PTV, Personal Trackk(ed) Vehicle

[kliff]

Dad is getting on up there in age. Honestly, we don't know, if when we say "see you tomorrow," at the end of each day, we will or not. It's on day at a time.

ANYWAY....Dad saw this, and said, "you know, WE haven't really done a ground up build, together, in quite a few years now.... whatcha think? I want something to ride around the neigborhood."

I orderred the plans that night, had the plans, THAT NIGHT. Are they worth $19.80, maybe, maybe not. But for the effort the guy put into doing 3 CAD's that come with it, I'd say, yeah. Will I share 'em? NO. Pay the man for what he put his time and energy into doing, or copy as best you can from pics. But I consider a sale of this nature as copywrited material, whether it is or not.

Step one.....Kinkos for some 16" x 24" enlargements, 7 bux for all 3 pages.

Step 2 read instructions, watch video...


Step 3, start acquiring parts.... PARTS ALERT.... Harbor Freight "Greyhound" 13 HP Horz shaft, elec start engines ON SALE for $299.00 PLUS they honorred a 20% discount coupon on top of that!

$239.00 + tax for the 13HP engine. It's a Honda Clone. Honda internals work in it, the Honda engine is $550.00+... oh sorry, that one is going in mine....LOL, Dad's is getting a 150cc shortcase GY6 for the CVT transmission, and maybe a few goodies too....LOL

Wheels, tires, bearings, etc. Picking up the steel next week.

Tracks....Step 4.... we are told in the instructions to cut the tread off some old Tractor trailer tires. Find some at a tire shop, with sidewall damage. They'll give 'em to you, so they don't have to pay disposal fees.
Yeah....sure...right....free tires....uhhummmmmm.

Picked up the FREE tires yesterday. Waled in with a pick of the little rig, and immediately brought a smile to the owner's face. Told him I'd like to sneak out with some tires from his "discard" pile. He said no problem, no need to sneak either. There's the pile, HELP YOURSELF! just bring it by and show him the finished rig, when done. Damn, that was easy...till I started hunting through tires, which he had stored in nice neat upright rows, and which I left in the same order I found them in.... minus a matching pair of GoodYear 11R24.5's. Thoroughly worn out, must've moved and inspected over 200 tires, but I got a set.....I still need another set though....dammit. No matter HIS has begun, his, is the focus.

One on the truck...



One on the cart, headed for the track fab shop....



Drilling pilot hole for the saw, and gutting away...







Voila, one track done, one to go...




So what are y'all doing, man connot live by scooter alone....LMAO!

[90GTVert]

Nice tire cut. That bad boy would be crooked and raggedy if I tried to cut it. lol

[xs650]

What a bleeping cool way to make tracks for a tracked vehicle. That's one of the biggest PITAs involved in making a tracked vehicle.

Just to be nit picky, what he called a pivot steer is actually a skid steer in tracked vehicle language. A pivot steer is when one track runs in reverse and the other forward. But who cares.

[jct842]

Wow that is neat. I always wanted some thing like that. Kliff have you got any idea what the approximate cost is going to be? I could see me investing in the plans too. John

[FootScoot]

Mar 5, 2010 19:17:51 GMT -5 90GTVert said:

Nice tire cut. That bad boy would be crooked and raggedy if I tried to cut it. lol

It would be a pile of rubber dust if I would have tried to do that, or I would have to buy stock in the Band Aid company. ;D

Hey Kliff! Is that a Bosch jigsaw? Looks like the one I have.

[kliff]

LOL....

jct, at current steel prices, and the engine on sale @ HF, looks like an $1100-1250.00 budget shout get her done. I up graded a few things and saved money even... 1" go-kart axles are cheaper and stronger than the 1" shaft stock at Surplus center, and the 1" ID bearings only a buck more to match the axle diameter. Use the plans as a guide, and improvise. This is gonna be a blast... can you think of a better pit vehicle at the NASRA events....a bunch of mini-tanks, towing racing scoots by tether...I can see it now.

Ken, yup, that's a Bosch. Saw performed flawlessly, what would you expect from German engineering? 20 years old and going strong, has probably cut more metal, rubber, and plastics, than wood, but she is a great tool. For those four cuts, I totally wasted 3 new bosch blades. Tou want a course wood style lade, and the wire destroys the teeeth, catch22, but it made a great cut.

xs650....yeah, terminology....who cares. we know what he meant. How many times in one day do I screw up the Queens' English..LMAO!
Let those cat's on the dawg site, and Rich, wherever the hell he is worry about that... the video tells all.

[FootScoot]

My Bosch is around 10-15 years old, and works like a champ. I kind of forget I have it sometimes though. Must be that oldtimers kickin' in. ;D

[shiftless]

PTV... now thats cool

[jct842]

I take it that 1 tire makes one tread track? also those tires apparently have wire on the edge where you cut the side walls out. sharp edges, might be able to take a body grinder and nub them off. My neighbors already think I am nuts, ..... so should they see a 67 year old man bouncing around on a toy like that they will be sure of it. john

[kliff]

Mar 6, 2010 19:10:20 GMT -5 @jct842 said:

I take it that 1 tire makes one tread track? also those tires apparently have wire on the edge where you cut the side walls out. sharp edges, might be able to take a body grinder and nub them off. My neighbors already think I am nuts, ..... so should they see a 67 year old man bouncing around on a toy like that they will be sure of it. john

Yup, one tire, one track. There are a bunch of tractor trailer tires out there.... 20's, 22.5's, 24's.... You want the 24's for the longest track possible. Matching brands is a plus, 'cause you're pretty well assured of equal lengths. But when that doesn't work, just stand the tires up side by side and go for the absolute closest height match you can find.

YYup again, 4" side grinder with a sanding disc will clean her up...still, wear gloves when handling....them little wires HURT!

67 huh...what's your point? This one is for Dad. Terminally ill, still ambulatory, just slow, and short winded @ 88 years old! And then I'll build mine.... I'm 57, so you're right in the middle.

I saw in another post, your concern about a transmission. That has been on my mind too. Dad's unit will have a GY6/150 chain driven to the main jackshaft, tranny problem solved. reverse, thinking about an electric reverse, just a litttle fab work, and an old ford starter motor, pulley, belt, solenoid....

I'm going with the Harbor Freight 13HP Greyhound engine, www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=66525

on sale right now for 299.00
AND, they honor the 20% off coupons you'll find in all the cycle, & hot rod mags...hell even Nat'l Geo has their adds now...

Bringing it down to $239.00 I know I'm gonna build mine, so I went ahead and jumped on that deal, till I need it, it's bought and paid for, at almost half price.

But that leaves a real delima, again, single speed, no tranny.

Torque converter, buy a complete kit, or piece together a hybrid. These guys can help there. www.bmikarts.com/shop/?cart=2051666&cat=168&PHPSESSID=49a4a19351af9191328b82482f38dfe4

Or, on a cheaper, but longer to fab route, an old chevy or ford 3 speed tranny, with a 3:1 input reduction, and either centrifugal clutch on the engine, or lawn tractor style belt clutch. Tranny out-put to jack-shaft, and away we go. Or if you just want a 2 speed box, same set-up, using a Suzuki samauri transfer case, it has high and low range. All kinds of possibilities.

So order your plans! Go buy an engine while they're on sale, and scrounge up some tires....you'll be on your way! ;D

[kliff]

Went and picked up my steel order a couple of days ago...



square tube in 1.5"x 1.5" x .125" and 1.25" x 1.25" x .125" and the "tubs....LOL! Yeah, I'm deviating from the plans already. Not because my idea is better, or cheaper, but it will be a quicker, easier build, with more of a "bulldozer" look, when finished. s the bbuild progresses, you'll see where over a dozen points of alignment have been done away with, by using the tubs, instead of over 2 dozen tube welded structural frame welds.

And steel is meant to be cut, turned, cut welded.....so it has started, this stack is of the track adjustment arms, with axle bushings and lead screw attachments being fabbed up. 4 arms per unit, 6 axle bushings per unit, 4 lead screw attachments per unit...... and remember, we're doing a side by side 2 unit build....hooooooboy, I'm tarrred already!



Dad's designed and built reiprocating saw is getting a work-out too....man, it looks crude, but it cuts truer than all get out!



Parts keep rolling in...





Even Dad's reverse gear box...



I'm gonna be at a slight handi cap though.... he's using the GY with variable tranny, and now reverse. I'm gonna use the HF 13HP engine, like in the video, so I'll fab up a hi/lo gear box, with reverse from scratch. Dad's is the toy, mine will work for it's keep, pushing a home made 50" bush hawg, and pulling a root rake, to build an off-road mini-buggy course on the back 2 acres.....

Got some work to get done...back in a week or so with updates.

[Rebel]

Kliff, seems like you need something to do, you have too much spare time on your hands.