"Grown Up" Tricycle Powered By 6 HP Engine

"Grown Up" Tricycle Powered By 6 1/2 HP Engine FARM HOME recreation 34-1-2 "I've ridden it on trips up to 25 miles from home, at speeds up to 35 mph. It's one of the most fun rigs I've ever built," says Kazira Temple, Pisgah, Ala., about his home-built tricycle that's driven by a 6 hp engine. The tricycle has a 21-in. high front wheel off a motocross bike and two 8-in. boat trailer rear wheels that mount on an axle off an old Honda 3-wheeler. The rear wheels are chain-driven by the engine, which mounts on a platform between the rear wheels. The tricycle's handlebars are 50 in. off the ground. The rider sits on a metal seat off a Ford 8N tractor that's supported by a pair of springs, which were removed from the shock absorbers on a junked motorcycle. Temple shortened the springs and made rods to hold them in place. "It rides super smooth," he says. He used 1 -in. dia. cold rolled tubing to build the frame. The front wheel's steering spindle is off a motocross motorcycle, and the front forks are off a Kawasaki motocross motorcycle. "I live about three miles from the nearest store and use the tricycle to run errands, such as to get a gallon of milk or a loaf of bread. The engine is super quiet so it really goes," says Temple. "It's reliable and always starts on the second pull. The engine originally came with a go-cart type clutch, but it was too noisy so I replaced it with a centrifugal clutch." The springs under the tractor seat act as a cushion so the machine rides smooth going down the road, says Temple. "At first I used a regular bike seat but it didn't have any suspension on back so I switched to the tractor seat." The rig didn't cost much to build. "I bought the Chinese-built engine at Harbor Freight for only $129. I paid $50 for the seat and $18 for the rear axle and wheels. Everything else I already had," says Temple. He says driving the tricycle is a little tricky. "Traveling at 35 mph is plenty fast when you're sitting up high, so the learning curve on it is pretty sharp. I always wear a helmet whenever I ride it," says Temple. "However, I've never tipped it over. I use a thumb throttle to accelerate. I depress a foot-operated pedal to actuate the brakes on the front wheel, and a lever attached to a cable to actuate the brakes on the rear wheel." Temple painted the rig red and added accessories including a basket and a "toot" horn to make the tricycle parade ready. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Kazira Temple, 5435 Co. Rd. 78, Pisgah, Ala. 35765 (ph 256 451-3478; kstemple@farmerstel.com).

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