Finally got the rear motor mounts / adjusters made, so now I know longer need to use a piece of rope or blocks to hold the motor in place. The method that I used was not something that I thought up on my own, but was stolen from other builds, then modified to suit my needs. The main problem that I faced was the relationship between the mid-axle and the pillow blocks to the countershaft sprocket itself. With most of the designs that I saw, the pillow blocks were on the underside of the frame. However, to get my mid axle and CVs aligned with the stub axles and wheels, I had to run the pillow blocks on top of the frame. Due to the diameter of the main sprocket, this meant that the engine / trans unit would need to be fairly high in the frame. If the motor assembly were heavy, this might cause me some concern. However, since I can lift the whole engine assembly (bad back and all), I believe that my Lard butt sitting lower than the engine would offset any high CG.
However, since the engine was so far away from the main frame, I did not want to make the rear mounts as long as it would need to be to reach the main frame. I was concerned about torque issues and chain misalignment that may have resulted. That is why I built a subframe half way between the motor and the main frame. This way the rear mounts would be shorter and I could use lighter metal, but still keep the chain alignment constant. Many of the builds that I saw only used one adjuster at the rear. However, I went ahead and made adjusters for both sides. This way I can torque or twist the engine assembly so that I can get the proper sprocket alignment that is needed. Also, just like any part of a build, the second time you make something, it only takes about1/2 of the time.
When I made the mounts/adjusters, I allowed for a fair amount of flexibility in sprocket size. Using a gearing / tire size calculator, my gearing as it stands is a fair bit lower, than what the quad came with stock. This may be a good thing, since I don’t know what the weight of the final project will be. However, I built in enough flexibility, that I could go lower or higher in the gearing and still be able to keep the chain aligned and tight. In reality, I am not trying to build a speed buggy. If I can get the same power to weight ratio as my Hammerhead (see Sig) on the first go around, I will be very happy. What I do want from this buggy is something that rides well and can keep up with the slower dirt bike riders in our group. The HH has the power, just not the suspension.
Speaking as which, it is time to put the Pojo on hold for a little while. The time for our annual week long Easter desert trip is fast approaching. This means that I need to drag out the dirt bikes, HH and 5th wheel, to make sure that everything is quadrupled checked. You definitely do not want to break down on a ride, and it is no fun to break halfway through the week. I’ll throw up some picks of my toomanytoys as I get them all ready.