Hello Everyone!! New Toylander II Build

[Ant37]

Hello Forum Members!!

My name is Antony and I am considering building a Toylander II for me, sorry, my 2.5 year old son Andrew (ahem!!). I have read through the forum at depth over the past few weeks and you all seem a very friendly and helpful bunch!!.

I ordered the plans from Richard early this week and these duly arrived on Wednesday. Congratulations on an informative and comprehensive manual. After reading through several times, the build seems to be relatively straightforward and not as daunting as I originally thought.

I have sourced some MR MDF from a local timber merchant which I will be ordering when I return from holiday mid August. Trailer on standby!!. My woodworking skills are OK (I have all relevant tools) and I can't wait to get started.

Our Toylander II will be built to a strict budget and I'm following the K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Silly) principle throughout. Selected parts (axles, brakes, etc.) will be ordered from Richard on a monthly basis - funds and wife permitting!!. Other parts will be sourced from third parties (sorry Richard!).

Anyway, enough of my inane ramblings!!. I have some initial questions:-

1. Are the recommended wheels/tyres used on wheelbarrows?. Are you aware of any suppliers on the internet?.
2. I'm considering using the single 12 volt motor option (KISS principle again!). Has this any drawbacks?.

I'm currently looking for a donor mobility scooter. EBay seems the best bet at the moment. Wiring/electrics I'm not looking forward to!.   

I'm very impressed with all builds on this forum and hope that our finished SII meets the same standards.

Keep up the good work on the forum. I look forward to receiving any comments you may have.

Best Wishes to you all,

Antony

[markh15]

Hi Antony, and welcome to the forum.

The K.I.S.S. theory is all well and good, but you have already made your first mistake, by reading through the forum!

I understand what you mean about building on a budget, I had to watch the pennies too, so to that end, I would lean towards a Mobility Scooter for the majority of the donor parts.
This will give you the Drive Train, Batteries (usually 2 x 35 a/h units), all the electrics, Soft start, Forward / Reverse, Electric Brake, and most of the Steering Components.

You should be able to pick up a reasonable (working) Scooter for around ?200 or less, from Ebay, but make sure EVERYTHING works properly. These things are a nightmare to fix if they are faulty, and very expensive to replace Controllers, so be careful.
If you use this method, you will get a couple of days continual usage from the batteries, before re-charging, giving more 'Play time' for the little ones.
Another advantage is the speed. If you find a 4 - 8 mph one, with careful gearing you should retain almost all of the top speed, and be able to keep it to walking pace at the flick of a switch.

As for the wheels, Try 'MSA Wheels and Castors' in Rochdale, they have an Ebay shop online, or 'Google' the name, and it will find it. This is where I bought the Trailer wheels for Harvey's car, under ?60 for 4 wheels and tyres.

One thing that is recommended with a Scooter drive system, is a 'Swinging Axle'. Because the back axle and body are so rigid, they tend to loose traction on uneven ground, due to one of the back wheels lifting. Not a major problem, but worth noting.

Hope this rambling answer has helped.

Keep us informed, and as Brian will tell you, The only stupid question, is the one you didn't ask!

Regards,
Mark.

[multisync]

Hi Anthony
Best of luck with the build. Its quite straightforward and relatively simple, especially if you use the standard parts, and great fun to build and own!
The wheels are similar to wheelbarrow wheels, but when you buy them from Richard they will come with bearings to fit the Toylander axles, and the drive sprockets ready fitted. I bought them from Richard and linked them to the buggy drive with suitable chains and sprockets.
You say you want to keep it simple, but using an invalid buggy will introduce all sorts of complications.
It's the method I chose but, the axle is often the wrong width, the wheel sizes are all wrong, the larger wheels won't directly fit the axle, and if you fit the toylander size wheels you will need to gear the drive to suit.

The control wiring on the buggy is not quite as suitable as you may at first think either, and the buggy wiring will take a bit of sorting to suit the Toylander.
That said, it's great fun to build and you'll get plenty of help and advice if you need it.
If you want to keep it simple and straightforward, use the motors and controls from Richard, it will save a lot of headaches.
One option well worth doing is to make a swing axle as per the mod in the manual.
Someone will come along and advise on the one motor option I'm sure, but it may be a bit underpowered depending on the age/size/weight of the passengers.
You can always build with one motor and upgrade later if required.
Best Wishes
Walter