How to build a vehicle

that will let you ride in

comfort where even walking
would be difficult—

The
Three-
Wheeled T HE one place it makes no sense
to drive this handy little vehicle is
on the road. When the load ends,
Desert it comes into its own. Unload its 200
pounds from station wagon or trailer,
crank up the geared-down, 4-1/2-hp. en-

Scout gine, and it'll carry you just about any-

where you want to go—through country
lanes, cow pastures, swamps and bogs,
over out-of-the-way beaches, or deep into
By V. Lee Oertle the desert.
New fat tires are the secret of its go-
anywhereness. They're a full 12" wide
across the tread, 16" in diameter. This
broad, flat footing gives the buggy a
sure grip wherever you go. For sand or
soft earth, you carry only two pounds of
air in each tire. Where you need greatest
traction, fill them with water to add
weight.
Goodyear dealers can order the Terra-
Tires for you at about $35 each. Price
is expected to drop. Wheels are available
from Hadco Engineering Co., Los An-
geles, Calif., or from Geneva Wheel Co.,
Geneva, Ohio.
Gelling ready to roll. The two rear
wheels are keyed to a 1" axle. 60" long,
to provide a wide tread for stability on
hills. The ends of the axle are shouldered
to 3/4", threaded and slotted for the keys
that lock the wheels in place.
The front wheel is mounted on a yoke
—as on a tricycle. The three wheels stay
in contact with the most uneven ground,
eliminating any tendency for the frame
to twist. The single front wheel simpli-
fies construction and handling.
Chalk the outline of the frame on a
smooth floor, and sit down where you've
drawn the seat. If the dimensions given
LOAD THE BUGGY into a station
wagon to carry it over the road.
A couple of two-by-fours serve
as an unloading ramp at road's
end. A sprocket-and-chain drive
(below) steps up the 4-1/2-hp.
engine's torque, enabling it to
haul two people with ease.

don't suit your leg length, tailor the rear-axle bearings, motor-mounting plate,
buggy to your size by making the side and jackshaft supports were also welded
members shorter or longer. in place at this time.
Starting the buggy. Cut the frame On a second visit, I had the floor pan,
pieces from rectangular steel tubing. Fit steering sleeve, and bushings for the
them together on the floor, mark them, brake and throttle arm welded to the
and take them to a welder. It cost me frame. These had been cut and fitted be-
only $18 to have the frame expertly heli- tween visits to the shop.
arced together. The seat back, armrests, I also had the welder bend the front-
MOUNT REAR WHEELS on axle and check inside SIMPLE TILLER steers front wheel. Sleeve is
clearance before cutting frame parts. Rectan- welded in vertical position to front of frame,
gular steel tubing was chosen for maximum braced securely with steel gussets. Telescoping
rigidity, but round tubing could be used. steering arm fits over tiller shaft.

wheel yoke from a length of husky 3/8"- frame. Bearings were setscrewed to the
by-2" hot-rolled .steel. I held the 1" tiller rod at each end of the sleeve.
rod in position while he butt-welded it to The front wheel rolls on sealed bearings
the center of the yoke. A steering arm of pressed into the hub. It is mounted on a
l"-i.d. steel tubing is pinned to the tiller 1" axle bolted across the open end of the
with a bolt and wingnut. Bolt holes spaced yoke.
at intervals along the tiller permit ad- Adding the horses. Any four-cycle en-
justment of steering-arm length. gine in the 4- to 7-horsepower class will
The 1" tiller rod turns in a sleeve drive the buggy efficiently. I found a good
welded through a hole in the front of the used 4-1/2-hp. engine for $50.

JACKSHAFT between the engine SPLIT-AXLE SPROCKETS speed CALIPER BRAKE, sold in kart
and rear axle allows fast chang- drive-ratio change-over. Seg- shops, stops disk on jackshaft,
ing of sprockets to suit a variety ments of various diameters bolt effectively braking both rear
of operating conditions. Disk on hub keyed to axle. Two wheels. Short linkage actuated
for the caliper brake is also sprockets can be mounted on by a hand lever at side of buggy
mounted on this shaft. hub for use with double chain. operates the calipers.
 A shoe-type clutch could be used but
might overheat when pulling over loose
turf and sand. A fluid clutch can
be bought from Bowlus Engineering,
Pacoima, Calif.
You can run drive chains direct from
the clutch to the rear axle, but this isn't
advisable. The use of a jackshaft provides
more flexibility in setting up drive ratios
and lets you mount the brake clear of
sand and water.
Kart shops stock a variety of caliper-
type brakes. Some work mechanically and
some are hydraulically assisted. I chose
FLEXIBLE CABLE connects throttle control to car- the mechanical type for simplicity—a
buretor. Compression spring slipped on cable narrow disk about 5" in diameter that is
between housing and linkage returns carbu- mounted on the jackshaft. When the
retor to idle when throttle is released. brake is applied, a caliper squeezes
against the disk.
Riding soft. To absorb the shocks of
driving in rough country, double
sprockets and a double-row No. 35 chain
were used on the jackshaft and axle.
These I obtained from Bug Engineering.
Irwindale, Calif. Single sprockets and
chain were used between the engine and
jackshaft, since the fluid clutch smooths
out much of the impact.
By varying the number of teeth on the
axle and jackshaft sprockets, you can get
a wide range of drive ratios. For flat ter-
rain or beach sand, a 10:1 ratio will push
the buggy along at about 18 m.p.h. For
climbing and rough-country use, a 20:1
ratio will provide all the power you need;
but top speed will be between 8 and 14
m.p.h. Even though speed is reduced, the
TO CUSHION ANY JOLTS that aren't absorbed by
extra power allows more fun. It's like
the pillow-like tires, thick foam rubber pads driving a bulldozer. You feel that no ob-
the seat and back rest. Cover foam with plastic stacle can impede your progress. To
or other durable upholstery material. achieve this ratio, I used this combination
of sprockets: 13-tooth on the engine. 36-
FOR ROUGH GOING, tires can be filled with wa- tooth on the jackshaft, 10-tooth on the
ter. Use a tractor's valve fitting attached to a output end of the jackshaft, and 72-tooth
garden hose. The extra weight provides greater on the axle.
traction and reduces bounce.
Making it go. Controls are simple and
can be operated with one hand. Push
down on the lever—or pull it up—to apply
the brakes. Twist a motorcycle-type
throttle on the end of the lever to gun
the engine. The fluid clutch automatically
engages and disengages the engine from
the drive train.
A guard mounted over the sprockets
and chain is good insurance against acci-
dental injury, especially over rough
ground. This could be quickly shaped
from thin plywood or hardboard. • •