LodeRunner Utility Trike
Build Your Own Delta Cargo Utility Trike!
The Atomic Zombie LodeRunner single rider cargo trike is an extremely durable and smooth running delta trike that can easily carry 400 pounds or more.
With a narrow turning radius, full gear range, disc brakes and a seat height similar to a car, the LodeRunner becomes the perfect cargo trike to move just about anything around the city. The durable 48 spoke 20 inch wheels are standard and inexpensive BMX components that can handle all kinds of cargo loading.
This DIY cargo Trike has everything you need to make it your daily utility vehicle. With its fully enclosed trunk, comfortable seating, and dual disc brakes, it will allow you to leave the car at home and run your errands on clean human power.
Build This DIY Cargo Trike on a Small Budget.
The LodeRunner includes a large two foot square flatbed cargo area that can be adapted for all kinds of cargo box or container designs.
This DIY cargo trike plan includes the cargo box shown here, which can be removed from the frame in minutes to allow another box or board to be installed in the large cargo bay area. The bulk of the weight is carried over the rear of the trike, resulting in a very easy to control vehicle with great traction and stopping power.
The entire frame is made of thin walled steel square tubing, so it is lightweight, easy to weld, and very robust. All of the cuts are easy to make using only a hand held angle grinder, and the entire frame build is shown in great detail.
Create You Own Cargo Box or Flat Deck.
The seating area has plenty of room for riders of any size and our cargo trike plan leaves much room for modifications so you can add your own customization to the original design
An adjustable boat or car seat makes the ride ultra smooth so you can move your cargo across town with ease, or take that long commute and enjoy the scenery along the way. The recumbent seating position allows you to push your full energy into the cranks when needed, making hill climbing a breeze while in low gear.
All of the transmission parts can be built using old bicycle components or parts from the hardware store such as standard bearings and steel shaft. The entire trike is highly customizable, so you can make a cargo vehicle to suit your own needs.
Car Like Seating and Many Speeds.
The handlebars are positioned ahead of the rider with plenty of leg clearance and so that all of the controls are easy to reach and operate.
The transmission system includes a full range of 26 speeds or more with a very low hill climbing gear due to the 20 inch rear wheels. The linked steering system gives our LodeRunner DIY cargo trike amazing handling characteristics with the ability to turn around in half the width of a city street and maneuver around just about any city traffic situation.
The steering system is easy to build, using bicycle head tubes, hardware store ball joints, and some small round tubing. You can even modify the plan for under seat steering just by moving the position of the pilot's head tube and linkage.
Carry Your Groceries or Move Your Furnature.
Carry a shopping cart worth of groceries home, move a load of bricks across your farm, or strap a full sized refrigerator to the cargo bed and move it across town; there is no load out of reach for the LodeRunner cargo trike!
If you want a little less exercise then you can easily add a front hubmotor to your trike and place a large long range battery pack behind the seat and then just sit back and let the motor do all of the work for you, running on clean, silent electrical power.
The diy sliding bottom bracket allows easy adjustment of the cranks to any place on the frame. This simple adjustment allows riders of any leg length to adjust the cranks to the optimal position with just the turn of a wrench.
Build it For The Cost of a Few Tanks of Gas.
The LodeRunner cargo trike plan is easy to follow and requires only basic tools and skills on the part of the builder.
You will only need the most basic materials and bicycle components in order to build your own cargo trike and only one part of the transmission needs a small machined part that can be made inexpensively at any machine shop.
In a few weekends you can build a DIY utility trike that will last a lifetime of reliable and inexpensive service.
There are no difficult to find or expensive pars used in the rear wheels. In fact, there are no hubs at all, just simple discs that are made using just a hand held drill and grinder. Everything is shown in great detail, even wheel lacing, which is easy once you do it once.
Standard Bicycle Shifters and Brakes.
All of the controls are the same as any standard two wheels bicycle; dual shifters and brakes, and conveniently placed bicycle handlebars for steering.
There is no learning curve to driving a recumbent trike, just jump on and start pedaling. The only difference might be the lack of pain that accompanies an upright bicycle seat!
This trike steers well, and can turn around in half the width of a city street, making it great for commuting in traffic as well as the bike path.
The simple mono boom square frame makes it very easy to adapt just about any kind of seat. The plans show how to modify a boat seat, but a full size car seat or factory made recumbent seat could also be used. Like all DIY projects, it is all about modification.
Low Gearing For Amazing Hill Climbing Power.
The LodeRunner DIY cargo trike is a lightweight vehicle when you consider how much you can load onto the durable frame or cargo box.
On the flats, this smooth riding trike will cruise like a regular bicycle, and up those steep hills you can just relax and take your time with the hill flattening low gearing available. If you have been looking for a way to save your money on fuel costs while at the same time getting some fun exercise, then this DIY cargo trike is just the thing you need.
If you have been looking for a way to save money on fuel costs and get some exercise then this DIY Delta Cargo Trike is perfect for you. In a few weekends you can roll down your driveway in this versatile and robust human powered pickup trike and leave the car at home.
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