Need Tips to motorize my MADPHUC 2.0 Art Car

[Pop_Tart]

MADPHUC 1.0 = MAl-mart Deep Playa Hammock Utility Cart = 1 Hammock Stand, 1 Hammock, 1 Wooden Platform, 4 Wheelchair wheels, and 4 custom hubs.

I took this beauty out to the playa in 2011 and basically walked it around everywhere. We tried towing it via two bikes and almost killed someone, hence the walking. At one point we had 7 people on/in it as my friends and I took turns pushing and steering. To steer, you had to stop, lift the front tires, and drag the cart to a new bearing. Once you got it rolling it took very little effort to keep it going. However, stopping was a pain, so whoever was in front would be yelling at everyone nearby "Can't Steer! No Brakes!". I think at a certain point we were yelling "No Beer, No Steaks!".

For 2012, I plan to turn the MADPHUC into a full up mutant vehicle. I have already designed a steering system for the front two wheels, and now I am looking into a 5 Mph motor system for the back wheels (and hopefully a brake system too). My current thinking is rigging a motor to the back right wheel and a brake to the back left. I've been searching a bit online, and most bicycle motor kits are pretty costly. Does anyone have any ideas for a cheap, kludged together motor system?

Thanks,
-PopTart
Camp Mal-Mart, Returning in 2012 as Baal-Mart
All Hail Baal!

[lemur]

i suggest: turning it into a pedal powered thing.

"Electric Bicycles are permitted in Black Rock City as long as they meet the specifications established
in the Nevada State Vehicle code:

"Electric bicycle" means a device upon which a person may ride, having two or three wheels, or every
such device generally recognized as a bicycle that has fully operable pedals and is propelled by a
small electric engine which produces not more than 1 gross brake horsepower and which produces
not more than 750 watts final output, and:
• Is designed to travel on not more than three wheels in contact with the ground but is not a
tractor.
• Powered solely by such a small electric engine, is capable of a maximum speed of not more
than 20 miles per hour on a flat surface while carrying an operator who weighs 170 pounds."


not appearing to meet that requirement for an electric bike (it has 4 wheels) youd need to have this thing approved by the DMV..

if it was pedal powered you would not have to do that..

check here for MV criteria:

http://www.burningman.com/on_the_playa/ ... teria.html

and here for general info:

http://www.burningman.com/on_the_playa/ ... s/dmv.html



just a casual glance at the criteria and the picture provided i would think you may have an issue with this:

In addition to these criteria, you must also:
1. Describe the motivation for creating your Mutant Vehicle.
If the convenience of personal transportation is your primary goal, please rethink your intent. A primary factor driving your urge to drive should be the sharing of your creation with the rest of the community.

youd have to tell the DMV the intent (i.e. its creative/artistic reason for being ) in your application..

the intent could be something that determines if it gets invited or not.. even fully custom things not only need to show some clear intent but also a basic awesomeness.. i.e. (even tho its custom) "level of mutation" might come in to play..

with that in mind: id suggest

along with the whole adding an engine and steering and brakes (dont forget if you want to use it at night youll need 'radical' illumination) ..youll probably want to spiff it up a bit!!


good luck!!

(i dont speak for the DMV in any official capacity but i have worked in application processing sessions before)

[Ugly Dougly]

I don't know, that would take the fun out of lounging on the hammock.
Electic go-cart?
Get an electric golf cart and install a huge hammock for everybody!

[Pop_Tart]

Thanks for the info Lemur!

Yeah, my thinking is that I'll be submitting this for a Mutant Vehicle invitation/license. Unfortunately none of us took photos of the Madphuc when it was all decked out on Playa last year and I stripped it back down before driving home. So, allow your imagination to fill in the blanks.

I had astroturf on the wooden platform with a pair of putting holes and putters and some signs informing attendees to "Keep On The Grass". The poles that hold up the hammock were spirally circled with multi-colored LED strips that were hooked up to a 12V car battery. They were also covered with a light white furry fabric to diffuse the light (which was super bright at night). On the head end of the cart was a mannequin head fully painted by my BFF with a crazy shifting design. There wasn't any one unifying theme to the cart, but it certainly was unique looking. Our main way of making it participatory was to offer rides and lemonaid to any tired looking people that were trying to walk across the playa, day or night.

I'll get it re-rigged up over the next couple of weeks and take some new photos.

Have you seen any good resources for cheap electric motors for this kind of effort?

[Pop_Tart]

@ Ugly Dougly - I did have a concept to go BIG with the MADPHUC (going big being a typical theme with Mal-Mart), but the resources aren't there this year. Someday... I will have a vehicle with a 20 person cargo net hammock on it...