3-Wheeled, Diesel Motor "Trike"
"After reading your article on Mike Corse's diesel-powered motorcycle (Vol. 27, No. 5), I thought your readers might be interested in my home-built, 3-wheeled cycle fitted with three seats. It's powered by a 5.9-liter, Dodge Cummins turbocharged diesel engine," says Delmer Owens, Guymon, Okla.
The 3-wheeler measures a whopping 18 ft. long and rides on three pickup tires. It has a 5-ft. long handle. The Cummins engine and 5-speed transmission came out of a 1991 Dodge pickup and mount ahead of the driver. The transmission connects to the drive shaft and rear axle out of a Ford 1/2-ton pickup. Owens used high carbon 2 3/8-in. steel tubing to build a triangulated frame that supports the engine and runs back to the rear axle. There are three seats, including a double wide one on back.
"There are a lot of 5.9-liter Cummins diesel engines out there that have outlived the Dodge pickups they were originally mounted in," says Owens. "My wife and I often drive the trike to motorcycle rallies. We belong to the Christian Motorcycle Association, and my trike gets us the attention we need to minister the gospel of Christ.
"I chose the 5.9-liter Cummins diesel because it has a lot of torque - more than 400 ft. lbs. Also, it uses only one third as much fuel as a V-8 gas engine of the same torque. I mounted a 5-gal. propane tank on back. By flipping a switch, I can inject propane into the engine to improve fuel efficiency."
The machine is equipped with a unique cooling system that circulates water through the bottom two tubes between the engine and the radiator off a Dodge 1-ton pickup, which mounts on back of the machine. Coolant comes out of the engine and goes in one tube back to the radiator, then runs through the other tube back to the engine. "The entire bottom side of the frame radiates heat," notes Owens.
To support the weight of the engine, Owens built a "springer" front end that includes two chrome coil springs and one air bag. There are also two air bags on back.
The original pickup axle had a 3:54 rear end. Owens used a Ford 9-in. 3.00 rear axle to slow the engine down to make it run more efficiently. "I don't know the top speed because I've never had it over 90 mph. It tracks really nice on a smooth road.
"I mounted the radiator on back of the trike because it was too big to go on front. The radiator is 36 in. tall and mounts at a 40 degree angle. I built a frame around it to help it scoop air in. There are a couple of fans next to the radiator that automatically go on whenever the engine gets too hot. However, the radiator does such a good job that even on a 100 degree day I can let the engine idle and the fans won't even turn on. With the radiator laid over at a 40 degree angle, the heat goes up and creates its own vortec which draws so much air in that the fans aren't needed."
According to Owens, the rig gets 27 1/2 mpg on the highway without the propane injection system and 30 mpg with it.
The propane injection system is activated by flipping a switch on the dash. "I designed a ram air scoop that rams air into the engine and filters it at the same time. There's an injector on the uphill side of the air filter that injects a tiny amount of propane. A 5-gal. tank of propane will last 12 hours whenever I'm on the highway. I built several fail-safe devices into the system. For example, both the ignition key and the oil pressure switch have to be on or the injection system won't work."
Owens says he's willing to custom build similar trikes for others. "The cost will depend on how much you want to put into it. I got a good deal on the engine and transmission and paid only $2,500 for both. I probably have a total of $8,000 in parts and figure my labor cost at about $10,000."
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Delmer L. Owens Welding, Rt. 1, Box 166, Guymon, Okla. 73942 (ph 580 338-0109 or 580 651-4027; email: dlowens@ptsi.net).
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3-Wheeled Diesel Motor Trike FARM HOME Miscellaneous After reading your article on Mike Corse s diesel-powered motorcycle Vol 27 No 5 I thought your readers might be interested in my home-built 3-wheeled cycle fitted with three seats It s powered by a 5 9-liter Dodge Cummins turbocharged diesel engine says Delmer Owens Guymon Okla The 3-wheeler measures a whopping 18 ft long and rides on three pickup tires It has a 5-ft long handle The Cummins engine and 5-speed transmission came out of a 1991 Dodge pickup and mount ahead of the driver The transmission connects to the drive shaft and rear axle out of a Ford 1/2-ton pickup Owens used high carbon 2 3/8-in steel tubing to build a triangulated frame that supports the engine and runs back to the rear axle There are three seats including a double wide one on back There are a lot of 5 9-liter Cummins diesel engines out there that have outlived the Dodge pickups they were originally mounted in says Owens My wife and I often drive the trike to motorcycle rallies We belong to the Christian Motorcycle Association and my trike gets us the attention we need to minister the gospel of Christ I chose the 5 9-liter Cummins diesel because it has a lot of torque - more than 400 ft lbs Also it uses only one third as much fuel as a V-8 gas engine of the same torque I mounted a 5-gal propane tank on back By flipping a switch I can inject propane into the engine to improve fuel efficiency The machine is equipped with a unique cooling system that circulates water through the bottom two tubes between the engine and the radiator off a Dodge 1-ton pickup which mounts on back of the machine Coolant comes out of the engine and goes in one tube back to the radiator then runs through the other tube back to the engine The entire bottom side of the frame radiates heat notes Owens To support the weight of the engine Owens built a springer front end that includes two chrome coil springs and one air bag There are also two air bags on back The original pickup axle had a 3:54 rear end Owens used a Ford 9-in 3 00 rear axle to slow the engine down to make it run more efficiently I don t know the top speed because I ve never had it over 90 mph It tracks really nice on a smooth road I mounted the radiator on back of the trike because it was too big to go on front The radiator is 36 in tall and mounts at a 40 degree angle I built a frame around it to help it scoop air in There are a couple of fans next to the radiator that automatically go on whenever the engine gets too hot However the radiator does such a good job that even on a 100 degree day I can let the engine idle and the fans won t even turn on With the radiator laid over at a 40 degree angle the heat goes up and creates its own vortec which draws so much air in that the fans aren t needed According to Owens the rig gets 27 1/2 mpg on the highway without the propane injection system and 30 mpg with it The propane injection system is activated by flipping a switch on the dash I designed a ram air scoop that rams air into the engine and filters it at the same time There s an injector on the uphill side of the air filter that injects a tiny amount of propane A 5-gal tank of propane will last 12 hours whenever I m on the highway I built several fail-safe devices into the system For example both the ignition key and the oil pressure switch have to be on or the injection system won t work Owens says he s willing to custom build similar trikes for others The cost will depend on how much you want to put into it I got a good deal on the engine and transmission and paid only $2 500 for both I probably have a total of $8 000 in parts and figure my labor cost at about $10 000 Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Delmer L Owens Welding Rt 1 Box 166 Guymon Okla 73942 ph 580 338-0109 or 580 651-4027; email: dlowens@ptsi net
