Handicapped trike

[redneckray]

okay, i am starting on a handicapped trike for a member on here,[gary mueller] so bear with me as i go with this build, i also have another trike build going on at the same time, and it is hard for me to rememember which one i am building,grinn
this trike will be using a fwd car donor as the power plant, it is or was a 1996 ford escort, fully automatic, small but lots of power and should get real good gas mileage, this car was a good running car and nothing wrong with it and i was told by friends that you going to cut up that good car, hey guys it is part of the bussiness, besides it is a "ford",grinn
the car was cut up today and now is on 2 wheels, it is all stripped of all the stuff i do nort need for the build.
I must say it took me 2 days to take the dash apart, and it amazes me how they do it at the factory in record time, grinn there is enough wiring in this car to wire 15 old cars and have some left over,
so bear with me as i build this for gary and the other trike for len, and don't put the wrong parts on the wrong trike,
ray

 

[ThirdWheel]

Ray - It appears that it may be a day or two before it is ready. LOL Keep us us posted.

 

[katfish16]

Does this mean since the front is in the back he will have to go in reverse to go forward????

 

[redneckray]

Nope, he will still go forward like the car did before, but he will be in the front of it all,grinn

 

[CCrider]

I love watching a creative mind at work. Please do keep the thread updated with pics as your proceed.

 

[redneckray]

Will do

 

[John Luciano]

how does he enter the trike . Is he in a chair? I have seen the arrangement before done with an old Dodge Neon. The front of the bike at the swing arm was attached to the front bumper . What fills in the old drivers seat area ? Do u cut it off at the dash? how about a little sketch of the plan ?

 

[redneckray]

John,
slow down, grinn, i will show you in the pics of the trike as it is being built and you can see for yourself, he is in an electric wheelchair, and will have a ramp that goes down to enter and up to close, like a drawbridge, grinn.
The challenge for me is , it has to have all hand controls for him to ride it,
ray

 

[Nauga Mok]

Just a thought for the brakes -- ever mess with a "Hydrovac" system like used on med duty trucks? It's a hydraulicly controled vacumn booster so you could use the handle bar master cylinder to control the booster. These were single system boosters, but a perportioning valve could be used to split front from back & also regulate the front vs rear pressures. Granted, a booster for a 10T truck might be a bit much for a trike, but I think there were smaller ones. Probably the biggest problem would be finding a place to put it.

NM

 

[redneckray]

Thanks for the info on the brake booster,
i am going yo use the brake system off a honda gold wing with a porpotional valve and hope it works, it has on other trikes, but they were liter and less powerful as this one,
the thing is, this guy has ridden bikes before, but never a trike, and now being in an electric wheel chair and only use of his hands and arms, wellllllll we will see,

 

[redneckray]

Here are some pics of the frame being built to support it all, a lot of gussets and bracing going on it, will be doing the gate and rest of the frme tommorrow ,

 

[redneckray]

Pics

 

[ThirdWheel]

Ray, looks like you have been busy. Starting to take shape. Thanks for the updates.

 

[Lunchbox1983]

I see how you are going with it. Thanks for sharing this with us, I look forward to seeing more pictures

 

[John Luciano]

So the wheel chair will park on the square part ( ladder portion ) of the frame , and the floor jack will be where the forks and steering will be. Looks good . My question is how do U register this after it is built. Not in Conn

 

[redneckray]

John,
you are right and now you need to look at the new pics, as far as registering it, it can be as a bike or get it titled as a parts assembed trike.

 

[redneckray]

Here are the recent pics of what was done today, the frame work is almost done, and the ramp is made and in place, it has a flat plat[rod] that is attached to the ramp, that when the ramp is let down, it opens it up to the level of the ground and does the same in reverse when ramp is rasied up.
The ramp will be lowered and rasied with a 12 volt electric winch from harbor freight, and will have a swith for up and down,
also there will be a safety latch[home depot gate latch] that will secure the ramp in the locked position[up] for securing while moving,
also on the sides and in the front of the engine there will be lovers to direct air flow to the motor.
Also there will be a 10-15 gal gas tank on board in the front of the motor, hopefully a fuel cell.
Well hope you are enjoying the pics of the build as i am in building it,

 

[redneckray]

The pics . Well for some reason i can not upload pics, must be the new system
sorry

 

[John Luciano]

Ok I will sit here with Baited breath waiting for new pictures

 

[redneckray]

I tried to post them here, but will not let me, hmmmmmm they are good ones too,grinn