Hi Johnny77,
Talking to the boss (Richard) is always a good idea. He will put you straight on a lot of your questions.
Most of us using scooters as donors were on a tight budget, but if finances allow, then buying direct fitment parts from Richard make more sense, and makes for a quicker, simple build.
As for using a mobility scooter as a donor, it will depend quite alot on your mechanical / lateral thinking skills. Almost all of the oily bits from the scooter can be used, steering king-pins, transaxle, wiring etc. You will have to make / extend the central part of the front axle beam though, as they (scooters) are usually only about 24 inches wide, and the Toylander is around 27 inches.
It stands to reason that the better the scooter you acquire, the better it will perform, and most of us (me included) have gone for the 6 mph or better versions (4 - 8 mph).
The 'Class 3' scooters (4 - 8 mph) usually have front and rear lights, indicators, horn, reversing bleeper, and some even have hazzard warning lights! All this will then transfer neatly into your Toylander, giving loads of 'play value', and a lot less headaches when it comes to wiring!
Another advantage is the 'Regenerative braking' and 'auto parking' brake features, which are easier for the younger driver to master.
The transaxle will fit neatly into the motor compartment, and the diff will allow drive to each rear wheels (via chain drive) making turning under power more 'natural'.
Take a look at my build website, just click on the 'Globe' icon below my user name, and it will take you directly there. This will give you an idea as to some of the headaches I had.
In my defense, I was one of the first to try this conversion (is that right Richard?), and didn't have the resourse of this excellent website and it's very helpfull members to fall back on and ask 'daft' questions, I had to soldier on alone (serves me right for being a sm**t-arse)!
Hope this has helped (not to confuse) you even further,
Keep smiling,
Regards,
Mark.
(resident nutter)
