Thoughts on Design and Fabrication |
Couple of thoughts to throw out at y'all. The big difference in length between a sprinter and an enduro makes a big difference in how you design the lift. The lifting pad of the lift is the same for either, but the long front and rear overhangs of the enduro mean you really have to think about where and how the lifting mechanism is mounted, particularly if it is a crank up. And we have the classic case of the guy who builds the airplane in his basement without a way of getting it out too in a backwards fashion. Keep in mind how big your transportation is and whether you really want to break the thing down every time you need to pack it up. They get long in a hurry if you're not careful. Also remember that they are lots heavier than a simple kart stand. It would be kind of foolish to hurt your back moving the kart lift which was supposed to save your back from lifting the kart. You need to provide some means of moving it around. Don't forget about being safe either. You don't need to have your kart suddenly drop to the ground from 2 1/2 to 3 foot in the air while being slung forward by the lift. It should rotate up past center and back down a little on to some hard stops. Less precarious that way. I have another strap I throw on just in case. Can't help being anal retentive. Be sure that your winch is up to the task and the cable, not a rope, is twice as strong. Little things like that can ruin your day. Andy and John are right on about things taking longer than you think. The less equipment you have, the longer this will take. It can be quite frustrating when it seems like you work and work and not much gets done. It's just the way it is. And it gets worse if you decide to paint the pieces parts. I did, you don't want to see all that work just rust away, do ya? All four legs have to be **exactly** the same length or bad things will happen. The mounting pattern on the base for the legs has to be very, very **square** or bad things will happen. The distance between the mounting points for the legs on the base and the lifting bad have to be **exactly** the same or bad things will happen. And the holes for all need to be square to all surfaces. Chances are a hand drill will not accomplish that without slopping out the holes and making the lift sloppy. The point I'm trying to make is that this will take some time and effort to get right. Having the right tools and experience will make things easier. Not having all the tools will dramatically increase the time required. I'm sorry if I'm discouraging anyone, but I don't want to lead anyone into thinking that this is a simple task. and add to that....... Your hardware needs to be 'shoulder bolts'.... remember - these are load bearing surfaces - that are lifting changing triangles.... Every pivot point - I made a steel insert (bushing)... (made on a lathe) - made flush with the 1" tubing and welded in... John Ferreira 'John.Ferreira@digital.com' Everything you've mentioned can't be stressed enough (you've obviously built these things before). I machined close fit bushings and welded them into holes drilled into the square tubing on my mill. The fishmouthed leg ends were also done on the mill for both squareness and accuracy. Final welds on the remaining pivot points were done while everything was clamped and assembled to ensure alingment. It took time; and I had the equipment. Chuck, you're right on with your comments. Andy andys@aemf.org |
Contact info. Click here to send me email at chuck@chuckbunnell.com
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