Can anyone help me find the issue of GRM that made a go-cart out of a John deere rear engine mower? I have 20+ yrs of back issues, and I'm lost. Probably about 2003???
Can anyone help me find the issue of GRM that made a go-cart out of a John deere rear engine mower? I have 20+ yrs of back issues, and I'm lost. Probably about 2003???
Check the April 2010 issue, I think.
It was the June 2010 issue. Thanks Tim for getting me so close! My grandkids thank you!
I wasn't able to find that issue, which is kind of a relief.
Woody said:I wasn't able to find that issue, which is kind of a relief.
Sounds like it’s the next one they should post online. 
eastsideTim said:Woody said:I wasn't able to find that issue, which is kind of a relief.
Sounds like it’s the next one they should post online.
Indeed. I am curious now...
I've been thinking homemade go karts as well.. I have a tubing bender, a welder and a herd of kids. I think I can start a race series in the back woods.
These were made from (mostly) the John Deere 72 rear engine mowers....soo sweet looking...
... and once again can't stay off craigslist...
I wrote that story many years ago and I've been surprised how many people remember it. Jack and I started version 1 of that go-kart when he was 10. It really was a good learning tool for him. He'd drive it, break it, fix it, and repeat the cycle. I helped, of course, but he did most of the wrenching and welding. I learned a lot about patience and teaching. By the time he was about 13, that thing was bullet proof. He ran it on a dirt oval in the back yard in the summer and snow oval in the winter. I figure he went well over 500 miles on those ovals!
Just to enable you more, here are some pictures. This one shows Jack's OHV engine, electric-start, 5 speed, fairly high-tech kart in the foreground. The one in the background is a traditional 5HP Briggs rototiller engine with a centrifugal clutch that we built for my younger son Chris.
We lowered the rear by hole-sawing new bearing locators.
We lowered the front by cutting and welding dropped spindles (I did that welding for Jack).
We changed the brake linkage as shown.
We actually put smaller engines on. I think the original engine was 8HP. We put a 6ish HP OHV electric start Briggs on Jack's kart by cutting the engine mount from the push mower that came with the engine and welding it to the deck of the R72.
The packaging for the gearbox was a lot of work. Jack really wanted to use it, so I scratched my head a lot. We ended up sinking it down into the frame so that the seat could fit. We had to use a jackshaft and some extra pulleys to make it all work. We took a cable shifter off of a snowblower (not shown).
Jack's 21 now and here's the latest go-kart he's built. See more at: Hope College Formula Racing
Long story, short: This was a great way to spend time with my kids and it seems to have helped their education. Chris didn't get into it as much as Jack--he's more of a sailor but learned a lot as well.
Hmmm, I do have a Bandit 1200 parts bike that runs really good. So many Ideas!
That is some seriously fantastic Dadding. Major props.
My son turns 9 in two weeks and this looks like a solid project for us. I’ve been tying to indoctrinate the young man with motor love. We just got back from 4 days in Kentucky drag racing with a group of ford guys and my dad’s car. If a group of drag racing car nuts willing to sleep at the track overnight won’t work, I don’t know what will.
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