Sit-Down Cart Works Like A Zero-Turn Riding Mower

Sit-Down Cart Works Like A Zero-Turn Riding Mower MISCELLANEOUS EQUIPMENT “I love gardening but have a bad back so I built this sit-down solar-powered picking machine It also can be used to plant and to pull weeds ” says Randy Graham Conway S C who used parts from a powered wheelchair to build the machine          The rig is fabricated out of 1/8-in thick 1-in sq tubing and is designed for two riders It works like a zero turn riding mower in that the front wheels swivel as the larger rear wheels control the turn As a result there’s no need for front wheel steering The rig’s two drive motors wiring harness and joystick controls are off a powered wheel chair A roller chain connects the motors to sprockets on a pair of driveshafts     “The two motors operate on 24 volts and are already gear reduction motors ” says Graham “However because my picker machine has larger rear tires than the tires on the wheelchair and because I wanted a lot of torque I decided to gear the motors down even more to a 4 6 to 1 ratio I did that by mounting a 13-tooth sprocket on each motor and a 60-tooth sprocket on the wheel’s drive axles using #35 chain to connect the sprockets     “The machine’s top speed is about the speed of a walk but can be slowed down to a crawl by using the wheelchair’s original joystick speed control ”      Four T-105’s/6-volt Trojan golf cart batteries are mounted on racks above the drive wheels The four batteries are hooked in series for 24-volt setup and help boost traction on the drive wheels       On top of the cart are two 12-volt 80-watt solar panels hooked in series The electricity runs through a 20-amp 24-volt charge controller that keeps the batteries charged     Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Randy Graham 6117 Laris Lane Conway S C 29527 ph 843 251-7778; fire_man88@yahoo com

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