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“I am an IT technical analyst for the Govt. I am married with 2 kids - a son (12) and daughter (6). And I also own Deluxe Motorworks, an auto repair and custom fab business out of Yorkton, SK. My son and I race F1 Karts on the weekends as well.”
If you’ve ever played Mario Kart, you know that the characters ride some crazy vehicles. David’s “Little Red Express” almost looks like a racer pulled from the famous video game series. It just happens that David and his son are into karting, so it’s really no surprise that this zippy little machine was created for some fun riding away from the track. Just keep an eye out for those banana peels…
Great project, David! Thanks for sharing it with us!
See it in actionhere
Q: What is it?
A: It’s a 6 HP Princess Auto powered radio flyer wagon, made with Princess Auto shafts, bearings, steering and driveline parts… everything but the tires. It was inspired from other builds I had seen people do and I wanted to make a compact functional build for me and my kids to enjoy with Princess Auto parts and pieces. It took about a week to complete.
Q: What is it used for?
A: For parades, but we drive it around our little subdivision whenever it’s nice out. It goes about 47 mph (or 80 km/h).
Q: What is the main power source for your project? (e.g. electric motor, gas engine etc.)
A: A Powerfist 6 HP gas engine.
Q: How do you control your project? (e.g. hydraulic control valve(s), electric switches etc.)
A: Acceleration and braking is handled by two bicycle hand controls (brake levers) on the steering wheel.
Q: What components are used to perform the work for your project? (e.g. hydraulic cylinder(s), hydraulic motor(s), sprockets, pulleys etc.)
A: Engine, clutch, sprockets, bearings, shafts, brakes, steering linkages, and a power switch.
Q: What design/build challenges were overcome?
A: Getting a proper front-end geometry for proper handling and packaging the engine into a compact design were challenges. For this particular project, I bought a new wagon - and believe it or not - I had to get it from Minot in North Dakota, as steel Radio Flyers aren’t sold in Canada anymore!
Q: If you had to build it again, what would you do differently?
A: This was version two. Version one was not as easy to steer and harder to drive. I would also use a Comet variable clutch.