Another FWD Delta trike.

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Today's fun-n-games was all about putting the suspension pivot on a section of 25 x 25 x 2mm walled tube so that it can be reattached in a position where it can move freely and provide the fold-up function too.

I really dislike fillet welds, but hey-ho, I did my best. The bearings have become "sacrificial bearings" now.


When it is cut to the profile shape and welded back onto the frame it will allow the swing arm to err... swing.

...and to fold under the frame for transport and storage.
 
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Dan

Post #262 I assume you will have to move a shock mount as this has not given you the room for it as mounted now ?

Paul
 
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Dan

Post #262 I assume you will have to move a shock mount as this has not given you the room for it as mounted now ?

Paul
Yes, and sadly I think there will be no "rear luggage space" as a result. :( Never mind.
 
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Ok its welded up again. A right mess it is too. So bad that my camera refuses to take shots of it...sorry!
And although was jigged & clamped square it has come out crooked. 😱 How that works I do not know.
Thrown the thing in a corner and kicked it a few times, and it is getting no supper either.
 
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Yes, and sadly I think there will be no "rear luggage space" as a result. :( Never mind.
I do think that is over rated :whistle:

Paul
 
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Today's abuse of the metalworkers art involved the addition of some side-plates to the seat mount that I had hacked off the frame where it had been permanently welded on.
As a "rework" it looks less than pretty, but it will work ok. It is a tight fit, so I might need to flap-disc some metal off the inner faces or it will be likely to scrape the paint off the keel.
I used 3mm plate for the side-plates as I have found that lighter gauge metal just "bows" and distorts when a clamp bolt is applied.

Not sure whether to try and close off the open ends of the seat mount tube where I hacked it off the frame. I suppose I could wedge some strips of plate in there and just blow-over it with the torch of wonder.

 
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Today's abuse of the metalworkers art involved the addition of some side-plates to the seat mount that I had hacked off the frame where it had been permanently welded on.
As a "rework" it looks less than pretty, but it will work ok. It is a tight fit, so I might need to flap-disc some metal off the inner faces or it will be likely to scrape the paint off the keel.
I used 3mm plate for the side-plates as I have found that lighter gauge metal just "bows" and distorts when a clamp bolt is applied.
I had lot's of trouble with the plates bending and gripping the keel , even @ 3mm.
The answer was to weld on one plate and give the other plate 2 horizontal bolts one through the upper welded on plate and one below the keel.
That way it was also easy to wrap some heavy duty polythylene around the keel and stop it sticking/rusting to it ?

Paul
 
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Well despite the perishing cold I managed to get the spring mounts moved.
 
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Dan

Angle dissected nicely , what's next on the ' getting ready to ride ' list ?

Paul
 
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Dan

Angle dissected nicely , what's next on the ' getting ready to ride ' list ?

Paul
Now I can re-insert the rear-wheel(s) spars into the cross beam and take a fresh look at where/ the front-end needs to be.
We should now be 8"-10" lower, with a movable seat. :)
 
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I tried a quick re-assembly of the main parts to see what the differences were after the removal of the crank in the rear swing-arm.
In the form shown here the wheelbase is a bit long at around 49" and the seat height is around 20".
So several things need to happen:
  • The front spar to which the pivot is attached needs to come rearwards and be attached in a "dead-zone" that the seat mount will never need to also occupy.
  • The "Horns" that the handlebars will affix to need shortening as they currently foul on the keel.
I think it might be best to plan the fore/aft positioning in a 2-D drawing first.



 
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Dan

You do like to build them long , not sure if that is a good idea ? it did not work out for you last time ?

Of course it is not obvious that as well as being higher 24" wheels can also make the w/b longer to get clearance from tyre contact.

Can the pivot not be mounted behind the seat mount ? assuming the crown jewels do not stray in front of it ?

Paul
 
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Dan

You do like to build them long , not sure if that is a good idea ? it did not work out for you last time ?

Of course it is not obvious that as well as being higher 24" wheels can also make the w/b longer to get clearance from tyre contact.

Can the pivot not be mounted behind the seat mount ? assuming the crown jewels do not stray in front of it ?

Paul
I do need to work it out properly before applying grinder and metal-glue. :)
 
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Dan

The huge wheel base has been puzzling me all day ......



Then it twigged it's the BB to seat position that is causing it [ well some of it ] 24" wheels ain't helping !

Because your BB is very close to the axle it forces the front wheel forward and so increases wheelbase.



My wheel base is only 41" yet it looks much less cramped than yours , even though yours has a greater wheel base ?

Maybe a problem I will face if I try and deploy my 24" wheels ?

Paul
 
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Maybe a problem I will face if I try and deploy my 24" wheels ?
Its the lack of inseam that forces the BB-to-Axle relationship; It means a higher BB among many other things. ;)
I will find the time to set it out to see where I can put things. :)
 
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While the enemy was out visiting her mother I got all my honey-dew list polished off and escaped to the mess disgrace workshop and thought about how to trim that handlebar mounting yoke down.
It wouldn't fit in the pillar drill any longer so cutting new profiles to take a 1" tube would have to be done by hand 😱
Here's is shown the starting point, and the holesaw through the first one.


I span the whole thing round and did the other one. But... Would they line up OK?
This was all done with a hand-held Milwaukee Fuel 18v battery combi-drill.
The torque in the drill really surprised me, it was quicker than with my pillar drill and there was no "stalling".
Here's the angle across the forks when they are held in a vice (it is an arbitrary number), followed by the angle of the 1" tube when rested in the cut-outs.
Only 1.1 degrees out. This will not notice as I will make the handlebars of differing lengths.
Interestingly the measured distance of each hole to the cross-piece beneath it is exactly the same, so maybe the yoke is on the pivot sleeve 1.1 degrees askew??? ;)

That was all for today, but every little bit helps.
 
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Dan

Are you welding yourself into a corner ?

If twas me I would have welded a 3mm plate fore & aft with 2 bolt holes and used 2 U bolts to clamp it ? room for adjustment and stuff ....

Maybe I am paranoid about adjusting/changing stuff , I suspect there is no cause to answer that ;):D

Paul
 
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Dan

Are you welding yourself into a corner ?

If twas me I would have welded a 3mm plate fore & aft with 2 bolt holes and used 2 U bolts to clamp it ? room for adjustment and stuff ....

Maybe I am paranoid about adjusting/changing stuff , I suspect there is no cause to answer that ;):D

Paul
You may be right paul. But the idea is to weld a 25mm tube across them, into which are inserted a 22mm bar on each side with pinch-bolts.
It is effectively the same arrangement as on the current python. :)
 
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