converting ezgo axle from electric to gas use

[xbearscoutx]

hello everyone. i have been building up an old ezgo monster and thought i would share some experience here. i havnt heard of many people doing these conversions. they all say buy a new axle. that is the way to go, but, for those who have limited incomes and have tools and some know how, it is possible. keep in mind though, gas engine carts have reverse built into them. electric axles do not. the electric motor changed polarity for reverse, you will only drive forward unless you rig a revesre box into it. here is what i did. it took me maybe a day to get it all done. the right tools definately help.

about my cart. i got a hold of an early 70's model cart in bad shape. i found some heavy duty springs with shocks inside them and set them up at each corner. i widened the front a few inches to match the rear axle width for better stability and lifted the heck out of it. the rear suspension changed from leaf springs to a 3 point coil over. each wheel has about 1.5 feet of travel, instead of the stock 3 inches or so. for those who don't know, it is the suspension articulation under different terrain. i put on some 22" kenda dirt dogs with 10 inch rims. i had a 13 horsepower gas engine and wanted to put it to work. you can do alot with a welder and some scrape metal. anyway, now for what you came to read!

if you have looked at these axles you will see that the electric motor also serves as the seal for the differential, as well as receives the splines from the pinion shaft. to make it work i needed the seal so the oil wouldn't leak and the splined connection for power transfer.

i took the electric motor apart and cleaned up the pieces i needed. i cut out about a 4 inch square around the seal from the backplate of the motor that held the motor to the axle and bolted it back in place. that gave me my seal.

next i cut away parts from the motor stator, the coils and magnets, to get to the core. once i got to the core, i used a chop saw to cut flush the splined end of the stator. it is pretty thick so the chop saw is best to cut all the way through. a hacksaw might take 2 years to get through. it then looked like a hub. it had the same end that fit into the seal and mated with the splined shaft for connection.

that solved the seal and connection to the spline but i still needed the piece to stay in place. i cut the hub so that when it was assembled, there was a little bit of the splined pinion shaft sticking out the end. i used a narrow cut off wheel and made a cut all the way around the splined shaft. then i got a spring style hose clamp to fit in the grove. that keeps the hub in place.

i took the hub out again and drilled four holes in it. i then welded some bolts in the holes and ground them smooth on the side that faces the seal. the brake was a large drum attatched on the other side of the motor shaft. it had a 3/4 bore. p.s. so does the splined pinion shaft. i used a step bit to widen the drum bore slightly on the side that would face the seal so it would go over the spring clip i used to keep the hub in place. you want the splined shaft to fit into the brake drum enough to keep the drum centered. i also drilled the holes to match up with the hub bolts. the drum is like 4 inches deep or so. i welded a keyed shaft in the bore of the drum on the other side long enough to hold the comet clutch i am using and to hold a 2 bolt pillow block for added stability. with the hub put in place, i bolted up the drum, inserted the clutch, added the bearing and welded structural support for it, set it up and off i went. no problems with leaking or vibration or anything. if you have a lathe you can true up your surfaces, but in this case, i think close counts. the final drive from pinion to wheel is about 6:1. with the 40 series clutch i am using and the 13 horsepower motor it is plenty strong for hill climbs and mudding or towing. i often tow a trailer with firewood through rough stuff and it does fine.

anyway, thanks for reading. hope it helped. the wife was mad at me and wouldn't talk tonight so i thought i'd do something else and maybe help someone out. good luck!

[WW]

Welcome

Interesting, why is your wife mad at you?

[crash12888]

Not a good way to start the new year!!

Anyway, can you post more pics of the drive assy? sounds very interesting.
On another note, not really seeing how you're getting the 1.5 feet or 18" of wheel travel you mentioned.

[rusty]

Welcome to the forum xbearscoutx..............

[xbearscoutx]

hey there,

thanks to those who have viewed my thread. hope something helped.
the wife was mad because i spend too much time in the garage she says.

i've attatched some more photos, here you can see the articulation on the suspension. all wheels are touching the ground except the one on the jackstand. i hadn't put a tape to it before so forgive me. its closer to 16 inches rather than 18. but still i think it is impressive for a cart.

also i attached some photos of the axle assembly i made. at first i was setting it up for a chain drive and centrifugal clutch but then i learner of the pulley system and thought i would try that. the difference is i removed the sprocket and cut the end off the brake hub and flipped it so it would mount flush with the armature hub and bolt up like the sprocket did. in the pictures, you will see the first set up and clearly visible is thew square seal. that was the electric motor backplate. the hub piece was the armature, or what is left of it. also there is a photo of my speedometer. i used one from a bike, did the math and found the correcect circumfrence and now i have my speed +/- 2 mph.

[jackrussell]

i was wondering if you have any pics of the cart from above the engine view. i am thinking of doing the same to my ez go cart because of frame and motor problems. thanks

[rib33024]

Welcome To The Forum


Like To See More Pics Of How You Fabed That Rear End Up

[xbearscoutx]

hey guys,

glad to hear there are people out there still having fun with carts. during these tough times, mine had to EZGO!!! but at least i can see it sometime. i sold it to my brother in oregon, for his ranch. therefore i cant get you anymore pics that you have requested but i totally would if i could. what i can do is have you imagine with me what it would look like though.

........everything i did was with scrap material so i pieced it together the best i could. on the cart, i made a plate for the engine to sit on and welded it to the axle. i figured if the whole drive assembly was together, with my limited resources it would be the easiest way to do it. the rear end became one large swing arm. i welded 1/2 diam. bolts to the axle and the frame and ran my two shock / spring suspension components. this gave me at least 16 inches of lift. the cart originally was 4 inches off the ground. if you look at the pictures above you can see a significant difference. the biggest concern then was to have the slack for the throttle, wiring and stuff to flex with. under the seat where the batteries where is pretty much hollowed out. the engine sits on the plate/axle just behind the seat. i took out the bag holder and frame stuff that stuck out past the fenders. the engine shaft faces forward for the proper rotation so the cart goes forward. i used the comet clutch system and basically centered the motor in the availible space and then found the right belt for the application. i wanted the engine centered so i could flex the rearend as much as possible. i used a 13hp harbour frieght tools engine. awesome power for the price. then i welded a hitch on the back of the plate so i could pull a trailer. i also fabbed up my own exhuast system to keep the hot stuff away. the original put it undere the seat so i made a pipe like an expansion chamber on a dirtbike and sent it out the back. when i took it to oregon for my bro, we put it to work. it was raining the whole time so mud was everywhere. those tires where awesome in the terrain. we cut some trees in the area where his barn was going and the cart pulled them like a monster truck. the trees where about 18 inches in diameter and 16 feet long sections and the cart would pull two of them through the rough terrain and the mud to the wood pile. formidable machine!! hope some of this helps. sorry again for not having more pics. good luck guys!!!!!!!!

bear

[hotmomma]

Welcome!