build a go kart

So summer is here again, and you’re looking for something you and your children can do together, something that will keep boredom at bay and allow the kids to vent their creative energy. How about building a go-kart? All it takes is a few skills, a plan, and some materials. Although some of the plans you can find can be complicated, you’ll have little trouble using them to build the go-kart of all of your dreams, especially if you happen to have welding skills or a friend who welds. By looking online you’ll find numerous plans in order to build your own go-kart.

If you’re building the go-kart strictly for use by children, building one that’s 30” wide and 50” long should suffice. However, if you want to be able to use the go-kart yourself, it will need to be about 40” wide by 72” long. You want to make sure it’s large enough for the largest person who will be using it, but not too large for little legs and bodies.

In order to build an economical go-kart, it’s possible you’ll be able to salvage parts from an old riding lawnmower or some type of vehicle being sold at a yard sale. You will need metal tubing, a seat, an engine, wheels, and various other parts specified by your plans. Keep in mind that if you’re building this go-kart for a young child, like a 4-year-old, you don’t need anything that will go 40 mph. Instead, aim for 15 mph which will be plenty for a child this small to handle. When the child is around 8 years old, you can increase the horsepower safely.

Of course, a go-kart can be a dangerous thing, and you’ll need to take precautions to safety-proof the one you build. You need to install some type of seatbelt system to keep the rider safe if the vehicle should roll. Additional padding in the roll cage is also a good idea when you build a go-kart. You also need to procure a full-face helmet and enforce the fact that anyone riding in the go-kart will need to wear it when the vehicle is in motion.