Posted on October 26, 2021
Basic Low-Cost Belt Drives For a Go Kart
Go Kart Drive Line parts can be very expensive, especially if your goal is to make a reliable and affordable go-kart. Driveline components typically cost between 100 and 200 dollars. The belt drive is a cheaper alternative to traditional chain-clutch drives.
A basic belt drive is composed of a driver driving the engine and a drive on the wheel or axle. You can tension the belt by either moving the engine forward or pushing a belt tensioner onto the belt. A belt drive must meet several requirements. The first is the correct ratio, and the second is the right type of components. You cab buy the best and right pedal go kart for your kids.
Go Kart Belt Drive Ratio
For the belt drive system to function properly, it needs a high ratio of 8:1. A lower ratio will cause the engine to stall, and the go-kart will need pushing to get it moving. This 8:1 ratio assumes that the wheel measures 12 inches in diameter. For the size of the drive pulley, the tire should be the same size as the pulled pulley. If the ratio is too small, the engine will stall and the belt will smoke.
Proper Selection
A zinc-plated pulley is one of the biggest mistakes first-time go kart builders make. These pulleys are usually available at hardware stores, but they cannot handle the horsepower requirements for go-karts. If you use a pulley made of aluminum or zinc, it will melt within ten minutes. The pulley must be made of steel.
An engine pulley must be as small as is possible. A diameter of 1.75 will be the maximum size you can get before the ratio is out of control and the engine stops or smokes belts.
The pulley can get hot so it should be secured with Loctite, a bolt at the end of your engine and some other stuff to keep it from falling off. To ensure proper torque transmission, the pulley must be connected to the engine.
It is a completely different story for the drive side of the go-kart. You can either make the pulley yourself from sandwiched plywood or buy it at your local tractor supply shop. Wood pulleys are attractive as they are inexpensive and can be attached directly to a wheel using bolts.
Belt tensioners require durable tensioner pulleys. These can also be bought at your local hardware store. The belt tensioner is essentially a pulley that is pressed into the face of a belt. This causes the belt clearance between the engine driver and wheel pulley to decrease. The belt tensioning allows the wheels to turn better because it grabs more tightly.