Playing with the welder...Spidercarts Tarantula

[John Ranalletta]

Anticipating my 9 y/o grandson visiting this summer, I decided building a cart would be fun, provide welding practice and give him a real kick (as well as my son). I decided on a Spidercart Tarantula.

 

I'm about 1/2 way thru the build and just ordered the torque converter and Honda engine from Northern Tool last night. Still have to receive and assemble the power train and steering gear.

 

Here are few photos:

 

 

 

 

 

Where possible I TIG welded joints. Some like in this photo were challenging for me, a newbie welder. It involved joining 14 ga tube to 1/4" plate. Getting enough heat into the plate while avoiding blasting a hole in the tube was the issue since I'm using a scratch start rig and can't modulate voltage. There's some undercut and evidence of a shaky hand.

 

 

This is a typical joint.

 

 

It's really been a fun and educational project. Learnings: TIG welding requires good fit up. Gaps are a b.... Heat distorts. Don't rush.

 

Thanks for looking.

[OoPEZoO]

I'd drive it

 

Looks like a fun project.....and your welds look better than anything I've scabbed together

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

It's really been a fun and educational project. Learnings: TIG welding requires good fit up. Gaps are a b.... Heat distorts. Don't rush.

 

TIG gets a lot easier when you have control over the welding current. Barring that, you can avoid blowing holes in thin stuff by putting the arc on the filler and letting the filler heat the parent metal; as soon as the filler flows out, stop the current.

 

There are a bunch of ways to manage heat distortion. Stitching long joints (instead of one long weld), tacking, thinking about the sequence/direction of welds, and preheating the joint are all useful methods. In the absence of a good instructional book (there are a lot out there), Google can help with this one.

 

That said, I'm with Keith - fun project, and your welding looks fine from here.

[John Ranalletta]

Mitch, do you use an inverter?

 

The other disadvantage to scratch is gas control, er, Argon, not methane. Having to open the valve manually prior to weld start and closing at weld end, allows a lot of ga$ to escape.

 

The other problem is old eyes. I tried a cheater lens in the helmet but it made me dizzy.

[T.M. Roe]

Very nice!

John, you are a very interesting person.

 

Tip of the week, be aware of the orientation of the welded seam that runs the length of the tubing.

Don't let it fall anyplace you need to drill or screw in the future.

 

Very fun build!

[T.M. Roe]

What is the tubing thickness .065?

[greiffster]

You might win "Cool Grampa of the Year"

[John Ranalletta]

Thanks for the tip, Tom.

 

The tube is 1", 14 ga.

[John Ranalletta]

You might win "Cool Grampa of the Year"

Isn't that what every Grampa wants?

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

Mitch, do you use an inverter?

 

I have a Miller EconoTIG, now 11 years old. It's discontinued; I think this is the closest replacement model. Mine came with a small argon bottle, maybe 30 SCF. That's not much argon, so now I have a pair of 80 SCF bottles; when one runs out I can keep welding with the other one and then get the first refilled convenient.

 

The other disadvantage to scratch is gas control, er, Argon, not methane. Having to open the valve manually prior to weld start and closing at weld end, allows a lot of ga$ to escape.

 

It hadn't occurred to me that gas flow wouldn't be automatic, but I suppose you must have a super-budget model.

 

FWIW pre- and post-flow aren't a total waste. Argon has a lower breakdown voltage than air, so pre-flow makes for easier arc starting (which means they can build the welder with a cheaper, lower voltage arc-starter). Post-flow helps keep your torch cool, as well as protecting your weld from atmosphere until it's cooled/solidified. My EconoTIG has a non-adjustable ten seconds of post-flow, but after an hour of welding in the summertime, the torch can still get uncomfortably hot in my hand. Liquid cooled torches are available for prolonged or high-power welding activity, but they add cost.

 

The other problem is old eyes. I tried a cheater lens in the helmet but it made me dizzy.

 

Don't know what to tell ya there. I finally went to the welding shop for a cheater lens last fall. As the clerk was walking out to show me where they were, he asked how old I was. At first I thought he was just making small talk, but then I realized he was picking out an appropriate lens for my age from the chart on the package. I was depressed to learn that my age - 44 - was merely the first line on a chart that recommended stronger and stronger lenses on up to about age 65. That said, a cheater did help me a lot. Can you try a less powerful lens, maybe find a compromise that helps you see but doesn't make you dizzy?

[John Ranalletta]

It hadn't occurred to me that gas flow wouldn't be automatic, but I suppose you must have a super-budget model.

I don't have a TIG welder, per se. The power supply is a Hobart Stickmate AC/DC. The stinger is connected to the TIG torch and the ground clamp works as normal. The Argon flows directly to the torch with is controlled manually on the torch.

 

The technique is used frequently in field welding where an arc (stick) welder can do double duty requiring only an argon tank. The challenges include wasted gas and once the ground clamp is attached to the work piece or table, it's live!!! A chance touch of the tungsten to the table or work piece creates an arc. Makes for good sphincter exercise. They don't call it "short circuit" welding for nothing!

[JohnnyJ]

 

The other problem is old eyes. I tried a cheater lens in the helmet but it made me dizzy.

 

Don't know what to tell ya there. I finally went to the welding shop for a cheater lens last fall. As the clerk was walking out to show me where they were, he asked how old I was. At first I thought he was just making small talk, but then I realized he was picking out an appropriate lens for my age from the chart on the package. I was depressed to learn that my age - 44 - was merely the first line on a chart that recommended stronger and stronger lenses on up to about age 65. That said, a cheater did help me a lot. Can you try a less powerful lens, maybe find a compromise that helps you see but doesn't make you dizzy?

 

I recently finished a beginners welding class at the local Junior College (Go Cougars!). I was wearing prescription safety glasses under my hood, but I still could not see very well. I was having to lean in way to close to the arc and felt uncomfortable exposing myself to the high concentration of fumes. I decided to spare no expense and purchase a new hood. I ended up with a Lincoln Viking series 3350. It made a huge difference! I am 60 years old, wear bifocals, and am now doing just fine under the hood.

 

Johnny J

 

[JohnnyJ]

Anticipating my 9 y/o grandson visiting this summer, I decided building a cart would be fun, provide welding practice and give him a real kick (as well as my son). I decided on a Spidercart Tarantula.

 

I'm about 1/2 way thru the build and just ordered the torque converter and Honda engine from Northern Tool last night. Still have to receive and assemble the power train and steering gear.

 

Here are few photos:

 

 

 

 

Impressive!

 

Is this a "kit" project?

 

Johnny J

[John Ranalletta]

No. Just buy the plan which has a cut list, illustrations, suggestions and instructions. Need a good band or cut off saw as most of the frame parts have cut angles which need to be pretty accurate.

[JohnnyJ]

Thanks! I love that it has suspension.

 

Johnny J

[John Ranalletta]

Probably needs suspension on the front as well, but spindle sets with springs look good but are of little real use.

[Bud]

Looks like a lot of fun to me.

 

How many HP is the Honda.

 

Top speeds?

 

Looks like a racer from here.

 

Great job.

[LJR]

Love it!

[John Ranalletta]

Hope it's fun. Just fitted steering tonight.

 

The engine's 5.5 hp but I'll likely govern it when my grandson drives it - at least for the first few times.

 

I haven't computed speeds yet though there's a website where you can enter revs, tire size, sprocket sizes, etc.

 

A line's forming to ride it:

 

 

[John Ranalletta]

This may sound strange, but it helps me to look ahead of the puddle instead of at the arc.

 

Poor eyesight can cause you to lose track of the position and you end up laying metal down on everything but the joint.

[TeSmSp]

Nice man cave!

[Bud]

Wondering about the slicks on the back and the knobs on the front?

[John Ranalletta]

Wondering about the slicks on the back and the knobs on the front?

Likely, it'll spend a lot of time running around on my lawn; and, as my grandson's only 9, I figured we'd minimize damage to the turf.

[John Ranalletta]

A little progress today fitting up the tie rod arms and welding on the steering arm. The arm that came in the steering kit was IMO too short and didn't allow a large enough turning radius. I made up another, longer arm. Hope it works. I started to TIG the arm and the welds looked and sounded terrible. That's when I realized the Argon bottle was empty; so, another trip to the welding supply.

 

 

These tie rods look a lot smaller id diameter than others I've seen and we'll see how they hold up.

 

 

The steering rod needs shortening.

 

The white steering blocks look ugly and they'll be replaced or reworked to look better. I couldn't find steering blocks; so, I ordered a block of nylon from McMaster Carr and fashioned these. Boy! I never worked nylon before. It cuts as slowly in the bandsaw as steel plus it smells funny.

 

Motor and torque converter arrive tomorrow with control cables. The billet axle in backordered so that's a disappointment.

 

-----------------------------

 

Progress slowed today as I worked on resurrecting an old POS Atlas drill press.

 

 

I got hoodwinked on the deal. It was cheap, but the internals were rigged and after taking it apart to clean it up, I discovered the gear that moves the quill up/down was actually missing. Luckily, I found one cheap on Ebay; so, I'm into the drill for about $130 and a few hours work. The covers still need refinished.

 

Thanks for looking.

[John Ranalletta]

Today was a test!!

 

The Honda motor and torque converter arrived from Northern Tool. Let me plug these folks. They're courteous, prompt, available in the evening via web chat, get the stuff out promptly and bend over backward to serve their customers.

 

 

The first task was to cut the motor mount plate down, bolt it to the motor and position it for welding. Really, no big deal, except....

 

Before welding, I thought to myself, "Hey, dummy, will the CVT fit with the engine in this position?" So, following my SOP (eschewing the directions), I immediately emptied the boxes and bolted the CVT to the motor and tried to stuff it into the frame. Oooops. No go. Not even close. What a disappointment! My only thought was to return the CVT and order a centrifugal clutch.

 

I forced myself to glance at the directions wherein I learned I had bolted the CVT to the engine BACKWARDS!! Reversing it worked, but just barely. I had to grind a bit off the CVT to clear an oil fill port. BTW, Honda folks are very smart. With the CVT installed, the oil port is inaccessible; however, Honda put an additional oil fill port on the other side of the crankcase. What genii!!

 

Anyway, it was still a very tight fit. Notice the oil fill port. The other is under the shaft housing on the CVT's driven pulley.

 

 

With everything in its place, I marked the mounting plate location, removed it from the engine and welded it to the frame with 3 MIG welds.

 

 

Discovered the 10" driven sprocket I have is way too big so I'll order a smaller one tonight.

 

All in all, it was a good if not challenging day. No tools took flight. No bolts were stripped. No animals were injured making this movie.

 

Thanks for looking.

[T.M. Roe]

Wish I was there.

[John Ranalletta]

Wish I was there.

You'd be welcomed any time. I can use all the extra grey matter and smart company you can spare.

 

DIY go kart's speed calculator says it should hit 22mph with current gearing and tire size. Should be fast enough for a 9 y/o.

 

BMWST member, Sean Cavanaugh, made this up for my grandson's slot car setup. Trying to figure out how to make a decal for the kart.

 

 

 

[T.M. Roe]

You should be able to print that up yourself or just take it to a Sign-a-Rama, they should have no problem.

 

I was driving a 600 Fiat when I was 9, a bit faster than 22mph. My daughter Lindsey was riding rodeo bulls at 9, so I'm a bad person to ask about the speed/danger aspect of the project.

 

Some is good.

More is better.

Too much is just enough.

 

Anything worth doing is worth over doing.

[Bud]

You should be able to print that up yourself or just take it to a Sign-a-Rama, they should have no problem.

 

I was driving a 600 Fiat when I was 9, a bit faster than 22mph. My daughter Lindsey was riding rodeo bulls at 9, so I'm a bad person to ask about the speed/danger aspect of the project.

 

Some is good.

More is better.

Too much is just enough.

 

Anything worth doing is worth over doing.

 

I know you. You are the guy who's motto is "You never know where the line is till you cross over it!"

 

 

[Bud]

Looking good with the engine mounting.

 

I know that engine, it's on my power washer. Always starts, even after sitting all winter.

[T.M. Roe]

John, not that they are "that" important, but other then Flintstone feet, what stops this little buggy?

[John Ranalletta]

[T.M. Roe]

That set up looks much better then Fred's two feet.

 

Have you considered a remote kill switch or dead man of sorts?

[John Ranalletta]

To quote Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: LIFE! DO YOU HEAR ME? GIVE MY CREATION... LIFE!

 

Video here.

 

The ugly noise at the end is just some metal parts & pieces vibrating on the lift.

[John Ranalletta]

Yep

 

[T.M. Roe]

I was thinking about a remote control that Grandpa would have in his hand just in case things get a bit squirrelly and Evel Knievel scares are imminent..

Don't know about you but 22 mph is a bit faster than I can run.

[John Ranalletta]

Some things just have to take care of themselves. Anyway, Joe's dad will supervise. He's faster than I.

 

Ran into a glitch tonight. The driven pulley of the CVT hits the frame when fully extended and there's no room to scoot the engine over; so, we'll prep for surgery in the morning after looking at the xrays.

[T.M. Roe]

Be sure to have everything held in place by fixture or jig before cutting the frame. Built up stresses can raise quite a ruckus.

[T.M. Roe]

Is that the actual kill button?

Be sure to use a two wire button so you wont have bonding issues between the button and the engine...just a thought.

[John Ranalletta]

Hey, Tom...thanks for the input. The only thing stressed was yours truly.

 

I spent the first hour in the shop just assessing, trying to figure out how to reconfigure the motor platform. The biggest mistake I made was a couple of weeks ago when I decided to build the engine bay w/o knowing the engine dimensions.

 

Anyway, the only and best solution was to part the unit in half and weld in additional tube; so, that what I did, TIG welding 2.5" to the width.

 

 

 

My wife is a sweetie. Sensing I needed nourishment, she delivered fresh coffee and a cinnamon-raisin muffin.

 

 

 

 

What seemed at first to be a couple-hour job turned into an all-day affair because the shock mounts needed moved requiring two gusset-like pieces of tube cut, capped and welded in.

 

 

 

The motor mounts and plate were augmented and tacked up.

 

 

So now, there's plenty of room for everyone to play in the back.

 

 

Video The nearest pulley expands to create larger radius. Before the operation, the outer part was scraping the frame.

 

I'm going to let all the parts get reacquainted over night, check it over in the morning; and, if all's well, complete the welds.

 

More parts came today. Expect axle next week. Can't wait.

 

Thanks for looking.

[T.M. Roe]

Have you named it yet?

[John Ranalletta]

Have you named it yet?

Not likely.

[greiffster]

Have you named it yet?

Not likely.

 

"Not Likely"....perfect.

[John Ranalletta]

Have you named it yet?

Not likely.

 

"Not Likely"....perfect.

Hmmm... I like it.

[T.M. Roe]

and that's just the way love happens.....

[John Ranalletta]

Niggling details take the most time.

 

Being new to the go-kart arena, I didn't know how to modify the Honda engine to use a pedal accelerator rather than the throttle control we're familiar with on garden equipment that tends to run at a set speed.

 

Luckily, I found

on Youtube and got the answer. A short piece of 2mm coat hangar wire and two hours provided the answer. Not sure how to manage the governor or the low oil warning system yet.

 

While waiting for the axle, making the kart usable by adults (moi) and my grandson whose legs are shorter is the issue. So, I am fabbing a second set of pedals connected to the longer ones by a simple rod and cotter keys. I can add/delete them easily depending upon the rider.

 

A second set of pedals = $12 + $17 s/h...ouch so decided to fab the second set from some spare 3/16" diamond plate laying around. The question is whether my spool gun welding skills are up to putting them together.

 

The purchased pedals are plated steel with a pressed-in bolt. The ones I'm making have a hole tapped for 5/16" bolt. Hope that will take the strain.

 

 

 

Thanks for looking...

[John Ranalletta]

Spraying aluminum isn't a very precise art, especially when joining small pieces. I just might have to order an AC TIG welder.

 

The pedals went together pretty easily, but "pretty" isn't a work one would associate with the outcome, but, I think they'll work. If not, I didn't spend nearly $40 to find out.

 

Originals are outer pair.

 

 

 

Thanks for looking.

[lkraus]

An extra set of pedals costs too much.

 

But...

Another welder is a reasonable alternative.

 

I like the way you think. I avoid new projects that don't require a new tool.

[Bud]

An extra set of pedals costs too much.

 

But...

Another welder is a reasonable alternative.

 

I like the way you think. I avoid new projects that don't require a new tool.

 

Of course. "Nancy I need new tires on the bike but they are too much, I think I will just buy a new bike."

 

What motorcycle owner would think there is any problem with that?????

[lkraus]

Exactly.

 

Hmm, I think the air in my tire is getting stale. Hope the dealer is open this afternoon...