Billy carts

[Mik01]

I've done a search and haven found anything, but I thought surely the Myswag community would have made their fair share of billy carts for the kids?

I'm after any advice or plans on building a billy cart for my son for his 7th birthday. I want to build it together with him.
Only stipulation is as we live on acreage there's no bitumen, so it will need off road tyres! I'm thinking of small 10inch tyres with inner tubes.

Anyone offer any advice on how to build or what to look out for to put a cool billy cart together?

Cheers, Mike

[kylarama]

keep it light and keep it simple. There are some absolute works of art out there, but i love the traditional look.

Keep the wheels nice and light 10-12 inch wheels off a kids pushbike are perfect. Should be strong enough for dirt roads.

I love the look of this old school one.



http://www.brianwooddesigns.com/billy-carts.html


and brakes on a biily cart are overrated...

Sent from my GT-I9507 using Tapatalk

[Foo]

The last one I made was 48yrs ago  and it had the cast iron wheels off an old push cylinder mower, the one without an engine. It was great in the dark on bitumen as it would spark up when you did 360s. 

You could use wheel barrow wheels also, the big heavy duty ones would give you good durability and be tough around a farm.

The steering has to be the piece of rope, stuff this new aged steering wheel crap and as Kylarama said, brakes...........pfft!

Foo

[Mik01]

Yeah I hadn't planned on adding brakes!

[edz]

Dad, my brother and I built one out of inch gal water pipe for the frame, similar to Kylarama's but with a hoop behind the rider incase we  rolled and it doubled as a push bar, wheels were large diameter lawn mower ones .. and the seat was a hessian potato bag roped into place..
Man the weeks/ months  of fun we had riding that thing down the hill to the creek with a zig zag through the willows and a hard right hander just on the edge of the creek bank .. On hot summers days turning right was optional to miss dropping 3 or 4  foot off the bank  into the creek.

[austastar]

We had one made from two rear ends from a couple of tricycles,  steering was a bolted hinge in the middle under your knees.
Each wheel was made from two 8" squares of 1" plank glued together with the grain at 90 deg, and cut into a circle. A hole drilled centrally fitted the axle, and a bebt nail and washer kept them in place.
Nowhere to fit a brake of course.

Somehow we survived some steep streets and a long stormwater drain that could only be exited at half tide.
Full tide would be a drowning, low tide would be a broken neck on the rocks.
Cheers

[tk421]

There's a book called The Dangerous book for boys.  It has a great billy cart design in there.  Old school classic

[#jonesy]

http://www.bunnings.com.au/diy-advice/kids-craft/kids/build-it-for-the-kids/how-to-build-a-billy-cart

Although much batter out of recycled wood. Old pallets etc and make it together.  A 7 year old would like to paint it. Give him a selection of colours (old house paint would do)  and let him go.

The picture above is the best design. For the steering bolt have it a bit in front of the axle line so there is a bit of caster. Also a block under the chassis to stop the steering turning too far is a good idea.

[6knights]

Here is one that I made for my kids although looking a bit worst for wear now as they have growen out of it. It is made out of several 16" bike parts and a bit of 25mm SHS , I used the front forks for the back wheel support so I then could then use the braking system on it, to make the front wheels turn (the king pin) I used a couple of head stocks and cut off forks from a coulpe of bikes, and the pivot in the center of the front axle is another cut down head stock. Most of the parts/bikes come form the local tip.

Enjoy the project the son will love it

[Footy Shorts Shane]

Only advice I can give is......

1.    Minimum 20hp engine
2.    Remove the governor
3.    Premium fuel only
4.    Build it big enough for Dad to fit in

 

[Mik01]

Some great ideas here - thanks.
With the standard billy cart design, it seems easy enough to add a small engine.... Hmm I'm having Tim the toolman ideas of supercharging a billy cart!

Have seen some good designs and I reckon I will keep it real simple for now.  Unlike this kids dad - http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/bush-boy-billy-is-just-cruisin/story-e6freuy9-1226579140275

[Jeepers Creepers]

Only advice I can give is......

1.    Minimum 20hp engine
2.    Remove the governor
3.    Premium fuel only
4.    Build it big enough for Dad to fit in

 

At last, a proper GO kart.

The other two pics further up look like early land rovers.

[robbo1172]

Only advice I can give is......

1.    Minimum 200hp engine
2.    Remove the governor
3.    Premium fuel only
4.    Build it big enough for Dad to fit in

 

Fixed point no 2 for ya...

Robbo...