Yerfdog with a view! [Archive] - BuggyMasters.Com - An On Line Mini Buggy Forum and Go Kart Forum

metalstudman1

10-03-2011, 07:59 PM

This project continues-Here's a peek at it so far. Pulled the Howhit GY6 150 out and set a Honda TRX200SX in it's place-well kinda! I've fallen in love with this particular engine due to it's 5 speed semi-auto transmission with reverse,chain drive,electric and pull start features. It has a wealth of power (around 15-18 hp),it weighs 81Lbs. only 25 Lbs. more than the GY6,the reliablity and extreme fuel economy. I got to set it much lower in the swingarm so the center of gravity will be greatly improved.It fits so well I could rebuild the motor without removing it from the buggy!!!Hopefully in a few days I'll be testing it out for performance.

metalstudman1

10-06-2011, 09:10 PM

Update- got to work on it again this evening and took it for a quick test drive @ 9pm. I've made a fatal error on this mod!!!!!:crying: In 1st gear it's as fast as the Howhit engine,I climbed one of our 12' hills with ease.This is my wife's buggy and it's faster than mine:banghead: Tomorrow I'll try and get it out before dark for some video.The pic's show the Honda wiring harness all in place for the engine area,Stick shift with reverse lever- the only wires I have to modify are the ignition switch,on/off,push start button and light switch- I have to make a dash to house the the switches/indicator lights and lengthen them to the steering wheel area. Still have to make a brace for the exhaust pipe too. I robbed the carb off my buggy to see how it would run as the other one that came with it was trashed!! New carb $32.50 with shipping!

metalstudman1

10-07-2011, 06:32 PM

Here's a quick test run-The clanging sounds are the aluminum axle spacers-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1_ANieey2k
The engine runs perfect untill I set in the buggy! Didn't realize this till the test run today and it flooded out, took it back in the shop jacked it up and it's running perfect again. I did a few elevation experiments to find I need a different set of shocks,shock bracket change or I need to raise the front of the engine more (maybe 1/2"-3/4").I mounted the engine level with the swingarm. The float in the carb is plastic and not adjustable. Feels very strong so far!!! I did get 3rd gear once for a second or two!!!! This engine is a great match for this chassis.

metalstudman1

10-08-2011, 03:55 PM

I got the wife's approval after her test drive :party: It took almost 2 years of persuasion for her to let me do the transplant because she felt the Howhit GY6 150cc had plenty of power-She's cheeze'n now with the little extra power this engine provides and the needed bottom end torque for climbing our many hills with bigger passengers on-board.Here's her first outing-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjowgA_D648
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gvfbi-IIGd8
Re-aligned the engines posture in the swingarm and the flooding went away!!!! Still have some fine tuning to do! doesn't want to idle very well (it is a used,stock '86 engine!). I'm going to let her play for few days-then I'll tear it all down and paint everything up pretty!

SoapKart

10-10-2011, 12:42 PM

Looks great! Good luck keeping up with her.

metalstudman1

10-10-2011, 08:38 PM

Haven't got to run with her yet- Had to order a new axle for mine. I must have done something right because she's not stopped driving it since Saturday!!!!She doesn't know it but I ordered some other gears to slow her down a little!!!!

GX150

10-10-2011, 10:36 PM

So she will have the power to pull you up the hills you cannot make?

metalstudman1

10-11-2011, 10:45 AM

No!! It climbs every thing very well the way it is. I need to ensure that I have an advantage on the take off that way she won't have enough trail to catch me :lmao:

metalstudman1

10-11-2011, 10:20 PM

Ya'll get a laugh from this- My wife says I need to hook up a brake light since she'll be in front all the time now and doesn't want me to rear end her :lmao:

ckau

10-12-2011, 08:15 PM

Well... :laughing: All I can say is to remind her if she doesn't want to get "rear ended" Don't Slow Down!

metalstudman1

10-12-2011, 10:16 PM

:biglaugh:

metalstudman1

10-13-2011, 08:54 PM

Got all the wiring done.WHEW :rolleyes: 14 wires from the rear to the front (3/4" bundle)Brake light,neutral/reverse lights,neutral start switch,keyed ignition,new start button,seperate kill switch,back-up light and new blaster head lights.I also set it up where you can start it in any gear with the pull start just in case something failed in the electric ignition. Rain let up for an hour or so just as I got finished-she couldn't wait to hit the mud!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RA5K7geYPR4
glad it's raining again so I can pull the axle and silence the axle spacers from clanging around by tapping in some set screws.

stugots

10-13-2011, 11:19 PM

You're giving me inspiration to start gathering parts for my winter project with my yerf.

metalstudman1

10-15-2011, 08:58 PM

Good luck stugots!!! My axle didn't show up today so I gave the wife's Black Spiderbox a proper shake down "all" afternoon while she was out! (drove it like it was mine!!!!)Can't believe I didn't break anything!!!(of course I'd be fixing it if I did) I did need to tighten the chain after an hour or so, that's all the maintenance it needed.The set screws worked perfectly on the axle spacers-no more clanging!!! It's hard to explain how just 50cc more can translate to the "FUN FACTOR" in this buggy now- night and day difference in the performance from the GY6 and no fear of slipping the belt or backing down hill I couldn't climb. I found a video I shot from a while back of the Yerfdog trying to climb our biggest hill (60'+L x 41' elevation change) and it almost made it!!I'm going to get the wife to video me climbing it with ease tomorrow in 2nd gear for you to have a visual comparison.

metalstudman1

10-16-2011, 10:04 PM

Here's the Howhit GY6 150cc hill climb- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXwyqDgaj6E
Here's the Honda TRX200SX hill climb- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeLiHitTwjw
There are several new video's with this engine if you care to view them- here's my channel- http://www.youtube.com/user/metalstudman1?feature=mhee

metalstudman1

10-21-2011, 06:46 PM

Update: Making ones buggy go faster or have more torque will cause something to fail!!!!! My wife finally broke one of the BD balljoints :hooaray: So now I can add Heims- I'm gathering/ordering all my parts right now to completely re-do the A-arms with Heims @ both ends (12 Heims). The brass bushings in the bulkhead connection are wearing out again ($5.00 each x 8) and I want that issue to go away. For you to get an idea of this -I'm using the same type of set-up on aftermarket ATV or from the Crossfire/Punisher/Dune 150 A-arms. I'll post pic's & pricing for that modification as soon as the parts get here and I verify that it's going to work!!!! Can't see everything in my head without making it a reality.

Side note: I did out run her in a drag race (if you want to call it that)!!!:biggthumpup: We're even till 3rd gear where I just walk away from the Spiderbox-can't explain that as my gearing is lower than her's. I'll get some video as soon as I get her frontend done.

x-bird

10-21-2011, 08:28 PM

are the bushings actually brass, or are they sintered bronze bearings? if you added a bronze sleeve as a liner for the remainder of the center of the tube (basically having the entire length of the thru-bolt supported) I think the issue--if i'm reading your description right --- would go away.

metalstudman1

10-21-2011, 10:20 PM

They probably are bronze- one at each end with a steel sleeve in the middle.I've replaced these 3 times in 3 years, constantly tightening the through bolts to square them against the bushing and the sleeve. Already put a grease zerk in to help them survive longer. There's just too much force against the bushings with our terrain and driving style.A Heim joint won't get egg shaped anywhere near as fast. looks like I can buy a Heim for the same price as a bushing-still debating on 1/2" (space is tight on the bulkhead) or just go with a 3/8" I know will fit.

x-bird

10-22-2011, 06:57 AM

I've been staring at as many spiderbox and other dual arm front ends as I can trying to figure out exactly how they configured the A-arm mounts at the "box" end. I've been considering using the bronze bearings in the a-arm tube along with a same size bronze bearing going through the front and rear plates of the box with the excess length trimmed flush to the inside of the plates and a thrust washer between the two. Trying to avoid having the thru bolt ride against the plate metal, which is how it seems to be from the factory. I like your idea though, cut off the end tube (move it outward between the a-arm legs for rigidity), and install lugs and heims in the ends of the tubes and weld in some grade 8 bolts with enough shoulder area for the heims to ride on..

metalstudman1

10-22-2011, 10:34 PM

FYI- I had nylon washer against the bulkhead & the bushing flange. Before I added a second layer of plate at the bolt holes to keep the A-arm from ripping out there was some flexing. Now it's very rigid and the bushing takes all the forward/reverse forces.
You almost got the mod right!!!!My intent @ the bulhead is to add another pair of bolt flanges for the Heims to fit in (just like a shock mount).All thread with a sleeve & jam nuts in between the bolt flanges to keep them squared up all the time, this gives the bulkhead 4 points of force resistance instead of just two.Misalignment bushing don't care if it's a bolt shoulder or threads as it rotates in the Heim.This is all in my head and untested- I know with our driving style it'll fail quickly if it isn't right!!! Also I made the spindles 3" longer back when to add wider tires up front -Now my wife will get her WIDE fronts installed!!!

x-bird

10-22-2011, 10:58 PM

I can picture what you want to do. my thought on it though, is that you're still possibly ending up with a shaft (the bolt through the mount flanges & heim) that is "loose" and will be transmitting the shock into the openings it passes through. What you've now got me thinking about doing is welding bolts through the bulkhead plates from front to rear so they're fixed and slipping the heim jointed a-arm on from the back and nutting it in place on the welded in bolt. The ID of the tubing I'm using would allow me to install a pretty hefty heim and mounting "stud" and i'd be able to have the heim right up against the bulkhead. drawback is it's one sided support of the connection vs two sided. while we're on this type of subject, having to repeatedly straighten out the flimsy steering rods on mine every time i blip a tree or rock got me to thinking about where to put hardware designed to fail before something like a ripped out a-arm mount or bent spindle occurs. This is something for when i finish the a arm conversion and install a rack & pinion. i was thinking that a drilled out (stacked holes) tie rod stud wouldn't be a bad idea. keep a couple in the buggy taped to a wrench for quick field replacement ....

metalstudman1

10-23-2011, 11:46 AM

I'm thinking about your welded bolt for the Heim scenerio. the problem with steering rods is they are flimsy!!! all of ours have gotten bigger stronger rods- also correcting the alignment/location for the rod is usually needed-with yours the rods are very thin and long due to the center pivot- with the rack improvement the rod get's considerably shorter and the rods are much heftier. We haven't bent a single steering rod since a rack-n-pinion was installed. Having the spindle tab set for Ackerman alignment removes alot of the poor geometry from the factory and allows the wheel to turn smoother through it's path reducing the stress on the steering rods.

metalstudman1

11-08-2011, 10:28 PM

Figured a few of you might like the rubber on the front!!! I have new tires (same size) that I haven't mounted with a better front tread design than the ones on it. It drives really well with them, since my wife can't seem to stay out of the mud we feel these will help her "SPLASH BIGGER" and not rut up the trails (low mud filled spots) so bad!!!

GX150

11-09-2011, 02:31 PM

Even with 20x7-8 tires, I wanted more. One of my Yerfs ran the same stock 20x10-8 rear tires on the front and back while the other one ran 22x8-10 tires.

metalstudman1

01-20-2012, 09:10 PM

Welcomed abuse in the yerfdog!!! but from my daughter (7 yrs.old going on 16) "Daughter like mother"!! she ran so many times through the mud she broke one of the rear fenders off from too much mud weighing it down, the second one ain't far off!!! Again I don't ever have the camera with me when the great stuff occurs, but here's what I could get.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tF15sNeE1kk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAHbImzFE5U

x-bird

01-20-2012, 10:22 PM

you have a built in carwash by now i take it? )))

Rarerat

01-21-2012, 09:47 AM

metalstudman1

01-21-2012, 02:17 PM

Thanx guys- this is why I do this as a hobby.
The carwash idea is on my list!!!!!

metalstudman1

01-27-2012, 11:50 PM

Spent all afternoon playing in the dirt/mud. This vid is kinda long but THIS is why I enjoy this sport/hobby. My daughter decided since I just washed the Yerfdog that it needed some character again!!! This vid is a testament to the durability of what we build/modify and the determination of a 7 yr. old doing what she loves.
Didn't realize how white her teeth were!:lmao:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Un4YjF5FgQ4&feature=youtu.be

SoapKart

01-28-2012, 07:58 PM

Now that is the proper way to get a mud facial ladies. Great video of the family enjoying the work you put into these machines.

AceFab

01-28-2012, 09:53 PM

Great video! I cracked up when I saw her with mud all over her face and she was smiling from ear to ear. She sure isn't afraid to get dirty.

ckau

01-29-2012, 07:04 AM

Excelent vid! She handles that buggy very well! Guess we know who the next one is going to be built for :biggthumpup:

Rarerat

01-29-2012, 08:24 AM

Great video, looked like she was having a blast. :biggthumpup:

x-bird

01-29-2012, 10:54 AM

Great pics and vids ... you should print out the third and 4th one and let her take them to school with her .... she won't have any problems with the boys ... )))) "I'm coming to get you!" ... and "you got a problem with that? Take a look at the last kid who bugged me ...."

aquileus

02-10-2012, 11:28 PM

Wow! metalstudman1, very nice mods in that yerf dog, the roll cage looks awsome.

metalstudman1

03-12-2012, 10:18 PM

Well after waiting on a fab. shop for over a month (calling nearly daily) to bend my new A-arms tubes- I decided to do it myself!!! I bought a 1" conduit bender and went to work. I made a mock-up one first to make sure I had a means to complete them and they'd work without the "U" bend. As it turns out I got lucky when checking with a recycle/salvage yard for 1" x .065/16 gauge tubing before buying some from a steel supplier. I bought 6pcs. x 24' long for $40.(had some surface rust) :banana: A single 20' piece from the steel yard was $67. I'm going back to get the balance of what they had since it was soooo cheap. I meant to take pic's through the whole process and got started and forgot. Here's some pic's of the tail end of the fabricating. I still have to weld in the bungs & paint.

SYCARMS

03-13-2012, 03:41 AM

Looks good.

x-bird

03-13-2012, 06:27 AM

Nice ... I so need a good drill press! Those cuts into the tube ends really chew up the hole saws, don't they!

For steel, i don't know how close it is to you, but there is a NC branch listing. (or maybe was, they're link doesn't seem to work within this site, but the phone numbers are there.) PA Steel is reasonably priced and sells to the public, no matter the quantity. I paid .90 a foot for the 1" .095 wall tubing through its allentown warehouse.
http://www.pasteel.com/

metalstudman1

03-14-2012, 04:18 PM

x-bird- thanx for the link. The only time I have an issue with hole saws is when the inner cut piece tries to get out the slot of the saw. I did good!! didn't even loose a tooth in about 30 cuts.

Figured I share some pic's of the balance of the front end re-fab.
Pic's show the A-arm tabs and installation of them. To make sure they all ended up being spaced properly I just cut a tube for the center and bolted the whole thing together. I knotched the already beefed up bulkhead and welded in the whole A-arm set-up- worked well and fast!!! made it easy to line the A-arms up. Then I made some shock brackets & done!!!!

metalstudman1

03-14-2012, 04:34 PM

I've been racking my brain trying to figure out why the heims made the steering so hard-After some close inspection watching the steering arms through it's travel- the stock ball joint end on the rack was getting in a bind due to the angle of of the A-arms and my re-location of the rack. Kept ripping the racks dust boots too. After adding 4 more grooves to the rack the dust boots were being stretched too far. So to simplify things all the way around I made a studded clevis to attach to the rack, the ball joint on the rack was 1" long, when removed the boots weren't being stretched too far. Have a bearing going bad in my homemade hubs so I ordered some new hubs from BMI (still waiting on them to get here before welding a new bolt/spindle on).

Somemeore pic's of the steering parts change over and assembly.

x-bird

03-14-2012, 07:34 PM

Thanx back at ya! You just solved an issue i discovered last night--bind at the rack end if i go as far down as i'd like. I'm going pretty short on the steering arm, rack is going front steer mounted as close to center between the arms as i can get it. Don't think i'm going to have to notch the rack, i like things razor sharp reactive so to speak. I'm also ditching the single-through tube on both upper and lowers and doing like yours as i can't find 8-inch long 3/4 dia bolts with 6.5-inch smooth shanks. I've been making my own, but i can't get the threads to run square and they're heavy. I'll stick with bronze bushings (unless i can find urethane to fit). Also going to order up some tubular cro-mo race bolts for them if the price is right (racebolts.com). Still waiting on the spindle shafts. they were 1/2 done last weekend and supposed to be wrapped up but .... I've decided no more trade or getting put on the b-list for small jobs.

Here's a little goodie for everyone ...
Finally figured out what the nuts i was using as misalignment spacers/nuts on the original 3203 tie-rod ends were. Stared at them for sooo dang long wondering where they came from--- they're stock 3/8 fine thread rocker arm nuts from one of my old engines. they look like a lug nut and are hardened. I had them welded conical side up to the steering arms and also cut one down for the pitman ends. If that's the same dia as the bolts your using through your heims, it's a cheap source of a high quality substitute item.

The shaft on my homemade notcher is only 3/8 and is a little sloppy in the 2.5-inch long bushed sleeve. It tends to wander a bit. fine on a full tube, I can land itwher i want it and get a nice 90. the teeth grab hard and lock up or shear off when i break through the wall on an end of the tube cut like you have in the pic. I'm lucky to get a dozen notches per saw.

metalstudman1

03-14-2012, 08:26 PM

I think you're going to find that the stock rack turning radius is less than desirable unless your steering tabs are really close to the spindles pivot point/kingpin-(stock turning radius is 40'+/- or 3-1/4" lock to lock). My tie-rod/heim stand-off's are valve guides that I drilled out to 3/8"-(whew!!) & tapered them @ at the top!!!

T3beatz

03-14-2012, 10:31 PM

Those A-arms look great man, and the heims turned out pretty good too! I need to get a Floor drill press also, I went through every tooth on my hole saw using a Vise and a drill.

T.J.

x-bird

03-14-2012, 10:33 PM

I'm going to be about 1 inch from the fronts of the a arm with the tie rods, about 3 inches from the spindle center. if i have to notch, no biggie. Same mounting point/distance from center as with the pitman steering. probably had about a 25-30 foot radius.

metalstudman1

03-27-2012, 09:33 PM

I've been beating the stuffing out of this buggy to see if there's anything else I need to do to improve it's driveablility.I did a normal inspection after doing some jumps and saw I had broke the interior weld on the spindle bolt. After removing the wheel I snapped it completely loose- thank goodness I had it welded thru the tubing. I decided to just make new spindles all together to change how the tie-rod/steering arms connected too. Tomorrow I'm going to give it another rough run to see how well these work!!!

metalstudman1

03-27-2012, 09:51 PM

By matching the angle of the tie-rod/steering arm tab on the spindle there's NO binding or any need for tall stand-off's. Also realized that with the heim mounted under the tab instead of on top it can't ever come in contact with anything. The stiffer steering with the heims went away by doing these little corrections and now it steers easier than before with ball joints. Also notice I made additional shock mounts for-12",13" & 14" shocks (upper bracket to get a double hole mount too) the SC shocks are getting weaker and weaker every time I take it out so now I can shop for a few different length shocks. I couldn't be happier with the rubber encased sleeved bushings I used at the bulkhead(zero maintenance)- The A-arm actually moves on the rubber and not on the bolts. When I take the shocks off the A-arms stay put and can move thru all it's travel with just the rubber rotating(like having mini shocks) they spring back to where they were tightened down and the sleeve never rotates. I also made multiple holes on the tabs for the steering arms just for a variety of adjustments.

x-bird

03-27-2012, 10:02 PM

Nice save! What's the spindle diameter, 5/8ths? Do you have any pictures of you're sleeve/bushing setup? I get what your saying (just like a cars control arms, gotta tighten it on the ground with final load on it or the bushing is locked in the wrong spot and will eventually tear up), just trying to picture it. you "split" the tube into two bolt sections, correct?

metalstudman1

03-27-2012, 10:51 PM

5/8" -post #10 shows the wheel/bolt and pipe sleeve. It was just a bolt in a pipe as a stop sleeve for the hub to hit.The 1st pic of the old/stock spindle is where I cut the grade 8 bolt off after breaking the rest of the sleeve off.
I'll make a short vid of the A-arms without shocks to show how solid this set-up is- and did I say NO maintenance!!!! I can already say that I won't be using a bolt thru a bushing with grease again!!!!

SYCARMS

03-27-2012, 11:47 PM

Lookin good, takin notes for when I get to my Yerf.

TOM

Lyonsperf

03-28-2012, 06:55 AM

I'm working on cad blueprints of the front spindles I made. I will post them up when done.

T3beatz

03-28-2012, 06:30 PM

I currently have the buggy depot spindles installed on my yerf they are ok, built strong, but I want something with some Ackerman. so I might be taking some notes from you guys and build my own, and just use the BDX ones for spares.

metalstudman1

03-28-2012, 11:02 PM

Are the BD spindles like the stock design?
The new A-arms have provided for better stability- outside of the wheels is now 57" vs 50" when stock.
The wife was giving the Yerf a beating today and complaining about the power when she decided to prove her point in the yard!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8mHjgkMoBw
The SC shocks finally bottomed out really hard in a jump and it snapped a Heim on the tierod/steering arm (I measured the total travel at the spinde to be over 6" to have put the steering arm in a bind) so I going to move the rack to the center to give the steering arms less angle and equal them out. Also these BMI hubs allow for wheel wobble @ max turning radius- something I haven't had an issue with before, so more work and testing.

T3beatz

03-28-2012, 11:34 PM

yep the BD ones are like the stock ones but just stronger... they have no angle or anything.

SYCARMS

03-29-2012, 07:44 AM

Most just don't realise sometimes how much work, trial and error is involved in these projects. The factories have both engineers and computers to boot before even assembly occures. Change one thing and something else changes. Many hours are needed as well as patients. The end results are deffinately worth the patients and labor when all is done. Your doing a great job and thanks for sharing this with us.

metalstudman1

03-29-2012, 12:32 PM

Thanx Tom- I do spend countless hours trying to improve stability and durability with what few skills & equipment I have (hours of labor-infinite!!!!). Hopefully some of these trial & error experiments will stimulate someone else's brain power into a viable solution.

FYI- I did realize that the width of the vertical tube supporting the spindle bolt in stock form is 2" wide and allowed the forces applied to the spindle bolt to be on the surface area only and flexing the weld. I changed to a 1"x 1"x 1/4" vertical tube and now I feel the bolt head is better supported by the sides of the tube,less surface area to flex- of course this is only my thinking-time & beating will tell!!

SYCARMS

03-29-2012, 02:26 PM

I'm not by anyway an expert on this, but from what I am seeing this is the way I would do it and why. Provided I understand what you have done correctly, I would run the axle suppotr tube all the way through weldong it both sides of the square tube, this will equalise the load to both sides of that square tube thus eliminating most if any flex to the outside of the tube it is welded to. Does this make any sence or have I got it wrong as to what I am looking at.

TOM

x-bird

03-29-2012, 02:43 PM

Given that this is MSM's wife's buggy, i think it'll survive fine-and i'm pretty sure she doesn't baby it either. now for MSM's, own ride, i would think that a 5/8 dia. axle just isn't enough for jumping/rough riding. even with going through both walls and a thinner box tube, sooner or later if it doesn't break it will likely bend upwards. MSM is definitely correct in that the side walls and a 90 degree angle close to the axle/weld of the smaller diameter box tube will help. the larger box size probably did help it flex on the one wall surface contributing to it breaking the weld.
One of the reason's i went with a golf cart hub is the 1 inch axle plus its 1.25-inch attachment diameter. even that is going to get gusseted to the tubes since i can't go through it. Those axles hold up six 8v batteries, up to four riders, the electric motor and transmission--then the modders begin to add lift kits etc. and they still survive (i've been a longtime buggies gone wild member for their stock tech help when i had a fleet of 10 club cars)-- a heck of a lot more weight than these karts.

GX150

03-29-2012, 02:50 PM

Doubling up the thickness on the outside wall thickness of the spindle will also make it stronger. This would not have to be done on the inside since there is much less leverage on that side. Could it be that the heat from the weld on the outside weakened the steel?

metalstudman1

03-29-2012, 03:01 PM

Tom you got it right- the stock spindle did have the bolt thru both surfaces, the pic is where i cut the bolt off after cracking the outer weld.It took 3 years of beating before this occurred. The stock tube is 3/32" where as the tube I used was 1/4" adding a slight more amount of material in a smaller space.The original spindle bolt was 5/8" and I had made a set of hubs with some bearings I had that were 20mm (slightly larger than 3/4")and didn't bent a bolt- I'm cautious of the 5/8" as well, but that's what fits the BMI hubs (not too impressed with them either). I was trying not to use a heavier hub as this adds additional weight in the wrong place!! Like I said- more beating and testing to pursue.
By the way-my wife is every bit as rough on this buggy as me without trying too!!!!

T3beatz

03-29-2012, 03:28 PM

5/8" grade 8 bolts are pretty strong and should take tons of abuse... a yerf shouldn't bend one and if it does your doing some pretty high jumping. I'd think the welds or something else would break before the axles do.

I have the heavy duty hubs from BMI, they are pretty good, but the bearings that come with them don't last to long... I'm trying to find some better 5/8 ID bearings that would hold up a little longer. I have these installed now so hopefully they will hold up a little longer http://www.*************/item/High-Speed-Wheel-Bearing-with-Snap-Ring-58-x-1-38-600630-5887

GX150

03-29-2012, 04:46 PM

You can swap out the bearings in the hubs for 3/4" ID if you want stronger spindles, but I do not know if there are any 1" ID bearings that fit it. Check out VXB.com for bearings and Heim joints - The prices seem reasonable.

metalstudman1

03-29-2012, 06:49 PM

I have these installed now so hopefully they will hold up a little longer http://www.*************/item/High-Speed-Wheel-Bearing-with-Snap-Ring-58-x-1-38-600630-5887
Those appear to be the same bearing that comes in the hubs!!! also the bearings in most jackshaft set-up's use this same bearing.

I looked for a 3/4" bearing that was cheaper than the 20mm ones I had & I bought the hubs with bearings for $8. more than replacing my old bearings!!!

GX150- The spindle bolt probably did break due to welding as it always makes the surrounding area hardened/brittle. The fact that they lasted 3 years is pretty good with the abuse it gets.
I've been tempted to use some of my ATV hubs with disk brakes but the Spiderbox is so light they don't really need front brakes-(I really like sliding the backend around with just the rear brakes!!!) It's just hard to justify the extra work,brake lines,master cylinder & maintenance.

T3beatz

03-29-2012, 10:13 PM

metalstudman1

03-29-2012, 10:13 PM

I spent a lengthy amount of time measuring & measuring &........ to find out that Yerfdog engineers did a pretty descent job getting the stock rack location and spindle tie-rod tabs heights correct for minimal bump-steer and almost dead-on Ackerman triangulation points-- That being said- When you have extended A-arms and elevated suspension!!!!, don't know if that was correct for a stock set-up. I moved the rack back up to the stock location & I mounted my 14"-16" shocks (Carrera Hyper coilover shocks off my "different type of buggy") to see if these will work well since I have several different springs to fine tune them- they also have 7" of travel. I'm picking up another set of 5/8" x 7" grade 8 bolts tomorrow to remake my spindles as it's too much cutting to try and re-use the ones I just made-trial &error!!!By using the clevis type end on the rack, it allows for alot more travel. The only thing Yerfdog could have done better would've been to angle the tie-rod tab the same as the A-arm angle.

FYI- The spacing on the spindle tabs for true Ackerman is 3-3/16" away from the center or ball joint holes, 90 degrees from the spindle bolt. We all know that having the tie-rods/steering arms parallel to the A-arms is key to keeping the tires parallel/vertical when moving thru it's travel when going straight (also minumizes bumpsteer in turns). I'm also going to measure the camber on full turn in relationship to the stock 9 degree angled bulkhead. I feel that it's too much leading angle as in my sprint cars I only used 6 degrees. More boring stuff yet to come.

metalstudman1

03-29-2012, 10:23 PM

these are the bearings that mine came with http://www.*************/item/Wheel-Bearing-58-12-or-34-ID-300171-5885
Out the box they have more slop then the ones I posted earlier. The problem is when I tighten down the axle bolt onto the hub it kinda squeezes it a little, and that coupled with the abuse from the trails they start to loosen up more. I think if I put a spacer in the center of the hub in between the bearings then tighten it down it would keep the lateral pressure off them making them last a lot longer.
Those are LOW speed crap!!! no wonder you changed them!!!!I agree about the spacer-the spacer thickness can only be as thick as the inner race though if it a loose sleeve. The convienience/flaw with the upgraded bearings is the snap ring, too much pressure causes them to break, thus don't tighten the wheel down too much, I've already searched my boneyard for a piece of pipe that will slide into the hub that I could make bearing stops out of- but nothing lying around that fits. I feel that's where the wheel wobble is coming from.

T3beatz

03-29-2012, 10:48 PM

Yep, that's what I was thinking, I know trying to find or make a spacer for the center is going to be a pain, but the benefit will be worth it. The next challenge will be keeping it centered so that when you go to slide the spindle axle through the hub it will slide through the spacer too.

I have a couple 1.5" 5/8ID spacers laying around I'm gonna try and make something work out of them if I can.

GX150

03-29-2012, 11:04 PM

I had spacers in my front hubs. I would leave the outside bearing off until the spacer was threaded on the spindle and would tap the outside bearing on to the hub after it was on the spindle (a large deep well socket worked great).

metalstudman1

03-29-2012, 11:07 PM

My thinking as well- that's why I was looking for a bearing stop to tack weld on the inside of the hub. Let me know what you come up with- I'll still be hunting for the right size pipe/tube.

x-bird

03-30-2012, 12:54 AM

trying to visualize the issue you guys are having-- i take it the bearing races and the center protrusion are loosening up with the cheap ones? I have a few of those lying around and could never see a reason to use something like that compared to a fully sealed bearing. The upgrad ones -- the snap ring acts as a stop against the hub's outside or inside edge? Is there anyway to remove the snap ring and get them to seat flush with the hub edge then stake them in place? if the fit is good to the inside of the hub, green loctite (for sleeves etc) might also be an option.

T3beatz

03-30-2012, 01:07 AM

Well, to picture it just picture a 3" tube with nothing in it, the bearings sit on both sides and the only thing stopping them from sliding inward is the snap rings or the lip (depending on the type of bearing). The only thing stopping them from moving out is the spindle bolt, and like MSM said if you tighten that bolt down to much you'll either break the snap ring, or push the inner ring of the bearing out of place creating lots of play.

The spacer on the inside will allow us to tighten the bolt down a lot more and it will put the pressure on the inner rings but they wont move, and now they should last longer.

these are the hubs I have and the bearings that came with them in the pic ... http://www.*************/item/Heavy-Duty-4-on-4-Wheel-Hub-260056-3203

you can see the inner ring how it protrudes, after a bit of riding that inner ring gets very loose, and the spindle bolt gets closer and closer to the bearing until you have to tighten it down and its basically riding and grinding on the outside of the bearing. wall and not the inner ring. Hope that explains it a little.

x-bird

03-30-2012, 06:10 AM

so a sleeve is what you're after for what is basically a floating bearing seatup when you step up to a better bearing. the original is flanged to prevent it from going into the hub more than it should. Sounds like it's a difficult match for 5/8ths and the bearing inner. Basically a reflection of engineering by accountants, plain tubing for a hub with a wheelbarrow bearing vs one with a tube machined slightly oversize to allow the bearing to stay in position and a proper bearing. id get a 5/8ths ID tube with 1/8th wall thickness then find a good sealed bearing to match id, od and the inner race and sleeve OD. of course, by the time you go through all that, it may just be as cost effective to switch to a different hub.

Here's a flanged, non-protruding center bearing with correct od and id for your hubs/axles
http://spbusa.thomasnet.com/item/inch-series/flanged-shielded-inch-bearings/fr10zz2rs?&plpver=10&origin=keyword&by=prod&filter=0

T3beatz

03-30-2012, 09:55 AM

If you go up to post #78 you can see the bearings I switched to, they are much much better and have no play out of the box. I have the 5/8ID spacer, just have to measure bearing to bearing and all should be good.

metalstudman1

03-31-2012, 12:00 AM

Here's the newest spindles-

T3beatz

03-31-2012, 12:32 AM

You work fast MSM... If only I had the tools. I need to unbend one of my spindles, and you have built 4 new ones in the mean time.

x-bird

03-31-2012, 08:16 AM

5/8" grade 8 bolts are pretty strong and should take tons of abuse... a yerf shouldn't bend one and if it does your doing some pretty high jumping. I'd think the welds or something else would break before the axles do.

I tend to go overkill, but i take the view of "what would happen if something fails--what's next in line to keep my butt alive .." I've busted up a lot of equipment in my time in my various job travels. last year my trailing decks busted their 3/4 hardened link pins and tore the arms to pieces when the towing arms bound up backing up out of a "too tight situation". Leverage and the application of torque is a pretty amazing thing ... (hence my ample supply of box tubing pieces)

The hubs i chose--based on the rims i had --dictated my axle size, resulting in a lot of unsprung weight. the version i'm working on now is a lot lighter than the single arms were with the same basic components. if you watch my vid with the "tec's last ride" you can see the weight of the tire/spindle assembly overpowering the stock shocks. They had no ability to keep the tire on the ground and i was only "puttering" around at about 1/2 speed on that ride. that extra weight out there adds a lot of stress, which i try to account for. But i also know i can slam this thing into things that might prove disastrous for others.

Anyway i fully get where msm's thinking is coming from and it is correct for his application. When it comes to suspension, there's always a compromise that has to be made--no 2 ways about it.

metalstudman1

03-31-2012, 06:54 PM

Short vid showing the bushing limits- I set the right side up higher just to show you could actually time the position of the bushings
http://youtu.be/bNub8wU6L7A
Here's a short vid of the actual front end travel thru the turning radius
http://youtu.be/UatnsvznNJM
Here's a short vid of the tire straight on thru travel
http://youtu.be/VyHLg1LI9Ac

Pic's show my solution for the wheel hub bearings- regular DOM 1" sch.40 is almost a perfect fit, I made the stop bushing (2-1/2") slightly smaller than the snap ring placement so if you want the snap ring to hold the bearing it still can. I simply drilled a couple of holes in the hub and tack welded the hole to hold the bushing in place. It didn't remove the wheel wobble but I feel better about the bearings!!!
I weighed the stock spindle = 3lbs-1.8oz
My newest spindle weighed in at = 3lbs-11.4oz I also added a 1/4" plate same as the beefed up ones from BD. I welded the bolt on the spindle tube(countersunk hole for the weld) only and welded the 1/4" plate down the sides to avoid un-tempering the grade 8 bolt at the point it would bend.
Lastly I'm showing the tire clearance(full turn) with no spindle bushing(still have 1" more to space the wheel out) I end up with a ride height of 13-1/2" with me in it- that's the rearend height as well- Too muddy to beat it up in the trails so it got a shake down in the grass- SWEET results, beautiful turning radius and smooth travel, I'll be leaving the heavier coil-overs on for the time being as they work well. I tried to get a wheel to hang in the air on a steep small hill and couldn't (7" of travel)- that's awesome!!!

metalstudman1

03-31-2012, 08:15 PM

Okay this is to correct a unintentional false statement - unloaded wheel travel is 11-1/2":cheers: I could still push down an 1" on the elevated wheel.

T3beatz

03-31-2012, 08:17 PM

that looks awsome! don't you wish the back wheels could do that too?? lol I don't want to get you started! or maybe I do...;):)

I'm gonna see what I can get out of mine tonight, probably like 7-8"

SYCARMS

03-31-2012, 08:21 PM

As usual Nice Work

metalstudman1

03-31-2012, 08:22 PM

That would be IRS suspension and without tons of HP you can't sling the rear around like you can a solid axle :crying:NO FUN!!!!

T3beatz

03-31-2012, 08:27 PM

Yeah, I know I wouldn't mess around with it either, seems like a pain in the but to set up. Nice job man, looks like I need longer shocks! lol

metalstudman1

03-31-2012, 08:58 PM

Thanx again Tom- flattery WILL get you everywhere!!!!
Just for informations sake- these gas shocks are a little cheaper (about $200. each with all the harware & spring) than Fox or Works!! don't know yet if they'll be as gentle on the equipment yet.

x-bird

03-31-2012, 11:10 PM

That's a funny looking pogo stick you have there sir! )) I found that if you slip a couple 1x4s or 6's under the tires perpendicular to the frame it'll give you a better feel for the travel since they slide the wheel outward instead of pushing into the tire's sidewall. you've probably got another 3/4 to an inch of travel with your weight bouncing on it than the vid shows. Did the wheel flutter in the turns go away? if not, i was thinking if your clevis at the end of the rack has any play in it between its sides and the center "pin" on the end of the tie rod, that might also be a factor.

SYCARMS

04-01-2012, 11:32 AM

Your right bout the solid axle. I have the solid axle in my 250 and on the flatter or groomed trails it is really fun around the curves, but when you get on those irregular rutted trails like at ST. Joes the IRS sure make the buggy so much more stable. Both rear suspensions have their advantages depending on how you like to ride.

GX150

04-01-2012, 02:49 PM

I watched my Yerf with solid axle on rutted trail verses IRS buggies - The back of the Yerf would slip and slide between ruts and sometimes only one rear wheel would be making contact with the ground. The IRS buggies tracked much better and both rear wheels were planted through most of the variances.

metalstudman1

04-01-2012, 05:06 PM

I totally understand the benifits of IRS, and the few advantages of a solid axle- this all goes back to cost. The next best thing under IRS is my "different type of buggy with the articulating rear axle & I still get to slide the rear around with minimal HP. IRS takes up very little space where articulting axle needs lot's of chain twist- My goal here is to try and improve what I consider was a great front end clip design with the most amount of comfort and control/durability.

x-bird

04-01-2012, 06:25 PM

BTW, you've got me scratching my head and staring til i'm bug-eyed. What do you have keeping the shock compressed in the photo with the wheel up?

T3beatz

04-01-2012, 06:32 PM

yeah, I was looking at that too x-bird, I went out and did mine and I had to put a little weight in the buggy to keep both wheels down.

T.J.

Hey MSM, do you by any chance know the OD of the stock A-arm tubing for the yerf? I plan on extending my top ones this week and moving my shock mounts to the top side. I'm gonna just do it the same way I did the tie rod, cut slip some tubing over them and weld. I want to get all this done so I can get some better shocks ordered.

I would go and do it myself but I don't have a caliper yet, and I figured you might know what it is off the top of your head.

Thanks.

metalstudman1

04-01-2012, 08:38 PM

metalstudman1

04-01-2012, 09:07 PM

Barely out ran the rain to give the suspension a HARD test. I jumped it for the first time over our 14' hill at about 25mph- barely got any air but it did bottom out my rear shocks & no damage or wierd steering issues. With the corrected Ackerman spindle points I now have a 16' +/- turning radius :hooaray:(that's TIGHT)
Found my wheel wobble- passenger side only with no passenger- the wheel is light and wanting to skip across the ground- doesn't affect anything but looks wierd!!!

The pic's is to show my way of getting the rack centered (equal steering arm lengths) by leaving the rack in the stock location. There were a couple of reasons I changed the radius ball joint ends that came stock.
1.they take up 2"-3" of additional length on the rack.they're not stops
2.they have a very limited angle
3.The end is simply crimped on the threaded stud
4.they're additional un-needed weight!!!
Note: I added (it's only tacked in place) a stop foot plate as I've sheared the bolts holding the rack before from excessive movement

x-bird

04-01-2012, 09:48 PM

seems like you, ckau and myself all are tackling the same things at the same time.

i've been working up mounts for my rack. I have a piece of 1/2 x 3/4 bar stock to weld to the front and drill and tap to mount to. I need it to give some clearance for the boots and want enough thread depth. Looking at it the other day I came to the conclusion that i wanted to weld a piece of 1/4 plate to the underside of the bar stock to make a 90 angle for the rack block to set into so the bolts don't shear. I seem to recall more than one yerf mount picture where the rack's a bit crooked likely from the bolts beginning to bend.

ckau

04-02-2012, 04:23 AM

I'm really likin the heim and cleavi attachment points! I will probably do this at some point but right now I'm anxious to start on the rear swing arm so I'll leave it as is for now. The cradle around the base of the box is a must! I have one made but forgot to put it on yesterday. Thanks for reminding me.:biggthumpup: Those box bolts will shear in a skinny minute. At the very least the box shifts, beats out the mounting holes and will twist around screwing up the alignment

T3beatz

04-02-2012, 09:25 AM

MSM, I take it you made those ends on your rack from scratch?

I definitely need to build the box for my rack, I'll tighten it down but after a couple of hard rides it's right back moving again.

GX150

04-02-2012, 09:32 AM

Mine moved around until I used Grade 8 bolts with lock nuts and torqued it down.

metalstudman1

04-03-2012, 10:19 PM

Up-date: After playing in the trails for 4+ hrs (7 yr. old driving) with me behind her I watched how it handled in the rough stuff- The tire wobble in full turn is a by-product of my rubber encased bushings & light wheels/tires. Got back home and doing my usual inspection (loose bolts,strange wear, leaks,ect...) I find the BMI hubs & bearings aren't going to hold up. The drivers front outside bearing was already showing signs of wear (discoloration). So now I'm going to plan B and get some heavier duty hubs & bearings. The front suspension did what it was supposed to- I rode with her for a little bit providing some technical advise and the ride was pretty smooth and she didn't have any steering issues. The turning radius is phenominal and smooth, only issue would be at full turn it takes more effort to straighten the wheels at a stand-still (typical). It bites well in turns at all speeds and she never complained about anything- that's always good.

metalstudman1

04-17-2012, 08:23 PM

Warning!!! I knew the BMI hubs were weak!!! Of course out playing today and I see the tire wobbling AGAIN- then it shot off on it's own-It escaped!!!! Lucky I was behind my wife and didn't get hit.

T3beatz

04-17-2012, 10:08 PM

That's why I got the heavy duty versions! Although that seems like an easy fix.

metalstudman1

04-17-2012, 10:19 PM

The heavy duty hubs aren't welded on both sides either!! that was the issue- tiny thin weld from the factory-Might have contributed to the issue with driving abuse!!!!! I did weld it back but still looking for something else(or make somemore of my own again)

T3beatz

04-17-2012, 10:31 PM

how long did they last?

metalstudman1

04-17-2012, 11:02 PM

2 weeks!!! We ride nearly everyday so atleast 10 trips/20+hrs.

T3beatz

04-18-2012, 12:07 AM

your right the heavy duty hubs are not welded on both sides either, but that could be fixed pretty quick. They have held up pretty good to the abuse I've put them through.

metalstudman1

04-19-2012, 05:14 PM

I found some other REAL HEAVY DUTY hubs from one of the karts in the bone yard (I believe they're from a Manco)- re-drilled for 4" on 4" bolt pattern, welded in some 1/2" studs and the wife took it out into the trails for a beating. I'll get some pic's of the hubs- I have no fear of these hubs!!!
Here's a short vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85DTtoPy7kI

metalstudman1

04-19-2012, 07:55 PM

Here's the hubs I modified (sorry I haven't cleaned and painted them!!!)

SYCARMS

04-19-2012, 10:06 PM

Those remind me of the hubs used on baggage carts. I have several of them and they are heavy duty.

T3beatz

04-19-2012, 10:21 PM

those hubs look nearly indestructible! nice video also... I need to get a little height on my buggy.

metalstudman1

04-19-2012, 10:41 PM

those hubs look nearly indestructible! nice video also... I need to get a little height on my buggy.

I'm feeling more comfortable with these hubs!!! Thanx-Where's your video?
If you'll just stand up you'll get some height on the buggy!!!!!

T3beatz

04-19-2012, 11:09 PM

I'll start posting some soon, every time I go out to the trails I forget to bring my camera! I bring a spare everything else but I leave the camera on charge...

T3beatz

04-21-2012, 11:49 PM

Well, I got a video finally... It's a first person view one, no one was around to get any other shots. I was going an average of about 8-10mph throughout the trails because I had to hold the camera. Some of the hills are a lot steeper than they looked!

I'll get some more this weekend we are supposed to have an avt/buggy trail ride in a trail near my home.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F87e_DYCr8g&feature=youtu.be

SYCARMS

04-22-2012, 08:22 AM

metalstudman1

04-22-2012, 01:58 PM

Nice trails and great job filming while driving-

T3beatz

04-22-2012, 10:04 PM

Not easy trying to drive and use a hand held video camera. You need to get one to mount on your buggy. Like the color of the buggy as well. You missed a great ride last week, hopefully you can make the next one. If you do just don't go on any rides Funnyman leads for you will end up on the highway.:lol:

Thanks guys, I plan on getting some better video this weekend. I definitely will be at the St. Joe buggy bash, it's only about 2 months away!

SYCARMS

04-23-2012, 06:35 AM

Did you get your site yet? If so which one.

T3beatz

04-23-2012, 10:57 AM

No, didn't get a site yet, I still have to see if I can stay the night. I wan't to, and most likely will but I have to convince the girlfriend.

SYCARMS

04-23-2012, 05:11 PM

Just bring the girlfriend with, there will be plenty of wives and girlfriends there. She will appreciate the clean crappers and hot water showers. The accomadations at St. Joes are 1st. class.

T3beatz

04-24-2012, 02:26 PM

She will not come... she is not the outdoorsy type, and she doesn't like to ride in the buggy, she is afraid of everything!

I'm sure I can get a day or two away.

SYCARMS

04-25-2012, 10:31 AM

Hope to see you there.

metalstudman1

04-27-2012, 08:21 PM

Update: For anyone interested or considering the type/style A-arms I made- after a month of running the new A-arms with the rubber encased bushings has proven to take a healthy beating- We've been fortunate with our weather and have gotten to go play almost everyday for at least 2 hrs (all day on the weekends). I still have the visually unpleasing tire bounce/wobble at full turn- you can't feel it nor does it effect the turn- just looks strange!!! Also when backing up with some speed the wheels @ full turn it appears you're going to tear the wheel off!!! I'm constantly inspecting the A-arms and they're the same as the day I put them on. The only issue/breakage was the cheap hubs (fixed). Wife,daughter & myself have given the Yerfdog more & harder punishment than ever thought about before simply because it'll take it now without failure.The other noticable improvement felt is the steering is so much smoother and effortless in comparison to before. My daugther and wife have both given me the :biggthumpup:!!!(I do keep track!!)
I'll keep everyone updated if/when we do have a failure. I got what I wanted by the way on the new A-arms design---"ZERO" maintenance & more travel(realistic travel is about 8" before airing a tire).

SYCARMS

04-27-2012, 08:32 PM

Great to hear its working out as planned.

x-bird

04-28-2012, 08:51 AM

:biggthumpup: Just inherent deflection ... if you ever want to reduce it, switch to a harder durometer bushing. good thing about it is that it will dissipate some of the energy of "unwanted" impacts.

metalstudman1

04-29-2012, 08:56 PM

:biggthumpup: Just inherent deflection ... if you ever want to reduce it, switch to a harder durometer bushing. good thing about it is that it will dissipate some of the energy of "unwanted" impacts.

It's amazing how many small impacts have been eliminated!!!!!

Today we were about to call it a day after playing in the dirt all day when my daughter caught her first "AIR" pulling into the yard. She was so excited and thrilled about it so I ran in and got the camera. Her next attempts on camera didn't bring the same amount of air, but gave her that feeling!!!- She's definitely a thrill junkie!! :p
Here's a short vid:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGVpoerL6fk

roysheepdog

04-29-2012, 09:04 PM

Is the buggy set up with droop?Ive seen your vids and it dont look like it does.
just wondering

metalstudman1

04-29-2012, 09:23 PM

Define droop- not sure what all that involves to be intentional. The current shocks do compress when you set in it- but not alot. When you go to jack it up though there's a good 5" or more that the shocks will extend before getting the tires off the ground. Is that where you were going?

roysheepdog

04-29-2012, 09:40 PM

Droop is were it sits at ride height,say with 12'' travel 50%droop is 6''.It was hard to tell how its set up in the vids, i could not tell if there was any down travel.But you said 5'' or so,thats what i was wondering.
For any that dont know droop will make for a lot smother ride.thank of jacking up a car under the frame,how high it goes before the tire get off the ground.

metalstudman1

04-29-2012, 09:58 PM

Just wanted to make sure we were on the same page!!! Didn't set it up that way intentionally when I tried these shocks. The Spiderbox doesn't really know my daughter is sitting in it when it comes to the suspension. I've never wanted to jump this because I was afraid of a suspension failure/bendage-recently I have had the front tires off the ground (8"-12") since the new A-arms and it felt smooth on the landing other than having a rear shock that's started to leak a bit acounting for bottoming out in the rear. I'll try and get some video of me jumping it soon for comparison purposes.

metalstudman1

05-01-2012, 11:20 AM

FYI- last night a friend that races karts came over and we ran the Punisher and Yerfdog for 2 straight hours around my track racing. This was very hard on the buggies since my track needs to be groomed to remove all the deep ruts.The Yerfdog did amazingly well and definitely handled the ruts much better than the Punisher, the Spiderbox could actually power out of the corners better too which I couldn't believe with it setting 13" off the ground and the Punisher only being only 7". We swapped buggies after about 100 laps and went at it again!! I ended up trashing the auto clutch in the Punisher (won't disengage now)& breaking a ball joint (just re-welded it back on). I'm really liking these rubber bushings more & more (no bent/broke parts) even though the handling characteristics are much softer. Sorry no video as the ladies just wanted to chat it up!!!

metalstudman1

05-03-2012, 10:34 PM

Update for anyone that cares!! The auto clutch that I thought was trashed isn't- I can't say enough about these Honda TRX200 engines reliabilty and continuous abuse they will take. It went back to normal yesterday while we were out in the trails :dunno: I guess after a couple hundred laps continuously in one gear something locked up (temporarily).
Daughter slid into a tree today @ full left turn and folded the passenger front wheel on the Spiderbox completely behind the bumper, she was so upset thinking we were all done for the day & mad at herself. I unpinned it and to my amazement everything was perfectly aligned and un-damaged- I'm loving these rubber bushings in the A-arms!!!!!!!!!!

T3beatz

05-03-2012, 11:04 PM

wow talk about durability! Seems you may be done tinkering with the front end for a while!

SYCARMS

05-04-2012, 07:49 AM

Sounds like its going to hold up.

metalstudman1

05-05-2012, 01:09 AM

wow talk about durability! Seems you may be done tinkering with the front end for a while!
Got my fingers crossed!!! (still gotta paint it)
I took the camera just-in-case today across the road from our trails. I got a surprise performance from my now 8 yr. old daughter, you can see the front end is undamaged and working perfectly: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpZf50E-CxM

SYCARMS

05-05-2012, 06:39 AM

:Did you tell her you were videoing the buggy? Cause she sure stole the show.:laugh2::hooaray:

metalstudman1

05-05-2012, 09:09 AM

Yes I told her!! She actually didn't make her first attempt (just spinning 1/2 way up) before I could get the camera going.

metalstudman1

05-06-2012, 12:35 AM

It was a LONG day out playing. Same kid that was racing with me came back over this morning to go play, I took the camera. I can't ever get the money shot :banghead: Just after I stop shooting ,the next pass ends up in a hard roll, drivers nose for 15'+ and a hard flop on it's side for the kid- He faired pretty well, small abrasion to his forearm near his elbow and a smashed set of knuckles. The pic's below show the damage -nearly none!!!Here's a vid of his driving: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTtB6d1hqvw
So on the way back to the house in the trails he hit's a tree with some serious speed right on the Heims!!!! same tree my daughter clipped turning the wheel into the bumper. The Yerfdog didn't fair so well this time!! the last 5 pic's are the damage. I straighten it all back up and she's up and functioning again.

T3beatz

05-06-2012, 01:04 AM

Man, that's got to suck... back to fixing! Oh yeah... get rid of that tree! lol

SYCARMS

05-06-2012, 01:19 AM

One thing for sure, trees and stumps don't move and will tear what ever is moving up. Just good nobody got hurt and it seemed to be an easy fix.:biggthumpup:

metalstudman1

05-06-2012, 01:38 AM

It's all good & typical for a day of fun!!! We'll be back at it tomorrow :drive:

metalstudman1

06-10-2012, 09:22 PM

Update: 3 months of our near daily driving abuse on the frontend- NO MAINTENANCE, NO FAILURES, LOVING IT!!!!!!!!!!!( I honestly didn't think it was possible)

So I learned another benefit to the frontend- Built a utility trailer for us to haul camping gear with the buggies. After having to haul kid's (7 kid's, 13yrs.-8yrs. old) to and from the site to avoid multiple trips. The kid's decided they'd rather ride in the trailer than ride in the buggies-GO FIGURE!! So for 20 hrs. this weekend I hauled 6-7 kid's up & down hills in the trailer, all of them screaming like little girls on a roller coaster!!!!(well 5 of them were girls!) The new frontend took the strange impacts nose first with NO issues and the wheels stayed on the ground when topping a hill.I did find out the Honda TRX200SX can only tolerate about 800lbs. On hills 30% grade or more for more than 40'-50' it couldn't make it.
So I basically drove around for 2-1/2 days in "one" buggy and everyone was HAPPY:cheers:
Trailer- 42"wide x 46" long x 18" tall x 134lbs total weight (wheels & tires = 40lbs alone)

T3beatz

06-11-2012, 12:23 AM

No maintenance is always good, you've put a lot of work into that buggy so I guess it pays off sometime!

awesome looking trailer, I would like to do something like that, but with a seat or two in it for the kids... kinda like a rickshaw like the Asians usually pull around, I'd put a roll cage on it and some simple shocks it would be fun.

SYCARMS

06-11-2012, 12:48 AM

Nice trailer.

metalstudman1

06-11-2012, 10:35 AM

The trailer was never intended to haul humans!!!
There's a lot more strain on the buggy than you'd think pulling a trailer behind it over rough terrain especially on the front end, your traction needs are doubled too when they decide to get all the way in the rear of the trailer. I figured I'd share a "grandpa" moment- as I don't recommend hauling kid's around in a trailer.

T3beatz

06-11-2012, 03:13 PM

It would be fun! I wouldn't go fast or anything, lol.

metalstudman1

06-16-2012, 12:47 AM

Update: with 7+ kid's here for the summer- the buggies get no rest with them continually swapping drivers & passengers(8-10hrs. a day)!!! The axle sprocket bolts must have loosened sometime earlier in the day and finally sheared off. When I got it back in the shop to do the repair I gave the Spiderbox a close inspection-
1 machine bolt in a heim was loose!!!! first maintenance on these A-arms. 2 minor impacts to the A-arms into a tree today and still going strong, had these been the original A-arms I would've been repairing something.

T3beatz

06-16-2012, 01:18 AM

I know what you mean, it feels good to ride a few times and not have to do work in between or when the day is up. I've had a few rides so far and things have been great, especially knowing that I don't have to worry as much about if I'm gonna have to get towed out of a trail because my axle broke.

How much time do you have on the engine your running?

metalstudman1

06-16-2012, 11:48 AM

How much time do you have on the engine your running?

100's I'm guessing as these engines are the factory stock ATV engines and I've not blown one up yet!!!!! The engine in the Spiderbox is the one out of my "different type of buggy" ('93 model). Since I've owned this one it's been run for almost 2 years- we drive ALOT. They all smoke a little after they're good and hot though (need rebuilding) but they start everytime and still provide good performance- when I can afford it I'd like to see just how strong they are when rebuilt!!!

SYCARMS

06-16-2012, 09:51 PM

The reason a stock atv engine lasts so long is due to the quality control that goes into each component, without that they would not hold up to the punishment most put to them. With that said, just look at the price of rings, gaskets, piston or whatever, they are not cheap like the Chinese parts found on e-bay or some of the sites. The same holds true for the GY6 or other Chinese built engines. A Howlet, Kinroad, Hammerhead or any major brand Chinese built atv, buggy or whatever have the quality control built in to their product. But a brand new howlet engine, or one from CPI or United Motors of Taiwan and it will sell $100.00 + then the run of the mill GY6 engine found on e-bay or elsewhere, but they will last much longer then the cheap ones. Most feel they are getting a deal when they find a carb or starter for $30.00 but those same people usually complain that the Chinese products are not as good as Honda, Polaris, ect. Well look again because all their parts are made in China. The big difference is they have a more strict quality control. Quality control costs much more because you have employees checking the metal used in the process or someone for the electrical parts all to meet their standards then the final person to check machining specs as well as assembly. Since you have a lot more people involved that you are paying a wage it costs more. I have had several discussions with people on the other forum throughout the years who claim that alll Asian products are crap and if you build a GY6 or CN-250 they will not hold up since they are a piece of crap to begin with. But yet they are the ones who shop for the cheapest price then slam the product. I have said it many times before " you get what you pay for" . The materials used in these parts are the key along with exact specs. When you do build your Yerf motor use the best parts available and you will have no problems. God knows how many hours I have on my 150 engine built in 2007 in its present form. I have had no problems out of it and I beat the living crap out of the engine. Sure when ever you push something beyond their intended purpose you will have more go wrong with it, even a $13,000.00 RZ will fail after hours of abuse.

Glad to hear your project is holding up under the abuse you are giving it. Driving it is much more fun then working on it all the time.

metalstudman1

06-17-2012, 09:25 AM

Tom- Once again -WELL SAID:biggthumpup:

SYCARMS

06-17-2012, 10:39 AM

Happy FatherDay to all the dads out there in buggyworld.

metalstudman1

06-30-2012, 06:36 PM

Update: After another 40-50 hr week with the kid's driving it continuously they went to a friend's house for the evening. I decided I go play for a few!!! the wife had brought the camera and was shootig some vid and she actually caught a breakage on camera(it never happens!!) It snapped the grade 8 bolt/spindle off right at the weld behind the 1/4" re-enforcement plate. Since I had made duplicates it was and easy fix/replacement- So I finally have a FAILURE on this front end design.:(
Short vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Je1hlKqVduM&feature=youtu.be

x-bird

06-30-2012, 06:54 PM

could see it start to go in that washboard section close to the vid shooter. nothing like ready to go spares ....

metalstudman1

06-30-2012, 07:54 PM

Here's pic's of the parts- clean shear from too much horizontal load, was glad to see that my welding didn't cause this!!!!

T3beatz

06-30-2012, 09:49 PM

Always sucks to have a failure! good thing you were not going very fast when it broke apart.

metalstudman1

06-30-2012, 10:13 PM

A "Failure"- It's inevitable if you play hard!!! All we can do it try to prolong the intervals!!! And you're right -glad it happened when it did and not at 30mph's in a tight trail with horse flies buzzing me!!!

T3beatz

06-30-2012, 10:29 PM

LOL! horse flys can be a pain in the but, I always think they are wasp or bees so I over react. The crazy thing is they didn't start coming around until this year.

SYCARMS

07-01-2012, 02:16 PM

What if instead of the bolt you make an actual stepped spindle? It will require most likely new hubs but I believe it would solve the shearing problem. I have never broke a hub on any of the buggies I own except the Yerf which uses the bolt.

TOM

metalstudman1

07-01-2012, 03:17 PM

I agree totally Tom. Ckau's spindle looks like what I need and I have some ATV spindles that look promising (similar to the Crossfire,Dune150,Punisher application. My goal all along has been to make a mod. that most do-it-yourselfers can do with minumal tooling and skill. I'm amazed the bolts held up as long as they did with the newer type abuse my daughter has figured out it will take!! My little leaping over the mounds on that clear area from the vid is nothing compared to the stuff my daughter does there with her friends riding along. I think I just finished off an already failing bolt with that vid.
My mod's along with other dedicated individuals are continually making this particular buggy something worth owning and operating with the higherend buggies for an entry-level amount of dollars!! I'm having fun trying if nothing else & my family is enjoying it as well-"win-win".
By posting all these pieces of information helps create a data base for others to work off of and eliminate possible ideas with confirmed results "good or bad" or add to the modifications till we get a viable solution for the least amount of money and effort. Sorry for babbling!!!

SYCARMS

07-01-2012, 04:14 PM

Not babble, point well taken. The yerf was desighed as a yard kart and was never intended to take the abuse especially from us big kids. I had single seaters and when this yerf come along my intentions were to use the engine to build a better motor for my single seater then put the engine from the single in the yerf, and have a 2 seater. Well after about 3 hours of driving I realised I would have to redesign the whole buggy since after ridding besides not having reverse I would soon have to get some dentures due to the jolting ride on fairly smooth level ground and if anyone had dentures and had driven it we would be searching for those dentures in the field. LOL. You Ckau and a few others have done what I did not want to take charge of and that is to redesign the buggy to take the abuse. Many of these buggies are still out there and can be had really cheap. What you and the others have done with the yerf has been inspirering to those who still own them and want to make it a ridding machine for the older abusive kids. I almost went the route of getting the HD parts from buggy depot before I learned from others that they hold up much better but still fail after time. I still plan on making mine into a single seat drag buggy with a larger plant in it. The yerf I believe is the lightest thing out there and when I race against an atv I am more then twice the weight of one with a comparable size engine, shoot I'm heavier then a 400EX Honda. That hurts when dragging. Keep up the great work.

metalstudman1

08-28-2012, 07:38 PM

Figured I'd make an update: after 5 months+ no issues on the A-arms or the rubber bushings :banana: Spare spindle is holding up very well too.
Now that the kid's have started back to school the Spiderbox won't be beat-up for endless hrs. each day. I'm going to swap to a fresher motor very soon as it's really lost it's pep on the low-end (something has been "off" since it got rolled) It still runs well but from a stand still it just doesn't pull as hard, with 2 adults in it, got to have a running start at most hills now & it's not an auto clutch issue.

T3beatz

08-30-2012, 07:24 AM

What do you think might be the problem with the motor? Think the rings might need to be changed out?
I'm probably gonna need to change out the head on my 150, it's doing ok but I'll probably throw on one of the simple BBK's.

Good to hear about the A-arms, mine are pretty much done! I need new bushings pronto.

SYCARMS

08-30-2012, 10:13 AM

I can't imagine rolling it doing anything to the motor, it may just be coincendental. However if a compression issue performance would suffer throughout the power range. I would have to think CVT issues.

metalstudman1

08-30-2012, 05:46 PM

No CVT!!-Honda TRX200SX ATV engine in this thing- When the kid rolled it he held the throttle wide open for almost a minute till I got to him & shut it off-I drove it ride before he rolled and right after and could feel something wasn't the same, but thought it was an auto-clutch issue. It runs perfectly from idle to WOT & pulls excellent from 2,000rpm's up. No doubt it needs a rebuilt since this engine is an un-altered stock early 90's engine. I have a spare '97 engine for it- with the kid's driving everyday I decided to wait till school started to put it in the shop for the swap. I need to paint the swingarm,A-arms,spindles and do some other small maintenance items to it anyways.

SYCARMS

08-31-2012, 08:25 AM

From your description I still cannot see the problem in the engine. If the engine was low on power you would notice a difference at all rpm ranges. Being your problem is with just starting out and good throughout the rest of the power range I would still suspect something in either the clutch or transmission. The rollover with engine still running would not hurt the head or rings since this is where the oil went, the roller bearing and needle bearing will not be affected too much at all since it wasn't run too long inverted. But the clutch would take the biggest hit since I believe that engine is basically the same as the TRX250sx for it is a wet clutch system and they don't like not being soaked in oil. It's great that you have a spare to swap out. You can always go through the old one and build a killer engine if you ever felt the need for more speed .

metalstudman1

08-31-2012, 08:49 PM

Thanx Tom for added information that confirmed my original thoughts. I've got 5 of them I need to rebuild!!!I'm curious as to how well they will run when freshly re-built since they've done so well used and abused.

SYCARMS

08-31-2012, 09:39 PM

I think a fresh rebuild with a cam it would be a monster in those buggies.

metalstudman1

01-06-2020, 10:32 PM

Sorry for the L-O-N-G delayed response. Figured I'd update this thread with some results over nearly 8 yrs of use and abuse! Engine (Honda trx200sx) is about WORE out and in need of a rebuild. The front-end mod's have held up and I've not done any repairs on it. My daughter is now 15 and my size and WAY more abusive with the buggy than I was!!! My original rear axle mod to a 1-1/4" hex(from a Jehm Green machine) has proven to be one of the best improvements I ever did to the Spiderbox. I will include some pic's/vid's very soon just to provide visual documentation. FYI- I still haven't painted any of the front-end components!

SYCARMS

01-07-2020, 01:17 PM

Glad your back

metalstudman1

01-08-2020, 05:55 PM

Here's some muddy pic's from today.

metalstudman1

01-09-2020, 06:15 PM

My daughter did remind me that I had to replace the shifter cable about a year ago. Her slamming the shifter so hard is why and she's learned that it doesn't take much effort to shift and the cable might last awhile now.

metalstudman1

01-17-2020, 09:05 PM

I go online looking for rebuild parts for the Honda trx200sx and came across a the same motor on E-bay for $55. +$100+ for freight- all the others listed are in the $400. range and I send him a message to see if he had done a compression check before parting out the starter,stator and pull start. He hadn't so I gambled since it was sooooo cheap($156. total) and bought it. It came today and it appears it's be a very low hours 80's engine. I'll find out this week if I got a steal of a deal and if it runs as good as it appears.

SYCARMS

01-18-2020, 01:35 PM

Good Luck

metalstudman1

01-23-2020, 10:22 PM

Well sometimes we get lucky:cheers:The E-bay engine was well worth the risk. It runs perfect, no smoke and plenty of power.The replacement was 1/3rd the price of a new top-end rebuild. The rain has moved in and I'll shoot some video in a couple of days with it's new heart-beat.

metalstudman1

01-25-2020, 06:54 PM

It was almost dark when we got in today,dry & about 50 degrees out so the daughter & her girlfriend and I took the Spiderbox and the Franken-buggy out for a quick drag race up the street to see if the newer motor runs as good as I think it does. Gps showed 42mph in a 1000'.Both buggies are exactly the same since I changed the gearing on the Franken-buggy (from a 39 tooth to a 44 tooth) Perfect for our trails and the Spiderbox has it's ZIP back! I'll still try to get some video- VERY muddy on our track/trails still. I'm still amazed at the durability of this power plant and how well it pulls this buggy around with 2 people in it.

metalstudman1

01-26-2020, 07:10 PM

Well all good things must come to an end- Had to pull the Spiderbox in the shop due to a BENT rack & pinion shaft. Must have been bent for a while as I noticed the steering radius declining (needing more turn around space) but couldn't see why. After a hard day of mudding my daughter had to walk home from the trails with a frown on her face saying she broke the buggy:mad: The rack unit had torn itself from the frame, bracket and all. Ordered a replacement and now we wait. It's been a LONG time for a breakage such as this so I can't complain.

metalstudman1

01-28-2020, 09:23 PM

Since I had it in the shop I decided to inspect it a little closer. As it turns out a combination of things contributed to the steering failure. Couple a years ago a newby hit a tree with the drivers front A-arm/wheel but it didn't appear there was any major damage- after removing the A-arms the drivers side arms were bent at the connection plate (had to force/hammer it off), the 1/2" heims & 3/8" machine bolts were bent even though the heim was fully threaded in. I also didn't realize how heavy the spindle and hubs were that I replaced 8 years ago (changed them out with trailer hubs w/matching tapered spindles). Have a feeling that extra weight may have contributed to some of the damage. I went out to the junk pile and found some golf cart spindles and hubs which are much lighter but just as heavy-duty. I'm now making new A-arms to work with the golf cart hubs. I have to say that the heim/A-arm mod. did last awhile-almost 8 years!! & my daughter,wife and guests aren't exactly gentle on the buggy. I'll get some pics tomorrow for anyone that's interested in this conversion/modification as an alternative to the other mod,'s that have been done in the past by many of us.

x-bird

01-30-2020, 05:51 PM

Welcome back Metal! Glad to see you're still into it. as strange as the name sounds, Ford Think golf carts had 12" steel rims that match the 4/4 bolt pattern if you ever go looking for a low cost rim size upgrade. I currently have a pair on the front of mine, but after 5-6 years of racing at line, they're wasted. Also fairly new on the market are 4/4 to 4/156 adapters. A lot of Razr take off rims with 26" tires are out there cheap if you ever wanted to go that big.

metalstudman1

01-30-2020, 11:16 PM

Thanx X-bird for the welcome back, I have been following your adventures- I have 10" wheels and can't go any bigger with the set-up I have right now. I figured for anyone interested that I'd show what 8 years of abuse does to the 1/2" heims on the A-arms (pics below)and the machine bolt at the spindle. I also made some progress on the new A-arms and golf cart spindles. I forgot how much measuring is involved in just getting the KPI (king pin inclination),the caster (9 degrees) is built into the front plate of the Spiderbox so that didn't have to be calculated. I went with 10 degrees for the KPI, a welding error :crying: of an 1/8" difference in the A-arm length changed the KPI by 3 degrees, so I had to cut and re-weld one arm. The conversation about even & un-even A-arms has come full circle!! I now have un-even A-arms, the golf cart spindles had them built into the set-up so I went with it. Won't know if it's an improvement until I test drive it. Rack replacement will be here tomorrow so that chore will take some time to figure out. I still have to make the steering tabs based off where I need to move the rack since these spindles are totally different than the ones I'd made before. It's still raining so the kid's aren't suffering! Maybe I'll get to test it this weekend (no rain in the forecast). I also included a pic of the trailer hub/spindles I took off (about twice as heavy)

x-bird

01-31-2020, 08:20 AM

If you want to add front brakes to that, jakes brakes sells a rotor and stud set and with a backside stud for bolting the rotor to. just knock out the factory studs, add a caliper mount and done deal. They will sell the parts individually. if you go to 5/8ths heims, no more bending. i've bent 2 so far, but only from big hits.

metalstudman1

01-31-2020, 08:28 PM

ckau

02-01-2020, 08:29 AM

The front brakes has been discussed by the family many times- I have plenty of front hubs with brakes/rotors (even off a LTZ) but everyone says that half the fun is being able to slide the back end, so no brakes. I'm going to try these hubs to see if they perform well (no heims in this set-up)

Have the best of both worlds.... A inline brake bios valve installed in the fronts. Full off = full braking in front and rear. Full on = rear braking only. This can switched on the fly too. This particular unit is a Wilwood with detent positions between full on/ off for percentage of front braking power. I have all kinds of fun with this thing!

SYCARMS

02-01-2020, 12:42 PM

For those who have buggies with the duo rod master you can fabricate a new split brake pedal as found on most farm tractors.

metalstudman1

02-01-2020, 05:17 PM

Have the best of both worlds.... A inline brake bios valve installed in the fronts. Full off = full braking in front and rear. Full on = rear braking only. This can switched on the fly too. This particular unit is a Wilwood with detent positions between full on/ off for percentage of front braking power. I have all kinds of fun with this thing!

It's a line brake!!! like I had on my bracket cars back in the day. Hadn't thought of that as a braking system but will give it some thought. Another reason this hadn't been contemplated was that the Spiderbox is so light it's never had an issue with stopping power and all the near impacts haven't occurred due to braking (that I'm aware of). Now both the Franken-buggies have front brakes as the need them!

Tom-I'm very familiar with the dual brake pedals as I implemented that system in my old dune buggies to help steer/traction control in rough terrain.
I should be able to test the steering/travel tomorrow with the rain almost gone.

metalstudman1

02-02-2020, 07:36 PM

It seems I got lucky again and the Spider box drives well. I don't feel any scrubbing or bump steer.Turning radius is just OK (better than stock but not as tight as I'd like it) The spindles & kingpin from the golf cart are a good alternative for someone wanting to modify their buggy (especially with un-even A-arms), I could see using these parts with the original A-arms by simply removing the ball joint tab and replacing it with a horizontal tube sleeved bushing- this set-up eliminates the failures/maintenance of the ball joint completely. I used the tube sleeve/bushings that were on the golf cart A-arm and found a piece of tubing the same size of the leaf spring bushing (leaf spring is tempered steel). Other than cutting,welding and grinding it was pretty simple and of course very inexpensive!!

metalstudman1

02-23-2020, 08:01 PM

Once again I'm posting a catastrophic failure!!! The Spiderbox has been such a good toy and provided MANY hours of fun. It has had many improvements/upgrades and it's been abused over & over again, it amazes me how much abuse this thing has sustained without damage to the original chassis but the day has finally come. I warned my daughter about the weight capacity. As our guests continue to get older they get larger! One of my daughters friends is a large person now and I'm convinced that contributed to the failure it caused this last week. It's rained & stayed relativity warm so the playing hasn't stopped till now. The pics. below may be hard to understand without viewing the whole kart but it amounts to a chassis that took all it could take from jumps off a 12' +/- hill over and over.The hill is in the far right of the video that is followed by screams! I've yet to disassemble it for repair as I was trying to get the Frankenbuggy #2 fully operational and out of the shop. The good news in all this is that the front-end repair/modification performed flawlessly and isn't damaged,so my efforts will be confined to the rear this time.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHvW49zkvOw

SYCARMS

02-24-2020, 11:53 AM

I'm surprised it lasted this long. Being that the Chinese use mostly recycled metal. During the smelting process all other minerals are skimmed out of the metal and I believe are not added back so the new metal will fatigue easily and crack. If you have access to a tubing bender I would just buy some American made tubing and make a new carrier.

metalstudman1

02-24-2020, 03:06 PM

I can't believe it lasted this long either! Big thumbs up to the designers of the chassis, but we all have known this for a long time, that's why this buggy has warranted the modifications of those that own them. As I stated before- weight capacity played a big role in the failure ,of course dropping off a huge hill wasn't anticipated by the designers either. The swing arm didn't sustain any damage that I can see, I'm guessing that a more expensive set of shocks could have held the carnage off a little longer, but it was just a matter of time. I'll rebuild it and put the fun machine back out in the trails. Of course I'll be looking to beef up the materials.

SYCARMS

02-24-2020, 05:03 PM

My Blade has had no cracks and has been driven in areas I thought I'd never get back to camp in one piece. Weather a HH or Carter or Kinroad everyone I ride with who have those buggies have all welded the carrier many times. I am a huge believer in shocks which these buggies lack. I have the Works shocks on mine and believe is the reason my frame has not cracked. Not to mention the better handling and ride by 300%.

metalstudman1

02-26-2020, 10:19 PM

I figured I'd take a few more pic's of the spiderbox with everything removed to show the damage better. This is one of the only areas on the buggy that didn't/hasn't needed some modification. These bars that are bent should be straight!! You can see how bad they are if you line them up with the rear rack. The fun begins now that it's disassembled, it will be an easy enough fix as it turns out. If I feel up to it I may make a new swingarm too since this one has had many mod's done to it since it's original installation (2011) with the Honda TRX200SX replacement in leu of the Howhit GY6 150(which is still a great engine). I'm still very happy with the decision to do the engine swap, as it fit's so well. I'm still in awe with how much power these little engines have and the reliability of them. I wish they weren't so HARD to find these days @ an affordable price so others could have the choice on an alternative power plant for these buggies and other kart projects. I'm sure everyone on this forum knows it's my powerplant of choice!!

SYCARMS

02-27-2020, 12:23 PM

Well you better get going cause the weekend will be here before you know and the kids are wanting to ride.:drive::biglaugh:

metalstudman1

03-05-2020, 03:42 PM

I got it back together with an improvement.The play time was short lived though-RAIN. I had the original roll cage from the Spiderbox laying around and figured it could be used for something so I built well needed nerf bars and rear fenders that may last awhile when loaded with mud. They bolt on and are incredibly stout! I've always been concerned about the kids snapping/bending a rear tire when navigating between some off the trees as the front is narrower than the rear. Sorry about the pic's in night vision- tried to get pic's before the buggy got muddy.

SYCARMS

03-06-2020, 11:49 AM

Looks good, nice job.

metalstudman1

03-07-2020, 06:13 PM

Stopped raining! I took it for a short cruise to test the repair to the rear of the chassis, I also added some other curved supports at the top rear bar behind the seats to hopefully re-enforce/transfer the load from the shocks. I put a new set of Harley (sportster) shocks I got in a trade on the rear to see how they perform-seems cushy with good stability when turning hard. Time/abuse will tell! The nerf bars definitely made the whole buggy seem more solid. I'll shoot some video of my daughter running it thru the paces for confirmation of not bottoming out or lifting of the rear wheels and stability of the rear fenders.

metalstudman1

03-31-2020, 09:57 PM

Well my daughter decided to over drive the Spiderbox a little:rofl: She forgot she didn't have a passenger as a counter weight. No harm done.
https://youtu.be/sj5c-D7rD-4
A decent view of the yerf bars and rear fenders
https://youtu.be/V9xBeaYgv9o

SYCARMS

04-01-2020, 08:41 AM

EVILWS6

04-01-2020, 01:28 PM

metalstudman1

04-02-2020, 08:21 PM

I take it she was OK? I just picked up a new toy, a 2008 Jolaris. It is a Joyner 250cc with a Polaris 500 HO engine bored and stroked making it a 600+cc . Haven't driven it much but it is a beast.I just need some bigger brakes since the braking is lacking. Had it to just about 60 mph but had to let off w cause it got squirrely.
She's fine- it just freaked her out! That Jolaris sounds like a monster and deserves some drive time & a good shake down from a work-a-holic, take a minute with this nice weather and go have some fun.
My daughter was cheezing when she got to take the Spiderbox out for a speed run on the street(no traffic-no school) with the GPS- she got it up to 50mph before she ran out of street and squawled the tires, so it will probably go a couple of mph's more with a longer run. She had just shifted into 5th before sliding to a stop- she doesn't get to go on the street very often where it's smooth and flat. More fun to be had now that we'll have some dry weather for a change!
Thanx for the compliment EVILWS6