SII buggy - My first Build

[MASCMAN]

Thanks!

As far as the battery is concerned, throw a charger on it the night before you are going out and it should be fine.

Honestly, how often will you use the winch? For lights, go with LEDs and they draw hardly anything.

On that buggy above, I use a garden tractor battery mainly just for starting, but I have some older lights (non-LED) and it was fine.

And...even if you did kill the battery getting your buggy unstuck there is always the recoil!

EDIT: Never mind the recoil comment...the Predator 22hp does NOT have one!

[darwinpayne2000]

A pair of 55 watt Halogen headlamps only pull 9 amps total. How many amps does it take to run your winch? How often will you run your lights and your winch at the same time?

The engine runs off the magneto. If you draw the battery down a bit, it will recharge and have no impact on the engine. Unless you kill it.

[Happycamper]

Are you able to run lights from the Harbor Freight engine? I assume it charges the battery while running, but what output in amps would you say it has?

[Inailit]

Thanks everyone for the help and advice. that's one of the reasons I love this site.

I'm going to have to see how many amps the winch pulls. I know this isn't something I'll use every trip, so maybe a good battery is all I need. I still have a little time before I will be ready to buy the motor, so any information/advice i can get just helps build a better buggy. I admit that the extra power of a V-twin is very appealing. I am wondering if the other V-twin motors (Brigs, Honda, etc) have some sort of charging system and if it is worth the extra money to go that route. Also, has anyone had any issues with the idle speed of the HF V-twin? I read last night that the Idle speed was 1800rpm. I will have to do some checking but I believe the torque converters I have engage at approx 1000rpm's. Now I am wondering if the torque converter would still be engaged while idling. Has anyone dealt with this before and if this is a problem, was there an easy solution? Could the engine idle speed be reduced? How much could it be reduced and not have the engine stall out while idling? How easy is it to adjust the torque converter?

[darwinpayne2000]

All of the industrial engines that come with a starter have a charging circuit. Even the engines that don't have a starter frequently have the circuit, since a starter is an accessory. All of the V-twin engines are ready-to-roll, with a starter, voltage regulator, etc.

I looked at the Harbor Freight info on the V-twin and it didn't specify the amperage of the charging circuit. Since it's probably a clone of the Honda V-twin, then I would expect it to match the Honda engine.

The idle is controlled by the %@$# governor. On most governors, there is a screw that will adjust the idle up/down, but if you disconnect it, then it's a moot point. Without the governor, the engine should idle at 750-800 rpm with no problems.

I would recommend that you check out affordablegokarts.com. They make a living modifying industrial engines (especially Honda clone engines) for go kart racing. They show how to disconnect the governor and fabricate your own throttle linkage. It's very inspiring to peruse the products they offer and check out their performance tips. They are also the ones who inspired me to replace my B&S (or is it BS?) carburetor on my V-twin with a Mikuni.

[K-fab]

After riding in and getting to drive rgvkid's buggy, I can tell you I'm impressed with his v-twin. The torque it makes is impressive and his clutching seems to be really dialed in. It's not brutal on acceleration but it pulls solidly from a standstill to top end (50+). It was a lot more reactive than I expected too.

[Inailit]

I know it's been a while since I have posted, new kid will do that sort of thing. Amazing how your free time becomes anything but free. I went ahead and purchased the Home Depot Honda Clone engine and have been searching the internet for ideas on modifications to increase performance. With any luck, I hope to have some time (may only be a few hours) in the next few weeks to work on the kart. When I do get the chance, I'll be sure to post some more pictures.