Powered Wagon Ideas

How about the cart retrieval machines that they use at Walmart? You know the remote powered machines that pushes several carts at once. They are remote or push button on the handle and they can turn (one wheel slows while the other stays at speed). You could use the motors outta one of these
 
A buddy of mine's daughter has CP and is confined to a wheelchair just like the one in the original picture. Our families go to the beach together just about every year, and she hates having to transfer to the manual beach wheel chairs that they have at Myrtle. She just doesn't have the freedom she has in a power chair. We have been dreaming of ways to make her older chair into a motorized beach chair, but the problem we keep coming back to is keeping the electronics "weather-proof". We aren't talking submerged, but salt water humidity is a killer of electronics, especially stuff that wasn't designed for it.

Let me know if you have a way to keep the salt air out of the motors, etc. I did think about VW Bus portal boxes to keep the electric motors up higher and out of potential wave splashes.
 
My $.02. Keep it simple. 1 motor driving a solid rear axle. Controls on the handle of the wagon. What are beach regulations on motorized equipment? If it is obviously a motorized vehicle, it may draw unwanted attention. If it looks like a regular wagon from a distance with you "pulling" it, there may not be any issues with legal stuff. As far as the tight turns on the ramps, there will probably be enough sand on the ramp that a tire can spin.

Also x2 to what ManglerYJ said, what kind of beach atmosphere protection can be built in?
 
I think that I'm going to try and keep it simple. Mostly for $$ reasons.

Then use the other motor for a badass power wheels type deal
 
Hopefully going to get this thing tested the weekend with the stock controls. not confident they will work.

Any suggestions on a motor controller?

This one from amazon caught my eye.
leadrise 60a.jpg

and this one from dynamic engineering
SyRen50.jpg

The one from dynamic is pretty badass will allow for all kinda of robotics and R/C

Any body with any knowledge of this stuff?
 
I am using the Sabertooth 2x60 in my mower and I love it. It was simple to wire up and has several options built in that are useful, however I am coming from using RC for control so your needs may be a little different. I also had some issues with the first drive that I got from dimension and they had no issue with honoring the warranty and let me use the credit from the warranty to go to a bigger drive. Overall they seem to be a good company with great customer service.
 
Stock controls worked(ish) but not going to be useful.

Been thinking about the rear axle. going to use 3/4" keyed rod. Want to use bearings on the mount. Would like to not use pillow blocks.

Was thinking about these from flea bay
bearings.jpg

With a 1-3/8"(1.375) OD they should fit in 1-1/4 pipe which has a ID of 1.380. Sounds like a viable option?
 
BigBody79 said:
With a 1-3/8"(1.375) OD they should fit in 1-1/4 pipe which has a ID of 1.380. Sounds like a viable option?
Click to expand...

1-1/2" pipe maybe? And usually you would want a light press fit for the bearing outer race so it doesn't spin unless the ID protrudes enough to use spacers and get some preload on the flanges.
 
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