The Bent Zombie Tribrid Tadpole Trike
- Thread starter BarelyAWake
- Start date
Re: The Bent Zombie Tribrid Tadpole Trike (build phase)
hmm... ifn the prop diameter were sufficient, say 17" with approximately 4200-RPM @ 30mph & then divide the propeller pitch by its diameter to establish pitch ratio & insuring acceptable loading for that pitch/diameter, maintaining a sufficient charge by perpetuating a constant RPM to the generator one could with simply a regu....
Wait a mo...
Parasitic drag AND a blatant symbol of my utter insanity O.O yer trying to trick me gordangit *shakes fist* Is my "Super Mod" tights and cape not enough? I think they're already watching mine house... Where's my tinfoil lined helmet?!?!
|.o
*disclaimer: The above "formula" is complete & utter gibberish, disregard when attempting to make yer own prop-driven generator beenie type helmet driver visibility device dealie-yo
Catch is, I've belatedly realized that due to the ongoing refinements, modifications, additions & inevitable repairs - powder coating isn't actually an option much as I would like it
Fact is I'm gonna be tinkerin' on this thing for a while & every time I need to zot somethin' I'll hafta clean & prep the area of all paint, then repaint when I'm done... so, odds are it's gonna be rattle-can & it's prolly gonna stay that way as unless I get a powder coating setup for myself - there's far too many repaints in it's future to pay anyone else to do it, no matter the method *shrug*
Beenie helmet w/a spinning propeller you say?
hmm... ifn the prop diameter were sufficient, say 17" with approximately 4200-RPM @ 30mph & then divide the propeller pitch by its diameter to establish pitch ratio & insuring acceptable loading for that pitch/diameter, maintaining a sufficient charge by perpetuating a constant RPM to the generator one could with simply a regu....Wait a mo...
Parasitic drag AND a blatant symbol of my utter insanity O.O yer trying to trick me gordangit *shakes fist* Is my "Super Mod" tights and cape not enough? I think they're already watching mine house... Where's my tinfoil lined helmet?!?!
|.o
*disclaimer: The above "formula" is complete & utter gibberish, disregard when attempting to make yer own prop-driven generator beenie type helmet driver visibility device dealie-yo
LS614 is pretty much right, although powder coating is quite a bit more costly that a rattle-can scuff & squirt, the price is equivalent to a proper two-part spray job, yet significantly more uniform & durable (partic on tubing)...
Catch is, I've belatedly realized that due to the ongoing refinements, modifications, additions & inevitable repairs - powder coating isn't actually an option much as I would like it
Fact is I'm gonna be tinkerin' on this thing for a while & every time I need to zot somethin' I'll hafta clean & prep the area of all paint, then repaint when I'm done... so, odds are it's gonna be rattle-can & it's prolly gonna stay that way as unless I get a powder coating setup for myself - there's far too many repaints in it's future to pay anyone else to do it, no matter the method *shrug*
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Re: The Bent Zombie Tribrid Tadpole Trike (build phase)
"Parasitic drag AND a blatant symbol of my utter insanity O.O yer trying to trick me gordangit *shakes fist* Is my "Super Mod" tights and cape not enough? I think they're already watching mine house... Where's my tinfoil lined helmet?!?! "
I wanna see the video when it comes out. I said you were gonna be famous... it might set a record for hits on U tube.
SB
"Parasitic drag AND a blatant symbol of my utter insanity O.O yer trying to trick me gordangit *shakes fist* Is my "Super Mod" tights and cape not enough? I think they're already watching mine house... Where's my tinfoil lined helmet?!?! "
I wanna see the video when it comes out. I said you were gonna be famous... it might set a record for hits on U tube.
SB
Re: The Bent Zombie Tribrid Tadpole Trike (build phase)
SB
I'd buy a couple. They'd make nice gifts for the unsuspecting. What a surprise for Fasteddy and Tinsmith. Gifts that keep on giving and in this case better to give than receive. I think the Barelyawake Recumbent Motorbicycle Beanie has a lot of potential.
SB
Re: The Bent Zombie Tribrid Tadpole Trike (build phase)
LOL, you guys crack me up.
I really do like and might try making a "Beeny-gen"
"New from Dansco, the patent pending beeny-gen. A great gift idea that shows you care about his safety but not about how they look" hmm, have to work on that.
I have yet to try mine but got this powdercoat gun/set up. 10-30 PSI Powder Coating System
The reason I asked, you had said you preferred spray over PCing? Was way back. Actually, I think I asked your advise on that gun.
Just a thought. With your talents, would be a good investment. Also if you ever need, I have all sorts of coupons from HF. Can email em to ya.
For my commuter-mobile design, I copied your rear suspension. each rear wheel will have a motor that rides on a plate above. One electric, the other ICE. Just saying thanks
LOL, you guys crack me up.
I really do like and might try making a "Beeny-gen"
"New from Dansco, the patent pending beeny-gen. A great gift idea that shows you care about his safety but not about how they look" hmm, have to work on that.
I have yet to try mine but got this powdercoat gun/set up. 10-30 PSI Powder Coating System
The reason I asked, you had said you preferred spray over PCing? Was way back. Actually, I think I asked your advise on that gun.
Just a thought. With your talents, would be a good investment. Also if you ever need, I have all sorts of coupons from HF. Can email em to ya.
For my commuter-mobile design, I copied your rear suspension. each rear wheel will have a motor that rides on a plate above. One electric, the other ICE. Just saying thanks
Re: The Bent Zombie Tribrid Tadpole Trike (build phase)
Propeller Beanie??? I can see it now; Geoff hits 40mph, the beanie rotor creates enough lift to take him out of the seat, the trike keeps going forward, Geoff goes 'UP'...
Guess Silver Bear didn't consider the helicopter effect.
Tom
Propeller Beanie??? I can see it now; Geoff hits 40mph, the beanie rotor creates enough lift to take him out of the seat, the trike keeps going forward, Geoff goes 'UP'...
Guess Silver Bear didn't consider the helicopter effect.
Tom
Re: The Bent Zombie Tribrid Tadpole Trike (build phase)
oic - the "Barelyawake Recumbent Motorbicycle Beanie" haz now become the "patent pending Dansco beeny-gen" eh? orly... o.o
I'll see you in kangaroo court fer infringement of deintellectual delusions dangit *shakes beenie*
While it's true that powder coating is a more durable coating if applied properly (factory/manufacturers tend to scrimp) & as a result the fine finish would last longer... no matter the durability I'm gonna inadvertently and even deliberately screw it up - a small detail I often forget when I'm dreaming of impossabru things like "finished project" and "perfection" - rattle can, while inferior in many ways has the advantage of easy spot repair & quick repaints after something like a welded modification.
While that defo a neat lookin' powdercoat gun and I may actually get one (I've a buddy interested too so thanks man!), the issue with powder coating for me is the price to have it done and/or the baking stage for a DIYer unit. A household oven is simply too small for the main chassis/frame, usually the part that would look/benefit the best from it. A "custom" oven is ofc pretty easy to make... the "to do" list is mighty tho & I'm not sure where that 'un ranks ATM...
Tho for small parts it's be awesome... I'll hafta look into that - thanks again Dan
oic - the "Barelyawake Recumbent Motorbicycle Beanie" haz now become the "patent pending Dansco beeny-gen" eh? orly... o.o
I'll see you in kangaroo court fer infringement of deintellectual delusions dangit *shakes beenie*
Blarg, busted - ya caught me out lol TBH it's not a matter of "preference" but practicality, powder coating is superior and I aspire to have my various projects done up "right" but the truth is none of them are ever really "finished" and I use/abuse them constantly...
While it's true that powder coating is a more durable coating if applied properly (factory/manufacturers tend to scrimp) & as a result the fine finish would last longer... no matter the durability I'm gonna inadvertently and even deliberately screw it up - a small detail I often forget when I'm dreaming of impossabru things like "finished project" and "perfection" - rattle can, while inferior in many ways has the advantage of easy spot repair & quick repaints after something like a welded modification.
While that defo a neat lookin' powdercoat gun and I may actually get one (I've a buddy interested too so thanks man!), the issue with powder coating for me is the price to have it done and/or the baking stage for a DIYer unit. A household oven is simply too small for the main chassis/frame, usually the part that would look/benefit the best from it. A "custom" oven is ofc pretty easy to make... the "to do" list is mighty tho & I'm not sure where that 'un ranks ATM...
Tho for small parts it's be awesome... I'll hafta look into that - thanks again Dan
No, ya didn't lol... well no more so than I did, that rear suspension is somewhat commonplace on DIYer taddys - I jus' said "sweet, one less thing I hafta figure out" and welded it on
Re: The Bent Zombie Tribrid Tadpole Trike (build phase)
Well, I gotta admit I dig this pic... but it doesn't show a lil oopsie o'mine, one that set me back a bit;
After I set meself on the taddy, made the vroomie noises & thus greatly amused, wiggling the handlebars & pretending the wheels turned - I thought I'd better actually attach the tie rods & whatnot ta see if the front wheels would actually do their thing...
...and jus' for a lil while, they did! It was awesome lol, the sensitivity/reduction/travel/everything seemed jus' about right - I was greatly impressed w/mineself... then I broked it >.<
Turns out in my haste to get to a rolling chassis that I could actually sit on, I neglected to remember the steering plate & pivot was still jus' in the "mock up" stage, I hadn't "finalized" anything and it was just the bare minimum, tacked together to see what I was getting into & the pivot bolt (which was just sorta superficially welded to the outside of the bracket), sheered right off. Tie rods flopping down & wheels cross eyed, I said "grr" amongst other things & wandered off - takin' a lil break from the project before I busted other stuff.
Wasn't a big deal at all, I hadn't broken anything I didn't need to replace anyway - I jus' got a lil ahead of myself and after a buncha hours put in o'er the weekend, I guess I needed a "break" to think things through... and/or jus' not think about it for a bit lol
While the tack welds were defo not good enough, they did point out where the strain was gonna be & with their sacrificial demise, suggested I may wish to rethink the assembly, drilling right through the bracket I got a much more stout bolt (a motor mount bolt for a 250hp+ outboard outa do it), cut the head off, beveled it to meet the pedal boom receiver and after welding it to the bracket and the receiver - I think that puppy outa hold lol
Since it was all apart anyway, I figured it was time to address some boring cleanup & fitting work I'd been avoiding for other, more exciting stuff (like vroomie noises), trimming the steering plate down so the "shoulders" on the tie rod ends would clear I then lathed up a pretty serious spacer & welded it ferealz to the plate... If that sucker breaks I'm pretty sure I'd not care at all - I'd have some other very major problems preoccupying me, like the brick wall I just hit at speed heh
Well, I gotta admit I dig this pic... but it doesn't show a lil oopsie o'mine, one that set me back a bit;
After I set meself on the taddy, made the vroomie noises & thus greatly amused, wiggling the handlebars & pretending the wheels turned - I thought I'd better actually attach the tie rods & whatnot ta see if the front wheels would actually do their thing...
...and jus' for a lil while, they did! It was awesome lol, the sensitivity/reduction/travel/everything seemed jus' about right - I was greatly impressed w/mineself... then I broked it >.<
Turns out in my haste to get to a rolling chassis that I could actually sit on, I neglected to remember the steering plate & pivot was still jus' in the "mock up" stage, I hadn't "finalized" anything and it was just the bare minimum, tacked together to see what I was getting into & the pivot bolt (which was just sorta superficially welded to the outside of the bracket), sheered right off. Tie rods flopping down & wheels cross eyed, I said "grr" amongst other things & wandered off - takin' a lil break from the project before I busted other stuff.
Wasn't a big deal at all, I hadn't broken anything I didn't need to replace anyway - I jus' got a lil ahead of myself and after a buncha hours put in o'er the weekend, I guess I needed a "break" to think things through... and/or jus' not think about it for a bit lol
While the tack welds were defo not good enough, they did point out where the strain was gonna be & with their sacrificial demise, suggested I may wish to rethink the assembly, drilling right through the bracket I got a much more stout bolt (a motor mount bolt for a 250hp+ outboard outa do it), cut the head off, beveled it to meet the pedal boom receiver and after welding it to the bracket and the receiver - I think that puppy outa hold lol
Since it was all apart anyway, I figured it was time to address some boring cleanup & fitting work I'd been avoiding for other, more exciting stuff (like vroomie noises), trimming the steering plate down so the "shoulders" on the tie rod ends would clear I then lathed up a pretty serious spacer & welded it ferealz to the plate... If that sucker breaks I'm pretty sure I'd not care at all - I'd have some other very major problems preoccupying me, like the brick wall I just hit at speed heh
Re: The Bent Zombie Tribrid Tadpole Trike (build phase)
Well... in case anyone has been wondering "whatever happened w/the progress reports?" & my bit of a prolonged silence...
Ummm... I've been fighting with meself TBH, I got a chance to weigh the "complete" taddy minus engines & batteries and somewhat to my surprise it was only a hair over 49lbs... not bad considering the materials used and the far more complex front end. Yet still, I began to worry a bit...
The critical point being "minus engines and batteries" lol, there's roughly 60lbs worth of engines being bolted to the thing so even without batteries I'm already at the 100lb mark & one of my goals is ofc that it needs to weigh less than a factory moped (usually about 150lbs dry). Interesting challenge given the "extras" incorporated into his experiment, without the electrics I've got 'em licked easy - 49cc four stroke engine vs their two smoker yet still just a bit over 1/2 the total weight... but with the electrics...
Yeah... gettin' a touch hefty erg... I'm getting awful close to weighing the same as a factory moped... (2011 Tomos Streetmate used for comparison: 2011 Tomos Streetmate 45 specifications and pictures)
What to do? Where can I shave off a few more pounds? There's really not much short of starting over from scratch and building the chassis from aluminum or chromoly... but to be honest, not only do I have little to no desire to start over again lol - the weight savings would be comparatively marginal given the chassis itself isn't all that heavy & worse yet, both aluminum and chromoly are far less forgiving for the novice frame builder, let alone flex and fatigue considerations: Tubing Selection for Recumbents: Practical
Where else could I lighten the load? Puzzled, I stared at the thing and realized I'd really covered the bases, everything was already as light as I felt comfortable with & short of drastic changes like swapping the four stroke for a two and/or bailing out on the electrics entirely all I was left with was piddling details like the electric starter for the ICE, which was not only just a pound or so - but actually needed as the drive train is freewheeled so no "bump starting" would be possible... sure, it's got an axillary kick start, but I hafta get off the taddy to use it. Great for an "emergency", not so great for normal use. While "every ounce counts" that isn't even close to being worth the trade off...
What to do? The whole point of this project is maximum efficiency & although I'm sure as a tribrid four stroke/electric/pedal that weighs even as much as a two stroke moped I'll get great mileage... but dangit I want insane mileage lol & the only thing left is the pesky batteries. Four 12 Ah 12 Volt AGM batteries totaling a whopping 33.5lbs - just by themselves only 16lbs shy of the entire rolling chassis weight w/wheels, brakes, seat, full suspension - all of it save the engines themselves
but... not only do I obviously need the batteries or else I'll hafta bail out on the electric aspect entirely, the only other options are... well... either reducing the size of the batteries and thus their AH (making it more likely I'll be hauling dead weight, thus pointless) or going another route entirely and scrapping the SLAs for LiFePO4s, an "option" that's a touch cost prohibitive to say the least... Beset by indecision I took a break from the taddy to mull over the idea for a while.
Eventually & with some help, I came to the conclusion that even if I bailed out on the electric aspect - I'd still have the hub motor and my "excuse" was that I could simply stick it on another bike... catch being? Almost 34lbs of batteries was hardly gonna be any better on two wheels than three...
Ah, ta heck w/it I figured and after discussing a customized (split into two) 48V 15AH V2.5 LiFePO4 Battery Pack with Li Ping I went ahead and ordered 'em *shrug*
As the next "big step" is the construction of the battery trays and those affect so much of the rest of the build (control placement/ergonomics) as well as the wiring harness etc... other than some "little things" like seat & fuel tank mounts - the project is pretty much "on hold" till they get here
Stay tuned - we ain't done yet lol
Well... in case anyone has been wondering "whatever happened w/the progress reports?" & my bit of a prolonged silence...
Ummm... I've been fighting with meself TBH, I got a chance to weigh the "complete" taddy minus engines & batteries and somewhat to my surprise it was only a hair over 49lbs... not bad considering the materials used and the far more complex front end. Yet still, I began to worry a bit...
The critical point being "minus engines and batteries" lol, there's roughly 60lbs worth of engines being bolted to the thing so even without batteries I'm already at the 100lb mark & one of my goals is ofc that it needs to weigh less than a factory moped (usually about 150lbs dry). Interesting challenge given the "extras" incorporated into his experiment, without the electrics I've got 'em licked easy - 49cc four stroke engine vs their two smoker yet still just a bit over 1/2 the total weight... but with the electrics...
Yeah... gettin' a touch hefty erg... I'm getting awful close to weighing the same as a factory moped... (2011 Tomos Streetmate used for comparison: 2011 Tomos Streetmate 45 specifications and pictures)
What to do? Where can I shave off a few more pounds? There's really not much short of starting over from scratch and building the chassis from aluminum or chromoly... but to be honest, not only do I have little to no desire to start over again lol - the weight savings would be comparatively marginal given the chassis itself isn't all that heavy & worse yet, both aluminum and chromoly are far less forgiving for the novice frame builder, let alone flex and fatigue considerations: Tubing Selection for Recumbents: Practical
Where else could I lighten the load? Puzzled, I stared at the thing and realized I'd really covered the bases, everything was already as light as I felt comfortable with & short of drastic changes like swapping the four stroke for a two and/or bailing out on the electrics entirely all I was left with was piddling details like the electric starter for the ICE, which was not only just a pound or so - but actually needed as the drive train is freewheeled so no "bump starting" would be possible... sure, it's got an axillary kick start, but I hafta get off the taddy to use it. Great for an "emergency", not so great for normal use. While "every ounce counts" that isn't even close to being worth the trade off...
What to do? The whole point of this project is maximum efficiency & although I'm sure as a tribrid four stroke/electric/pedal that weighs even as much as a two stroke moped I'll get great mileage... but dangit I want insane mileage lol & the only thing left is the pesky batteries. Four 12 Ah 12 Volt AGM batteries totaling a whopping 33.5lbs - just by themselves only 16lbs shy of the entire rolling chassis weight w/wheels, brakes, seat, full suspension - all of it save the engines themselves
but... not only do I obviously need the batteries or else I'll hafta bail out on the electric aspect entirely, the only other options are... well... either reducing the size of the batteries and thus their AH (making it more likely I'll be hauling dead weight, thus pointless) or going another route entirely and scrapping the SLAs for LiFePO4s, an "option" that's a touch cost prohibitive to say the least... Beset by indecision I took a break from the taddy to mull over the idea for a while.
Eventually & with some help, I came to the conclusion that even if I bailed out on the electric aspect - I'd still have the hub motor and my "excuse" was that I could simply stick it on another bike... catch being? Almost 34lbs of batteries was hardly gonna be any better on two wheels than three...
Ah, ta heck w/it I figured and after discussing a customized (split into two) 48V 15AH V2.5 LiFePO4 Battery Pack with Li Ping I went ahead and ordered 'em *shrug*
As the next "big step" is the construction of the battery trays and those affect so much of the rest of the build (control placement/ergonomics) as well as the wiring harness etc... other than some "little things" like seat & fuel tank mounts - the project is pretty much "on hold" till they get here
Stay tuned - we ain't done yet lol
Re: The Bent Zombie Tribrid Tadpole Trike (build phase)
This setup (as a generator also) might save on battery weight and would save lots of fuel while powering the trike without the ice motor running,lol
YouTube - DDFTTW
This setup (as a generator also) might save on battery weight and would save lots of fuel while powering the trike without the ice motor running,lol
YouTube - DDFTTW
Re: The Bent Zombie Tribrid Tadpole Trike (build phase)
BarelyAwake,
Your right. Batteries are not for the weak of heart. Mine were close to $900 because I went with lithium polymer, 36V, 14 amps.
Been to cold to try it since I finished it but this week end is supposed to be dry and warm so maybe I'll get a chance.
Ping has a good reputation and he services what he sell from all the reports.
I keep going through your build and it looks fantastic.
Sure hope there is video when you have it up and running.
Steve.
BarelyAwake,
Your right. Batteries are not for the weak of heart. Mine were close to $900 because I went with lithium polymer, 36V, 14 amps.
Been to cold to try it since I finished it but this week end is supposed to be dry and warm so maybe I'll get a chance.
Ping has a good reputation and he services what he sell from all the reports.
I keep going through your build and it looks fantastic.
Sure hope there is video when you have it up and running.
Steve.
Re: The Bent Zombie Tribrid Tadpole Trike (build phase)
fasteddy - didja get a chance to test out those new batts? Yea, Ping seems not only all over the net, but getting good reviews too - he's got a ton of 'em on fleabay which woulda been easier and about the same price, but our emails went so well I figured I'd just have them do the custom work.
I'm sure I'll shoot a vid or two when the time comes heh
gstrope - sure, but I'd not suggest waitin' on my review if yer thinkin' of goin' LiFePO4, I'm only gettin' them as so many others have been so pleased lol, not to mention it's still going to be a good while before they actually get here, let alone finishing the taddy
...and speakin' of vids, I had the thought that this one shows quite well why I've gone through all the fuss and bother of a full suspension - after all their "track" looks an awful lot like our wonderful Maine back roads, right?
YouTube - Mad Max Action am Semmering , by Bike Revolution
YouTube - Mad Max evo 1 auf Freecross Downhillstrecke
fasteddy - didja get a chance to test out those new batts? Yea, Ping seems not only all over the net, but getting good reviews too - he's got a ton of 'em on fleabay which woulda been easier and about the same price, but our emails went so well I figured I'd just have them do the custom work.
I'm sure I'll shoot a vid or two when the time comes heh
gstrope - sure, but I'd not suggest waitin' on my review if yer thinkin' of goin' LiFePO4, I'm only gettin' them as so many others have been so pleased lol, not to mention it's still going to be a good while before they actually get here, let alone finishing the taddy
...and speakin' of vids, I had the thought that this one shows quite well why I've gone through all the fuss and bother of a full suspension - after all their "track" looks an awful lot like our wonderful Maine back roads, right?
YouTube - Mad Max Action am Semmering , by Bike Revolution
YouTube - Mad Max evo 1 auf Freecross Downhillstrecke
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Re: The Bent Zombie Tribrid Tadpole Trike (build phase)
BarelyAWake,
I haven't tried them as yet. Waiting for perfect weather because my old pal Art Riteus insists on it.
Will be out tomorrow because they say it is going to be as good as it gets this time of year. Just have to see if my plan worked out ok or I'm in for a rebuild.
Have you checked Endless-Sphere for a battery build? some of the fellas there are building them and it seems that Li Ping is doing a great job and if there is a problem he stands behind his batteries with great service.
Yes, the back woods roads of Maine. What fond memories and if I remember right you should be in frost heave season right now.
Steve.
BarelyAWake,
I haven't tried them as yet. Waiting for perfect weather because my old pal Art Riteus insists on it.
Will be out tomorrow because they say it is going to be as good as it gets this time of year. Just have to see if my plan worked out ok or I'm in for a rebuild.
Have you checked Endless-Sphere for a battery build? some of the fellas there are building them and it seems that Li Ping is doing a great job and if there is a problem he stands behind his batteries with great service.
Yes, the back woods roads of Maine. What fond memories and if I remember right you should be in frost heave season right now.
Steve.
Re: The Bent Zombie Tribrid Tadpole Trike (build phase)
Oh yeah we're defo in the height of frost heave & plow damage season as it's still too early to repair anything, whole sections of road are pretty much "gone" - with the road itself broken into chunks like cobblestones. The problem is those chunks get snagged by the plow and torn up, particularly on the shoulders so it's quite exciting ATM lol
Thing is, Maine does actually take really good care of the roads because of the extreme seasonal damage, while the roads are rough - if they didn't do anything for as little as two years or so, we'd have no roads at all... problem is they've been slacking a bit the past couple years, patching or ignoring instead of repaving like they normally did. Maine has always had economic issues, I s'pose this is inevitable what w/that and oil price increases *shrug* is ok tho - I like dirt roads heh
Well... after sorting out the seat & fuel tank mounts (thus "finalizing" the seat location, finally lol) & getting some temporary el'cheapo pedals jus' ta have a place to put mine feets - I set the taddy on the floor again to be able to sit on it & to run through the list o'stuff it effects one last time...
...and now that things are welded up, I had the thought some "bounce tests" were in order heh
sooo... standing on the upper shock mounts I jumped up & down like a madman, fortunately everythin' held together (and no one saw mine foolishness lol) and while I was quite satisfied with it's travel & bound/rebound, I did notice an unfortunate peculiarity... seems I've overlooked an aspect of my steering geometry
As the suspension compresses the distance from the spindles to the steering plate increases resulting in toe out, the front wheels doing this: \--/ instead of this: |--| ... while it's not as bad as the example, it's still a consideration I need to look into... and I'm not really sure at this point what to do about it. At first I thought it was the angle at which I had the tie rods as they're not parallel with the suspension, but then I realized that'd not effect the change in length. I then thought it's prolly because my steering plate is so low in comparison to the spindles, but no... if the plate was the same level as the spindles there'd still be an increase in distance during compression...
urg... I'm not sure there is a solution TBH, it may well be the nature of the beast in this application, I do have quite a bit of travel. Still, I'm gonna do some more testing with the shocks depressurized *shrug* I've also not bothered to do a proper toe in alignment yet, the tie rod lengths are jus' ballparked... it could be that if I simply preset a touch of toe in to compensate it'll be fine... mebbe lol
We'll see I s'pose heh
hmm... seems I've not taken any pics of the toe in/out well... here's a better profile pic & one of the tie rod angles anyway;
Oh yeah we're defo in the height of frost heave & plow damage season as it's still too early to repair anything, whole sections of road are pretty much "gone" - with the road itself broken into chunks like cobblestones. The problem is those chunks get snagged by the plow and torn up, particularly on the shoulders so it's quite exciting ATM lol
Thing is, Maine does actually take really good care of the roads because of the extreme seasonal damage, while the roads are rough - if they didn't do anything for as little as two years or so, we'd have no roads at all... problem is they've been slacking a bit the past couple years, patching or ignoring instead of repaving like they normally did. Maine has always had economic issues, I s'pose this is inevitable what w/that and oil price increases *shrug* is ok tho - I like dirt roads heh
Well... after sorting out the seat & fuel tank mounts (thus "finalizing" the seat location, finally lol) & getting some temporary el'cheapo pedals jus' ta have a place to put mine feets - I set the taddy on the floor again to be able to sit on it & to run through the list o'stuff it effects one last time...
...and now that things are welded up, I had the thought some "bounce tests" were in order heh
sooo... standing on the upper shock mounts I jumped up & down like a madman, fortunately everythin' held together (and no one saw mine foolishness lol) and while I was quite satisfied with it's travel & bound/rebound, I did notice an unfortunate peculiarity... seems I've overlooked an aspect of my steering geometry
As the suspension compresses the distance from the spindles to the steering plate increases resulting in toe out, the front wheels doing this: \--/ instead of this: |--| ... while it's not as bad as the example, it's still a consideration I need to look into... and I'm not really sure at this point what to do about it. At first I thought it was the angle at which I had the tie rods as they're not parallel with the suspension, but then I realized that'd not effect the change in length. I then thought it's prolly because my steering plate is so low in comparison to the spindles, but no... if the plate was the same level as the spindles there'd still be an increase in distance during compression...
urg... I'm not sure there is a solution TBH, it may well be the nature of the beast in this application, I do have quite a bit of travel. Still, I'm gonna do some more testing with the shocks depressurized *shrug* I've also not bothered to do a proper toe in alignment yet, the tie rod lengths are jus' ballparked... it could be that if I simply preset a touch of toe in to compensate it'll be fine... mebbe lol
We'll see I s'pose heh
hmm... seems I've not taken any pics of the toe in/out
well... here's a better profile pic & one of the tie rod angles anyway;
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Re: The Bent Zombie Tribrid Tadpole Trike (build phase)
And again BA, wow! Purty work. Has show room finish quality.
And again BA, wow! Purty work. Has show room finish quality.
Re: The Bent Zombie Tribrid Tadpole Trike (build phase)
Thanks Dan - tho TBH it's defo not "showroom" as I've not even pretended to care about paint n'stuff yet lol, I jus' squirt some on to prevent rust w/o even sanding/cleaning anything - when I eventually stop settin' the paint on fire & grinding stuff I'll try and make it purdy, for now I guess it fools the cam... but thanks jus' the same!
However, speaking of "showrooms" I did mebbe take o'er the basement a lil heh;
...and here's a vid of someone else performing the highly technical, professional "bounce test" I mentioned in a previous post lol http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEPylEAZOXY
As for my lil toe out/bump steer problem... it seems I've made an error so fundamental it's a lil embarrassing, fortunately it's a pretty easy fix. Digging around the 'net I found this helpful link: bumpsteer and while my upper & lower A arms aren't of different lengths, the concept is the same and my mistake obvious.
The pivot points of the tie rod ends need to be on the same axis as the A arm's pivots, as you can see in these pics, my spindles are fine but my steering plate is flawed (green lines are where they should be, red is error);
soo... I get to modify the steering plate again & widen it a bit, which while tedious given I wanna move on to other bits already - it's really no problem at all and actually helps with other stuff like better center boom clearance & lessened angles *shrug* At least I don't hafta mess w/the spindles again lol
edit: Oh right - jus' as a FYI I'll be replacing all of the nuts w/nylocs ofc, I didn't use them for now (and just double nutted the plate's pivot bolt too) just because I've been assembling & disassembling it so frequently & nylocs are not only a pain, but I'd wear them out - I figure there's no point in usin' them until the construction phase is over
Thanks Dan - tho TBH it's defo not "showroom" as I've not even pretended to care about paint n'stuff yet lol, I jus' squirt some on to prevent rust w/o even sanding/cleaning anything - when I eventually stop settin' the paint on fire & grinding stuff I'll try and make it purdy, for now I guess it fools the cam... but thanks jus' the same!
However, speaking of "showrooms" I did mebbe take o'er the basement a lil heh;
...and here's a vid of someone else performing the highly technical, professional "bounce test" I mentioned in a previous post lol http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEPylEAZOXY
As for my lil toe out/bump steer problem... it seems I've made an error so fundamental it's a lil embarrassing, fortunately it's a pretty easy fix. Digging around the 'net I found this helpful link: bumpsteer and while my upper & lower A arms aren't of different lengths, the concept is the same and my mistake obvious.
The pivot points of the tie rod ends need to be on the same axis as the A arm's pivots, as you can see in these pics, my spindles are fine but my steering plate is flawed (green lines are where they should be, red is error);
soo... I get to modify the steering plate again & widen it a bit, which while tedious given I wanna move on to other bits already - it's really no problem at all and actually helps with other stuff like better center boom clearance & lessened angles *shrug* At least I don't hafta mess w/the spindles again lol
edit: Oh right - jus' as a FYI I'll be replacing all of the nuts w/nylocs ofc, I didn't use them for now (and just double nutted the plate's pivot bolt too) just because I've been assembling & disassembling it so frequently & nylocs are not only a pain, but I'd wear them out - I figure there's no point in usin' them until the construction phase is over
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