Help for a quadricycle

philgib

New Member
Local time
4:55 AM
Joined
Aug 21, 2008
Messages
9
I am starting a non-profit organisation, gathering money from foundations, building quadricycles myself ( made from 2 identical bikes) and bringing it to places where kids and women have to walk for miles overloaded with heavy products like water, wood, fruits.

Since I have been riding this quadricyclemyself every day, I know that some people (including me) will need an extra boost from some tiny gas engine of about 30cc.

I do not need to go fast, 15mph is more than enough. I need some torque though as the quad may have to transport some 600 pounds of water from time to time.

I am looking at a solution under 200 dollars for a 1 hp engine. I am a total moron when it comes to mechanics. All I know is that I must be able to pedal without any friction when the engine is off, and that I only want one engine which I will put on one of the 2 bicycles attached together.

The engine can be started by hand like a grass mower if it makes it cheaper. The driver will simply have to decide wether it goes on the engine or on the pedals.

I need the system to be as rustic (plain simple) as possible as I intend to send my quad in the worst places in third world countries and I need people to repair it by themselves if needed.

Would you guys please help me finding such a system ?
 
Welcome to the forum, and respect for the worthy cause you are working for...

As far as an engine goes, 600lbs of water, plus rider, plus the weight of the bike.... this may be a problem for a 1hp motor, or an engine setup under $200.

More thoughts to follow shortly...
 
philgib-

Some time ago we had a rather lengthy discussion here about compact diesel engines:

http://www.motoredbikes.com/showthread.php?t=11144

And it was discovered that there's a foundation working on developing a small 18cc diesel that will run on unrefined vegetable oil.

http://www.practicafoundation.nl/products/under-development/micro-diesel-engine/

This may be way too small for your needs... but perhaps contacting these people could yield some interesting collaboration.

I also think that hauling 600 pounds is unrealistic for a handful of reasons. For one, if that's just water, we're talking about 75 gallons of water. That's a lot of water in terms of volume. I don't think that two bikes welded together would be able to support that weight, let alone have room to carry it. If you throw a 150lb rider into the mix, it's just asking for trouble. Also, with bike tires, it really won't matter how powerful the engine is, because you won't be able to transfer enough energy to the ground to move it up hills. Your wheels will just spin.

Also, what you are building is essentially a car. I know that if I motorized a quadracycle in my state, that I wouldn't be allowed to drive it on the roads because it has four wheels and doesn't meet the strict safety regulations. I know that you're planning on introducing these into third world countries and what not, but it would definitely be worthwhile investigating if there's any regulation that might hold you back.

With that being said, I'm really curious to see some of these bikes, do you have any pictures?
 
Where are you located?

What are your qualifications and history to run a non profit?
Are you taking a salary in this non profit?

What countries are you planning to take these to?

Have you been to these countries?

There is a 3 wheel cargo bike with a large front box made in Mexico,
have you seen this?
Most 3rd world countries have some kind of cargo bicycle, etc

You can buy a 4 stroke 1.5 HP Honda gx 35cc for $236 shipped from small engine warehouse
Investigate what small engines are used and available in these countries
for water pumps and other uses.

Please post a photo of your bike

I am starting a non-profit organisation, gathering money from foundations, building quadricycles myself ( made from 2 identical bikes) and bringing it to places where kids and women have to walk for miles overloaded with heavy products like water, wood, fruits.

Since I have been riding this quadricyclemyself every day, I know that some people (including me) will need an extra boost from some tiny gas engine of about 30cc.

I do not need to go fast, 15mph is more than enough. I need some torque though as the quad may have to transport some 600 pounds of water from time to time.

I am looking at a solution under 200 dollars for a 1 hp engine. I am a total moron when it comes to mechanics. All I know is that I must be able to pedal without any friction when the engine is off, and that I only want one engine which I will put on one of the 2 bicycles attached together.

The engine can be started by hand like a grass mower if it makes it cheaper. The driver will simply have to decide wether it goes on the engine or on the pedals.

I need the system to be as rustic (plain simple) as possible as I intend to send my quad in the worst places in third world countries and I need people to repair it by themselves if needed.

Would you guys please help me finding such a system ?
 
Back
Top