Building a Tank

[Max Lenox]

Hello folks! I have wanted a tank for sooo long. Then I got a go-cart for Christmas. I would like to turn it into a two person tank. Some of the problems though is that it has a "Dead" Axle which means the motor only powers one wheel. I would like to make this a live axle so that it would get better traction. Another problem is that it has a centrifugal clutch. It pretty much burns out going up hill in dirt and some times on flat land. So I need some advice to get this thing to tackle the hills. The motor is 6.5 Hp I think so it has plenty of power just not enough torque. Any advice?
This cart is pretty small but I think It could fit two people.

Photobucket takes a while to upload pictures I will post them soon!






























That would be it!

[socoj2]

Going to be rough on that because its a pretty small frame. and for 2 people. 6.5 is under powered for hills and the ammount of weight you are going to add to it.

[Max Lenox]

Well i was thinking about going simple...cover it with netting and have some one sit next to me or stand on or in the back with a hand held rpg and a double trouble.

[tate0301]

It's gonna be rough man. Its underpowered, and with only netting you and everything in the tank will be completely soaked with paint. You better look into windshield wipers for your goggles lol.

[JesterTLS]

Cant help you one the mechanical side of things, but the way I'd go with it, is making it a "fast attack" car. I say one person only, with a gun mounted in front where you can shoot when your stopped. And I would say to save on weight, just net her in and go from there.

You dont necesarily have to have an anti tank gun. You could go anti personnel only. It would save weight and room. Or some kind of small LAW if you want anti tank.

Small vehicle = small target.

[Tradeguy]

Originally Posted by Max Lenox

Well i was thinking about going simple...cover it with netting and have some one sit next to me or stand on or in the back with a hand held rpg and a double trouble.

Lots of netting will work fine - if you use good nettting or screening (try something like this: SUPER SCREEN The Only Indestructible Screen Mesh. 10 yr Warranty. ), most breaks will happen on the hard surfaces, few on the screening itself. Also, super-screen is tough enough for you to just zip-tie it to your frame without tearing during use. In any case, you have no choice but to keep it light - A little spray won't hurt you, and you'll maximize your visibility.

How were you going to configure it? I'd be inclined to consider the second gunner in a standing position in the back, with 360 degree gun ports. As the driver, you really can't be an effective shooter, and anyone sitting next to you will be cramped with limited shooting angles. But a guy standing over you off the back end could shoot in any direction, plus handle either a small hand-held LAWS or a forward facing LAWS mounted off your roof.

Here's is a tank a lot like yours...

[Max Lenox]

Thanks for all of the help! Do you kow where i could get some more info on that tank? It looks like it is at bearclaw...

[Tradeguy]

Originally Posted by Max Lenox

Thanks for all of the help! Do you kow where i could get some more info on that tank? It looks like it is at bearclaw...

Wish I could help you, but I've been collecting tank pics for years...I have no idea where the pic came from, who's tank it is, or where the pic was taken.

[ace007]

I can't help you with the clutch, but I bet there's a go-cart racing shop around that can help you. Might check with Northern Hydraulics & see if they can advise you there-- I believe the one around here sells go-cart parts.

As for the dead axel--if literally dead then you must have a chain running straight to the wheel, but that really doesn't matter for my suggestion.

Most likely your wheel hubs are made to fit an axel with a "key" in it. Your axel may even have the key slot already there. If the wheels have the square notch already there, then in theory, all you have to do is get someone to mill you a key slot in your axel. You can buy key stock at home depot. I think they keep it in a drawer near the screws & such--ask a salesperson.

So anyway, you are basically tying the wheel to the axel through square key stock. You can & should do the other back wheel too.

Now, perhaps easier to do, but probably more expensive,would be to measure your axel diameter and simply replace anything not already made to accept the key stock I'm talking about (Wheels and / or axel). Again, Northern Hydraulics would be a good store to start with for the replacement parts.

With a little luck, all you need to do is buy the key stock & slide it in to both wheels.

Good luck!

[MrWizard]

Converting a stub driven wheel go-cart to a live axle is a non trivial proocess. First problem is most live axles are narrower and center driven and you can't gear it down much more than it is now.

The option I have settled on if I ever do it (I have a manco stub drive) is to use a live axle as a jack shaft to drive a stub wheel on each end. Here you can gear it down for hill torque and lower speed and use a center mounted disc brake. You'll still have to move the motor mount and stuff.