Tiny gas generator

[Elliot]

Cricket is collabboborating with a certain unnamed individual at an undisclosed location in Clearlake on pedal-powered emergency propulsion. Buwahahahahahahah!

[bm_cricket]

Cricket is collabboborating with a certain unnamed individual at an undisclosed location in Clearlake on pedal-powered emergency propulsion. Buwahahahahahahah!

Elliot wins.

His plans seem so simple, given what is already on the bike. I'll share pictures when it is ready.

[mudpuppy000]

Yeah, pedal powered seems like the best choice. If you want to make that thing electric it would probably be best to just take out that mechanical drivetrain and put electric hubs on the rear and/or front wheels.

[bm_cricket]

Yeah, pedal powered seems like the best choice. If you want to make that thing electric it would probably be best to just take out that mechanical drivetrain and put electric hubs on the rear and/or front wheels.

This is my first year applying for a DMV permit so I like the pedal powered idea more and more. If I can gear it (with Elliot's help) so that it's practical to pedal around all day long, then the electrical system is just for lights and electric assist. A little help getting out of dust dunes, etc. I'm sure the batteries would last for ages if I ran it that way.... All the better because I'm worried I won't get a DMV permit. If it is a fully functional pedal powered trike, with some electrical help, then I don't even need a permit! (The motors are small enough... They are wheel chair motors)

If I ever did go to pure electric then electric motors directly to the wheels sounds like the way to go. For right now, Elliot convinced me that pedal power is the way to go.

Thanks for all the help with ideas on generators, alternators, gearing, even sparkle ponies and gluten free fuel additives!

[maladroit]

It's a trike and shouldn't need a DMV permit anyway, as long you DO have some pedals that still function.

[bm_cricket]

It's a trike and shouldn't need a DMV permit anyway, as long you DO have some pedals that still function.

Exaaaactly. And Elliot is pretty convincing on the pedal power thing.

[Elliot]

Naaawww -- That's thing is too heavy -- and plus two passengers -- for pedaling all the time. The two wheelchair motors need to be operational.
You are allowed 1 horsepower = 750 Watts electric power as assist to pedals. I don't know what that wheelchair was rated, but it might say on the motors.

[bm_cricket]

Naaawww -- That's thing is too heavy -- and plus two passengers -- for pedaling all the time. The two wheelchair motors need to be operational.
You are allowed 1 horsepower = 750 Watts electric power as assist to pedals. I don't know what that wheelchair was rated, but it might say on the motors.

The labels are warn off but I found a site that says under maximum load (stated at 10 ft-lb) on these specific motors it runs 13.2 Amps at 24V, about 633 Watts total. It's a really low RPM motor... Probably around 94 rpm under max load.

[maladroit]

The best, most creative, most fun small vehicles I've ridden on the playa were blatantly violating most of the DMV rules and had to be kept on the down-low. But YOU should definitely follow them

[Elliot]

Well, there you are then. A human-powered tricycle with legal electric assist -- no license required!

[mudpuppy000]

One thing you could do is put some beefy motors on there, but just limit the electrical power to whatever the dmv spec is. In case of "emergency", you can flip a switch to add an extra bank of batteries.

[bm_cricket]

One thing you could do is put some beefy motors on there, but just limit the electrical power to whatever the dmv spec is. In case of "emergency", you can flip a switch to add an extra bank of batteries.

I've pretty much done that.. I have 4 big deep cycle batteries with a big switch selecting either Off, Bank 1, Bank 2, or Both Banks at the same time. The motors come from a pretty beefy wheel chair. I posted about it last year but it's a "heavy person" wheel chair. I think the motors were built so that two reasonably small deep cycle batteries would keep a 400lb person moving around for the better part of a day on a single charge.

The real breakdown:

• Tricycle weighs 400lbs unloaded
• 4 x Deep Cycle AGM batteries weigh around 200lbs total
• Extra art and accoutrements will be <100lbs
• Each rider (probably 3-4 including the driver) add 200lbs average, 800lbs total

That brings my tricycle up to about 1,500lbs total!

I've tested the tricycle on flat ground and 1 person (total weight about 700lbs) can move around on 1 motor and 2 lawn mower batteries in parallel (24v). I'm really hopeful about this thing, especially with pedal power.

[ManitoBURN]

I didn't have time to read through the whole thread so here we go....

Honda made lots of smaller 4 cycle generators as recently as 20 years ago I think.
I picked up a Honda EM600 for $150 off craigslist. I've been offered $350 for it, you would have to hand me an EU for me to get rid of it. They made them from 300-800 watts and depending on the condition can be picked up for less than thoes 2 cycle death traps. NEVER EVER BUY ONE OF THOES!

I have owned 2 900 watt 2 cycle generators of the princess auto brand (canadian harbour freight), both failed catastofically with less than 5 hours on them. One caught on fire when the nut-serts in the gastank for the handle started leaking and the other snapped the drive shaft.

I also know that Briggs and Stratton make 1 hp (or close to that) 4 cycle engines intended for weed eaters. One of them could made an interesting assist drive or homemade generator.
Unfortunately I have only seen them at a surpluss store, witch no longer has them. They were only $50 too!

[mooserider]

Just as a suggestion, you might want to get this very helpful book: http://www.arrl.org/shop/Emergency-Powe ... nications/. Ham radio operators have been looking for small portable power for decades for their emergency support work.