Unfortunately, a lot of the robots I’ve been working on are for a lab, meaning I cannot post them.So I’d like to share a project my brother and I did, because if any of you didn’t know that Power Wheels racing was a thing, I figured you’d like to.
I’ve never been to a maker fair, but if this isn’t a compelling reason to go, I don’t know what is.We searched craigslist for a cheap Power Wheels toy, and then bolted the rear end of another kids toy, an electric dirt bike, onto the back.That, some tire upgrades, and some paint, and we were basically done.
I don’t even know when we’ll get a chance to compete, but it’s quite entertaining to just ride around.Totally twitchy at speed, and the narrow track makes it difficult to corner tight.All-in-all, a blast.
You might consider adding some toe-in on the front tires. It will increase friction, but, it will decrease the twitchiness of the vehicle. Also, when I say some, I mean 1/16" or so. You would want both very close to the same otherwise it will pull.
Great job you guys did. Some hack and slash work going on there. Reminds me of when I put the Yamaha MX360 Dirt Bike motor on the go-cart, front end wouldnt stay on the ground. Good Work…
Drill a set of shims offset and tack them in place such that both wheels toe in, or, adjust the steering bar.
Thinking about it, adding toe-in may not be beneficial. In fact it might really hurt. Ackerman steering pivots the wheels near each wheel. Your setup pivots the wheels at half the track. The alignment adjustment I’m suggesting could dump the rider.
Making the shims would be easy though. Solid rod placed at an accurate offset angle and drilled through should allow repeatable parts. I would suggest marking the center of your axial(?) drill hole so you can align the toe adjustment properly.
Their project is a pretty bold one, not to mention it is quite original. Power Wheels racing was extremely appreciated among adrenaline enthusiasts. They might think about using some of the caster wheels they find here accesscasters.com and who knows maybe this will give them the competitive edge needed to complete and win the race.
