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Discussions Question and Answer Forums Electric Scooter, Bike, and Go Kart Built From Scratch Forum

How to equip a cart with electrical motor?

Hi there,

My daughter works as a camera assistant in the film industry. She owns a few carts (24” x 48”) which she uses inside and outside to carry different heavy camera equipment and accessories. I want to facilitate her work and build a cart with electrical motor. As I see it, she would just walk behind the cart slightly holding it and turning it as needed. It would be a huge relief for her. I would appreciate any suggestion on what electrical parts are needed here to build such a cart. I attached a picture of one of her carts so you could get an idea of what I am talking about

Thank you, Ark

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cart.jpg
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We have a lot of kits that would work to power the cart, and we could custom make a new kit to for the cart if needed.

The first thing I notice is that the cart's handlebar is a closed loop and does not have open ends. All of our throttles require handlebars with a 7/8" OD and open ends. This is the same as the handlebar that a bicycle would have.

A second thing to figure out is how to install a chain sprocket onto the fixed wheel, the forks attaching the fixed wheel to the cart look narrow so I am not sure if there is enough room for a sprocket. If this is the case then a new axle and wheels might need to be installed which could be sourced from a go kart parts store.

I can start working on a power kit for this project. To help me determine what size batteries are needed do you know how many minutes or hours the cart would be in motion for during a single work day?

Thank you for replying me back.

This Saturday I'll be reviewing the carts with my daughter to determine which of them can be rebuilt. And I am sure we are going to use a new axle so we could install a sprocket on it. The handlebar is also not a problem here. A catalog with parts pictures would be a great help here so my daughter and I could better understand how the axle with the sprocket and wheels would look like and how to install them on the cart. When you referred to a go kart parts store did you mean any particular store/website?

Regarding the batteries - the cart would be in use maybe an hour during the day. It's basically used to bring all the equipment from the truck to the set and then back to the truck.

Thanks

A one hour run time is no problem. Since the cart will be used for business we could also design the kit with a battery pack that would last around an hour and a half so it would have more run time than needed just in case a longer day is encountered or extra run time is needed during the day.


There are several go kart parts stores online and I do not have too much experience ordering from them however these are the ones that I have ordered from before: http://www.mfgsupply.com   https://www.gokartsupply.com


Another thing to consider with the kit is if you want it to have a freewheel sprocket so the cart can be easily pushed forward when the motor is off, or if you want it to have a sprocket without a freewheel in which case the cart would be hard to push by hand when the motor is off?


Also so I can determine which motor to include with the kit do you know how many pound the cart will need to carry, and if it will be used on flat ground only, or to occasionally go up ramps and hills?

Dear ESP Support,

Thank you so much for keeping replying me. My daughter is busy to discuss technical details of her cart up until the end of November. I'll contact you right after i have a discussion with her.

Thanks!

You are welcome and thank you for your reply. I will keep an eye out for your next reply so we can move forward with the kit for your project.
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