88 blazer trike

[peteg59]

Good to see you're back on the project, Bob...:clapping:

Leading link is probably the strongest and best weight bearing front end, if you can get past the semi-ugly.

Never heard of a hossack, either, but I'd bet its stronger than plywood ...:Shrug:

 

[Sidecarbill]

I never heard of a hossack front end either. So I googled it, went to the site. Well flashed across the screen it says your ipad has a virus. Click this link don't shut your ipad down or risk damage! So I shut it down and got out of there. From was I saw briefly looks similar to tne new bmw front end.

 

[LarryA]

I looked on google images....what it looks like to me is an upper/ lower a-arm setup fastened to the front of the bike frame with upper and lower ball joints or a cross type joints, and the vertical part of an automotive knuckle without the spindle.

....the forks fasten between the ball joints with a cross bar then extend down to the axle.....almost the same as an auto front end.

it would need a coil over shock like an auto would use. looks like it would work quite well.

 

[Fowler]

Tomorrow I am replacing the alternator on my kids truck then working on the trike

I got my shocks in

I want to build something like a Earls fork but a regular leading like would be much easier.

I have the enough metal to do either

I have not decided yet.

From what I have read I believe a 2 inch trail would be best either way I go.

 

[LarryA]

Bob .....can't give any advice here, being the only trike I have ever ridden, is the one that I built. That said, with a front ax wt. of nearly 400#, 2 inches of trail gives me easy and stable steering. If riding on a road with a bunch of curves, I would not want steering that takes more effort, so all in all happy how it all turned out. Now the rake is 45 deg. And I understand your rake will be around 35 deg. What I am unsure about is, would less rake, steer easier or harder? or make no difference? Hopefully others with more varied experience will chime in!:xzqxz:

 

[TomyJ]

hossack front end

Is this what you are thinking?

 

[stacebg]

Tomorrow I am replacing the alternator on my kids truck then working on the trike

I got my shocks in

I want to build something like a Earls fork but a regular leading like would be much easier.

I have the enough metal to do either

I have not decided yet.

From what I have read I believe a 2 inch trail would be best either way I go.

earls is a leading link

i like 1.5 - 2.5

 

[Sidecarbill]

You do need to be careful when you build the front end. A friend of mine is a welder by trade. I stopped by his house one day and he said check out the leading link I'm building. So it was a nice lookin job. I said without measuring it looks like you have less than two inches of trail. And I said when they get under 2 inches they get a little to twitchy for my taste. Well he didn't know anything about that so he moved the axle forward about 2 inches. Now he had negative trail. So he called me to tell me about the maiden voyage. He said it felt kind of wobbly but thats not unusual at low speed. So he nailed it and hit second gear. At this point it goes into what he called the speed wobble from hell. Ripped the bars out of his hands dove right flipped upside down with him under it. So hes sliding down the street with a motorcycle with sidecar on top of him, ground a nice flat spot on his ankle before it finally got stopped.

 

[LarryA]

Ouch....bet he knows all about measuring trail now!! Might be over simplifing but, I just classify a leading link as any fork assy. where the rocker has the front axle forward of the fork tubes. As opposed to a trailing link where the front axle is to the rear of the fork tubes.... as some older Indians had.:xzqxz:

 

[stacebg]

Ouch....bet he knows all about measuring trail now!! Might be over simplifing but, I just classify a leading link as any fork assy. where the rocker has the front axle forward of the fork tubes. As opposed to a trailing link where the front axle is to the rear of the fork tubes.... as some older Indians had.:xzqxz:

AGREE about leading vs trailing link..

some call a springer type a leading link as the wheel is forward..

to me, it is not aleading link unless it has the "link" tying the 2 rockers together..

but thats me

 

[LarryA]

stacebg....I would agree with that statement. The wraparound does indeed give the superior ridgidity to the leading link!

 

[Fowler]

stacebg....I would agree with that statement. The wraparound does indeed give the superior ridgidity to the leading link!

I do not think I will do the earls fork. I do think i will do the "wraparound"

Did not have time to work on it last weekend but I have no other plans for this weekend except for working on the trike.

 

[Fowler]

Did some more thinking in wood.

Will need to get my measurements better when I do it in steel

You should get the idea of what I am trying to do.

Tell me what you think of this design

Took a wooden dowel to get a straight line from the neck



Drew a line where the dowel hits the floor



drew another line 2 inches behind



The wheel is lined up here 2 inch trail



This is what i am thinking for the rockers and the joints



Zipped tied he shocks on. They are larger than I originally wanted but I do like the look.

1 thing I do like about them is I can get springs in different weights so I can go lighter or heavier one i figure out what I need

I have 1 inch clearance between the forks ad the tire.

 

[vwbug72501]

What about moving the top spring mounts forward from down tube until they are parallel to the down tubes? Just a matter of aesthetics IMHO.

 

[Fowler]

What about moving the top spring mounts forward from down tube until they are parallel to the down tubes? Just a matter of aesthetics IMHO.

yep that sound like a good idea and would make it look better

 

[LarryA]

just a question....what angle will your rockers be when full load is on your front end? Just my opinion, I like them tilted upward slightly at the forward end. Also what material will you use for the bail....or wraparound, as some may call it? I just used the same mtl. as the rockers. But it can twist, so I wish I had used round tubing like Stacybg used on his front.

 

[Fowler]

just a question....what angle will your rockers be when full load is on your front end? Just my opinion, I like them tilted upward slightly at the forward end. Also what material will you use for the bail....or wraparound, as some may call it? I just used the same mtl. as the rockers. But it can twist, so I wish I had used round tubing like Stacybg used on his front.

I know the rockers are angled down in the wood mock up but I was planning to make them level.

Why point them upward? Does this help with something or is it just for looks?

For the rockers and the wraparound I am taking a some of the same 2" square tubing I built the frame with and I am building the folks with. Cut it down the center then welding a back plate to it. SO when I am done I will have a 1" X 2" tube and it will be very strong

On the down tubs I plan to cut 1" out of the center at the bottom then reinforce each side. This will be where the rockers will be inserted

What I don't know is what I will use at that connections yet. Do I use brass bushings? Just leave it Steal?

On my other trike I have bearings but I have been told that is not needed.

 

[Fowler]

I would think that you would have better luck with a new hole saw, slow speed, and lots of lubricant. Less likely to grab a flute and launch your piece. If the 3/4 holes in the 2" tubing are for pivots, axle, etc. consider using a sleeve to provide more load bearing surface. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Steel-Tubi...R40&rt=nc&_trksid=m570.l1313&LH_TitleDesc=0|0

With this you could just drill 1" holes in the tubing, align the bushings, and weld in place. This process could compensate for any "drift" in the drilling process.

I got the steel tubing in and just ordered a 1" hole saw

 

[LarryA]

I've got the rockers pointing upward (front) about 30/40 deg from horiz thinking, that when the wheel goes up, there will be a straighter push on the link rods.

regarding bushings.....use bronze, brass doesn't wear as good, or use some ptfe lined bushings or delrin/teflon/rulon, types of bushings would work.....I'm using both bronze and plastic types.....easy to change out when needed my widths of bushings are maybe a little narrow, and may wear more quickly but I have xtras on hand.

Others may have better/different ideas regarding the bushing business?

Shoulder bolts are nice....ground o.d. makes a good bearing journal.

Sounds like you have it pretty well figured out!

 

[FuzzyWuzHe]

Loving the mockup ... gonna be a beefy front end ... but then ... the trike's gonna need it.