Building a tandem trike for the handicapped

I build bikes and fabricate and weld. A mother has a teen who wants to ride but cant pedal, I'm building this "ice cream" trike. A reclined chair will be fabricated for him.

Thus far, the entire machine is made from EMT conduit (just thin walled, galvanized mild steel tubing) referred to as "electro metallic tubing". Basically the same material chain link fencing tubing is made from, but smaller. Galvanizing is simply a surface coating of zinc, wont rust (least not in many years)

All tubing was 10 ft straight lengths. I did all the bends with a conduit bender. It's coming along.

 

@logical1

What did that tadpole trike set you back, If I may ask?

 

End result, similar to this....

 

Articulation point.

 

First of two reinforcements, top and bottom, in two planes. This joint will take some stress, better safe than sorry.

Main frame, tubing weld. Not perfect all around but this portion is. A perfect weld is pretty AND adequate. A decent weld is adequate, just not so pretty. An unsatisfactory weld, is neither adequate or pretty. Like a mud dauber wasp.

 

Fun fact, a good weld can withstand 70 thousand PSI, tensile strength. The invention of the screw, nuts and bolts, rivets and welding, propelled humanity into the modern era, as we know it. I think I get enough zinc and iron in my diet.

 

Final reinforcement of the hitch area, it's certainly overbuilt but a failure here can cause injury.

 

That’s pretty dern nifty! Do you build bikes as a hobby or is this part of an established business?

 

Sorta both, but it's a hard sell in a small town, I'm building this for a ridiculously low labor rate but it's for disabled teen and mom, poor kid wants to ride but cant pedal. Had a series of strokes as a child. I work from home as a live in care taker but I'm going to start advertising. Gives me something to do besides sit on this computer too much. I'm home all but a few hours of the day.

"Fat Back's light to medium welding and fabrication, that wont cost your first born" lol

 

Our world would literally, fall to pieces around us, without it

Going to put dual brakes on the front wheels, both operate equally from one lever. If unequal, the front will pull left or right. Why I left the horizontal, "outer wheel wells" longer. Next build I will build a bit shorter and axle forward of center, this was nearly center.

 

Sorry for the double post @DaveBN but that's a good question, so far I advertise on local FB group pages (hence this job) word of mouth and a couple community advertising boards, at ranch supply stores.

Considered getting business cards to distribute but I'm not licensed and insured and if folks get a business card, that's the first thing they want to know about. Wonder how difficult that would be?

I like to make side $ but I dont really do a whole lot or very stringent (if that word fits)? ...projects.

If I really start to advertise, something I need to look into.

 

If I actually work up some jobs, want to expand my tool stable. Right now, I use a hand held angle grinder, for all cuts and bevels and sanding/grinding. A radial arm, chop saw with a miter box (and/or jigs) is next on my list. As well as a bench vice and grinder.

Needless to say, proper tools increase precision and safety and greatly reduce, labor time.

This 12 ton tubing bender (way more than enough 'umppp") is 120$ at Harbor Freight. Bends 1/2 inch to 2 inch

 

My "anvil".
I watched some line men toss it in a dumpster, behind a shopping plaza, years ago. Some sorta powerline bracket. Has served me well.

Another good, improvised anvil is a short length of railroad track. But good luck finding any of it... Glad I never scrapped it.

 

Anyone in SW Florida need their exhaust welded? lol

I could get er done! Everyone needs dual exhausts!

 

Gonna start doing some yard art or sculpture. Saw an inspiring piece in Tampa, years ago. A life size horse, constructed entirely of railroad spikes, bet it costs a kings ransom.

My father was right, it takes a lifetime to learn. You are never to old, to learn more.

 

Last and final reinforcement of the business end. Build will be done in a few days. I only work a couple hours a day. Building a one off from your minds eye, rushing equals mistakes. Mistakes = wasted time and materials. Nothing is more aggravating than finishing something, only to realize you screwed up and must cut it up and redo it. The two vertical 3/4 inch tubes,to either side of the hitch were todays work (had other things to do)
The welding is quick and easy, it's the cutting and bending and fitting, that is most of your labor, like 95%.

The tubing has "fish mouth" joints, where the tubes meet. Done by hand with an angle grinder. A tight fit and no gaps, is the goal. Stronger and wastes less welding wire, trying to fill gaps from a poor fit.

 

How far can you swim?

 

Not that far! LOL

Welding exhausts is actually very hard to get a good weld around the entire tube. Each tube is bent and welded, sectionally. Then welded under the auto. About 80% of the diameter is pretty easy. But you cant see that top side and have to weld by "feel". And it's impossible to have the welding gun at the proper angle, in such a confined space.

The worlds finest engineers, still have not cracked that nut. (that i know of)

 

Coming along nicely. It irks me that it's a bit longer than need be, buts it's far to late to chop it up (lessons learned on next build) The nice thing is a possibly, tool free separation of the front and back (easier vehicle loading)

That all thread rod, has two locknuts but it really only needs the top, I cant imagine a scenario where it could pop out, but for safety....two locknuts...Anyhow, anyone (with 2 wrenches) can separate them and re attach.

The "bike" part, is not welded yet, just mocked in an improvised jig, I'm sleeping on it until tomorrows, final weld. More bracing and a bucket seat, to follow. Getting close to done.

 

that's incredible FB, you're very talented

 

Thank you, Mam. Every build gets better than the last one, mistakes made and lessons learned. this is my first, such device.

I'm so happy for the disabled teen, I feel so blessed to have this oppurtunity to build this for him. As low a labor rate as I charged, I learned much on this build. It's hard to put a price on that experience and making this kid, so happy. He is maybe 16 YO, 5,10 and 170 pounds.

 

I attended 18 weeks of full time welding school, in my early 20's and dropped out like a dummy, to work in a tattoo shop, after completing like 60% of the course. Oh well, regretting the past prevents you from focusing on today and tomorrow. It is what it is, everything happens for a reason.

 

This child really puts things into perspective, my above knee, amputee other half, had a stroke in 2017 that robbed her of her ability to move from A to B, by herself.

That seemed pretty bad but she is in the dusk of life. This teen had a series of disabling strokes, as a child.

Remember, as bad a hand as you think you have been dealt, somewhere...someone has it much worse than you.

 

Years ago I built a roll cage for a Baja bug out of 1-1/2” .090 using a HF bender. They work ok but collapse the bend like a muffler bender. My way around this was to weld a plate on one end of the tubing fill the tube with sand, pack the sand in with a tapered wooden plug hammered into the other end of the pipe. Time consuming to say the least, luckily my back balcony was about 14’ off the ground where I could fill an entire 20’ stick of tubing with sand, back in the garage I would make several bends, getting as may pieces out of a stick as possible, then dump the sand out and cut the pieces apart. The sand really kept the tubing round like it was bent on a mandrel.