the machine of death

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this is what happens when someone gives a 13 year old a yamaha 600 engine, a wrecked four wheeler and good scrap pile and yes I KNOW THE YARDS A MESS!
Reply:I hope, for your son's sake, you have health insurance. Why not help him and build something safe?John -  fabricator extraordinaire, car nut!-  bleeding Miller blue! http://www.weldfabzone.com
Reply:Looks very dangerous..Hope You have a good health plan in place.....zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:Me and Micro think alike.....zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:4 wheels and a motor, It needs a cage and a wheel and it would make a dandy buggy with only a bit of work.I'll give the kid credit if he did it himself. You may want to start thinking about a good engineering school for him or getting him hooked up with a race team. i think his aptitude my lie in that direction.And yeah, I'll also toss in the "not the safest thing I 've seen" comment also.
Reply:Pretty cool.  My son is 16 and makes knives....Swards.Your kid is just like dad eh?  DavidReal world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:actually he is my brother. He built it in the back of the shop so no one would see what he was doing. It wasnt very steerable to much weight in the butt, it hit the scrap heap a couple of days after it was built. I was proud of the way he stuck with it until he got to drive it though I didnt have that much will power at that age.Last edited by idacal; 07-18-2008 at 06:43 PM.
Reply:Originally Posted by zapsterMe and Micro think alike.....zap!
Reply:Originally Posted by MicroZone It's the parental raising.
Reply:his parents will decide whats safe for him so we dont need the 25302835023 comments on how its not... in my opinion... better hes tinkering with engines then out with school kids doing acid... and what DSW said is right... starting the love when hes young can make a brilliant mind when it comes to engineering school later on in lifetell him to keep it upmatthttp://www.aloumac.ca/
Reply:Yes I see the "Valid" points..Great to see how he thinks out where what has to go where to make this work and so on..Thats awesome!!!Good mechanical mind at work.And yet I see the obvious danger..I made go carts and such as a kid and was almost killed 3 times because of it..5 HP. 4 stroke Briggs and Stratton..In plain english thats not safe..600CC two stroke = "See you later" in a huge way...Lets just hope "See you later" dont come to that..If I had kids and they built that?Proud yes..Riding it NO!!(I would have to try it first and then would hurt myself) ...zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:Better than video games.FWIW: it's an OHC four stroke.9-11-2001......We Will Never ForgetRetired desk jockey. Hobby weldor with a little training. Craftsman O/A---Flat, Vert, Ovhd, Horz. Miller Syncrowave 250
Reply:Originally Posted by Craig in DenverBetter than video games.FWIW: it's an OHC four stroke.
Reply:Looks cool, good job, fun to take "parts" and make something mobile. Dangerous, no one is disputing that, but cool, Oh yeah.Tim Beeker.
Reply:Originally Posted by zapsterThanks for the clarification...Still Instant Responce Acceleration......zap!
Reply:Originally Posted by zapsterI made go carts and such as a kid and was almost killed 3 times because of it..
Reply:If it was built well enough to go 100mph it would be almost as dangerous as it was in it's original form (motorcycle) with a 13 yo pilot. In the form shown it won't use more than the few horsepower required to flip it backwards. Good work and some good lessons in Newton's laws of motion there.Lincoln SA200, HH135, Lencospot, HF80 Inverter, Rockwell 11x35 lathe, HF drill mill, Kama 554 tractor w/ FEL & BH, Belarus 250AS, lot's of Chinese tools
Reply:That is about like the flaming death traps i wrenched together when I was in jr high. I survived.
Reply:I still hope for the day I get a 600 engine =( Anyone feeling like making a good fella happy? :PLooks like you could modify it easily to make a barstool racerMy Babies: HF Drill pressHF Pipe Bender3   4.5" Black and Decker angle grindersLincoln Electric PROMIG 175that´s it!
Reply:I dont know if anyone else noticed this about growing up its more fun to dream about it being done and building it than actually driving it. thats his second machine Im not even going to post pictures of the first one. He is learning basic fab work and how to weld and thats what its all about hands on education. road rash is the penalty for messing up
Reply:road rash is a great motivator.  Seems to stimulate the braincells.  Yes, growing up is about saying to your buddies "I MADE that!!"Some of us are of the generation where we didn't get protected from EVERYTHING under the sun... and yet somehow: we survived.
Reply:Originally Posted by idacalI dont know if anyone else noticed this about growing up its more fun to dream about it being done and building it than actually driving it. thats his second machine Im not even going to post pictures of the first one. He is learning basic fab work and how to weld and thats what its all about hands on education. road rash is the penalty for messing up
Reply:Road rash is one thing.  Crushed, broken, mangled, and bleeding profusely is at a different level of things.  Give him some instruction on how and why.  Or have him look it up.  Then have him make stuff.A 600cc bike engine is -usually- a bit more than most 13 year olds should have on tap.  That's usually somewhere around 30-70 hp, and 10,000+ rpm.  It more than some 'adults' should have too, but that's a whole 'nuther thing.  Fun, and safe (mostly), don't have to be exclusive.That 4-wheeler carcass with a 'lowly' single-digit horsepower 4 stroke engine could be a good project.  Chance for enough speed and power to get the adrenaline going, yet not in the quickly-hurt range.  Find a junked lawnmower (single-digit hp please), and franken-scrounge a vehicle together.
Reply:the yard looks like more of a hazard then the machine itself
Reply:You guys are too worried about the machine. That motor makes such an insaine amount of power that it will just flip it over backwards, he will get used to it and ride wheelies everywhere. It will be interesting to see if he improves it and gets something that can handle that power.Originally Posted by MicroZoneI hope, for your son's sake, you have health insurance. Why not help him and build something safe?
Reply:Man, I hope I never get old...All you fogies here go on and on about all the crazy stuff you did when you were younger and how you "almost died" 400 times. But didn't. And learned something about life/yourself along the way.The epidemic of pussification among young american males is YOUR GENERATIONS fault.Can't wait to have a boy so I can high five him after he uses some inginuity he probably got from his pop about unsafe ropeswings, welding in a t-shirt, building a bike ramp, and such things.
Reply:When you do have a son of your own your views will change about his safety, bad things DO happen. After stating that, I do kinda agree with you, I grew up playing in mud puddles with broken glass for a "bulldozer". Still have most my fingers.Tim Beeker.
Reply:I have tried to refrain from posting this topic but I feel I must do my duty as an American and a Homosapien.First let me state that while i have never built anything, seen anything built, been out of the basement long enough to meet  a girl , much less to drain the gene pool a little with my lackluster DNA.  I can weigh in on the dangers of that piece of equipment. It will never workit is way to dangerous and you should be ashamed of yourself for letting your son build such a contraption, much less fostering the attitude that he can do things for himself and stand on his on two feet. Now having said all of that.............If i bring the beer can I ride it first insert thoughtful quote from someone else2000 Thermal Arc 300GTSW 3.5 hours1946 Monarch 20 x 54 Lathe1998 Supermax 10x54 Mill2004 Haco Atlantic 1/2" Capacity Lasernot mine but i get to play with it
Reply:that was humor above if no one caught it. i know girls when i see theminsert thoughtful quote from someone else2000 Thermal Arc 300GTSW 3.5 hours1946 Monarch 20 x 54 Lathe1998 Supermax 10x54 Mill2004 Haco Atlantic 1/2" Capacity Lasernot mine but i get to play with it
Reply:ALRIGHTIf thats the first 4 wheeler (as a father myself) I would have a roll cage and after a while let him cut it off or sell it and build a newer one. My son is 2 and he's a daredevil. I came home from work to find a huge mess in his room. He took out boxes and was climing on them. He was over 3 feet high in the closet trying to get the toys I put on the top shelf. I put him in the bed and tell him to stay and not ever 2 minutes later he was back at it. Sometimes its in our nature to do crazy wild stupid sh-t. We can only be young once.
Reply:Hey, I'm all for building stuff and experimenting and playing and so on.But, experience and wisdom is looking back and being able to say "Man, I was lucky! Because what I did was pretty dumb/stupid/dangerous.  I'm lucky to have my limbs or other body parts or to even be alive, with mostly just some scars or road-rash."  And relying on LUCK to keep you safe is not such a good game plan.And parenthood is looking back at the dumb/stupid/dangerous stuff we did and wishing/hoping/trying to make sure our kids don't do dumb/stupid/dangerous stuff.  Because we realize we were l-u-c-k-y, and we don't want to feel the pain of our kid's pain.  Because luck is oft-times fickle.Learn and build and play and experiment, hell yeah!  Over-the-top stupid or dangerous, no thank you.10,000+ rpm, high CG, close chain/sprocket with no guard, easy double-digit horsepower, = not such a good plan.If it was a build-evaluate-realize deficiencies/errors-scrap and try again, Good.  That's learning.  With no broken body parts or bloodshed as part of the learning, even better.Ropeswing? Sure.  Kid doing stupid on/with ropeswing, no thanks.Welding in a t-shirt?  Explain about UV damage, cumulative exposure, skin cancer, etc, and then explain about proper gear to -minimize- known hazards.Bikeramp?  Depends on the kid and the bikeramp.
Reply:some of you guys get all bent out of shape over very little. first off he is my brother not son second of all I have watched him unload 16 pallets of 100 lbs sacks of bentonite without a break he works like a man Im going to treat as one he has earned that right. if I try to help him without him asking for help I am saying he doesnt know what he is doing. When he wanted to learn to weld I taught him by dumping a 12" cable tool well drilling bit that was undersized about 2" handed him 20lbs of build up rod, ran two beads to show him how it was supposed to look and told him to call me when the bit was built up or he ran out of rod. He can now run a decent bead. He is not your average 13 year old, just his brain hasnt caught up with his body. Im not going to insult his ego by telling him what he has built is unsafe and stupid until he asks how to fix it. we were raised to be independet in case you cant tell.  oh I havent ever got drunk enough to attempt to drive that thing to dangerousLast edited by idacal; 07-22-2008 at 02:22 AM.
Reply:idacalI hear what you're saying. I don't think anyone here has set out to rattle your cage. Bear in mind also that the written word here will always be different than what people would say face to face. Unfortunately in this medium there's no visible body language. I know if someone showed me your little bro's creation, I'd probably shake my head and draw my breath in and have a chuckle with you. Most likely neither of us would be offended. It's nearly impossible to do that in written words.For my own part, I've experienced a serious industrial accident and after 3-1/2 years off work, I'll bear the effects of it for the rest of my life. It limits what I can do now but the trick and challenge is to work clever and work around it. After what I've been through, my approach to these things has changed and I'd hate to see anyone go through anything like it.Someone made a comment about welding in T shirts and people commenting on it. We've all done it. Talk to anyone suffering skin cancer as a result and they'll likely tell you they'd wish they hadn't done it. Same for hearing protection - used to be for pussies thirty years ago. My father is very deaf after WWII it's really shown up worse as he's got older. Man it's a hard thing to live with, for both him and others around him. Knowing what it's like, I put up with the hassle of hearing protection whenever I can.I'm not trying to lecture anyone, just my thoughts. I think most everyone here is honestly trying to help the younger ones to avoid the traps and pitfalls they've experienced. I'm looking forward to more of your posts and hope your brother progresses well. Looks like he's got the makings of a good bloke."One of the things we have to be thankful for is that we don't get as much government as we pay for." (Charles Kettering)Mitch 180 (NZ)Lincoln SAM-400-220 + ?-400 Fordson Major + 2 x Tractapac Humber 80 + Procut 40 PlasmaMiller Spectrum 375
Reply:I know no one is trying to rattle my cage as you put it, when I read my my post this morning it came across rougher than I ment it to be. he is a good kid and he works hard. Im sure there will be rides he builds that will make me cringe and pray extra hard for his safety but he is learning things that will be with him the rest of his life and that is what its all about hands on education the best school on earth
Reply:Originally Posted by idacalI know no one is trying to rattle my cage as you put it, when I read my my post this morning it came across rougher than I ment it to be. he is a good kid and he works hard. Im sure there will be rides he builds that will make me cringe and pray extra hard for his safety but he is learning things that will be with him the rest of his life and that is what its all about hands on education the best school on earth
Reply:That thing is really not as bad as my friend's childhood lol he learned how to run dozer's in the 50's when he was around 10  and yes he has rolled a dozer or two when he was young.Welding web tried to silence me but heres the TRUTH about "Longevity inc" consumers must know about this before they even talk to Simon.http://microzone.us/weldingforum/ind...79.msg2234#new
Reply:Are you kidding me! that thing is neat.  I built a pocket biket that went about 25 MPH from the factory and I made it go about 65 after I was done with the motor the seat was only about 17" from the ground on some 10" pnuematic tires. the thing would lift the front wheel even at about 1/4 throttle.  let him learn how to build and ride all at once!
Reply:Originally Posted by HARRY BARKERthe yard looks like more of a hazard then the machine itself