I had many fits and starts trying to build my own trike using the AZ plans. Life, largely work, got in my way, and then I invested a lot of time in Scouting.
I resigned from Scouting, changed jobs, and holy cow! I have some free time.
So, I took an online course on welding to see if I could finally get my Princess Auto $100 FCAW welder and I to produce something that looked like a weld and not pumice. Should have done that years back. Esp. since it's getting harder to get gas for my Oxy Acet kit (the shops that sell it have the worst hours for hobbyist types)
I ended up changing my wire type to some highly regarded stuff, and it's like a whole diff. machine. So, since I needed a final project for the course, she who must be obeyed, reluctantly let me setup up half of my hand tool collection, drill press etc. on the deck. Grinding, drilling etc. all happen on the stone path, I'm just allowed to store the stuff there for a bit while I get this job done.
The trailer was my project as I did break down and buy a TerraTrike Gran Tourismo, but the itch to build is there... so, the plans are still at hand... and perhaps in the next year or so, I'll make something else.
I had a lot of EMT kicking around. Not the greatest to weld with, but the purpose it was purchased for is gone (it helped support a cover for a sailboat owned by the Scout group) and I decided it would be my donor material. Princess Auto also had some sales on for some 2 in. wide 1/8 mild steel and some cold rolled rod. I thought I was buying 5 foot lengths, but oops, I got 8 foot ones. Lots of sacrificial material!
So, after getting the FCAW welder "dialed" in (max amps, wire speed 8, turn it on - it's a really basic welder) This is the bottom of the frame with the corner uprights.
https://atomiczombie.com/forum/media/20210530_180217-jpg.1878/
Top rails on:
https://atomiczombie.com/forum/media/20210531_213407-jpg.1879/
I made paper templates in Fusion360, printed, glued to the steel, then cut 'em out for the wheel mounts/axles.
https://atomiczombie.com/forum/media/20210613_121959-jpg.1880/
DannyC has made comments about spatter... And how! These are the beginning welds of the axle stubs.
https://atomiczombie.com/forum/media/20210613_134101-jpg.1881/
All done, extra long as I was still shopping for wheels for this - and finding bike parts was nigh impossible (pandemic has cleaned things out - even the bike recycle shop in town here won't sell parts, save to actually repair a bike... projects like this? nope.
https://atomiczombie.com/forum/media/20210613_162732-jpg.1882/
Wheel mounts welded in place.
https://atomiczombie.com/forum/media/20210620_172910-jpg.1883/
Princess Auto to the rescue again, solid wheels on sale ~$15 ea., 75 lbs load/wheel and they look cool, I think.
https://atomiczombie.com/forum/media/20210620_175234-jpg.1884/
So, there was a longish pause - some work stuff, some family stuff, y'know, life. But I used the in between moments to think about the tow arm. Decided I wanted three positions.
Tow position: https://atomiczombie.com/forum/media/20210725_195214-jpg.1885/
Stow position: https://atomiczombie.com/forum/media/20210725_195254-jpg.1887/
Pull/push position: https://atomiczombie.com/forum/media/20210725_195328-jpg.1888/
The high tech, not laser cut, three position bracket. (Sharpie, cardboard, ruler, bit of EMT to test rotation's, a vice and a 4 lb hammer, electric drill and an angle grinder with cut off and flap wheels)
https://atomiczombie.com/forum/media/20210725_195221-jpg.1886/
Remember I mentioned 8ft of 2 in. wide, 1/8th mild steel? Bracket time. well clamped vice, that 4 lb hammer, some angle grinder work, some drill work, bit of welding.. clamps to bike, pivots side to side, and up and down...
https://atomiczombie.com/forum/media/20210730_141305-jpg.1889/
https://atomiczombie.com/forum/media/20210730_151227-jpg.1890/
https://atomiczombie.com/forum/media/20210730_181213-jpg.1892/
And here I'm about to test ride with it attached (I'll paint, and put the floor/side board (recycled coroplast from a friend) in tomorrow, and then drop in the plastic tub that this was scaled for.
https://atomiczombie.com/forum/media/20210730_180430-jpg.1891/
If you want to see some video of it in action, my wife was kind enough to record some video for me so I could check it's behaviour. I'm pretty chuffed, it worked better on the first try than I'd expected! I posted them over in the Terra Trike Owner's group on Facebook, and it should be a public post at this link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/terratrikeowners/permalink/10159457815751878/
DannyC - thanks for the phrase liquid metal glue gun... it's so apt!
DK
I resigned from Scouting, changed jobs, and holy cow! I have some free time.
So, I took an online course on welding to see if I could finally get my Princess Auto $100 FCAW welder and I to produce something that looked like a weld and not pumice. Should have done that years back. Esp. since it's getting harder to get gas for my Oxy Acet kit (the shops that sell it have the worst hours for hobbyist types)
I ended up changing my wire type to some highly regarded stuff, and it's like a whole diff. machine. So, since I needed a final project for the course, she who must be obeyed, reluctantly let me setup up half of my hand tool collection, drill press etc. on the deck. Grinding, drilling etc. all happen on the stone path, I'm just allowed to store the stuff there for a bit while I get this job done.
The trailer was my project as I did break down and buy a TerraTrike Gran Tourismo, but the itch to build is there... so, the plans are still at hand... and perhaps in the next year or so, I'll make something else.
I had a lot of EMT kicking around. Not the greatest to weld with, but the purpose it was purchased for is gone (it helped support a cover for a sailboat owned by the Scout group) and I decided it would be my donor material. Princess Auto also had some sales on for some 2 in. wide 1/8 mild steel and some cold rolled rod. I thought I was buying 5 foot lengths, but oops, I got 8 foot ones. Lots of sacrificial material!
So, after getting the FCAW welder "dialed" in (max amps, wire speed 8, turn it on - it's a really basic welder) This is the bottom of the frame with the corner uprights.
https://atomiczombie.com/forum/media/20210530_180217-jpg.1878/
Top rails on:
https://atomiczombie.com/forum/media/20210531_213407-jpg.1879/
I made paper templates in Fusion360, printed, glued to the steel, then cut 'em out for the wheel mounts/axles.
https://atomiczombie.com/forum/media/20210613_121959-jpg.1880/
DannyC has made comments about spatter... And how! These are the beginning welds of the axle stubs.
https://atomiczombie.com/forum/media/20210613_134101-jpg.1881/
All done, extra long as I was still shopping for wheels for this - and finding bike parts was nigh impossible (pandemic has cleaned things out - even the bike recycle shop in town here won't sell parts, save to actually repair a bike... projects like this? nope.
https://atomiczombie.com/forum/media/20210613_162732-jpg.1882/
Wheel mounts welded in place.
https://atomiczombie.com/forum/media/20210620_172910-jpg.1883/
Princess Auto to the rescue again, solid wheels on sale ~$15 ea., 75 lbs load/wheel and they look cool, I think.
https://atomiczombie.com/forum/media/20210620_175234-jpg.1884/
So, there was a longish pause - some work stuff, some family stuff, y'know, life. But I used the in between moments to think about the tow arm. Decided I wanted three positions.
Tow position: https://atomiczombie.com/forum/media/20210725_195214-jpg.1885/
Stow position: https://atomiczombie.com/forum/media/20210725_195254-jpg.1887/
Pull/push position: https://atomiczombie.com/forum/media/20210725_195328-jpg.1888/
The high tech, not laser cut, three position bracket. (Sharpie, cardboard, ruler, bit of EMT to test rotation's, a vice and a 4 lb hammer, electric drill and an angle grinder with cut off and flap wheels)
https://atomiczombie.com/forum/media/20210725_195221-jpg.1886/
Remember I mentioned 8ft of 2 in. wide, 1/8th mild steel? Bracket time. well clamped vice, that 4 lb hammer, some angle grinder work, some drill work, bit of welding.. clamps to bike, pivots side to side, and up and down...
https://atomiczombie.com/forum/media/20210730_141305-jpg.1889/
https://atomiczombie.com/forum/media/20210730_151227-jpg.1890/
https://atomiczombie.com/forum/media/20210730_181213-jpg.1892/
And here I'm about to test ride with it attached (I'll paint, and put the floor/side board (recycled coroplast from a friend) in tomorrow, and then drop in the plastic tub that this was scaled for.
https://atomiczombie.com/forum/media/20210730_180430-jpg.1891/
If you want to see some video of it in action, my wife was kind enough to record some video for me so I could check it's behaviour. I'm pretty chuffed, it worked better on the first try than I'd expected! I posted them over in the Terra Trike Owner's group on Facebook, and it should be a public post at this link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/terratrikeowners/permalink/10159457815751878/
DannyC - thanks for the phrase liquid metal glue gun... it's so apt!
DK