Hi everyone I'm from N/east UK and I came across this great site as it my want to own a mini land yacht and through the posts it seems to me that when working on a tight fisted budget one of the big issues is wheels and I have seen the lean towards the Fallshaw wheels for quality and the kite buggy wheels obtainable hear in the UK but with the combination of being tight fisted and lack of funds the price tag is a bit of a sting.

After some research I have come up with an idea that I wondered if this would meet with the approval of the group as a good idea or not, there is a motorbike scrap yard close to me and there is a heap of road scooters and my idea was to use wheels such as in the following links, my reason is that they are single side mounted on a hub and with the added attraction of looking (to me) far more cool than a wheelbarrow wheel.

If there was any issues of keeping with any rules for competition is not an issue as I have no plans for racing and the likes unless I build another for my grown up sons for fun and I would put the malky on their machine to make sure I would win anyway (yep shameful but true)

I would be using the bolt on hub as well as the wheel any thought appreciated.

Wheel
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Peugeot-Speedfight-100-Front-Wheel-120-70-12-/130566578630 pt=UK_Motorcycle_Parts&hash=item4ab517df90&_uhb=1#ht_500wt_969
Hub
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Peugeot-Speedfight-1-Front-Wheel-Hub-/320865820560?pt=UK_Motorcycle_Parts&hash=item4ab517df90&_uhb=1#ht_500wt_969

Thanks for any help in advance Lorry

Gidday Lorry, and welcome aboard!

When I first put my Lefroy mini together I thought I could save a few bob by using some suzuki hatch 10" diameter wheels and hubs I had lying around.

It was a big mistake- even after the hubs were stuck in a lathe to drastically reduce weight- and the tyres were buffed back with a belt sander, It was still too heavy to get rolling on grass ovals, and on bitumen carparks it was too heavy to stop!
As soon as I replaced them with plastic wheels the mini rolls along nicely and handles just great.

You could possibly get away with small motorcycle wheels- but even with lightening they will still be way heavier and much more complex than plastic barrow wheels.

When it comes to landyachts- to quote the Guru, "Lighter is righter"

If you really want to use motorcycle wheels- find some that are as close as possible to the outside diameter of wheelbarrow wheel tyres (16"?, 400mm? IIRC)
This way, when you later change to regular barrow wheels - the geometry of your landyacht will stay the same.

Try and stick to the lefroy mini plans as close as you can- the design is great- and all the research and development has already been done for you.

have fun!

stephen

G'day Lorry (Truck, sounds good).
Gees you must be a rich man wanting to spend $125 (= 80quid) on a wheel?? +$375 for 3.
These would be good and I noticed the Frogy's are using them on their Land Yachts the only thing you need to get are the Wheel Barrow tires. Lighter' Cheaper Keep Hunting.

www.briskites.com.au/index.php?l=product_detail&p=528

Thing is as mentioned Heavier Large dia wheels and tires set up a Centrifugal Effect which tends to cut steering ability at speed. Sure you could use Tractor tires if you had a mind and were building HUGE but Gawd help you when you were turning. Then again you could use 16" Kids Bicycle wheels and make your own Glass Wheels a lot of our westerners do that. You could always get wheels at a Five Finger Discount by going around building sites at night. Don't get caught.

www.briskites.com.au/index.php?l=product_list&c=22

Read up a lot more and chat with the likes of Colk and find out about your nearest club.
Ideas ideas ideas, then Build..
Ron

lorry said...I freely admit I am tight fisted more because I have to be but I get pleasure from using recycled materials for projects

Mate! you are going to fit in perfectly with our mob!
We are the stingiest mob of recyclers you will find anywhere, and damn proud of it too!

Get your mate to scrounge all the barrow wheels and tyres he can for you- a stockpile is handy to have, you can always fit them with sealed bearings (may need adaptors- which are pretty cheap) or elcheapo pressed bearings, even if you dont use the barrow wheels now- you will probably use them (or trade with them) later on.

The scooter wheels and hubs at 15 quid sounds good- as long as it all works for you, depending on the surface you intend to sail on it might be worth trying.
Another alternative - barrow wheels at the back- and scooter wheel at the front?


stephen.

Realistically- brakes on a landyacht are only there for "feel good factor"
The best way of slowing down is to just let go of the sheet rope to let the sail go slack- and turn into the wind.
A brake on the front wheel will only lock up and skid.

Check out the lefroy mini plans- the brake on those is only intended as a parking brake- not to stop the landyacht.

The steering for a lefroy mini is a "lay over" type, is incredibly simple to make- and very robust.
Trying to adapt steering from a quad will probably be adding weight and complexity.

All 3 lefroy mini axles are just a piece of 20mm shaft, welded into a section of square tube, with the wheel and its 20mm bearings sliding onto the shaft, with the whole lot secured by a single "R" clip or split pin.
You cant get much simpler, cheaper or reliable than that!

I don't want brakes but some of the post's I have seen mentioned brakes so I thought I would mention it for them that did as an optional way of doing it through my finds

I am going to build along the lines of the LLF its just I will change a couple of things more due to availability of parts for nowt or close as possible to nowt.

Lorry.

Its going to be some time as due to a dog attack five weeks ago both hands have been operated on and not quite functioning properly yet and I have a suspicion I may loose a finger yet so I'm looking for materials just now.

Lorry.

desertyank said...

lorry said...
Its going to be some time as due to a dog attack five weeks ago both hands have been operated on and not quite functioning properly yet and I have a suspicion I may loose a finger yet so I'm looking for materials just now.

Lorry.

Sorry to hear that.....

If possible, take lots of pics while you're building. If you forget, nikrum will hire another dog to bite your tires.

cheers!

Yer Cheeky Bugger DY!

Not a nice thing to happen Truck. Did you have it destroyed?? I know bloody well that if one is bitten by a dog here it would be put down quickly and or the owner taken to Court probably even Charged for owning a Dangerous Breed.. We have a bit of a problem with American Pit Bulls here. It is usually the owners fault because of the dogs temperament and the way they bring the animal up. They are now an Illegal Breed,,,,and rightly so.. Just about any dog can be turned bad and I think that Owners should have to hold a license to own or Breed them and also have to pass a test.
Ron

Gday lorry gte in touch with Andy parr in the UK .Potty Landyacht.
last I spoke to him he was selling sets of wheels for mini landyachts at a reasonable price. maybe ipksa can help with an email adress

I emailed him and he has come back with some prices but it would seem it is eaqualy as hard to source the metal for the project now around our area its like a fleet of transit vans are getting every bit of metal going including using illegal means to do so.

Its begining to look like I might have to BUY steel (hangs head in shame) I got given a couple of masts and four sails two of them are like new that are a matching set in different sizes I thought I would use these and follow the color scheme on the frame.

I actualy looked at your thread on a self build and liked the way you made the seat I may incorporate a version of it in my build, (good job)

Cheers Lorry

I'm in the north east we live on a small housing estate that isn't a getto, it isn't unusual to see these vans three times a day and the same ones two or three times a week and yet when I drive round I have never seen scrap laid around that would make them think its a good place to visit so regular.

Logic tells me that when strangely they seem to always have bikes on board that look serviceable and good nick that the owner would sell or give to a friend before scraping its not hard to wonder if they are stealing kids bikes I know of one person that bought themselves a rather expensive aluminium set of garden chairs and table it was put on the patio and gone the next day.

Lorry.

Heeey! Big Motor Bike,(I got a Suzuki Volusia Intruder in my shed)

That is the type of Chassis Frame I used on both my machines, Only they came from a Street Sign Post out in the Boonies.. Perfect size (As you say) for a Mast Step, Fit the base of a CF Wind Surfer Mast Perfectly..
Ron

lorry said...
Its going to be some time as due to a dog attack five weeks ago both hands have been operated on and not quite functioning properly yet and I have a suspicion I may loose a finger yet so I'm looking for materials just now.

Lorry.

it is more than possible to build a landyacht with fingers heavily bandaged, have a look at some of the later photos in the build a LLm thread.
mind you it was only 168cc of angry honda

Its been some time now and things didn't seem to be getting any better (I put it down to Statin poisoning slowing down the healing process) but I went back to hospital to see if this was normal and although our nurses are great and all angles in my opinion up hear in the north east they tend to say it how it is so all is OK that I wont be loosing a finger and after a bit of discussion she basically called me a handbag and said go home.

So with a bit luck I may make a start in the near future.

Cheers Lorry.

A playful/teasing way of saying man-up and stop mincing around