One wheel drive

[Theo Markettos]

You could take this approach to a changing your axles (1:40 is the start of the interesting bit):

for the background

Theo

[Adrian]

Oooh, Matron!

[Adrian]

I can think of quite a lot of high power/very low weight one wheel drive road vehicles...

[The Other Mike]

As used on the Sinclair C5, the pinnacle of Electric vehicle engineering :)

[Alan Braggins]

But relatively few riders who could balance them on top of a tram rail, at low speed, while operating a welder :-)

[Clive George]

You suggesting a new challenge for Mr MacAskill?

[Tim+]

But they could with a sidecar (which is kinda what's being proposed). ;-)

Tim

[fred]

A truly class act, nearly wet myself when they lifted the deck off to reveal the 2 loose axles.

[Matty F]

I have made the trolley and mounted three wheels on it. Th electric motor is at the left. The top wheel is spring loaded to push the other wheels against the rail that is to be welded.

It runs along fine and doesn't jam. The welder probes will be attached on the right.

[Matty F]

I am getting yaw when the driving wheel is in the inside of a curve. So I will add two more spring loaded wheels on the other side, making three wheels that side and two wheels on the driven side.

[Matty F]

OK the welding trolley works fine with four wheels:

I need to have weights of about 10kg on each corner, to keep the springloaded wheels in the track. So, I'd like imaginative ideas for what type of weights to have. They need to be removable and have a handle on top. Some 10 kg bottles of water would work but would look horrible. Four pieces of railway line would look better. Ideas please!

[Tim Lamb]

In message , Matty F writes

Find some 28lb cast iron scale weights. Flat bottom and fitted with a handle already. I have some but you will have to fetch:-)

[Matty F]

Yes they look the part. They are not cheap here, in fact an outrageous price like 60 pounds each. I think I'll check out bits of railway line and put handles on them. They would be free!

[Tim Lamb]

In message , Matty F writes

The back up thought was to cut the bottoms off some 4.5L plastic containers, invert and fill to your desired weight with a stone filled resin:-)

[Matty F]

I want this to look good. I don't think I want plastic. If I paint the plastic the paint will come off. The weights will have to be put on and off a lot. I can't see any scale weights for sale here. I could make them out of bar steel. Or maybe cast them in lead.

[Rick Hughes]

3 wheeled items are like Milking stools - always in contact with ground .... so easier to use on less than flat surfaces.

When I worked in Engineering shop we had motorized Oxy cutters that worked that way.

[Matty F]

I have made the weights out of scrap railway line:

They are 8.5 kg each. Cost: nothing!

[Tim Lamb]

In message , Matty F writes

So, where's the handle?

Oh! They are handles:-)

[Matty F]

Unfortunately rail tracks can wear and shift over 50 years use. The gauge varies. It is necessary to have spring-loaded wheels to keep the welder aligned. I have discovered that three wheels are inadequate so now have four wheels. Here is the finished track welder:

The end of the electric welder is to be attached at the bottom middle. It can be moved and tilted as necessary. The driving motor is at bottom left. I've made 8.5 kg weights to hold the wheels from lifting off the rails.