How to Make a Wood Go Kart V2 | No Welding Required +Free Plans!

When I was a little kid in the early seventies, my neighbor had 3 teenage boys and they built a wooden go cart… it took all three to run it ! One was steering with 2 ropes, one was applying the throttle at the motor, and the last boy was pretty much hanging on and helping to stop with his feet😂 like Flintstone style!!! These guys were my heroes growing up…

Eric. You're a very talented woodworker for one of such young years. Only matched by your generosity in providing the fruits of your efforts to the community for free. Thank you.

What a quality build. The accuracy and neatness as well as the calmness while doing the work is worth a praise. Great job!

As a grandpa I can't begin to tell you how impressed I am of not only your build but of your video production as well! Please do a video of the stage I/II engine upgrade!

What would you say the approximate cost of this build was? (without including price for additional tools)

Hey Eric! My dad and I are currently building this wooden go kart. We came across your video and that inspired us to build it! We will send you a picture when its finished!

Nice looking project, but you still have a lot to learn "grasshopper". LOL At least for anything load bearing you should make sure you are using gr_8 bolts. EG: front "king pins", any bolts in the front steer assembly, bolts securing the pillow blocks for the rear axle. A catastrophic failure at any of those points could/would cause a hard crash. 40 mph may not sound fast, but tossing you off would give you new perspective on that. Nice job, good luck!! --gary

Nice work, Eric! My dad made me a go cart back in the ‘60s and all we had for steering was a set of vice grips in the steering rod! It had an old Clinton engine driven by a rubber accessory belt. Engine was started by wrapping a rope with a handle wrapped around the flywheel pulley (the older folks will know!). Subscribed!

I grew up in a small town in the 1960s. We built go-carts.. That is nothing but a good time and learning experience for kids. Congrats on your build. better than anything we built.

My dad and I built my wood go kart in 1980, it was based on my dad's wood go kart that he and his dad built in the 50's. We did the entire steering with angle iron and u-bolts, amazed to this day that it held up. We even built the "clutch" out of pulleys, angle iron and a tension belt. Engine was free off of an old piece of farm equipment, it had dried corn in the flywheel. It taught how me to not be afraid to work on cars or anything technical.

Super Nice Build Erick Very Well Done 😍 I am a Tomboy and when We Were going to JR High The Kids would Take a 20" Sting Ray Bicycle and take a front rim and take out the spokes from it and smash it thinner and weld it to the rear rim for a pulley we would remove the Pedal's and the center support and bolt on a 3/4" Birch plywood for the engine mount . we would use a 2hp Briggs and Stratton engine with a variable belt clutch I still remember that we used a GATES 64" Green Stripe V Belt we used a handle grip 3 speed shifter for the twist throttle and we only had front brakes and soul brakes from your shoes 😦 LOL I Put a Bicycle Speedometer on it and it would go 40 MPH level - Up Hill - Down Hill - 40 MPH 😊 The COPS would Always Chase me But They Could Not Catch Me 😝 Because I Knew which yards I could Cut Through and Get Away From Them 🤪 Retired Female Equipment Mechanic of over 50 Years Keep up the Great Work Chellie

This is next level! I had mine in the late 70s. It was wooden, with "Big Wheel" wheels in the back, shopping cart wheels in the front, steered by a rope, and a wooden stick on the side for the brake. The motor was a friend pushing. LOL

Erik…. That was impressive!!! I like how you present and explain what and how to do the build… you keep it up …!!!! You’re parents raised you well!!!!

Eric, for your own safety and the safety of the people that will follow along, ALWAYS clamp your material to the table when using a drill press. At the very least, tighten a nut and bolt in one of the table slots to be used as a stop/bumper for the part. If the drill grabs that plate and turns it into a helicopter, kiss a finger tip or two Bye-Bye.

Would love to see you do one with a fat bicycle tire, maybe even go off- road, good work!

That’s things rad .. I’m debating on building one from wood or metal for my son.. thanks for the video…. SUBSCRIBED

Young Man, totally astonished at your pursuit of excellence, I imagine there is a good teacher/ mentor in the wings and, probably a set of very proud parents. 👍👍

Erick, I was very impressed with the build. Your work area is also clean and neat, as were your tools. Good job man. Have fun with that cart.

A high school friend of mine's brother used to race go-carts... It had a 600cc motorcycle engine and 50 series tires with hydraulic disc brakes on it, but close to what you made. Oh and it would go over 100mph... can't imagine going over 100 on a go-cart. He also used to ice race a Saab 99 V-4. He was a bit of a speed nut with weird things.

Just outstanding,You did a great job on this.I loved watching you build this unit.Have a great day.