home built lift on cart - help!!

[stuff4mason]

I put on new 22x10x10 swamp fox tires with steel 3/4 offset wheels on my G8. There wasn't enough clearance with 5 1/2 inches of lift on the rear, and with the stock shocks, the cart swayed too much before the tire change. I bought used honda 400ex shocks hoping to stiffen the sway. These shocks are 16 1/2 inches long and set on the stiffest level. I got them installed, along with an additional 1 1/2 inches of lift. Then, I re-built the front supports to 5 1/2 inches for the a arms, and 5 1/2 inches on the shock supports. (stock front shocks). This gives the cart about 6 1/2" of total lift.

After 15 hours of work over the weekend, I took it for a ride this morning. This cart is now crazy scary! Once you get some speed, it is darting back and forth in the gravel (steering). The new shocks in the rear don't appear to be any stiffer than the stock one's...???? The front tires now do this / \ when backing up but straighten up when going forward. I have the rear seat on, but don't have the roof/winshield installed right now. I think that could compound the situation. I had the tires at 14 lbs at first, and then tried them at 7 lbs, which seemed to help a little bit. I have noticed the right front tire is about 1" further back than the left. Think someone may have run the thing into a tree on the right, but its hard to tell.

Here's my question: Those of you with rear seats installed and 6" Jakes or other lift kits - are your carts stable?? Do you feel comfortable to put a 13 year old at the helm and let him drive it? I hate to spend $300.00 for the kit and find out I have the same stability issues.

[DustyWolfe]

i did a similar thing to my cart and had basically the same problems. what it turned out to be (especially the /\ \ / wheel issue) was the alignment. as soon as i set the alignment every one of the problems you listed(minus the rear shock problem) just disappeared so you might try that.

[crash12888]

A lot of what you pay for doesn't come in the box that you can see!
It's called Research and Developement, they spend the time working the scare out of the kits.
Just keep in mind it's your familys safety that's on the line here.
Also, Age has nothing to do with operating a piece of machinery, I have seen 20yr old people that should not drive a cart.
Only you can determine if your, or any 13yr old is mature enough to make sound decisions while operating a cart safely.
And will they make the same decisions when they get out of sight with a couple of friends on the cart?

Anyway, check your "toe" adjustment and see where it is.

[Dave in VA]

No problems with stability at all

[stuff4mason]

Originally Posted by DustyWolfe

i did a similar thing to my cart and had basically the same problems. what it turned out to be (especially the /\ \ / wheel issue) was the alignment. as soon as i set the alignment every one of the problems you listed(minus the rear shock problem) just disappeared so you might try that.

Exactly. That's what I thought too. After the lift was done, the left side tire was pointing out by a bunch. So, I started playing with the alignment rods, but can't seem to get it set right. I go and drive it, bring it back and its changed....how exactly do you get this right?

[stuff4mason]

Originally Posted by crash12888

A lot of what you pay for doesn't come in the box that you can see!
It's called Research and Developement, they spend the time working the scare out of the kits.
Just keep in mind it's your familys safety that's on the line here.
Also, Age has nothine to do with operating a piece of machinery, I have seen 20yr old people that should not drive a cart.
Only you can determine if your, or any 13yr old is mature enough to make sound decisions while operating a cart safely.
And will they make the same decisions when they get out of sight with a couple of friends on the cart?

Anyway, check your "toe" adjustment and see where it is.

Well, I guess what I am trying to ask is: Do the 'Jakes', all sport, etc...keep the cart just as stable as no lift? Right now, I won't let my son anywhere near this thing.

I've figured out, most of my sway problem is coming from these 400ex shocks installed on the rear. I put the roof/windshield back on and you can just feel the sway, just by moving the cart. I'd just move them to the front, but they appear to be too long. I should have just bought the heavy duty stock shocks from our sponsors...

[BigCountry79]

if the rear is unstable, check the rear swingarm bushings in the front where it mounts. i have a 7in lift and mine dont sway even with the shocks off of it

[crash12888]

There is so much more engineering that goes into a suspension than just coilover length. You must also consider spring weight and shock valving.
Bigcountry, you are running a G9 cart with two swingarm pivot points.
The G8 uses a single mounting point on the front of the swing arm unlike the ATV that the shocks came from or even the earlier G2/G9 carts.
Any swingarm with two mounting/pivot points up front will dramatically reduce body roll before the shocks come into play so the shock valving can be softer for a better ride.
The G8/G14/G16 stock shocks are valved heavier to add anti-sway characteristics to the cart.
If you want to keep the ATV shocks then you might try to find or fab some type of small sway bar.
Or go back to the stock shocks.

[Mike Mac]

Jim, with that type of front end mod, any thing that one wheel hits, transmits movement to those 4 long plates, twisting them and bending them froward and backward. That in turn, transmits the opposite response to the other A arm. So the A arms are in constant movement and realignment motion. Those 4 long plates are also like a long lever twisting the frame as well. Even as small as an eighth inch movement in any of those parts will magnify at the end of the A arm. Like Crash said, R and D is what your paying for with a brand name lift.

The A arms on my Jakes are mounted in a rigid manner on the car, and mounted solid IN the frame, not BELOW it, so the only motion they move is up and down. When one wheel hits something, nothing is transfered to the other A arm. Your A arms move right and left, forward and backward, up and down, as well as in a redial pattern. When one wheel hits something, it moves backward transferring motion to the other wheel to move forward.

Sorry Man. Hope this helps!

As far as the rear, the size of the wire on the spring will tell you if it is a stiffer spring.

[BigCountry79]

in your 3rd pic, is that plate welded solid to the a-arm with no pivot point?