I need to add a significant amount of weight to my kids sprint kart to get it up to legal weight. Years ago I used to buy lead weights used for scuba diving, but the only place in my area that carried them went out of business. I'd like to buy whatever I get locally so that I don't have to pay shipping. Any ideas of anything that is very heavy by volume and common enough to be easily found?

My dad used to go to a wheel and tire shop and ask for the junk wheel weights. He then melted them down and poured them into muffin tins. We were little kids so we needed a lot of ballast when karting.

how much weight are you looking to add? Ive seen bench press weights added before on the skid plate next to the pedals

Rusty_Rabbit84 wrote: how much weight are you looking to add? Ive seen bench press weights added before on the skid plate next to the pedals

I don't yet know for sure. Both of my boys are about 85 lbs and the minimum weight for the class is 300lb. What I don't know is what the kart currently weighs, but my guess would be about 100lbs, so I need a lot of weight!

An adult sprint kart with a Rotax Max on it weighs 185 lbs or so.

Would the front and rear bumpers hold water if you were to drill a fill hole in the top?

Don't put the weight at the ends. Ideally you can use the ballast to corner weight the kart evenly.

Oh yeah, After my dad made the lead muffins, he then drilled holes through them so they could be bolted to the floor.

Another thing we did once was replace the aluminum floor pannel with a similar pannel made out of 3/8" steel plate. It keeps the weight nice and low.

would an indoor target range let you have the spent rounds? Never thought to ask. Or maybe just a lot of bullets from the store? just an idea

A couple of ideas come to mind.

If you're willing and able to melt and cast as mw suggested, fishing weights are probably the most easy to source material, but probably not the cheapest.

However, I'd look for metal barbell weights (not the plastic ones filled with sand). Conveniently sized, available in different sizes, already have a hole in the center for mounting, and probably available second hand in thrift stores, pawn shops or even craigslist.

Or check with a woodstove supplier to see if they have a broken stove/scrap cast iron plate?

EDIT - Just searched for "weights" on the craigslist under sporting goods. If you pardon the expression, there were a ton of them!

I also think you're closer to the weight than you think, for I do not think your kart weighs in at 100 lbs.

Cement can be formed nicely into ingots and such. Particularly the fiber reinforced stuff. Weights for barbells can be bolted down to center pans readily enough.

Put both of the kids on the cart.

fill their pockets full of wheel weights?

Big 'ol used brake rotors. They usually have a hole or two in them that you could use to bolt them down...

Lead shot. Some guy once put it in the frame rails, or so I read. ;-)

David

Ask a Black-Poweder shooter. Many make their own bullets.

DWNSHFT wrote: Lead shot. Some guy once put it in the frame rails, or so I read. ;-) David

Wouldn't that rattle around and always want to go to the outside of a turn?

Melt the lead shot and pour the liquid into the frame.

Dan

Thanks for the tips, guys. Anyone know how much lead shot costs? I found another somewhat local scuba shop and inquired about weights. They have them, but they are $4.50 a pound, which will really add up!

McMaster list bar stock lead.

9033K11

Lead Brick 4" X 2" X 8", 26-1/4 Approx lbs In stock at $88.20 Each

OUCH.

Wheel weights still work but now there little lead in them so the dencity is not there you'll need more volume.

Know any old plumbers?They always have a couple of ingots laying around. They might even have some scraps of sheet lead. Sheet lead was common for flashing on roofs where the pipes poke through, and on commercial buildings, around roof drains. It was used to form shower pans. Check with some small plumbing shops. A common circle track trick was to drill a hole into a pipe or frame rail, pour in the melted lead, weld over the hole and grind it flush.We wanted the weight as low as possible and on the left side. It worked fine until we went to a road course!

I had to do the same to to both of my son's karts, adding about 50 lbs to each.

New weights at dive shops are very expensive (as you have found), but my local shop had old "odd" size weights. Most people want (according to him) 1/5/10 pound weights, but he had a bunch of 4/6/8 pound weights. I still paid $2 a pound, but a lot cheaper and he was happy to unload them rather than try to melt them down.

Craigslist is also great for looking and posting a WTB. Lots of people have old scuba equipment they don't want anymore. Also, ask other karters. As kids grow, they won't need as much weight.

Not sure about your area, but around here, we also need to paint them white, double nut and safety wire them.

Try to keep the weights (once the kart is balanced) high and on the back of the seat. It provides better rear grip and helps the center of gravity.

For some of the other suggestions (sand, brake rotors, etc), they will add weight, but probably won't pass tech.

I'd weigh both of them first to see how much you really need to add. 4 bathroom scales will do the job if you make sure to put them on an even surface. I bet you will find you need 50 lbs or so, not 100.

Finally, if you decide to melt your own, tuna cans full of lead are right at 5 pounds and easy to make. Just make SURE to smelt in a well ventilated area.

-Rob

Rob, Do you know what your kart or son weighs? I am estimating the weight of the kart, but it's pretty easy to lift, so I don't think I'm too far off. It's a Coyote Free Roller with a KT-100 engine, if that helps. I can't imagine it weighs more than 120lbs, but I could be wrong. With an 80lb kid and a 290lb min weight requirement, that's still a lot of weight. I hope I'm wrong! I'll try Craig's list, but I need to get something VERY soon, so I may just have to bite the bullet and get it from McMaster Carr or one of the other similar suppliers.
Thanks, Jim

44Dwarf wrote: McMaster list bar stock lead. #9033K11 Lead Brick 4" X 2" X 8", 26-1/4 Approx lbs In stock at $88.20 Each OUCH. Wheel weights still work but now there little lead in them so the dencity is not there you'll need more volume.

Anyone know if lead shot is cheaper than this?

bravenrace wrote: Anyone know if lead shot is cheaper than this?

It's about the same.

Jim,

My son's Cadet Gazelle is about 140 pounds, he's about 60 pounds so I added 40 to meet the 240 pound weight. His Cadet Rotax I only had to add 10 pounds to to meet the 235 pound weight class.

Does your club have a forum where you could post a WTB or something?

I'm not familiar with the Coyote chassis models, is that a full size or a cadet size kart? I would guess it's at least 175, so plus your son's 85 sounds like you need about 40 pounds. BTW, lead has seriously gone up in price, so chances are you'll be looking at $2-3 a pound for used.

On a completely different note, it also sounds like you're new to this and I'm assuming your son's are going to a local club race. If that's the case, is there any reason to worry about weight? Sure, you'd get DQ'd, but if it's their first races, they're just going for the learning experience, anyway and you can worry about the weight later. Seat time is more important for, at least, the first few races. If it's not their first, sorry, wasn't trying to offend.

-Rob

Not sure where you are in Ohio: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Lead-Wheel-Weight-Bars_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trkparmsZ66Q3a2Q7c65Q3a7Q7c39Q3a1Q7c240Q3a1318Q7c301Q3a1Q7c293Q3a1Q7c294Q3a50QQ_trksidZp3286Q2ec0Q2em14QQhashZitem563219f779QQitemZ370207750009QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

-Rob

I still gotta think used bullets at an indoor target range could be almost free