I've been working on my outdoor track vehicle for some time and one problem I have is it's unstable on steep inclines which in this case is about 20 degrees. I have arranged the weight distribution, tried to lower the center of gravity, but the real problem is the short wheel base. The tracks are from a Craftsman snow blower I found on ebay. After I realized my problem, I took notice the operator was helping to balance the snowblower during use with the handle bars. I didn't see that coming. So my next stab at the problem is to make a wheelie bar. I thought I would so you guys what I have. I know it's a bit of a Rube Goldberg but...
I designed the thing around a spring I had in the shop. I didn't measure the tension but it's pretty stout. Could be a little stronger.
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Yea look like a clothes pin but it's quite a bit larger.
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The square stock is 1" x 1" and the square hole is 1/2" x 1/2". This was harder than I thought because the only end mill I had at least 1" long was a 1/4" rougher. I didn't want to flip it over thinking I'd never get it remounted exactly the same. I should have taken a picture of that. So I went as far as I could go with the rougher and filed the rest.
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These are all the parts before assembly. I bought an onmi wheel thinking it would allow me to turn when the wheelie bar is engaged with the ground. The black wheels are fairly stiff. I've tried to work them loose, but still more stiff than I would like.
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Hopefully I can get it bolted on next week and give it the acid test. Wish me luck.