help with trike ideas

[Sandman-bm]

Me an EXPERT ??????
I know a little about lots of things and a lot about almost nothing
but I confess as an engineer that when I screw up, its with total precision, just like today bending my seat rails, one bend 180 degrees out .
regards
John

 

[voyager]

@stuee147


This might give you a few ideas stuee


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONj_XG7luP4&feature=youtu.be


regards emma

 

[stuee147]

thanks emma thats quite a good video and it has given me a few ideas lol

i have been busy iv made mk2 folderble so i can now get in and out the house a bit easier it now takes me 5 min to get my trike in or out where as it used to take 20 to 30 mins each time lol i didnt manage to get any pics as i was doing it but iv got a couple of how it is now .

wheels folded in i used horse box hinges made of 5mm steel plate welded onto the boom arms.
then iv welded on a bit of 6mm plate on the back of the booms so when the wheels are in position they rest tight on the 6mm plate and get bolted threw

iv used the axles from some old pedals as the bolts that hold the booms into place firstly as they are very strong bolts that should be able to take the strain but also the bolts have a conned area at the end (where the bearings would sit) and so has the bolt and iv drilled the holes in the boom out so they match the coned area and so when the bolts (one on either boom) are tightened the conned area pulls the booms together ensuring its all in alignment

it all seems to work well iv also got hold of a QR balljoint that iv fitted onto one end of the track rod so i can detach it and it folds along the wheel out of the way.
its made it so much better and easier to get in and out the house. the only problem i have is when the wheels are folded they end up at a bit of a weried angle it all rolls well and works well but i cant just fold the wheels in without holding the frame as it tends to fall over unless i open one side of the boom to help stabalize it.


mk3 is on its way keep an eye out for posts and pics hopefully coming soon hopefully

 

[paul fellows]

Stuee have you or anyone else considered a trike with:
One wheel at the back for power.
One Wheel at the font, that is not positively steered, but instead is like the front wheel of a bike being ridden 'no hands'.
The brakes for these wheels and gear changers are mounted on a fixed handle bar that is part of he frame.
the seat would be mounted of to the side of the frame on a length of box section, I know this will mean a bit of redesign work for the drive train. But it means that the space in front of the seat is clear.
The third 'outrigger wheel' will be on the end of a beam that fits securely but removable into the box section. this wheel will have direct positive steering by means of handle bar wit the brake for that wheel.

With the outrigger of it would be a bit wider than a normal bent, with it on it would be more stable than a delta. It will be easier to mount than just about any other trike.

because of what is known as positive castor, the front wheel will have to follow the correct stearing line set by the steered outrigger wheel.

 

[stuee147]

@paul fellows im not entirely sure i have what your trying to describe do you mean sort of a 2 wheel recumbent with a 3rd wheel set off to the side of the main 2 and the seat sat off to the side of the main set of wheels ?
i sort of know what you mean about the steering there are a few designs that iv been playing with that use tilt steering normally with a sort of fixed under-seat handlebars that you use to balance your weight rather than steer and similar concepts but due to the lack of work space and professional tools im a bit stuck when it comes to making custom parts, so far both my trikes have been built with a welder an angle grinder and a drill, with a few old hand tools thrown in. but now im in my new place i have a workshop and so hopefully ill have a good workshop kitted out (penny's allowing lol) so keep an eye out for my MK3 which is on its way lol

 

[paul fellows]

yes on the wheels. no on the steering, the side wheel dose the steering and the front wheel follows the right line because of the caster effect. not by leaning ( sorry about that, i can see how i mislead you).

 

[stuee147]

Lol I think it's more I struggle with written words a bit I'm better if I can see something if you know what I mean.
I think there could be issues with wheel alignment and tyre scrubbing but I could be wrong also if the rear wheel isn't in the centre of the front wheels then it would cause some form of sideways force on a wheel not in the correct alignment how much force iv not got a clue but over time and distance I think it could become a problem.
There are folk on here with a lot more knowledge and experience than me I'm sure someone will know better if it can be done

 

[voyager]

Hi Stuee

where theres a will as they say , looks a good modification to keep you going whilst you start on the mklll

regards emma

 

[stuee147]

Yea I'm getting there slowly but I'm getting there iv had no real problems with the folding mod apart from after 3 weeks of use one of the booms fell off when I had it folded but that was my fault as I'd only put a couple of tack welds on to test but I was to lazy to strip it down and weld it properly but now it is welded up right its all good and iv done about 120 miles on it so far and the hinges and booms are all as they are ment to be.
The MK3 is coming along well iv used the same hinges but this time it's just one bolt that holds both sides together and to help with weight and bulk of the build iv gone for a titanium bolt so it should hold up well. As soon as I have worked out how to get url thingys for the pics I'll start a new thread about MK3.

 

[paul fellows]

Stuee could you not use something like this chaps leaning mechanism to fold one of your front wheels up above the seat, and the other down below the pedals

.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3ukGxQN4wk&feature=share&list=FLYKeVd50ejiTDCRNiOZYuuw

 

[stuee147]

Stuee could you not use something like this chaps leaning mechanism to fold one of your front wheels up above the seat, and the other down below the pedals

i did think along them lines myself i considered having one wheel fold up and sort of over so it almost sat on top of the opposite wheel and like you suggested having one go up and the other down but it was getting a bit technical with the chain line trying to ensure i had clearance and i wouldn't catch or snag brake and gear cables or the chain. the other problem i came across was stability when folded it would have made the trike quite unstable when folded and i could foresee problems with having to manhandle rather than being able to wheel it around. the other thing i would see as an possible weak spot is if you have a wheel folding up then it would have to be a very substantial hinge and fixing as any slight weakness would pull it apart while in normal use due to the added weight of the rider and the bumps and shakes of normal riding, the folding down would work well as when there is the weight of a rider on it it would be almost impossible for it to fold, due to the weight and force of gravity. thats why the folding booms iv made fold in forwards so if the bolt/hinge fails while im riding the force of motion and the weight will keep it in the ride position and allow me to pull over safely or at least thats the theory, so far iv not had to test it out for real lol

i am also considering doing a lean to steer trike more because i think it looks cool rather than any real practical reasons iv just not found or made a design i like yet lol
but im always looking for ideas and i do like that video but im not sure how well the steering would workout over time it looks like there would be a fair amount of wheel scrubbing on corners.

 

[paul fellows]

on that he would get through tiers faster than normal. but it is interesting how simply he did it.

 

[ufkacbln]

on that he would get through tiers faster than normal. but it is interesting how simply he did it.

Tyre wear on trikes is high anyway as they tend to "scrub" when cornering

Providing the "toe in" (lateral alignment) is OK then there shouldn't be too many problems

 

[ufkacbln]

When I bough the Gekko, the two main factors were thatthe seat remained within the fold, but also the hinge direction

I have no doubt that both the HPVelotechnik and ICE designs and interlocks are safe

The ICE hinge opens at the bottom with the hinge at the top

The HP Velotechnik hinge is slightly offset , but essentially opens at the top

Rationally I thought that the latter would be safer in case of failure as the weight would close the hinge on the Gekko, but open it on the ICE

 

[stuee147]

@Cunobelin on the last pic with the blue frame is that an inline skate wheel on the bottom of the seat ?
im guessing its to allowe the seat to slide back during folding rather than it scraping the frame but it looks sort of out of place