Homemade Electric Buggy, Ep 2: Suspension & Steering

Homemade Electric Buggy, Ep 2: Suspension & Steering
In this video I build and install the suspension and steering components in my homemade electric buggy. Check out my blog for a breakdown of what parts and materials I used and how I put it all together: renewablesystemstechnology.co...
Electric motorbike build:
• Build An Electric Moto...
Website: www.resystech.com
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Special thanks to the following supporters:
Rodrigo Quispe Sipe
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Tim
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I really appreciate your help, you guys are awesome!
1" DOM tubing:
www.metalsdepot.com/steel-pro...
Tires:
www.ebay.ca/itm/162915996770
Rear wheels:
www.ebay.ca/itm/401048540981
Front wheels:
www.ebay.ca/itm/332660137281
Steering rack:
www.ebay.ca/itm/114293091571
Steering U-joint:
www.ebay.ca/itm/272586563610
Heim joints with bungs and spacers:
www.ebay.ca/itm/151575208212
Ball joints:
www.ebay.ca/itm/362016179000
Weld on poly bushings:
www.ebay.ca/itm/152899622438
Rear shocks:
www.ebay.ca/itm/143977624282
Front shocks:
www.ebay.ca/itm/264901482773?

[@JamesBiggar]

Thanks for watching everyone! Links for the components that I used in this video are in the video description. If you have any questions, just ask. I read every comment. Enjoy your Sunday!

[@user-mj5sb8xn8z]

FYYYDDD9DD

[@SandyWalsh]

That's going to be badass.

[@brianswelding]

James, I love that you do all this with the same tools I have in my shop. No fancy shmancy stuff. Just basic fab tools and, what's that thing the old-timers used to build everything with?... craftsmanship.

[@addictedtoair1351]

Idk man, I'm not sure if the plasma cutter is basic

[@suntzu6122]

Watching you work is mesmerizing. Love your channel dude!

[@WileHeCoyote]

LOOKIN BEAUTIFULL BUD!

[@josepalacios7975]

It's really awesome! I do want to see it when finished. Please make another video of the streetfighter.

[@JamesBiggar]

When the time comes.

[@yuvrajbhogaonkar4470]

Can't wait to see your another video

[@haydensuperville1967]

Masterful....You have me thinking hydrostatic motors now Chief.....

[@noorulhudakhan964]

Excellent job brother

[@FreeFinca]

I do like a bit of pipe pipe pipe. Nice work dude 👏🏻

[@proaudiorestore8926]

Nicely done dude! Looking great so far!

[@user-kr1jv8or7r]

Долгожданный видос! 👍👍

[@akshaykharvi2201]

Love from India ❤️

[@irfanqureshi3463]

Me to

[@abelmachado7126]

Ta ficando top das galáxias parabéns

[@EJ-74]

Awesome build 🔥👍 Can't wait to see it rip ✌️ I subbed

[@JamesBiggar]

Thanks 👍

[@eliasgamezgarcia3414]

Dude you are just awesome

[@eskanderx1027]

17:50 Thats feeling... Love that feeling.

[@okukhalid]

Tnx to your willingness

[@naeemnofal5840]

You are the best just continou

[@Mohamad.mekanik001]

با حداقل ابزار بهترین عملکرد و نتیجه را به ارمغان اوردی.❤🤙

[@user-yb3nk5dx5l]

Good work

[@FerSniper]

Круто!!! Спасибо за видео!!!

[@juan.2438]

Hi from Spain

[@BenMitro]

I've been badgering Rather be Welding to build an electric cart and here you are! Had a look at the project page - wow! I can't help thinking install two motors rather than the LSD - I know that means two controllers, software for recreating LSD functionality and other complications. Many years ago I was building an electric cart for my kids using two motors and was toying with the idea of driving them in inverse series (so they spin correctly) and it occurred to me that this would provide a kind of differential action. Not sure if that was right though - never got that far... I abandoned the project after I got the elder of the two to sit in the driver seat while I loosely connected the motors to the flattish batteries - good thing they were just touched on because the cart shot off ripping the cables from my hands and disconnecting the motors. Later I did the calculation for top speed which turned out to be close to 90kmh - far too fast for a 10 year old! Scared me.

[@BenMitro]

--they were DC motors each capable of 4kW. @ 60V...you are using 3 phase - no idea of how to inverse series connect them.

[@JamesBiggar]

I actually considered it for quite a while, but ultimately decided that it was a bit out of my league. QS sells e-car kits with multiple hub motors, but they're 3 phase and use standard Kelly controllers so I don't think the speed of each wheel is adjusted to suit their turning radius when turning. I could be wrong though. Plus they're hub motors, they're less than ideal for an off road machine. The diff only weighs 40 lbs and is a relatively easy solution. I want to build a two seater (side by side?) next year, but use 2 motors to make a 4x4.

[@BenMitro]

@@JamesBiggar Yeah I started building the electric cart when I still thought I was invincible. (I was going to design the speed controller in an FPGA - something I had only ever watched someone use!) Despite over 2 decades, I still overshoot my capabilities but it looks like you have the balance right :). Really looking forward to your build James.

[@JamesBiggar]

Lol, you guys just get to see what goes right here, usually. I have my fair share of big bites, fails, head scratching and cursing

[@brojoelchannel]

Good job man

[@haisupercar]

Great quality bro ❤❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@CrazyCat229]

So cool!

[@mahmoudshoja7511]

Great work James. Is this possible to give me a guide book or a pdf about sizes and metrics?

[@franciscowashington2155]

Beleza muito bom 👍👍👍🇧🇷

[@OverbuiltByHenry]

Subscribed! I want to see what motor goes in this awesome build!

[@JamesBiggar]

Thanks for the sub!

[@OverbuiltByHenry]

@@JamesBiggar I didn't knew your channel, I also love to build electric things, specially go karts 😂. I'm preparing something big.

[@Levi_Allen]

Those red coils look so rad. It’s cool seeing the suspension arms come together piece by piece. Something so satisfying about a bolt being tapped into place through some bronze bushings. Does this suspension build feel more complicated than the leaning trike?

[@JamesBiggar]

I'm loving how it's turning out. The leaning suspension was more complicated, but it was the first that I'd ever built and I had to modify a lot of the existing chassis to do it and still couldn't build it the way that I wanted. I think starting from scratch with the trike would have been easier in that sense.

[@apfunekhojob4787]

Take me with you and teach me how to build 👍♥️

[@dmr9042]

nice one. why does it takes me so long but it takes you few hours to get a lot of work done. lol

[@budipirang2694]

very nice

[@pyuxp]

Looks great! Where did you get the suspensions from?

[@cethrondson]

How many feet of tubing did the cart take to complete?

[@maris22435]

Super!

[@andydeciccio]

Where did you get the hubs and brake assemblies? I didn't see that listed anywhere.

[@Kaiyes_]

instant sub

[@charlesedwatdcruzcruz8308]

Desde Colombia Exelente

[@witosarlaw]

Mantap bang

[@carlosfrances01]

what type of cutting disk you are using on the grinder ?

[@chbaisla]

U r tony Starks Next build iron man suite

[@charlesclarke9430]

Dude your skill level 1000000!! DBZ refence LOL

[@resgateerestore]

Cool

[@emilyk776]

What wheel bearing hub did u use?

[@danielbadel1226]

Greetings Mr Biggar, excellent work! Just one question about the steering rack. Do you have a video Showing how to modify the steering rack so the control arm and the A arm pivot points almost coincide? I realize you got it customized on this video to avoid wheel misalignment while the suspension goes up and down

[@JamesBiggar]

No video. I just removed the OEM heim joints from the rack, then installed it to measure how far the ends needed to be extended to line up with the A arm joints on the chassis, then cut 1" DOM tubing to the appropriate length and welded a piece to either end of the rack. I drilled and welded a small 1.5x1.5" plate on the ends to fasten to the tie rods with bolts.

[@ummthingy]

looks good. that steering seems a bit slow though. Might be hard to maneuver on a tight trail

[@JamesBiggar]

Thanks! But do you really think the rack is slow? The gearing is better than most passenger vehicles, which take at least 2 complete turns of the wheel from lock to lock. This rack is built specifically for sand rails and buggies (link is in the description). Just one complete turn of the wheel lock to lock is all it takes, like an F1 car, as shown in the video. No shuffling required. That's a lot quicker than the F150 that I'm used to driving in the trails lol.

[@b0bkata871]

What's the thing holding the wheel base cald

[@ajepcacam7614]

Apakah itu differential kepunyaan mobil CRV ??? Apakan differential kepunyaan mobil butuh penyusuaian atau butuh modifikasi ?? Misalkan iya bisa dibuatan kan video nya pak .. terimakasih 🙇‍♂️🙇‍♂️🙇‍♂️

[@roboticus3647]

@James Biggar: at this point, the frame still looks tacked together. When do you make the decision to fully weld it?

[@JamesBiggar]

After all components are fitted, just before paint.

[@yuvrajbhogaonkar4470]

From where I can get all the measurements because I want to build a cross cart like this

[@JamesBiggar]

Plans will be available to purchase after the build is finished and tested.

[@douglasharley2440]

how did you calculate the suspension/steering geometries??? you should test for bump-steer and other potential problems before driving it at high speed. a small issue like rear toe-in can be catastrophic. looking rugged af though!

[@JamesBiggar]

It's all guesswork - not a clue what I'm doing ;) I ALWAYS test everything before driving at high speed. There's a wee little bit of bump steer (it should be obvious in the video when I'm jumping on it) but I expected that given the space that I had to work with in the chassis for setting up the tie rod elevation relative to the control arm geometry, and it's nothing that a steering stabilizer won't cure if needed. I want to test the basics in motion before spending any more $ on more components, though. But Ackerman is good after a quick 'eyeballed' tie rod adjustment, as you can see in the video. I didn't do a proper alignment though. Camber, caster and toe will be set after the finish is on and the final assembly begins.

[@douglasharley2440]

@@JamesBiggar nice!...you definitely have quite some idea what you are doing, guesswork notwithstanding. xf motosports has a really good series of videos on calculating suspension and steering geometries, and ackerman/antiackerman, but he was building a time attack race car, where nailing that stuff is crucially important, along with weight considerations. can't wait to see your newest creation in action, it's gonna be so sweet! peace

[@barsergen399]

what is the name of these bearings

[@nurtanmortius4859]

forgive the delitant, of course, but it seems to me that the ball joints on the suspension will wear out very quickly because they are not protected from dust, dirt and water. In addition, it will be difficult to replace them because everything is supported by welding. Overall, I really liked the concept and the look and am looking forward to continuing! Молодчина👏👏👏👏👍 .

[@JamesBiggar]

These are self lubricating chromoly off road racing ball joints, that's why. Race machines don't typically have boots on their joints for a number of reasons. Also, the joints are NOT welded in place - their weld bungs are (ie: the threaded tubes/nuts that they screw into). All I have to do to replace the joints is simply unscrew them from the bungs. This is standard - all ball joints and heim joints on every machine screws into a bung which is welded in place. I thought that was very clear in the video. If they were welded in place, I would not be able to make adjustments and do a proper wheel alignment. This is the entire purpose of using adjustable bal and heim joints. "On a typical street car application, where maintenance is not done on a weekly basis, the boot is perfectly acceptable, as it will help to keep out the rain water and the small amounts of dirt that may come in contact with the ball joint. But in a racing application where everything needs to move as free as possible that boot may do more harm than good, as it can trap contaminants and increase resistance. As extra grease builds up in the boot, it increases the resistance on the stud. That grease has to be moved out of the way as the stud moves, so that low-friction ball joint that you bought is not as free moving as it could be. Running the joint without a boot allows for contaminants that may have gotten down in the cup to simply be pushed out and replaced with clean grease, and the excess to be removed entirely. It's recommended that greasing of the ball joints be a part of your weekly maintenance program." www.hotrod.com/articles/dust-boots-on-ball-joints/

[@nurtanmortius4859]

@@JamesBiggar thanks for the answer, I didn’t know about such ball joints.

[@JamesBiggar]

For sure. Link for the ball joints is in the video description.

[@lloydaguirre5930]

Wow

[@RG-gk4yi]

Very cool project. Just curious, why do you plasma cut some parts but use an angle grinder on others?

[@JamesBiggar]

The plasma cutter can rough cut odd shapes easier/faster (especially in thick plate) and it doesn't send anywhere near as much dust into the air as an abrasive wheel on an angle grinder. The tight radius corners on axle housings would have been next to impossible to cut out of the 3/8" plate with a cutting wheel - there would have been a lot more grinding involved after. The plasma cutter allows me to cut as close to the line as possible in situations like that to minimize the amount of grinding. I hate grinding, and I hate the mess it makes - the dust gets everywhere.

[@RG-gk4yi]

@@JamesBiggar That's what I would have thought. I meant to ask that question on your steering wheel video as it seemed you would have used the plasma cutter on that. I can only imagine what you would be building with a waterjet! Can't wait to see this finished.

[@JamesBiggar]

I considered using it on the wheel, but I figured it might be a good idea to show a different method this time, one that most people could use for tight radii.

[@RG-gk4yi]

​@@JamesBiggar Got it. That's also very clever to use the router with carbide burrs. I'm gonna have to try that.

[@nemojac]

Where did you get the suspension geometry of the buggy

[@JamesBiggar]

From my brain and a calculator. I don't have the time or necessary resources to write a proper lesson here, but you can learn all about double wishbone suspension design (and a lot more) from the AutoMotorGarage channel: kzbin.infovideos

[@chrisdoucs]

Great. ;- )

[@Arcula-tc9lf]

Fkn awesone

[@wabuhwabuh8674]

does it have a differential?

[@JamesBiggar]

Yes.

[@user-ln2es3rk2i]

Hola buenas

[@dogabelgesellerikusagi3391]

AWERSOME. use electrtic?

[@JamesBiggar]

Yes.

[@morkovija]

hot diggidy daym.

[@ikbelmezroua5500]

What's the name of the weld machine is this?

[@andarilhoblackpillimortal4579]

Andarilho

[@fitnesszone9754]

Hi

[@user-qi4ff5ny7c]

ГУД.

[@dirkdigler8663]

OXYENNO!

[@AlekseyCamodelkin]

👍🤝🤝🤝

[@noronoro8461]

Do you agree to move to Algeria in order to manufacture and sell in Algeria in partnership with me?

[@kamalrachid4273]

You lack a turning machine

[@JamesBiggar]

I want for nothing.

[@kamalrachid4273]

@@JamesBiggar I talk to you from the framework of your fans and not blame you on the machine

[@kamalrachid4273]

Thank you, I wish you more glory

[@anthonymartinez7977]

Why can't people buy a electric motorcycle from you

[@JamesBiggar]

I'm not a bike manufacturer, and I don't really have much interest in being one.

[@saburovanatoly2197]

люди, не знающие щтангенциркуля!