hi all,
I couldnt find an appropriate thread for what i want to find out so hopefully im not breaking any rules,

When my scout group announced they were chucking out an old metal framed tent i couldnt help myself and told them not to chuck it and started making a buggy outta the poles they are super strong and lightwight! perfect!!

this is how far i have got so far not a brilliant piece of work but once its finished hopefully it will resemble something like a buggy,

The bends were made by building a fire at the campsite and heating them and clobbering the poles whilst red hot so not bent rather than misshapen haha but they are bot the same so they will do, it has a kids bike front end which is going to be jointed onto a t piece used in the tent frame already welded so saves me a job!

i do have a copule of issues though, i was looking at the wheels below which have internal ballbearings and only got £3.00 each they are ten inch including the tyres and was hoping to weld a nut into the rear axle pole and just bolt through the wheel, will this be strong enough though? also any ideas about making,

Im also having doubts whether or not the front bike wheel is going to scuff my legs everytime i try to turn.

Any advice would be very much appreciated

Pictures in next post below

You can either post them in the gallery section or post them on a photo hosting site like flickr or photobucket. Then you can link to and embed the picture in the "post reply" page. Click the "help" button and it will show you which buttons do what. Feel free to ask more questions when you get further along. Then we'll be able to help with your buggy build.

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I think this might have done it!! above is the current state of the frame and below is the wheels i have been looking at

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The nut welded to your rear axle will not last long - may hold up for a half-hour or so but will then simply collapse. Go to Popeye the Welders website to see some really quality axles to stimulate you in the right direction.

You will want to be careful also when figuring out your rake - the angle that the forks are to the ground - too high (90 degrees straight up and down) and the wheel will turn too fast - too low (guessing that anything below70 degrees) will make your tire flop to one side or the other.

Where the down tube connects to your frame looks like it may not be a strong joint - even if you put a monster weld on it it may fail in the surrounding components - look at how libre and flexifoil buggies utilize a clamping system - much stronger and also adjustable to any riders height.

As far as your front wheel - if its not a gigantic diameter wheel it shouldn't be a problem - the wheel you have pictured above will require you to rebuild the forks onto a plate in order to spread them apart. The foot pegs can be mounted like this -

Quote:

Originally posted by ben.f i do have a copule of issues though, i was looking at the wheels below which have internal ballbearings and only got £3.00 each they are ten inch including the tyres and was hoping to weld a nut into the rear axle pole and just bolt through the wheel, will this be strong enough though? also any ideas about making, Im also having doubts whether or not the front bike wheel is going to scuff my legs everytime i try to turn. Any advice would be very much appreciated Pictures in next post below

Hi Ben....those wheels although rather small will be fine, I used those on the very first buggy I ever made


03 Grasscutter Buggy


and don't worry about the wheels scrubbing your legs, you wont be turning the forks at 90 degrees when you are moving...check out this page for inspiration


Home Brews

Hi thanks for the advice had a look on the your site, 'popeye' and i think i have sorted out a few probs with it and ithink your right flexiblade it does need to be stronger so i am re designing that at the moment, and good thinking for the front wheel setup.

Still unsure about the whole fixing of the wheels to the rear pipe (axle) couldnt seem to find an actual breakdown of that bit,

How big is the inner diameter of the pipe you want to use for the axle? Here's a couple of different setups to give you some options -


The 1st setup can be set for a 3/4" rod or a 5/8" rod - the 5/8" may be smaller but fits through most bearing sets for wheel barrow tires. *VERY IMPORTANT INFO ON TIRES - all American wheel barrow tires come with a standard 1 3/8" bore for the bearings to fit in. A bearing with an outer diameter of 1 3/8" will most likely have a 5/8" inner diameter. You cannot find a 1 3/8" outer diameter bearing with a 3/4" inner diameter. For a 3/4" axle you have to make a rim housing that has a 1 5/8" bore to use a 3/4" axle - that's just the way it is. So I would suggest a 5/8" rod for the setup in figure 1.

I have been using the 1st setup ever since I put my first buggy together - advantages are that as long as you can secure the cotter pin well the wheel will never come off. I have heard of instances (not many) where the threaded bolt can back off and literally fall out. I know this is rare and easily fixed but I like a little peace of mind - I don't ride with a wrench in my back pocket and can find myself many miles away from where I start. Popeye uses the second setup exclusively on his bugs so there must be something said in its favor solely for that.

Hi thankyou for that been doing a little bit more today, i think i might arrange for a proffesional to pop a thread inside, (as long as its cost efficient) the centre hole is 9/10mm less than half inch, sorry im a metric guy. its looking good and the bit you said looked weak i have improved and tested today and is very strong,

The picture below is a mock up using tape to get dimensions etc right before welding, wat do you think? along the right lines?

I really appreciate all help im a real new boy to this kinda metal work fabrication hopefully learning from not to many mistakes :D
The front needs to come up a few degrees but the tape wouldnt hold that in place properly and i am putting a metal floor where the seat is then making a seat to sit on this to add a more strength

Here's an example of fork rake (angle of your front forks to the ground) from a libre buggy that a lot of folks on this site have and can comment about its handling. You can see the rake and also the position of the footpegs - I used to have my footpegs really high up - will take a toll on your legs straining to keep them up there. Other than that looks like you'll be up and buggying in no time.

Yeah i see what you mean, i think what i really need is to get the welding on the frame sorted and then i should get more of an idea of where my feet will need to go, its only a guess at the moment as the duck tape couldnt hold my weight :D i will post more when i have progressed a bit further, i cant do anymore until i find somreone with a welder who is around during the day lol

love the green tires...here is a thought...your back rest is too low..you'll be laying down in the buggy...also...if you get pulled hard sideways you get yanked out...so I photoshoped a mod....this would also take care of the front end angle....all I did was shape it so the rear most rails are angled down....giving more of a hunchy shape...allowing you to sit lower and more inside the buggy then on the bugg....just a thought

oo i like that :roll: there are so many factors to take into consideration,

You might also want to move your center of gravity forward of the rear axle. Imagine sitting on a 3 legged chair with 1 leg that stretched way out to the side, not very stable in all directions. If you do a hard power slide with all your weight at the back axle, you will fall over backwards, imagine going backwards.