Recumbent tadpole trikes - build advice?

[Papa Bear]

OK, so now that I've got shelter sorted out, I figure my project for this year will be better transportation. Neither my backside nor my knees particularly care for the standard diamond-frame type of bike, but I also have no interest in hauling my recumbent bike out there (it's a short wheelbase/USS, and is too twitchy for dirt and gravel, much less dust dunes).

I've always wanted a recumbent USS tadpole trike (i.e. 2 wheels forward, one back), and since I now have access to some decent equipment at my local makerspace (mig welder, Bridgeport mill, lathe, etcetera) and am in need of a good project to hone those skills, I'm leaning toward building one. I've already picked up plans for AtomicZombie's Warrior & StreetFox designs, and been reading up on things like Ackermann steering, so I'm no longer quite as clueless, but I'm sure advice from the more experienced hands here could still save me quite a bit of pain and frustration.

I've found some answers in the old threads here, but I still have some questions, such as:

• How wide a tire really makes sense? I could track down a full set of 4" wide ones for front and back, but I'm unclear whether that's really necessary, or whether just doing either fat front wheels or a fat rear (drive) wheel is enough. The plans I have recommend 48-spoke front wheels because trikes don't lean and therefore need more strength there than a comparable bike, but from what I can tell it's tough/pricey to find really wide 48-spoke rims. 2" wide front wheels seem more easily achievable, but would that negate any effect from a fatter rear wheel?
• I see Elliot (and others) have stated that front derailleurs can be a big issue on the playa. Given that I have bad knees to begin with, and a cardinal rule of a recumbent is "spin the pedals, don't mash them", I'd like a decent range in gearing. Is the derailleur issue one of those things that's primarily attributable to badly-maintained bikes, or is it just a problem no matter what?
• Baskets/cargo seem to be a little trickier than on a delta trike. I'm sure I can build a rack/pannier baskets over the back tire, but I get the feeling a trailer might make more sense for ice runs. Anyone know if tadpoles have any issues towing trailers?
• Any thoughts on the minimum advisable amount of ground clearance? I know of one person who took his Warrior out there and had an issue with the chain dragging in the deeper areas. I'll have to go with a higher clearance than he did anyway in order to avoid heel strike (I have huge feet), but I prefer not to go higher than really necessary, and adding height at the pedals doesn't necessarily mean higher clearance on the frame.
• One set of plans I'm looking at uses rear suspension. Is that likely to be a source of trouble on the playa as well?

I may add an electric assist eventually, but that's not really in the cards for this year - I need to get the basics right before shelling out for that. Whatever I manage to build, I plan to take a standard two-wheeler as a backup, so I'm covered in case of a broken weld or other major failure.

Thoughts?

[Elliot]

The front derailer problem is largely a user-skill issue. Precious few "normal" people acquire the knowledge to use it properly.
But I said "largely", and there is also the fact that the front derailer is a more troublesome design than the rear -- what with the wider difference in sprocket sizes and the less elegant way of forcing the chain over.
So... if you know for certain that you can operate a front derailer, then by all means install one.

48 spoke wheels are readily available for 20" tires, so that may be what they are talking about.

[Papa Bear]

Thanks for the explanation on the front derailleur issue. Helps to know what I'm getting into.

Yes, I'd meant to say that the plans call for 48-spoke, 20" wheels, which are apparently a widely available BMX standard. What I haven't been able to find yet (and perhaps I just haven't been looking in the right places?) are 3-4" versions with that many spokes. I'm sure I can find a way around it, even if I need to learn to build my own, but am wondering if I'll see enough difference with the extra width to be worth going to the effort for non-drive wheels.