Building a tandem trike for the handicapped

Was it the same bender? I may just stick with a conduit bender.

 

Yes. It was orange back then but same model.
You use the bender laying flat on the ground. I laid out the whole roll cage with chalk lines on my garage floor. Then place the bender on top of the chalk line angles, insert your sand filled tubing, and bend. It takes a bit to master spring back, you just have to bend a few degrees too far and when you release the pressure it springs back where you want it.

 

My electrician friend (whom I borrow the bender from) said it's for thicker walled tubing. Seems to me, it should work for conduit, as long as you dont try bends over 90 degrees. I build my machines with EMT conduit. They fabricate ultra light aircraft with the same. Handy stuff, just got back from the Ranch store. 10 ft of 3/4 inch is 7.50$

Have used tree trunks on one inch, but only bending about 20 degrees.

 

Mated the front to the back, today. I used my eyeballs and a level and scratched my head and drank beer, looking at it for like 2 hours, before I welded. Nothing is more irksome than welding something, than to spot a mistake later. Measure twice, weld once.

 

Mocking up the seat and laying out the heavy gauge mesh, that will be the floorboard. Marking the mesh with a sharpie, to cut out, in the morning. I need a shop in the country so I can work when my insomnia kicks in. My neighbors wont like me running an angle grinder, in the wee hours. It's either sit here on the web or stare at the ceiling in bed. Much rather be cutting steel and welding, get done much quicker.

I used bed frames for their angle iron. They will do 3 things, stabilize the "trailer"...act as bases to weld the seat and support that heavy mesh.

 

Getting close to done.

 

Only welding left to do is the brake mounts and the handlebar. Seat will be woven with webbing like the old lawn chairs but a nice bucket seat, fairly reclined. Sides of the trailer will be screened in with 1/4 hardware cloth.

 

Looks awesome FB

 

No, the idea is to have one lever pull both brakes equally, with a "splitter" so it will not pull to one side. The handlebar will steer (it's not done yet, want to get the "reach" optimal) It will be like a shopping cart handlebar, when finished, push pull. I tested it today with a load of blocks to simulate a person, the turning radius is long but OK and the "steering stops" along the turning axis, prevent turning to sharp or jackknifing. Turning to sharp, stability gets hairy, hence the stops to prevent it. With low gears, it's surprisingly easy to pedal. Going up steep grades, would suck. Luckily, it's Florida, not many of those around. I could make you one but shipping cost would suck.

 

It's doable but good ones, with decent speed and range are pricy, like 700$ for a drive wheel and the batteries.

 

At least the last I looked, have not looked into it, beyond a cursory glance. But hey, if a customer produced the parts.... @Adfundum

 

Machine #2 is always more refined. Just like my recumbent bicycles, I learn what NOT to repeat.

Here, i made the initial "footprint" too long and needed to make several modifications (after I thought I was ''done'') to render it safe and stable. I hate double work but live and learn and do.

Moved the axle, axis back, about 3 inches and shortened the tubes on the "bike" by about the same.

 

One must have a metal "shrinker and stretcher" ...AKA a welder and patience....patience. (and an angle grinder and other, simple tools)

 

Here was the initial mistake, too long to begin with. Wont happen again.
Lesson learned, keep the wheelbase as short as possible.

 

What better way to occupy my time if we get a "stay at home" order?

I stay at home, 21 hours on any given day, anyways.

I want to make some crank/chain driven, human powered tools. A big grindstone, cut off wheel, comes to mind.

Should have been focusing on this, BEFORE the corona, panic.

 

Excellent. Very cool.

 

I dont use square tubing, but this video is interesting.


Not much done today, cold galvanizing paint was applied, first over welds (the only place it was really needed) then the rest, because the color difference, irked me. Cost 7$. Negligible

 

A good video, took me a while to figure out the basics, though a I use a manual, conduit bender. Like this...

 

Here is the end, I had to cut and mount the brake mounts (this fitting and grinding and cutting and trimming, takes much longer than the actual welding.)I cut and fitted, after that, I tack welded and drilled a 4MM hole.

Tomorrow, I shall weave the seat.

 

I'm rather proud of this and feel I can toot my own horn, to a degree. Easily my best fabrication, to date. The better welder and tools, play a big role.

I have been building, off and on, for a decade. But if I keep it up, each build gets better. I just need the jobs. I learn many, important things, with each build.

 

Oh man. This project has been far more labor, than I first anticipated...and expeneses.
But I am keeping my (far underestimated) word on my labor, costs.

Expenses ran double my initial, estimate.

Still....Wayyy less than the costs of another machine. They start at a grand and go up,from there.

My total costs is around 300$

I dont care, I did a good thing with my talents. Next build I need to charge 300 labor (still very cheap)

 

Wove the seat today, it rides well and the seat is very comfy. Only thing left to do is finish the handlebar and brakes.

 

And by "my cost" I mean my 150$ labor fee and materials. The tubing is a 1$ a ft. wonder how many linear ft? I brought 40ft of 3/4 IIRC and have about 6ft left. Also used about ten ft of 1/2 inch and the 1 1/4 inch for the steering tube was 20$ only sold in ten ft lengths.