Building a go kart for one’s personal use and enjoyment is a challenging and unique project. While it does require one to possess some basic mechanical ability and will require a great deal of effort, time, and patience, it is well worth doing. The process itself will give one a sense of pride in one’s accomplishments and will also provide a great deal of excitement and joy along the way. When a go kart is made by hand, this also means it can be fully customized to suit one’s size, dimensions, and desires.
It costs significantly less money to buy the parts necessary for a go kart and put it together on one’s own than it does to buy one that was made ahead of time. A high quality go kart that has been assembled in the factory can easily cost up to $4000, but when the parts are purchased independently and built on one’s own, the cost can drop down to around $1500. Here are some considerations to keep in mind when building a personal go kart.
First of all, think about how the go kart will likely be used when deciding the optimal kind of go kart to build. For example, one might build a go kart simply for personal enjoyment or for romps around quiet streets in the neighborhood. Alternatively, one might have more functional purposes in mind, including pulling small wagons and trailers. Beyond these angles, one might even want to race professionally with a go kart.
No particular use is better or worse than the next, but it is essential to have a use in mind before the materials are purchased, because go karts designed for racing will necessarily have significantly different tolerances than go karts designed for pulling trailers or being used for recreation. Naturally, it is also important to think carefully about the size, age, and level of experience of the driver who will be in charge of the go kart when it is completed.
Another important area of consideration will have to be the engine for the go kart. Here one must start by thinking of how much power will be necessary for the go kart’s intended functions. For example, a 5 horsepower motor will be capable of reaching close to 22 mph when paired with a 50 tooth sprocket. Drivers who are interested in having more torque may wish to upgrade to a 7 horsepower engine.
Alternatively, it might be worth looking into electrical engines instead of gas motors. The advantage of electric engines is that they don’t have as many moving parts, which makes them simpler and cheaper to maintain than gas motors. They also get recharged through electricity rather than through fuel, which is cheaper, and they are much quieter and do not emit harmful toxins.
However, they might only last for around 20 minutes before needing to be recharged and to obtain the same level of power and speed from an electric motor as one would receive from a gas motor, it will be necessary to buy a more expensive electric motor.
There are a few other parts that should be prioritized, such as the frame for the kart. Look for a frame that is strong and flexible and a transmission that allows one to change gears without stopping the entire go kart.