Second Quad building

[lotharko]

My new quad doesn't run yet. But it will, I'm sure of that now. The McPherson suspension on all four wheels and the division of the frame into four modules still have a strong experimental character and will certainly make the first test drives exciting. The steering is still missing.

[GALLERY=media, 2183][/GALLERY]

 

[Popshot]

Would love to see some close-up pictures of that, particularly the suspension. The front macpherson struts look a bit vertical rather than inclined backwards?

 

[lotharko]

The rear wheel module:

[GALLERY=media, 2185][/GALLERY]

And the front wheel modul:

[GALLERY=media, 2184][/GALLERY]

Yes, the struts are vertical.

 

[lotharko]

The links for the pictures have disappeared. And now?

 

[Popshot]

Disappearing pictures happened on another thread too. They came back later. There is definitely some forum issue going on.

 

[Popshot]

It was just your last post that lost the pictures but now it's the opening post too!

 

[lotharko]

New attempt, this time with photos linked from Builders Gallery.

 

[Popshot]

Really impressive stuff there. Thanks for posting the pictures. Is the wooden chassis lighter or heavier than a steel structure doing the same job? You've used fairly thick ply for strength and boxed it, again for strength. Just wondering if there's any gain or loss over steel. Was the decision to go vertical on the front struts deliberate? Most front struts are leaned back at the top for caster to give self centering steering. Without any caster it could be a big problem.

 

[stormbird]

Very impressive , as always ! , are the suspension struts bought or did you make them yourself.

Weight well it would be easy but tiresome to go at it with a hole saw ?

However I love modular construction , my Pythons are like that , so very easy to alter each module for lightness or more carrying capacity etc etc.

Will it have body work at some point ?

Thanks for sharing an inspiration [ if I did not have a steel one ! ]

Paul

 

[lotharko]

Without any caster it could be a big problem.

Caution, the suspension strut must not be equated with the pivot axis. This exists here only virtually. Nevertheless, the caster and the spread angle are present.

 

[lotharko]

Will it have body work at some point ?

Someday....

Oh yes, the suspension struts are self-made.

 

[Popshot]

Caution, the suspension strut must not be equated with the pivot axis. This exists here only virtually. Nevertheless, the caster and the spread angle are present.

I'm a little puzzled here as a Macpherson strut is typically part of the hub carrier assembly even if made separately then bolted rigidly to it. If not rigidly attached, and I now assume it can't be to allow for the necessary articulation that caster will require, then I'm not sure it's still a Macpherson strut. I'm very intrigued as to how an articulated suspension unit keeps the hub carrier from wobbling with only a track rod and trailing link assisting. A rigidly attached strut has no issue here but an articulated unit typically uses a second wishbone to manage the carrier. Have you allowed movement in only the required direction? That's quite a difficult thing to achieve to the necessary tolerances.

 

[lotharko]

We are talking about the front suspension now, aren't we? The virtual axis of rotation is defined by the strut bearing and the intersection of the control arm with the trailing arm. This axis of rotation determines the steering roll radius and the caster. The suspension strut rotates around this imaginary axis of rotation.
The rear wheels are fixed by two wishbones and one trailing arm.

 

[Baddas-Cycles]

That looks good, a wooden quad, why not because wood certainly has its advantages. It's easy to edit into any shape you want. You will regularly encounter things while building that will then become slightly different than you thought. But that's the fun of building yourself. You learn from it and it's really your own product. We have been working on a metal quad for some time, which can also be found on this site. Emiel and Badass project. Have fun building it

 

[Telknor]

Wondering if there are any updates on this build. Certainly, has me thinking about doing a woody quad since I have a full woodshop at my disposal. Though I am a bit concerned about the front suspension. Would this even work?