On Mon, 28 May 2012 12:48:02 -0500, Tim Wescott
wrote:

On Sat, 26 May 2012 12:36:18 -0500, Ignoramus30279 wrote:

On 2012-05-26, Dave__67 wrote:
On May 26, 10:08?am, Ignoramus30279 ignoramus30...@NOSPAM.
30279.invalid wrote:
Someone gifted me a go cart frame, with steering wheel, pedals and
road wheels. It so happens that my 11 year old wants one.

I have a Honda horizontal engine.

I would like to see if I can find some product that combines a few go
cart related functions, like a transmission, with forward, reverse,
and neutral, and, as a bonus, braking.

Anyone can recommend something?

i

Go-kart specific bits rarely have anything other than a centrifugal
clutch right on the crankshaft, so you are immediately into riding
mower/tractor territory.

How fast should it go, and what size engine are you going to put on it?
Will it be used for a lot of stop-and-go or mainly 'track' duty?

You can make it crazy quick and get an auto-clutch and reverse if you
find the right quad engine.

It will be used by a 11 year old and possibly by 6 year old, so, I would
say, it should go 10 MPH tops.

I can't help you with brakes, but for the "transmission" just use a
centrifugal clutch with fixed (low) gearing. Kid pushes on the loud
pedal -- cart goes.

If you want them to be ready for real cars, do it the lawnmower way, with
an idler pulley that tensions the drive belt when they let of the pedal.
Then you won't have to find a centrifugal clutch, and their cart will be
more manly.

For safety on a kid's cart you can do it the other way. Press on the
clutch pedal to go. Release the pedal to loosen the belt and apply the
brake. A commom brake on simple carts years ago was a heavy V-belt
pulley on the rear axle with a length of belt wrapped around it that
was tightened by stepping on the brake pedal (or pulling a brake
handle), wrapping it into the pulley.

If you're home-building this and you don't want to spend much on brakes,
just weld up a pair of steel plates that scrub on the rear wheels and
don't let them ride when it's wet out. Or scarf something off of a lawn
tractor.