Welder is going great. I have half the frame stuck together and have not burnt down the shed! Now working on the clamps for the main axils before I attach them to the main spine.
One last welding question: Can my gasless Mig welder weld stainless steel bits (i.e. nuts, bolts, attachments, etc) to my mild steel frame?

Finally got the main frame welded up!!! You wouldn't believe it , I miss-read my own plan. The angle on the jig should have been 20 degrees, not 15. Just as well I noticed before I welded on the "legs". 15 degrees would have been ok if I was using 400 diameter wheels on the rear.
Fixed problem with the welder when I was half way through the job. There was a loose connection in the handpiece, and it wasn't just me! A wire had unpluged itself and was just touching its connection. The wire feed would stop for no apparent reason while I was welding and melt the wire down to the nozzel. Very fustrating!
I have changed "the plan" just slighty. I ended up using 50 od x 1.6 exaust tube mainly because it is easy to access. Would have prefered 2mm wall if they had it, but I think 1.6 will do for lightweights. I have desided to use 45 x 3mm aluminium tube to fit into the 50 tube so I can just pin them with the 10mm bolts. Also will probably use a bike fork for the front end as the wheel I have can only take a standard bike axle. I think I will update the plan when I have finished the build. Heaps of work to do yet. Front steering, rear wheel attachments and seat/footrest.

Next job is to make the stub axle attachments. I'm going to experiment here. I plan to mount the stub axles in Nolathane bushes to soften the ride a bit. Also I will be aligning the main axils with the centre of the wheel. It will lessen the touque in the rear axles, but I wont know if this is a good thing or not untill I have sailed it. I can always change it later if I dont like it. I need to get the rear wheels on so I can set up the steering.

cisco said...

Coming together well Clemco. You may be aware of these wheels.

www.challengersulkies.co.nz

With hub modification they may be better than BMX wheels.

Yes I have seen the sulky wheels. They are a bit heavy for their size (18" rim), and have been known to melt in the hot Aus sun. I will stick to the 20" BMX and eventually make some fibreglass ones like Vic's. The cast aluminium ones I have will do for now to get the yacht rolling. The rims are quite narrow and may be prone to peeling off tyres with hard cornering.
Thank you guys for the help with the welding. I have been wanting to learn that skill for years. The frame so far weighs in at 3.5kg.

Would actually increase the twist on the axle wouldnt it if Clem did that?
The centre of the wheel is on the centre of the axle line now I think

I understand what you are saying but I am not sure if you are right! It will be easy to check as if you are right you will be able to use it without the clamp bolts done up!
Any rotation of the axle with the delta axles is a wheel alignment issue!

Clemco said...

That is diabolically clever!

I dips my lid, great design

I don't recommend anyone copying this setup until I have sailed it. There is still a lot of side force acting on the wheel, especially when cornering hard. I have no idea what effect that will have.
Those orange hookworm tyres I have are really old and pretty perished on the sidewalls. I will probably put on some Maxxis Miracle 20 x 2.0 when I have it up and rolling.
Didn't get much more done on the yacht over the weekend. The lawns and garden got a tidy up though. I hope to have the front end on by the end of the week.

Thats like question Ive asked on many occasions about Y frame yachts "how do you know the wheels are aligned?" and "how do you maintain that alignment when sailing?"
Many years ago i made a Micro Mini yacht, the "Rickshaw" using 20" bike wheels, the alignment was ULTRA critical. I once had a long chat with a paraplegic basketballer about wheel alignment on the wheel chairs used, which confirmed the need for exact wheel set up.
From that time it's a straight axle for me...with slightly sloppy bearings

Hiko said...

You know a yott frame is aligned by aligning it
Once you are sailing you no longer know just as you dont know with a straight axle yacht when you are sailing it whether it is aligned or not as it bends forward and back as well as up and down
Sloppy bearings leads to more misalignment I would think would it not?
Cheers Hiko

I know that a frame " is aligned by aligning it " ... but how?... is the alignment done with or without a person in the yacht, the rig fully sheeted or not as these would change the settings.
And yes while a straight axle does flex, the flex is normally up and down due to the pilot weight rather than forward and back.
With bearings I have changed several machines that I maintain to "self aligning" bearings or "self aligning" bearing housings and have reduced the failure rate of these slow turning / high load to virtually nil, rather than the previous 6 monthly bearing problems. (doing myself out of work I suppose but the client is a lot less stressed )

I guess I just align my wheels on the Class 5 as best as I can
The club has an alignment frame which I have used as a check but I use parallel lines on the garage floor, load the yacht up with weight to represent its sailing weight and use a long bevel from the rims of the wheel to the lines .
Rotating the axles gives the adjustment needed
I do this check fairly regularly and have never had to readjust them
I carry the yacht on a trailer so that helps as I dont have to dismantle the axles
The axle clamps I have are strong so that helps also
What the wheels do when sailing I have no idea really
cheers Hiko

I have a simple parallel frame to quick check the wheels. it fits the minis and the 5. the only time I check the minis is if they have had a big knock.the 5 has alignment marks stamped into the chassis and axles.
Vic seems to be constantly checking his, or is that my imagination

I had alignment holes in the axles of my class 5 when it had the sulky wheels
When I fitted the 26 inch wheels the axles had to be moved inboard to Keep
within the width and I havent bothered to drill them again and it doesnt seem to need them [So far anyway]

Gizmo said...

Hiko said...

You know a yott frame is aligned by aligning it
Once you are sailing you no longer know just as you dont know with a straight axle yacht when you are sailing it whether it is aligned or not as it bends forward and back as well as up and down
Sloppy bearings leads to more misalignment I would think would it not?
Cheers Hiko

I know that a frame " is aligned by aligning it " ... but how?... is the alignment done with or without a person in the yacht, the rig fully sheeted or not as these would change the settings.
And yes while a straight axle does flex, the flex is normally up and down due to the pilot weight rather than forward and back.
With bearings I have changed several machines that I maintain to "self aligning" bearings or "self aligning" bearing housings and have reduced the failure rate of these slow turning / high load to virtually nil, rather than the previous 6 monthly bearing problems. (doing myself out of work I suppose but the client is a lot less stressed )

Exactly the reasoning for me mounting the stub axles in those Nolathane bushes. It sort of adds a bit of self aligning (fuzzines) to the equation.