Lil' Smoke kid mini buggy rock crawler

rockcity

rockcity

everyday is a chance to get better
Joined
Apr 10, 2005
Location
Greenville, NC
Well, as my buggy gets wrapped up and close to finished up, it was time to think about what to do for my twin 5 year old girls.

I had a small go cart for the girls. But, it wasn't up to keeping up with my buggy Smokey.

So, I started gathering parts for a new toy for the twins and made a plan with @MarsFab.

Key things...
Small, light, and nimble
4x4
Easy to operate
Cheap, readily available parts
Sized for the kids now and later
Unique look
Unique layout



So, we decided on a samurai based mini buggy dubbed "Lil Smoke"


Axles: stock samurai with disc brake conversion on rear. Spartan locker in rear.
Engine: Suzuki/Arctic Cat 400cc ATV motor with selectable CVT transmission
Transfer Case: stock samurai
Suspension: 4 link front and rear with 14" Fox air shocks
Wheels are 15" flat black steel wheels
Tires are 30" Sedona Mud Rebels


We are setting it up as a rear engine. With the Arctic Cat engine, it is flanged shaft driven to power the transfer case. Case is set right in the middle of the chassis giving an opportunity to have the same length driveshaft front and rear.

Seats are PRP suspension seats built for a Polaris 170 rzr to provide safe seating for the kids yet small enough for them and large enough to grow into.

Harnesses are the exact same Corbeau harnesses I have in the back seat in my buggy so the girls only have to be familiar with one type of harness and latch system for either buggy.

Because I plan on the girls following behind my buggy while trail riding, I ordered a small intercom system from Rugged Radios. They can use the VOX headsets from my buggy when they jump into their buggy. Now I can talk to the girls while they are driving while I'm in my buggy. For kicks and giggles and because I had an extra, we will be putting a HDS5 GPS in there to monitor speed and to get the girls learning how to operate it and get familiar with dad's in his buggy.

There will be typical other things like LED lights, etc. using a Superwinch 4500# winch.


I intend to typically take the buggy to Uwharrie and eventually to Harlan or other places. My main concern was getting it to the trail head because I'm way too big to fit to drive it there and it's not street legal. So we are going to incorporate a tow bar that attaches to two pad eyes up front and also collapses and stores after we reach the trailhead. I put a receiver hitch in my buggy to tow Lil Smoke around. I added lights, turn signals, etc to my buggy to be able to tag it on the street so I can be legal.

Moving on to the good part, pics of the progress!



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The buggy is built for 5 year old girls which means it is small.

Chris did such a great job with design and proportions, it's hard to understand the true size of the buggy.

The wheelbase is right at 80" with a standard samurai track width of like 51".

Here is a pic to compare actual size and how small it really is.


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For steering, we are trying a marine helm pump that will power a 1.5x6" ram. We have a plan B but hopefully the helm pump works out great.
 
^ daddy issues? Jk that was funny shit Yota! So my nieces/daughters just informed me they need one of these in pink and black!! Awesome build can't wait to see it with kids behind the wheel on the trails!
 
YotaOnRocks said:
Looks like a vw bug. I love it.
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Ugh! Please don't tell me that. We were trying to stay AWAY from looking like a bug but still keep the curved roof. I saw a lot of others that did look like a bug and I think we steered away from that look.


But either way, it looks good.
 
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C.Berry said:
^ daddy issues? Jk that was funny shit Yota! So my nieces/daughters just informed me they need one of these in pink and black!! Awesome build can't wait to see it with kids behind the wheel on the trails!
Click to expand...



Not sure on the colors yet. I haven't even really asked the girls what color they want. I'm afraid they will say pink. lol

At least the seats have pink piping.
 
rockcity said:
The buggy is built for 5 year old girls which means it is small.

Chris did such a great job with design and proportions, it's hard to understand the true size of the buggy.

The wheelbase is right at 80" with a standard samurai track width of like 51".
/QUOTE]
Click to expand...


We originally sized it to fit sideways on my existing trailer without having to buy another, longer trailer. It will work with very minor modification of the trailer.

But, building it small, it will actually fit in the bed of a standard full size long bed pickup with the tailgate down.

So, I have a couple transportation options for the buggy. :)
 
Very cool. 80" is the stock WB on a Samurai, lol. How much power does that 400cc ATV motor make and how did you arrive at that choice? I would have been tempted to go with something larger and limit the throttle opening while they are young.
 
drkelly said:
Very cool. 80" is the stock WB on a Samurai, lol. How much power does that 400cc ATV motor make and how did you arrive at that choice? I would have been tempted to go with something larger and limit the throttle opening while they are young.
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My last ATV was a 400cc and I figured it would be powerful enough knowing the average power of that size motor. This setup has 1 additional gearing reduction with the transfer case than the stock setup in the ATV. I think the final low range gearing would be about 190:1

I was looking for a 400cc+ motor and found this one cheap so I got it. There is plenty of room for a bigger one if need be.

Also, the axles and transfer case are stock gearing. If need be, I can regear for better crawling.

The CVT transmission has a Hi and Lo range. I'll bolt a block off plate on the Hi range to limit the gearing selection for the time being and unbolt it as they get older.
 
is that a stock sami rear? Looks almost too centered. 1.25" tube?

Ive been keeping up with these different builds. This one is top of the list as far as looks go. Im guessing there isn't any rules at the parks restricting kids from driving?
 
paradisePWoffrd said:
is that a stock sami rear? Looks almost too centered. 1.25" tube?

Ive been keeping up with these different builds. This one is top of the list as far as looks go. Im guessing there isn't any rules at the parks restricting kids from driving?
Click to expand...

I didn't catch that the first time I looked at the pictures, but the rear diff looks flipped upside down.
 
paradisePWoffrd said:
I figured it was.

Is the engine Rev rotation?
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But the front diff is not flipped over and he is using the stock Sami TC. Maybe he is flipping one of the thirds over?
 
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