converting beach cruiser to trike help needed...

[rogergendron1]

i need to see pictures or have some advice on how to install the rear wheels on the trike axle so the solid axle will not spinn in the tires bearing... i want to see the system you used to drive the rear wheels...

i was going to make this 100 % myself from aluminum tubing extra thick of course and have a solid axle to drive bolth tires and i was thinking to spin the tires off the axle i would make a flange that the hub would bolt to via drilled holes under the spoke holes, the axle would have a bmx free wheel and my pedal drive and a 44t sprocket as the motor drive and a dick break right on the axle for stopping.

or should i use a 3 speed coaster hub on the bike linked back to a solid sprocket on the axle and use a manic mechanic sprocket adapter on the hub for my motor sproket.... that would give me 3 speeds

the cheaper way to do it would be to use the single speed coaster hub i have now on the bike and add a sprocket to it to go to the rear and run a manic adapter for my motor ... the rear axle would be a free wheel so i could pedal to start but no load wile rolling, and a large disk break and caliper mounted right on the solid axle.

it has to be a solid rear axle as this bike is going to be converted to ride in the snow and gearing must be more torque so i am using the stock 44t but going to 20in or 24in tires for the rear.

and help on the conversion would be appretiated

and any pics of your rear axles would be a great help

here is the video of the bike i am converting over for the winter.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRF2V16ecFk

loading more pics of bike will be up in a little bit..

 

[rogergendron1]

the more i think of it the more i realize the cheaper way to go would be to just direct drive the rear axle and skip out on the hub...

i could run the pedal chain strait back to a free wheel sproket or a 7 speed casset with derailor, and run the motor sprocket right to the rear axle solid mount then add a disk rotor and caliber to the axle also.. this would be cheaper and give me disck breaks and a 7 speed tranny if i wanted to add a shift kit later and do away with the rear motor sprocket..

although a 3 speed hub with coaster breaks would clean up the rear axle but ... would cost more and the coaster break at the bikes mid drive would not be as effective as the disk break right on the axle also the cost of the manic hub adapter and sprocket pluss the extra chain ...

idk any help would be appretiated !!!!!! pics to pleaze i wanna see some setups if you can post pics

 

[fatdaddy]

The trike axles I've seen come with the drive flange on one side only, I'ts just a flange with pins or holes for bolts to set into the holes in the hub. I guess you could weld a flange to the other end also, BUT if you ever needed to slide out the axle you would be screwed. this is the axle unit I used for mine but I hope you can find a better one, ALSO, It shows the hubs on it BUT the hubs DO NOT COME WITH IT. If you look close at the pic you can see the bolts connecting the flange and hub.I had a BIG fight with these people because it shows thehubs on the axle unit, then when i recieved it, NO HUBS,They finally put the disclaimer in the add because of me. HUBS DO NOT come with the axle, AND they don't sell the hubs. Go to Niagara cycle for those.
Fatdaddy
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bicycle-Bik...Accessories&hash=item35a9183888#ht_2606wt_957
And this is where I got my hubs. GREAT peopleto deal with.
http://www.niagaracycle.com/categories/trike-hub-rear-idler-36hx80g-w-brngs-blk

 

[rogergendron1]

well i just thought of something ... i have acsess to a full matchine shop ( my father owns on and my fiance is a welder) so i was thinking about the manic adapter for the hub and then it hit me....

i can run a solid axle and use bolt through flanges on the ends with a 4 bolt patern, then machine hub adapters like the manic ones for the rear wheel hubs that match the bolt pattern on the flange, then i could bolt the tire to the flange directly and turn the wheels by the hub without having to use a though axle at all ... just a hub adapter like the manic one bolted to a flange that is bolted though the end of the axle .

this would give me a solid rear axle and tire with no bearing to ever where out since they would bolth be driven by the hubs.

that is how i am going to do it ... regular 24in front wheels with the hubs holowed out and hub adapters bolted to a flange on the axle !!!

for the drive system i think i will go as cheap as i can as i do not have mutch money and do direct drive from pedal to a bmx free wheel sprocket on the axle and the motor will go direct drive to a 44-50 tooth sprocket on the rear solid mount...
if i use a jack shaft where the hub should be i could mount bolth rear axle sprockets to free wheel as the mid gear would turn the motor over when i pedal so it would start but when i coast the rear would free wheel and there would be no load on the motor for easy coasting !!!

so motor to solid gears on a jackshaft, pedal to free wheel on the jackshaft
jackshaft motor gear to rear axle gear free wheel so bike can roll without moving motor but i can still pedal to turn motor over, and pedal gear at jackshaft to rear free wheel bmx sprocket..

sound like that will work out ??

 

[Intrepid Wheelwoman]

Don't be too quick to discount a three speed coaster hub as not being the best choice. The big advantage with them is that everything is enclosed which reduces maintenance and increases the reliability factor. I'm a big fan of the Sachs kickback two speed coaster hub as well and the one fitted to my Hercules has done some very real work and proved to be completely reliable.

 

[rogergendron1]

i am extreemly poor and have a handy cap from and experiance in the army i had ... yep i am legaly def and waiting to be medicaled out of service though i hope i can stay in some how i probably will be med out...

any way i do not have money to spend on expensive hubs and sutch but i do have a crap load of bike parts and a machine shop to work in, welding equipment and milling machines and 2 lathes, i do not know how to weld ... but my fiance does lol she is a profetional, and i know the bridge port miller like the back of my hand soo we have a lot of scrap aluminum tubing and various other parts laying around that i almost do not even need to spend money if i do it myself.

any way here is what i plan..

where the 3 speed hub should go i am going to make a j shaft with 4 sprokets
on the right 2 bmx free wheels for the crank and on the right 2 10t solid mount for the motor
from the j shaft on the right side the bmx free wheel will go to another bmx free wheel on the axle
on the left the inside solid 10 t willl go to a 44t free wheel on the reaar alxe.

this set up will alow the bike to roll foward even with the clutch out and still let me free wheel... to start the motor all you do is pedal witch drives the j shaft foward turning over the motor, once started the bike will be under power but you can still free wheel and there will be no load on the motor when rolling !!!! there will be no rolling resistance to the motor only the drag when pedaling with the clutch in like normal..

this means when going down hill and pulling the clutch in the motor will actualy stop spinning the chain and idle , the tire wont be continuasly moving the gear box ! saving on engine wear.

free wheel gears are red solid mounts black

pic

 

[rogergendron1]

here is a quick crude drawing ... you can see it will bolt on like the standard conversion kits do but where the hub would be is a j shaft with 4 sprokets 2 of witch free wheel this allows me to transfer power to the rear wheel via motor or pedal and still be able to free roll or free wheel weather the motor is running or not. dick breaks mounted directly to axle for good stopping power .

 

[curtisfox]

You can't realy run a solid axel it will bind i turns. The best thing to use is a diferential like the ones used in go-karts. They can also be found in older garden tractors. They are true solid axel until you turn a corner then the diferentils gears turn the center cluster so it don't bind in corners................Curt

 

[curtisfox]

PS they look like this http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/NTESearch?storeId=6970&ipp=24&Ntt=go-kart+diferential and the sproket bolts right to the gear hub............Curt

 

[rogergendron1]

PS they look like this http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/NTESearch?storeId=6970&ipp=24&Ntt=go-kart+diferential and the sproket bolts right to the gear hub............Curt

i have had a solid axle go kart hoda gx 160 that spun 30in swaper tires just fine for years turned just fine too ... my honda big red 3 wheeler is 200 cc and has 33 in swamper on it its been running like a clock since 1981 !!!

the amount of resistance on the oposing wheel is damn near neglegable at best unless your doing some kind of racing at high speeds and making realy shap turns you will not notice the ever so slight drag lol...

like i said my honda 3 wheeler has been running 33in tires on a solid axle since 1981 and not a single prob.... that solid axle go kart i build would do sharp corners at 40 mph with 30in tires .... if you hit the gas when turning it did have a habit of wanting to go strait but all you have to do is let off the gas then turn. thats how you drive a honda 3 wheeler !!! not one was ever made without a solid rear axle !!!!

i am shure my trike will do just fine with a solid axle ... it may wear out the tires a little quiker from pavment driving but hey this is going to be for the snow this winter ! its coming off when the snow clears !

i have been riding solid axle 3 wheelers since i was 10 years old and the one i own now is a compleat restoration honda atc 200e ground up with forged wizco piston larger valves cam port and polish and lightend clutch shoes and a decked head for 10.25:1 comp running a tunnable super trap exhaust... it will do 65mph and handle just fine on the pavement however you must let of the gas to turn or the torque with make it want to keep going foward ... it still turns fine , just feels like it wants to go foward and the pavment will eat the ultra soft swampers i put on .. i am shure the same driving style would hold true for a solid rear axle bike ... let of gass before turns and the pavment will wear on your tires more than usual..

to put it bluntly one wheel drive in the snow wont cut it lol and i am not installing a 100$ differential i do not need on a bicycle lol my 160cc go kart didnt have one and it drove fine with a solid rear axle for 15 years on pavement

those differentials are for race karts that spend the whole time racing around corners and sharp turns so the need for less tire wear and power loss from drag is warrented.

 

[rogergendron1]

xct2

most power full 3 wheeler i have owned was a modified honda 350x with big bore kit 400cc .... it had a tunned exhaust and would eat 500cc quads for breakfast !!! solid axle 25 in tires and rode it on the pavement all the time !!!
just saying .. i owned many 3 wheelers over the years of many makes and modles...was never into quads or bikes i liked the trike... polaris scrambler 250r , honda 250sx honda 200s, hoda big red 200e, honda 350x/400, yahmaha tri z 250 ... those were all the trikes i have owned and not one had a differential !!! they were all solid axle ! all of them seen plenty of pavment time too.

back when i was rich .... lol i lived right on the trails in nh and my hobby was restoring old trikes act's i would ride them around and before the motor was broke in i would have srs offers to buy, so i sold it and made enough money to start a new one and the process continued lol i have 2 left my baby... honda big red 200e and my boys hoda atc 70 kids trike

 

[Intrepid Wheelwoman]

i am extreemly poor and have a handy cap from and experiance in the army i had ... yep i am legaly def and waiting to be medicaled out of service though i hope i can stay in some how i probably will be med out...

any way i do not have money to spend on expensive hubs and such ..........

Neither do I, - I get all my hubs and parts from the council tip

 

[caduceus]

Neither do I, - I get all my hubs and parts from the council tip

rogergendron1: Our local lawn mower dealer had lots of junk parts just laying around. Find a differential from a small rider lawn mower. Comparing ATV drive systems and Adult Trike drive systems can give you a misleading impression. They share the same general layout, but that's all.

1. The ATV Wheels are solid steel, and unless you are going to run solid steel wheels in your trike build you will be stressing spoke and drive assemblies every time you make a turn.

2. ATV wheels are lightly loaded. The ground contact patch of the ATV Wheels is large and the pressure at the ground contact point is probably three or four pounds per square inch. The larger the contact patch the more easily the wheel will slide when forced to speed up or slow down in relation to the other wheel when turning. Bicycle tires have a contact patch that's almost a point and loading is probably close to a hundred pounds per square inch. (at least with my overly large posterior sitting on the seat)

3. Unless most of your riding will be off road or on slippery surfaces like ice or snow you will have serious problems trying to use a straight axle.

4. Here's a link to a trike build like you're attempting. I have over two hundred miles on the Peerless Leader and the bugs are pretty well worked out. I plan on riding through the winter with a windscreen, studded tires and warm clothing.
http://motorbicycling.com/showthread.php?t=49598

5. My son came back from Iraq deaf in one ear and with ptsd. The truck in front of his triggered an ied while going under a bridge. As for me, I absolutely refuse to fly anywhere since I got out of the service. And that's been 40 years.

 

[rogergendron1]

rogergendron1: Our local lawn mower dealer had lots of junk parts just laying around. Find a differential from a small rider lawn mower. Comparing ATV drive systems and Adult Trike drive systems can give you a misleading impression. They share the same general layout, but that's all.

1. The ATV Wheels are solid steel, and unless you are going to run solid steel wheels in your trike build you will be stressing spoke and drive assemblies every time you make a turn.

2. ATV wheels are lightly loaded. The ground contact patch of the ATV Wheels is large and the pressure at the ground contact point is probably three or four pounds per square inch. The larger the contact patch the more easily the wheel will slide when forced to speed up or slow down in relation to the other wheel when turning. Bicycle tires have a contact patch that's almost a point and loading is probably close to a hundred pounds per square inch. (at least with my overly large posterior sitting on the seat)

3. Unless most of your riding will be off road or on slippery surfaces like ice or snow you will have serious problems trying to use a straight axle.

4. Here's a link to a trike build like you're attempting. I have over two hundred miles on the Peerless Leader and the bugs are pretty well worked out. I plan on riding through the winter with a windscreen, studded tires and warm clothing.
http://motorbicycling.com/showthread.php?t=49598

5. My son came back from Iraq deaf in one ear and with ptsd. The truck in front of his triggered an ied while going under a bridge. As for me, I absolutely refuse to fly anywhere since I got out of the service. And that's been 40 years.

ohhh sh1t your right about the thickness of the bike tire!!!!! lol my brain !!!

damn i cant afford aluminum mags for a 26in bike tire ether... your right i was thinking big beefy solid componants and not flimsy spokes ! thanks for that lil bit i needed to see through my own sh1t lol..

yeh my dad has a rear diff from a cub cadet but its like 100lbs lol so no way i am using that lol time to rethink .... unless i want to use an old set of 30 in atv tires but i am shure to be pulled over for that lol !

 

[Intrepid Wheelwoman]

You could divide the drive to each rear wheel with a freewheel on each drive axle. That would give you a differential-like effect without too much in the way of additional costs. A few of the early 'horseless carriages' used this method. The one problem with it is that you can't have reverse gear.

 

[rogergendron1]

You could divide the drive to each rear wheel with a freewheel on each drive axle. That would give you a differential-like effect without too much in the way of additional costs. A few of the early 'horseless carriages' used this method. The one problem with it is that you can't have reverse gear.

yeh i thought of bolting 2 free wheels together with the 40t sproket in the middle as a drive gear then sliding each side of the axle into each side of the new made differential... this would let me drive the axle with 1 chain and the axle would drive bolth wheels foward but free wheel the faster outside wheel when cornering then as soon as i stop cornering bolth wheels drive again !!!

here is my differential its cheap easy and i can weld the two free wheels together with a sleeve and have the 40t drive gear welded in the middle and have adapters on each side that through bolt through each side of the axle's middle ends.

now that i have the answer for 2 wheel drive... at least wile going foward lol i can start gathering the materials !!! i am going to start with the gears and free wheels then axles and then tubing and finaly bearings and pillow blocks for the j shaft

i think i am going to bolt them together using a round aluminum plate for each end drilled for ss bolts and 2 1inch aluminum tube sections to space them apart and hold the 40t drive sprocket in center, aluminum bushings will go into the free wheels and have a outer hole to slide the axle ends into and bolt through

 

[Intrepid Wheelwoman]

That looks like it should work really well Roger.

 

[rogergendron1]

my crude drawing lol

this will be where the original free wheel drive sproket was in my diagram other than that its still pretty mutch the same disk break pedal side free wheel and all. i figure with a differential i would still need the j shaft solid mount motor sproket and the pedal side j shaft to be a free wheel or else i wont be able to pedal start lol so still need the j shaft . ie : pedaling the bike foward will free wheel the drive gear so i need a jack shaft in the middle with a pedal gear that free wheels on it and a solid mount motor gear so when i pedal it turns the motor over when the clutch is out. the free wheel differential will be nice for cruising down hil in nuetral !!!! no stress on the engine just a clean idle !

 

[caduceus]

yeh i thought of bolting 2 free wheels together with the 40t sproket in the middle as a drive gear then sliding each side of the axle into each side of the new made differential... this would let me drive the axle with 1 chain and the axle would drive bolth wheels foward but free wheel the faster outside wheel when cornering then as soon as i stop cornering bolth wheels drive again !!!

here is my differential its cheap easy and i can weld the two free wheels together with a sleeve and have the 40t drive gear welded in the middle and have adapters on each side that through bolt through each side of the axle's middle ends.

now that i have the answer for 2 wheel drive... at least wile going foward lol i can start gathering the materials !!! i am going to start with the gears and free wheels then axles and then tubing and finaly bearings and pillow blocks for the j shaft

i think i am going to bolt them together using a round aluminum plate for each end drilled for ss bolts and 2 1inch aluminum tube sections to space them apart and hold the 40t drive sprocket in center, aluminum bushings will go into the free wheels and have a outer hole to slide the axle ends into and bolt through

You've got one nice drawing program there. Looks like you're setup with the freewheels should work.

 

[rogergendron1]

You've got one nice drawing program there. Looks like you're setup with the freewheels should work.

lol the ms paint one was done on my moms slow old lap top ....

my father shop computer is where the autocad and master cam programs are .

please dont mind my spelling i have adhd from chldhood, i an deaf from the army, and never learnd to spell ... 32 years old still cant spell, but i can machine up ANYTHING ! lol and math is a second languge