Greg Milano's Wheelbarrow Wheel Landyacht
Intro: Greg Milano's Wheelbarrow Wheel Landyacht
Greg Milano works with disabled people in Alameda California.
He bought this homebrew landyacht secondhand and has been fixing it up for his clients to use.
It uses wheelbarrow wheels and a windsurfer sail. It carries two people in comfort and comes apart for transport.
In this video the frame twists quite a bit. After that we added two more tubes to triangulate the frame, and it doesn't twist anymore.
He bought this homebrew landyacht secondhand and has been fixing it up for his clients to use.
It uses wheelbarrow wheels and a windsurfer sail. It carries two people in comfort and comes apart for transport.
In this video the frame twists quite a bit. After that we added two more tubes to triangulate the frame, and it doesn't twist anymore.
STEP 1: The Rear Wheels
These are wheels from wheelbarrows with regular wheelbarrow tires and innertubes on them.
They are plenty strong and have no trouble with the side forces.
I guess they were made in America by union workers.
I built a landyacht once using cheap imported Harborfreight wheelbarrow wheels. The hubs broke off the wheels after a few minutes. You'd have to weld some braces onto those wheels to make them strong enough.
These axles are stubby things that insert into the rear aluminum tube. The axle nut has a retaining wire to keep it from spinning off.
The rusty tube seen here is one of two braces we added to triangulate the mast support. After that the frame didn't twist anymore.
They are plenty strong and have no trouble with the side forces.
I guess they were made in America by union workers.
I built a landyacht once using cheap imported Harborfreight wheelbarrow wheels. The hubs broke off the wheels after a few minutes. You'd have to weld some braces onto those wheels to make them strong enough.
These axles are stubby things that insert into the rear aluminum tube. The axle nut has a retaining wire to keep it from spinning off.
The rusty tube seen here is one of two braces we added to triangulate the mast support. After that the frame didn't twist anymore.
STEP 2: Front Fork and Wheel
The front wheel is also from a wheelbarrow. It's steered with two pushrods from the footbar.
One of the steering arms had broken off the fork and got lost. I helped Greg bend and weld a new one from stainless rod. While we were at it we reinforced the other steering arm
The pushrods have small balljoints at each end to connect to the fork and the footbar.
One of the steering arms had broken off the fork and got lost. I helped Greg bend and weld a new one from stainless rod. While we were at it we reinforced the other steering arm
The pushrods have small balljoints at each end to connect to the fork and the footbar.
STEP 3: Rigging the Sail
Greg attaches the boom to the sail.
The sail is a 6.5 square meter windsurfing sail. It's got battens and "camber inducers" which are forks on the end of the battens that push on the mast.
This is a modern sail, which means you use lots of downhaul force and not much outhaul.
Since the downhaul ring is no the landyacht it's a bit different than rigging a windsurfer. You slide the mast over the stub mast and then downhaul the sail until it looks good. "Looks good" means the top of the sail is flat but not slack, and the sail belly is about 7% of chord.
The sail is a 6.5 square meter windsurfing sail. It's got battens and "camber inducers" which are forks on the end of the battens that push on the mast.
This is a modern sail, which means you use lots of downhaul force and not much outhaul.
Since the downhaul ring is no the landyacht it's a bit different than rigging a windsurfer. You slide the mast over the stub mast and then downhaul the sail until it looks good. "Looks good" means the top of the sail is flat but not slack, and the sail belly is about 7% of chord.
STEP 4: Mast Support
This is the most complicated part of the machine. The purpose of these parts are to hold the mast vertical while allowing it to turn freely. If the mast doesn't turn freely the camber inducers jump off the mast and sail shape suffers.
In the second and third photos here I'm showing which parts turn.
I'm grabbing the downhaul ring that's used to downhaul the sail.
The downhaul ring is attached to the stub mast and both turn.
Below that is the mast step. The stub mast fits into the step and is greased so it'll turn.
Above the downhaul ring is a black plastic sleeve over the stub mast. It's free to rotate but it doesn't have to. Above that is the mast support. It's bolted to a couple of tubes that go back to the rear axle.
The mast support looks like it has a fancy bearing in it, but it might just be a plastic ring and some grease.
Above that is the thrust bearing, which is a couple of greased plastic disks. They're pushed up to show what the top of the mast support looks like.
In the second and third photos here I'm showing which parts turn.
I'm grabbing the downhaul ring that's used to downhaul the sail.
The downhaul ring is attached to the stub mast and both turn.
Below that is the mast step. The stub mast fits into the step and is greased so it'll turn.
Above the downhaul ring is a black plastic sleeve over the stub mast. It's free to rotate but it doesn't have to. Above that is the mast support. It's bolted to a couple of tubes that go back to the rear axle.
The mast support looks like it has a fancy bearing in it, but it might just be a plastic ring and some grease.
Above that is the thrust bearing, which is a couple of greased plastic disks. They're pushed up to show what the top of the mast support looks like.
STEP 5: Seating Platform
The seating platform is a piece of plywood with a couple of legless lawnchairs u-bolted to it.
STEP 6: Frame
The frame has evolved quite a bit.
Originally all the frame pieces came apart with clamps as seen in the third picture, so no piece would be more than 8 feet long.
The rear axle is now reinforced with an aluminum channel.
We added the two rusty steel scaffold tubes to keep the frame from twisting.
When you build your frame use lots of triangles. That's called "triangulation" or "triangulationizitionizing"
It's different from "strangulation" which is what happens when the mainsheet wraps around your neck and then you run over it with the rear wheels.
Originally all the frame pieces came apart with clamps as seen in the third picture, so no piece would be more than 8 feet long.
The rear axle is now reinforced with an aluminum channel.
We added the two rusty steel scaffold tubes to keep the frame from twisting.
When you build your frame use lots of triangles. That's called "triangulation" or "triangulationizitionizing"
It's different from "strangulation" which is what happens when the mainsheet wraps around your neck and then you run over it with the rear wheels.
STEP 7: Steering and Sheeting
Steer with your feet.
Mainsheet is tied to the chair middle arms and goes up to a pulley on the end of the boom. Pull with your hands, don't get it around your neck.
Have fun!
Mainsheet is tied to the chair middle arms and goes up to a pulley on the end of the boom. Pull with your hands, don't get it around your neck.
Have fun!
24 Comments
secanubi 1 year ago
Greg W Long
Corbie31 12 years ago
arich1 12 years ago
P.S. MAKE MAGAZINE ROCKS!!!!!!
I'm an avid fan / subscriber (and I went to my first Maker Faire just this summer in Detroit)!!!!!
m1j 12 years ago
This is a good design. I see a bit too much weight but I have also seen landsailers built out of truck frames that moved in low wind while the "performance" carts would not. I think you get away with the low mast supports because your sail is not that tall.
Because I had a Manta-Twin I tend to compare everything to them. They only weigh 120 lbs and are made out of aircraft aluminum. I have done full 360s and hit close to 60 mph on a Manta-twin. Now if I could just gather up $2600 I could have a new one again.
Or like this creative fellow I could just build one. Were's my welder?
pyro=fire 12 years ago
ilpug 13 years ago
Foaly7 13 years ago
puffyfluff 15 years ago
maneter112 13 years ago
ComplacentBard 13 years ago
I'd be scared to try if there was any wind.
echoclerk 15 years ago
I guess they were made in America by union workers.
real classy mate, you know that non-USA people can access the internet too right?
Lokisgodhi 13 years ago
echoclerk says:
real classy mate, you know that non-USA people can access the internet too right?
Derin 15 years ago
lycoris3 15 years ago
NeilLizard 16 years ago
alobaidly 16 years ago
rocknrollskwurl 16 years ago
Leon Close 16 years ago
wombat7 16 years ago
Visitor 16 years ago