A NEW project...

The reason I am posting here is technically it is nor ever was a lawn tractor - but it will be when done!

What I got hold of today is a early model 4 wheel harley golf cart - was electric, converted to support a gas motor. I do not plan on going the simple way with it by just getting a centrifugal clutch, torque converter or some similar contraption, oh no...

But a complete lawn tractor drivetrain - from engine to transaxle!

There's plenty of space to configure all this as it has no body BUT... the way it has already been modified I can easily fashion my own body out of wood, aluminum, steel... whatever!
I am considering one of two options at this point - to make it look like a military jeep type machine or... a HUGE lawn tractor!

I will leave it up to you to decide, as it will become a tow/recovery vehicle for whatever machines I have when finished. I want you all to decide which way I go with it cosmetically so I don't part it out and waste it!

If I leave the rear end under it, it'll get a 3-5 speed chain drive gearbox and at least 12hp engine, but most likely a v-twin to get that perfect sound we all love. OR, I run a transaxle, extending the shafts (with supports for the axles themselves so that they dont flex) and mounting the 4x4" hubs to retain the use of the 2 sets of rims that come with it. OR, I go hog wild and run a motorcycle engine in it...

*shrugs* either way, time to start doing research - but like I said... you decide - military-looking vehicle, or a huge lawn tractor-like vehicle?

id say jeep. And those things are heavy, id worry about belt slippage, that's what im fighting right now.

military style for sure

redlinemotorsportts wrote:

id say jeep. And those things are heavy, id worry about belt slippage, that's what im fighting right now.

Oh, I know bud - this is the 2nd Harley cart I've had - 1st was all-original and a tank... took 2 of us to lift either end and almost tore our backs apart trying. Took my old craftsman puller everything it had to move that pig when I first got it as it had 1 flat tire and I had to get it out of where it was. My idea would be to keep the drive system right on the swing arm with everything else to eliminate just that problem. strong clutch system, fattest belt I can fit to it for durability. But that's the easy part

If its gonna be recovery, why not see about stretching the frame and make a mini tow truck? Make the cab and bed, then make a boom with a steel U pulley and eye hook at the end and use a cable boat winch over the end. That would be legit.

Doug Fackler wrote:

If its gonna be recovery, why not see about stretching the frame and make a mini tow truck? Make the cab and bed, then make a boom with a steel U pulley and eye hook at the end and use a cable boat winch over the end. That would be legit.

If I go that route, I'll make it a tandem axle and then a roll bed style recovery vehicle... I always liked using those (the real ones) back in the day... hated boom trucks. Had use of one that'd pop a wheelie (or try) every time something bigger than a VW beetle was hooked to it...

A mini boom tow truck would look bad-ass though. Otherwise its just a fancy side by side.

Doug Fackler wrote:

A mini boom tow truck would look bad-ass though. Otherwise its just a fancy side by side.

I see your point, and agree. There are plenty of those plastic covered oversized UTV's around here, and I hate them....

Take photos of this because I sold my 1975 4-wheeled Harly cart to a friend and going to do the same with the drivetrain

Oh I will bud. More so than what I did with war machine, as this project will take much longer, both by design and by choice. I was mistaken in one thing, it isn't older than my first harley cart but newer, an 82. The older models didn't have aluminum A-Arms with a transverse leaf spring... they had steel A-arms and coilovers.... oops. Anyway, some pics already taken from way back in '08 when the other guy abandoned his project with it. Thankfully it puts the project about 1/4 toward where I need it to be used. Pics upcoming soon I suppose... can I put them up in here or...?

Yup putting pics in here is fine seems like a awsome project cant wait to see it completed

Helping a buddy out with his external hard drive (virus removal) and in doing so I found pics of the cart during the early stages of it's strip-down and rebuild. It isn't much farther along now but it can give people the idea of what I will be working with... note the date of the pictures - that was actually the last time it was wrenched on other than removing the now-seized engine and chain. I'm not 100% sure I want to keep the drivetrain as-is, except the front end of course.

Does it run a live axle? I would keep it so you could continue to use that suspension.

But if its for recovery, maybe you dont.

Doug Fackler wrote:

Does it run a live axle? I would keep it so you could continue to use that suspension.

But if its for recovery, maybe you dont.

It's a Dana rear end, roughly 10:1 ratio, a miniaturized Dana 25 from the look of the design. Identical in almost every way, just... smaller. Has a mini-spool in it, I know that much... Roughly equivalent in strength to a little import truck rear end. Just that the suspension is weaker. Was told with my older one that it could handle up to 40hp. I'd say that's a generous estimate, maybe 25-30hp tops. ... will try to get more/better pics when I get it moved away from it's current location later this week. I have some jeep cherokee front coils I can put back there, and a set of air shocks... probably can put them to use in the rear. Get a bigger set of leaf springs for the front to raise/level the ride height...

I'm just debating what to actually do with it. *shrugs*

that rear end looks like it is from a mini japan truck lol

funny you should mention it... I decided that I'm going to build a mini-rat-rod truck out of it with a military theme not unlike war machine but more refined. I have already secured the use of the same shop I built the tractor in, exchanging my assistance in it's upkeep and possible side projects from the owner. I am planning on making it similar to a 40's truck, complete with some fashion of a cab. More metal work than Ive ever done for one thing but it'll be well worth it. And yeah, it'll still have a tow boom (just a removable one lol)

I did confirm it's a shortened dana 23 that harley used the design from, but few parts are interchangeable. That sucks...

sweet, i love a rat rod i came across one of those rear ends a while back, but the guy wouldn't sell it