"the prussian" Shop Dogs
New Member
There are dozens of conversion kits out there on ebay and from a buch of diff dealers.
Just on word of warning "crome don't get you home" so stear clear of the "lowrider type" there made cheaply and sell for just as much as the kits made for people with limited mobility.
The two basic types are ,cantlever or bolt on and some cross over useing both.
I fab my own so i can't say i've ever bought one but heres a pic of the one i ripp off.
http://db.tt/9H3KaOl
I'll try and find the supplier for you asap
Just on word of warning "crome don't get you home" so stear clear of the "lowrider type" there made cheaply and sell for just as much as the kits made for people with limited mobility.
The two basic types are ,cantlever or bolt on and some cross over useing both.
I fab my own so i can't say i've ever bought one but heres a pic of the one i ripp off.
http://db.tt/9H3KaOl
I'll try and find the supplier for you asap
btjplumber
New Member
I recently built a bolt on trike conversion using 1 1/4 incn black pipe and bearings from tractor supply. I used 5/8 solid round bar for axle and ground keyway with grinder. My question is how did you make your wheels and attach them?
"the prussian" Shop Dogs
New Member
I aplogize for my lack of info ,i just switched from pc to apple and have yet to recover alot of stuff.
The last trike i made for a guy in madison we found 26 inch wheels from a garden cart supplyer in vermont . The wheel is hollow core with 3/4 inch roller berrings. So thats the main diff 3/4 vs 5/8 inch axle . Now we did it to save cash ,if your in a better cash brackett you can check out used wheel chair wheels from a medical supply place.
They generaly have 5/8 berrings,and some have great cap nuts and roller washers, yep you read that right roller washers. And some other cool parts like the parking brake .
I have a tendency to make as much of the gear as i can myself , so the bikes end up as one offs ,that can be a real bother if you plan to sell the bike when your done with it but will deff save you some serious cash in production.
I like to use a combo of cantalever and bolt on tech for rear triangle and generaly make the drive sprocketts out of old coaster brake parts .
For the most part the 44 tooth sprocket from kit fits cheap hubs then you just need to grind the locator ears off a rear coaster brake sprocket and then weld the two new sprockets to hub , but use a dial ind. Or you'll never get them straight.
I set up the lathe with two live centers and lett the hub self center on the berrings, then run ind. On spoke flange to figure out if it's true.
This step is prob the hardest part of the whole project , and I'll be glad to help you make up the parts if you pay for shipping ( I almost never charge guys from the forum for labor) sorry for the long winded answer ,hope it was some help.
The last trike i made for a guy in madison we found 26 inch wheels from a garden cart supplyer in vermont . The wheel is hollow core with 3/4 inch roller berrings. So thats the main diff 3/4 vs 5/8 inch axle . Now we did it to save cash ,if your in a better cash brackett you can check out used wheel chair wheels from a medical supply place.
They generaly have 5/8 berrings,and some have great cap nuts and roller washers, yep you read that right roller washers. And some other cool parts like the parking brake .
I have a tendency to make as much of the gear as i can myself , so the bikes end up as one offs ,that can be a real bother if you plan to sell the bike when your done with it but will deff save you some serious cash in production.
I like to use a combo of cantalever and bolt on tech for rear triangle and generaly make the drive sprocketts out of old coaster brake parts .
For the most part the 44 tooth sprocket from kit fits cheap hubs then you just need to grind the locator ears off a rear coaster brake sprocket and then weld the two new sprockets to hub , but use a dial ind. Or you'll never get them straight.
I set up the lathe with two live centers and lett the hub self center on the berrings, then run ind. On spoke flange to figure out if it's true.
This step is prob the hardest part of the whole project , and I'll be glad to help you make up the parts if you pay for shipping ( I almost never charge guys from the forum for labor) sorry for the long winded answer ,hope it was some help.
"the prussian" Shop Dogs
New Member
Never really answered the axle connection question, sorry scatterbrain duh.
I made a little indexing device that holds the flange for offset drilling.
The cheap plastic wheels from northern tool have good hubs but you need to drop steel spacers into areas of hub around to beef up the conection and keep wheel from spinning out of alignment . The garden cart wheels are steel hubs ,there I just drilled thru the whole hub (useing the same index device) and bolted her together. Just buy quality bolts and you'll be fine.
Getting the drive flange welded to the axle is an operation I also set up on lathe to get it as square as poss. Just one word of warrning dont let splater from welding hit the lathe rails or you'll be sanding or grinding for a spell, i just cover up the lathe with my leathers,and only do quick spot welds.
It's starting to hack me off that i can't get any photos off old pc as I've got shots of most of these operations ??? Oh well
I made a little indexing device that holds the flange for offset drilling.
The cheap plastic wheels from northern tool have good hubs but you need to drop steel spacers into areas of hub around to beef up the conection and keep wheel from spinning out of alignment . The garden cart wheels are steel hubs ,there I just drilled thru the whole hub (useing the same index device) and bolted her together. Just buy quality bolts and you'll be fine.
Getting the drive flange welded to the axle is an operation I also set up on lathe to get it as square as poss. Just one word of warrning dont let splater from welding hit the lathe rails or you'll be sanding or grinding for a spell, i just cover up the lathe with my leathers,and only do quick spot welds.
It's starting to hack me off that i can't get any photos off old pc as I've got shots of most of these operations ??? Oh well
fatdaddy
New Member
I got my rear unit off e-bay for about $150.00 plus tax & shipping. This did NOT come with hubs and bearings. For those, Check out Niagara Cycle Works,( They are VERY forthcoming with help) Then you lace your wheels to the hubs, Bolt the axle drive side to the drive hub, Work out where you need your final drive sprocket to be and your almost there. If my camera was working I'd send some pic's. I just got mine on the road and it's a blast. One word of caution... Make sure you add extra bracing from the frame to the rear unit. For a simple peddle bike this is not needed. For a bike thats going to do 30mph it is highly recomended. And, Oh yeah, NO SHARP TURNS. Ya can't really lean on a three wheeler and it WILL flip on ya.
Hope I've been of some help. Let me know how things work out for you.
Thanks, Fatdaddyred
Hope I've been of some help. Let me know how things work out for you.
Thanks, Fatdaddyred
chainmaker
Well-Known Member
fatdaddy
New Member
Thats very cool, But if you want something different ya gotta build your own. a lot of companies sell a standard wheel, and a lot of bikers want a standard wheel. I REALLY wanted to build a FAT tire bike. So I had to lace my own hubs to 4 1/4" wide 24" OCC chopper rear rims & tires.
Thanks for the info though, My next one will most likely be one with standard size wheels. Building your own wheel is a real pain in the you know what. I built this one for me, The next one will be for sale so I'll take it the easier way and just order wheels.
Thanks,
Fatdaddyred.
Thanks for the info though, My next one will most likely be one with standard size wheels. Building your own wheel is a real pain in the you know what. I built this one for me, The next one will be for sale so I'll take it the easier way and just order wheels.
Thanks,
Fatdaddyred.
btjplumber
New Member
I'd like to see what it looks like. I really want to build a OCC trike with the fat wheels. I'm just waiting to find parts within my budget, I'm patient and I know they will come though. I prefer to build things myself over buying them because I get satisfaction from it. Anyone can go buy cool stuff. My bikes all express my individuality.
"the prussian" Shop Dogs
New Member
I have been working on a siton tadpole
http://db.tt/xY0fpt8
The hardest part to make is the spindle that holds the wheels at the correct cant angle.
I started from scratch ,but you can get a pre made spindle from northern tool and various gocart places. Building a recumbent tadpole is all about the correct math and rider body poss. Not easy but super cool if you pull it off.
http://db.tt/xY0fpt8
The hardest part to make is the spindle that holds the wheels at the correct cant angle.
I started from scratch ,but you can get a pre made spindle from northern tool and various gocart places. Building a recumbent tadpole is all about the correct math and rider body poss. Not easy but super cool if you pull it off.