May 27, 2019
#311
Gentle reader,
Eight years ago, we came across two pedal cars. Not the all-metal ones we drove all those years ago, but more modern types. I wrote about them here: Our latest rides!
NOTE: If
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not know if that works the same way.
Then, we had only three grandsons, they were four, three and two. So, they weren't exactly ready to pedal.
Now, we have twice as many grandkids, two more boys and a girl. They are eight, five and three. The youngest of the original three is brother to the youngest two.
He was complaining that he's too big to fit on either car. Being handy, I decided to see what I could do about that.
That and all four of the tires no longer held air. I'd bought four new tubes, so that was the first part of the project.
Whoa! Was THAT a lot of work. I used to work in tire stores, well decades ago, and we had tire machines. But little wheels have to be done by hand. The rear tires were not too bad. The fronts being so much smaller were a real challenge.
Even though the cars are under a tarp 98% of the time, the color has still faded. Red doesn't seem to resist fading as well as other colors, I have noticed.
Those are the holes (above) the Chinese factory made to move the seat forward or backwards, except the last one on the right. Of course tools are required to take the original screws and nuts off to reposition the seat. Kids don't have a lot of patience these days.
I looked through my scrap metal and found these three pieces. The curved one, I do not recall where it came from. The two others were part of a TV wall mount.
This metal is one inch square aluminum tubes from a previous project that I had dismantled.
I marked the distance between the seat's screw holes, drilled them and installed rivnuts. They are threaded tubes that once installed with a special tool, grip tightly to the surface they are in so that bolts or screws can be used. They are firmly attached to the seat, yet the screws are long enough to pass through the framework and have nuts secure the seat.
I initially mounted the seat on my new framework, towards the rear end. It fit well. I forgot about one thing. When I sat down, the rider's weight was now BEHIND the rear wheels which made the car act like a lever with the wheels being the fulcrum. Fortunately, the car was on carpeting and the distance dropped was a few inches. The only thing hurt was my pride.
"Hmm, maybe I could make a third axle to act like wheelie bars..." Then I got real.
I removed and disassembled the framework and put the pieces back where I'd found them.
My measuring was not as exact as I planned, as you can see. So, I removed those square tubes and put them back as well.
Screws and flat washers in the factory seat holes with nuts not quite tight beneath as shown above and below.
Once they dropped into the four frame holes, I held the screws with a screwdriver and tightened the nuts to the seat. See the wingnut, it's right by the tire?
Four wingnuts are easily removed and installed by hand so that I can quickly place the seat for whomever wants to drive.
I plan to do the black one the same way. Oh, and there is no longer a need for my push-bar assembly that I made all those years ago on the Red Ryder.
I found this image of an adult-size big wheel on the Internet. If they make these, then it makes sense for them to make adult sized pedal cars too.
Let this be a lesson to you. Unless you have an engineering degree, it's not a good idea to "improve" on a product.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my humble words. It is your comments and kind words that keep me cranking out these article. Ride safely!
Scott
May 27, 2019
#311
