Motorized Pusher Skateboard

[maniac57]

Stick a bike front-end on it, a seatpost and some brakes. Wham! You got a scooterboard! Seriously, I had something similar but with smaller wheels and it was a blast to buzz around on! Use a sprung seatpost for a nice comfy ride. I always wanted better brakes too.

 

[lowracer]

I was checking out this scooter until I found out its only designed to support 100 lbs.
I've since taken the skateboard apart & still have the engine mounted to the fork w/rear wheel mounted. Not sure if I'll do anything with it, but always thinking. I found a sweet Cannondale MTB frame being thrown out today with nice LX rear derailler & good cranks/chainrings...May have some additional projects coming soon?
-Low-

 

[moonerdizzle]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKC5UjQXhFE

You could make one of these.

 

[lowracer]

moonerdizzle,
That video was cool.
I could make something like that farly easily from what I'm left with after removing the skateboard...see pic
Thanks for sharing
-Low-

 

[lowracer]

I'd still like to find an old 12" wheel kids bike to pillage the wheels from.
This pusher idea would work so much better in a more compact package.
I did some research and the gearing would be fine using a 12.5" wheel and a stock 18-20 tooth sprocket...
-Low-

 

[Tool Maker]

Nice vid. Now imagine a caster & a seat with the handlebar ahead of the Skater. You could still stand up & skate like that, just pick up on the handlebar.

.

 

[16v4nrbrgr]

Get a 12.5 scooter wheel, they mount up like bike wheels

 

[lowracer]

what kind of rollerblades was the guy in that vid using?
I found this image of rollerskate kite boarding (looks like 12.5" kid bike wheels).

 

[lowracer]

The skates in the video appear to be called 'Rollerblade Coyote'. They use big air tires! very cool
-Low-

 

[lowracer]

16v,
I never checked out scooter wheels.
I'd be curious if the axle spacing is like a bicycle, also the diameter of the axle.
Does a scooter freewheel?
I can buy a like new 12.5" kids bike here on Craigs List for under $40.
Might even use the tiny fork instead of the long one
-Low-

 

[Ludwig II]

You can't pillage the wheels from a kid's bike unless you are part of an organised raiding force, subject to internal discipline and structured sharing of the spoils. What you propose to do is loot the wheels.

Carry on.

 

[lowracer]

Ok,
I found this kids bike on Craigs List for $10 & called the guy this morning to purchase it.
I had it back at my house by 9:30 am & have been stripping it for parts.
I swapped rear drive wheels (26" to 12.5") hoping that the little wheel will balance out the pusher trailer. I opened up the rear hub & packed the bearings with some wheel bearing grease. I've got the chain all hooked up with tensioner after moving the motor mount about an inch closer to the centerline of the fork. I'll get some pics once I get this thing hooked up to a bicycle. I've got some new ideas on how to mount it to a hitch on the rear of one of my 9 bikes. Gotta go mountain biking now since the weather outside is nice today.
-Lowracer-

 

[lowracer]

Mountain biking today was invigorating!
When I got home, I didnt even change out of my spandex & went right to work on the new pusher thing.
Here is a pic of what I got so far.
I'm still undecided on how to hook it up to the rear of a bike?
I've already done the seat post hitch attachment & really didnt like it (kinda like driving a tractor trailer). I was thinking of running two pieces of angle aluminum off my rack mount uprights bolted to just above the rear axle bolts. Then connect the two aluminum pieces with a short cross member (like a big U). Then off the back of the cross member mount the hitch.
Let me know what you all think of pusher mounting positions?
The new little wheel is so darn cute...lol
-Lowracer-

 

[maniac57]

Looks really good! You might consider a hitch like the bicycle trailers use if it's strong enough. I rode something with a bigger wheel mounted on one side of the rear axle in this manner and it handled great! Just my 2 cents. Keep us posted!

 

[lowracer]

I got it mostly complete this morning and hooked up to a bicycle (no throttle yet).
There are still a few small details I'll be addressing but mostly its complete.
I got to ride it around the block unmotorized and I can honestly say it doesn't feel like anything is back there.
My last two motorized push trailer projects failed miserably and were quickly dismantled. They were both high mounting points (seatpost hitch) & 26" rear wheels. It could be that the small wheel has less gyroscopic effect on the bike, but mainly I'm guessing its the mounting point.
The low (near axle) mount changes the amount of torque that the trailer imparts onto the bike. I complained of driving a 'Tractor Trailer' on my past two attempts, but this one seems great so far...Now I just gotta get the throttle cable hooked up & take it for a real test spin.
-Lowracer-

 

[lowracer]

I changed the hitch attachment & definitely an improvement. I also drilled out the pivot holes & am using larger hardware for these critical points. I'm thinking of flipping the silver stem upside down to reduce the angle of the swivel?
I also changed bikes & hooked it up to my mountainbike.
Here are the latest pics.
-Low-

 

[Ludwig II]

It occurs to me that the further away the drive wheel is, the greater it's leverage on the back end of the bicycle. Is this correct?

 

[lowracer]

Ludwig,
Sounds correct.
I got a sliding wheelbase adjuster (seatpost). I changed around the steerer stems I used to center the weight of the engine without the need to run a jackshaft (dont like jackshafts). I think this is the way I'm going to run it (see pic). The engine is level as is the hitch attachment. I also slid the pusher all the way up the seatpost adjuster to shorten the wheelbase & pedaled it around the neighborhood to test its wheel tracking. So far so good...I need a tandem brake cable to hookup the throttle (90+ inches). I'll start looking for one at my local bike shops tomorrow.
p.s. Nice thing about this pusher, it comes off with one quick release & some velcro straps holding the throttle cable on. I can see using this to meet my buddies to go mountain biking, take it off & leave it in a buddies car, when done mountainbiking, hook it back up & ride home (35 miles one-way).
-Low-

 

[lowracer]

Here are some more pics of how it looks up close...
Cheers
-Low-

 

[Ludwig II]

"Police were called out today following reports of a cyclist being pursued by a wild engine."