind) there is a huge amount of side pull. A 4 wheel design is a rectangle therefore the NRG
transfers to flippage, but a 3 three wheel is a triangle which diverts more of the NRG to forward movement and away from side pull hence the 3 wheel
design. (See diagrams) Either that or its just simplier and a 3 wheel steeing set up is a ton simpler. What puzzles me are the, I guess I would call
them proa buggies, the ones with 2 wheels for steering that you sit sideways on. I guess they are more like traditional sailing, I mean seating
position anyways.
Hope that makes sense, if not picture trying to flip a traingle it would be harder as the edge is not paralell to the force applied, if it still isn't
clicking next time you are with a friend with a buggy try to flip it, you will see.
Peas!
And yes I am a science geek
Pablo - 15-11-2007 at 06:12 PM
I think a big part of it comes down to durability and ease of building. The trike style buggy works awesome, no one can argue LuS-P-A-M-L-I-N-K-s
speed run or SlaweS-P-A-M-L-I-N-K-s ability to abuse them. And in both cases it works rather well. More parts usually ends up being more complicated,
more expensive and more bits to break.
We could get into performance specs, but most racers use a trike style buggy, so I think we can assume that the 4 wheel design isn't that much
better/possibly worst than the trike for performance.
I could see a 4 wheel buggy with full BF's all around for really soft sand though.KYTE SLINGER - 16-11-2007 at 07:54 AM
I like my wiskey like I like my women..... 12yrs old and mixed up with coke:evil:Sthrasher38 - 15-12-2007 at 10:53 AM
Nice!Scudley - 15-12-2007 at 12:02 PM
two wheel steering is a lot more expensive and complex. A fork is cheap and simple to maintain. Can you imagine how often you would have to do wheel
alignments on a buggy.
SSthrasher38 - 15-12-2007 at 02:18 PM
Thats a good Idea. If you don't like the four wheels you can alway put on a pair of front forks And off you go. I still like the brake idea and you
have the patent to that style also. If you start to mass produce I want some shares. I'll help with the company. (dakitez and thrasher buggies.com)
Hows that!NPWfever - 15-12-2007 at 02:29 PM
hmmmm i wonder how to make a brake work.....? i had an emergency on my old one but that required hands and was to stop if the kS-P-A-M-L-I-N-K-s kick
in. feet and hands are occupied maybe like have foot straps on the bug and when you pull feet back a little brakes kick in, or push in but it requires
a certain amount of force to do so. :moon:ripsessionkites - 15-12-2007 at 05:24 PM
you could add a push pedal, like a Go-Cart, and run a Drum Brake on the rear tire. Mongoose Mountainboards use to a drum brake system
I've had a lot of people ask when they see my buggy 'where are the brakes?' - if you think about it though... if you're not strapped in to your buggy
and you had brakes, your buggy would slow but your kite would keep on pulling... probably pulling you with it.
I heard someone mention an idea to have a brake that activated if you got pulled out of your buggy so it doesn't trundle off by itself down the beach
if you get pulled out. Realistically though, you'll be going pretty fast if that worries you, and in that case I think you'll have other things to
worry about, like how bad it's going to hurt when you and buggy part ways...Pablo - 15-12-2007 at 05:48 PM
I just don't see brakes as being needed, keep kite low, kick out the rear end, you'll stop incredibly fast and you should stay in the buggy if done
right. Sliding to bleed off speed is one of the first things you should be practicing. If you can't slide a buggy bad things tend to happen when you
get going fast.popeyethewelder - 16-12-2007 at 04:24 AM
Nice rides! I really like the wider axcel look.DAKITEZ - 16-12-2007 at 07:57 PM
popeyethewelder those buggys look nice. they just look tough ready to go anywhere.
I'm curious what everyones thought of putting the brakes on the back tires to help a 4 wheeler slide around faster.art_lessing - 16-12-2007 at 08:10 PM
Like the brake on the kids "big wheel".....that would be cool...but you would have to let go of the handles.....Bucky - 17-12-2007 at 12:43 PM
NPWfever:
There's a few problems with your theory.
First: Even in an upwind run, the majority of the kites force is never 90 deg. from your direction of travel. More like between 30 and 75 deg..
Thus putting right smack dab in the middle of your weakest point (60 deg.).
Second: The triangular layout of the three wheeled design has the unfortunate tendancy to transfer any change in trajectory to that weakest spot as
well (This is the same reason 3-wheeled ATV's were outlawed in the USA...Too many rollovers.)
Finally: The logic of your arguement against 4 wheels only applies if all four tires are equadistance from the centerline.
Bottom line: The 3 wheeled (in front, 2 in back) design (from a stability standpoint) is actually one the worst configuration. In fact the only two
advantages to the current design are
1. simplicity of manufacturing.
2. Abilty to ride over uneven terrain in a rigid frame, but still have all wheels in contact with the ground.
The 4 wheel design offers greater stability, but adds greater bulk, more drag, more cost, difficult to manufacture, the need for compensating
suspension or pivot, and more stuff that could go wrong (linkage, cables, etc...)
The Libre 4 wheeler is a great design, but suffers from those described weaknesses.
Hypothetically, a 3 wheeled design with 2 up front and 1 in the back would give the best combination of stability, low drag, and no need for
suspension or pivots to keep tires on the ground.
I'll draw something up to show in a little while.Bucky - 17-12-2007 at 12:47 PM
Or better yet, have Carl (popeyethewelder) think up something! Your stuff's amazing!!!popeyethewelder - 18-12-2007 at 12:17 AM
Quote:
Originally posted by dlish89
popeyethewelder those buggys look nice. they just look tough ready to go anywhere.
Yeah I agree, thats why I built the Wildkat buggy, the yellow one is copied from a V-Flex type design, but I love the simplicity of the others and the
fact that they are different. These guys live a long way from any beach and so they have adapted their buggies to suit their terrain....personally,
the idea of having no brakes on a buggy just adds to the fun, and what a great feeling it is power sliding to a halt or into a turn. 3 wheels, 4
wheels, makes no difference.Pablo - 18-12-2007 at 08:13 PM
I'm pretty sure more than a couple people have tried the 3 wheel, 2 up front design, mixed results, it has been tried with both the front wheels or
the rear wheel being the turning wheel.
Long story short, by the time your feet make it to the foot pegs you're sitting pretty far back on the buggy as well as moving the center of pull back
a ways. Having only one wheel in the rear made them more prone to tipping as well as not having enough traction on the rear to hold the rear end in
place.
That's not to say that someone might still figure out how to do it.DAKITEZ - 18-12-2007 at 09:13 PM
I just got a 4 wheeler, it was powerzone's proto buggy. So we will see how it goes. This is my first buggy so I can't really give an opion on which is
better now. But after a few sessions at the sod field with all the other 3 wheelers there should be some reviews coming soon. Stand by !art_lessing - 19-12-2007 at 03:14 AM
I can't wait to try that thing.....as soon as the field dyrs up a bit...but there's always the runway...It would provide a good learning
experience...quick speed build ups and such
DQDAKITEZ - 19-12-2007 at 09:53 AM
Most definately I want you to try it and give me your opinion and possible ways to improve it. If the wind picks up today I'm going to try it in a
new housing development by my house. They put in all the roads but there are no houses yet, so it should work out pretty good for now.Sthrasher38 - 19-12-2007 at 12:31 PM
Man I wish you would have called me today I was home again. had to do some things for my son today. The wind here is blowing about 12mph pretty good
but I have not been out yet. Did you make it out? Let me know of any reviews you have for any kites and on that buggy. Thanks.
