fat delta

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Apr 16, 2017
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Seems this is the proper spot for a new build. I picked up up my 2 cheap fat bikes the other day. The jack shaft parts are in the mail and my friend gave me back the High Roller i lent him so he could see if a recumbent was right for him (apparently it's not). The High Roller is going to be harvested for its adjustable bottom bracket, it,s new chains and the very nice job Nobling did on the handlebar stem. The wheels will be used for a future trailer project so nothing will be wasted. I am off to some local trail's for 3 day's - if the boss (wife) agrees - then I will start and yes photos will be taken . I do have a question regarding the final drive though before i start. It is going to be a modified Loderunner using 3 four inch wide fat tire's. The jack shaft will transfer power over to the left rear wheel. That gives 1 wheel drive. The question is if I use the 2 rear wheels I have on the back and have the jack shaft run power to the right wheel also would the the freewheels offer the same effect as a differential when turning. ie the outside wheel turns faster than the inside wheel so would the free wheel mechanism just ratchet around corners but offer 2 wheel drive in a straight line. Also to note is the jack shaft will have a free wheel on each side in addition to the ones on the rims. i know it's a bit redundent and will add a pound or two to the overall weight but I don't care about the weight very much. this is to be built for off road and gravel , hence the fat tire's.
 
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I'm building a fat tire trike too, and mine will be left wheel drive only. The added complexity of making the jackshaft run both sides is just more than I need to worry about for my use. If you've ever driven a truck with a locking differential, it'll be like that. In a turn, the inside wheel is powered. You'll have to coast through turns, or it'll probably want to steer out of the turn. I look forward to seeing pictures of your build :)
 
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If you've ever driven a truck with a locking differential, it'll be like that. In a turn, the inside wheel is powered. You'll have to coast through turns, or it'll probably want to steer out of the turn. :)
I don't think it works like that. there is no "locking" mechanism. Each side operates independently. You can coast down a steep hill faster than you are pedaling so either (outside) wheel should be able to spin faster in a turn than the input (which would be powering the inside wheel). I am not quite sure how it would behave on icy patches?
 
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You have a point- In a straight line it would definitely act normal. In a turn though, the outside is always turning faster, and so ratcheting, meaning that the inside is driving. Perhaps this makes a difference, perhaps not. I have always thought it was similar to a locking diff on a truck, which does the same thing in turns. Having not built my trike yet, and not having built a 2wd trike, I lack practical experience in the matter.
 
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rykoala I share your concern. Before I discovered Atomic Zombie and while I was still in the workforce Jeeps were my hobby. I had built up 4 of them and in 2 a Detroit locker was installed. So the concept is familiar. In the Jeeps wheelbase was a definite factor, the CJ5 with a lunchbox locker was squirrely, the CJ7 and the Cherokee with the Detroits were manageable but you always had to be aware. Now i don't know if this will work on the trike but if it doesn't it's nothing the cut wheel can't fix. If it does work I get a 2wd trike, either way it's a learning experience.
 

Radical Brad

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Yes, Rykoala is correct in stating that what you describes is a "ratchet drive" and that yes, only the inside (slow) wheel will be powered.
It does work, but offers zero advantage over one wheel drive.

I will now make myself feel old and show how I have 36 years of experience with ratcheting drive!...



Yup, me and my mullet in 1983 on a ratchet drive recumbent car seat trike!

Brad
 
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I bought this for $15 at the swap meet. Didn't really have a use for it....until now.
Another project idea thrown on the fire. Maybe a version of the DeltaWolf.

If I had two, I'd use them on the StreetRunner.

 
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Another piece picked up today. I had to go to Princess Auto for a new drill and they had a folding boat seat just like in the Lode Runner plans on sale for under $40. Score. I was planning on an out of town ride for the next 3 days but it fell through so work will start by Monday on the frame.
 

SirJoey

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My cozy little nook in the corner!
Used one of those on my very first home-built bent!



The seat was fine, but the bike was all wrong for me.
Too tall, & geared too high. Gave it to a friend for a favor.
***
 
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Got started a bit. Received my high roller back and promptly stripped it down since I've decided I didn't care for the style. I will reuse the adjustable bottom bracket and may use the handlebar stem if it's high enough. The 24" wheels will be converted to a tow behind trailer. Later though for that project. Picked up my 2 steel framed fat bikes for a price I couldn't have got the wheels and tires for. The fat frames were cut up leaving from the bottom bracket to the top of the seat post. Because the tires are 4" wide I can.t follow the lode runner plans exactly. The rear deck will be a bit longer and a bit narrower than the 24" square the plan's call for. Even though the tire's are 26" x 4" a tape measure show's a height of 29". The outside rear wheel width is going to be around 40 to 42". Anything less makes it look too skinny between the wheels. And prob quite unstable as well. The steel for the main boom is now laid out on a table along with my chop saw so tomorrow will start on that and yes post a couple pictures.
 
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I got a bit done today. Mostly just to the right rear wheel. The trike is using both rear wheels from the fat bikes I cut up. That meant each rear wheel has the gears on the left side and the disc brake on the right. Not only that but the spokes are offset outwards a bit more on the brake side. So off came the right wheel, flipped it around to have the disc to the outside. Now the profile of the hub flanges and spokes are identical on both sides. I made a cardboard template of the bracket that the disc brake bolts to. It has now has been welded to the far right chainstay. Tonight the right tire will be rotated and the rotor as well. Then the 2 rear wheels can be connected to the frame.
 
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Here is a picture of the wheel after being flipped around and having the disc bracket added to the chainstay

heres one showing the 2 wheels as they will be welded when I,m sure they are lined up correctly


The stell tube thru the bottom bracket will be tack welded tomorrow then the assembly will be checked for alignment after which the main boom will be cut to fit and added
 
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One small unforseen issue was that to remove the right rear wheel that has the modified disc bracket one of the allen head bolts holding the brake assembly has to be removed which allows the caliper to swing away in order to gain enough clearance for wheel removal. A bit of a nuisance but hopefully the wheel will rarely need to be removed.
 
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Very cool!! Are you going to use the bottom brackets as the basis for a jackshaft? or are you going to build something altogether different? I look forward to seeing your build progress. It looks like you and I are having similar goals that are going about it differently :) to me that is one of my favorite things about building projects such as these. We get to express our own ideas and build as we see fit 🆒 That's one of the things I love about Brad's plans as well. There's plenty of room to use what you have or do things the way you would like to do them.
 
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The chainstays are angled a little bit down at front similar to a regular bike to give the drive chain enough clearance. The jack shaft will be placed just far enough in front of the tube going thru the bottom brackets so the largest gear clears it. The main boom will either go over or under the tube in the photo right down the middle, have to see what looks better when that stage is reached. The boat seat will sit a little bit ahead of the tire and the platform behind the seat will be roughly 24 wide by 32 long. It needs to allow enough room to access the axles and I plan on it being just shy of the back edge of the tires. I'm using the metal on hand which is 1 1/2" tubing 1/8" thick for the main boom. Brad's plan's are great, the best thing for me about them is the ability to mix and match plus modify them a bit. As long as you stick to the important angles it should be fine.
 
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Got a bit more done today. Made sure the wheels lined up and tacked the square tube that goes into the bottom brackets. Then determined a 26" long by 19 1/4" wide rectangular cargo shelf would fit between the wheels while still allowing room for my hands if it was necessary on the insides. Cut those 4 pieces, tacked them then made sure they stayed square then got them approx 2/3 welded up. I use a little 110V flux core MIG welder and it does not have a 100% duty cycle so it was time for it and me to cool off. That's enough for today.
 
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