building/making a tricycle

Well this doesn't really fit in anywhere else so thought I'd post it in here. I'm going to build my own tricycle from a frame I have, some of you may have seen it, it's the muddy Fox rock n roll I posted a bit back. Well I found some holes in top tube and down tube so it's really not any good for use as a mtb because the holes are so big. They have been drilled and probably about 14mm in size straight through the two tubes mentioned. I would have liked to have used for its intended purpose but with the holes it's just too risky. So I'm gonna build a tricycle from it.
Has anyone else built one or made one from a mtb? If so how did you go with rear axle? I'm thinking of having both rear wheels driven as opposed to just the one for if and when it goes off road. I'm gonna have it as a 5-7 speed at the rear and a single up front. 26" wheels all round and just a disc brake on front for now with a view to putting Canti hanger on rear in future. I want a decent amount of room at the rear so I can use it to put things on/in, maybe 4' square not quite decided on that yet but I'm going to draw something up later once I've decided how rear axle is going to be set up. Was thinking of just using a hub in original rear end with freewheel on and then another cog on other side of hub to drive a desperate axle. I don't know which would be best. If anyone has any ideas for me then that would be good. I can weld and have got a welder so really I can do any design I want.
I will start a build thread somewhere on here when I start it so you can all see it but for now any ideas or pointers in the right direction are more than welcome.
Thanks
All the best
Leigh

Have a look at Trykit. We nearly used their axle solution for our racing pedal car. Also read up on Longstaff trikes.

Definitely a double freewheeling arrangement is better than a differential.

Cheers buddy that's helped me out a bit with regards to bracing and axle.
I have a old quad axle that I'm gonna try use and just fabricate the whole rear end myself from what I have. Everything for the rear end is gonna be made by me just a case of getting all tubing I use correct so I can get bearings to fit etc.
Other thing is weather! Ever since I've got mostly what I need all its done is rain!!
I will get there and hopefully have it done for spring and maybe even be able to haul my mtb to some rideouts, time will tell lol

Re:

Hi Mate,

Also check out http://www.driewielers-altena.nl/ they have an aftermarket kit that sells pretty good in the Netherlands at the moment. I've build up several bikes with this unit, works quite well.

Good luck and of course show us some pictures when your done.

Cheers

They look like a good design, I'm just gonna get the frame built first and then sort the drive out

Checking in. I like odd. :mrgreen:

Re:

All trikes ive seen have solid axle so both rear wheels are driven.

Sure you get tyre slip when cornering so just lean into corners. Off road on loose surfaces is less of an issue.

Im sure you and attatch a disc brake in the middle to kiss.

Re: Re:

02gf74":3g8dwwsn said:

All trikes ive seen have solid axle so both rear wheels are driven.

Sure you get tyre slip when cornering so just lean into corners. Off road on loose surfaces is less of an issue.

Im sure you and attatch a disc brake in the middle to kiss.

Click to expand...

I have to disagree. The best do indeed have both rear wheels driven. However, what you have probably seen is a Longstaff drive. George Longstaff designed a twin freewheeling mechanism that fitted inside a single Shimano freehub body. From the outside it looks exactly like a solid axle - in fact it is two with the join inside the freehub.

My experience with racing pedal cars is that wheels and rear drives are under huge stresses before you add in axle wind-up, so avoiding extra loads is a good idea. We have managed to break moped spokes from the cornering loads.

It's not gonna be a racing trike lol. More of a potter about picking up more crap to put in my already bursting sheds and cupboards!
I was gonna use a old rear hub and have the axle running through that welded on each end of the hub so it's solid then the freewheel will work as normal just putting drive to both rear wheels. Bearings will be one either side of hub and one at each end of axle, that's gonna be my second job, because the frame will need to be built so I can determine where bearings will need to be. Then once I have them 2 parts done I will set about bracing it. I have a good bit of 1"ish tube laying around so I'm gonna be using that for as much of the project as I can.
Weather looks ok today so after I've braved the shops for last bits of Xmas stuff I'll probably have a couple of hours setting bits out and getting a good picture of how I want things before starting to tack stuff in place. That probably won't happen today though but at least I'll have a idea of how things are going to be.

One of the great things about the post disc era is that you can have a central hub with you freehub on and drive, if you then use a full width axle you can have a disc brake on this hub, weld a flange with the same pcd and bolt pattern as a disc mount and bolt the two together. this could then provide your drive.
if you then do similar inboard flanges near the end of your axles you can bolt the wheel hubs in the same manner and then just have collars for extra security on the ends. You could also add external disks to the wheel hubs if needed.
Of course you will still have the axle wind up problem unless you use the twin freewheel mechanism mentioned above.