Old Pedal Kart Conversion to 4x4 Allroad Electric Fun. Including Ice Drift Video

We turned our old kettler pedal cart into a 4x4 electric kart using hoverboard motors and an ebike battery. We use it for about a year now and it is working great.

Old Pedal Kart Conversion to 4x4 Allroad Electric Fun. Including Ice Drift Video
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Supplies

old pedal cart (used)

hoverboard motors (2nd hand from marketplace with broken batteries) €5 each

4x motor controller aliexpress.com/item/32898174980.html

fusebox https://amzn.eu/d/j6xOgRd

remote control off switch aliexpress.com/item/1005002206991611.html

ebike battery 36v 20 ah LIFEPO4 (2nd hand from marketplace) €50

speed control pedal https://amzn.eu/d/if0EZj5

36-12v voltage converter https://amzn.eu/d/2sXknX2

heat shrink solder connectors https://amzn.eu/d/aMP3UyQ

4x tires size 4.10/3.50 - 5 (with innertubes) https://www.skelterbanden.info/p/band-binnenband-4-10-3-50-5/

ebike lights https://amzn.eu/d/9hKsV8w & https://amzn.eu/d/gYuI8PT

Step 1: Select the Right Pedal Kart

The idea was born when I had this old pedal kart from Kettler laying around. It has a slim design and is very well made. I like the steering design, as it turns very sharp corners.The seat is adjustable for length and can be removed.

Step 2: Take It Apart and Throw Stuff Away

Take all unnecessary stuff from the frame. This will also be handy for cleaning and painting the frame.

Step 3: Harvest the Wheels

I bought three broken hoverboards from marketplace. The batteries were dead, wich is common. They can be picked up for cheap. Easily take them apart and only need the wheel itself and the aluminium mounts with the thread. The rest of the hoverboard is not used.

Step 4: Test Setup of the Wheels

As I normally use DC motors for my projects and was not familiar with the three phase BLDC motors used in hoverboards, I build a test setup to get the wiring right. When you buy the controller it has a manual how to wire.

At first I hooked all 4 motors to a single controller. This is not the right way, as the motors will not hold strenghts and all motors need an individual controller. The motor speed controller wires are all connected to the same speed pedal.

I used the following youtube video to get me going with the wiring. https://youtu.be/lHJKBdvVDJc

When applying the wiring to the frame, I used a fusebox to protect the motor controllers from overcurrent.

I choose a LIFEPO4 battery with 36v 20ah. lifepo4 is safer as lead or lithium batteries. They are also smaller and have a longer lifespan. As we charge and store it in our house, we go for the safer option.

Step 5: Add Tires to the Wheels

First you cut the old wheels from the rim.

Then you add outer tires with airtubes inside them over the rims.

Pro tip: Punch an 8mm hole in the side of the tire to push the airvalve trough. As your new rim will not have a hole for a airvalve.

Now you push the tire over the rim.

it is best done by brute force and by locking one part of the tire in place with a big ring and a m4 bolt. By pushing the next part of the tire over the rim you can add another ring and bolt, so the part that was finished will not slide back off the rim again.

The wheel size used is 4.10/3.50 - 5.

I sourced mine in Holland, as I live there.

https://www.skelterbanden.info/p/band-binnenband-4-10-3-50-5/

Step 6: Wheel Mount for Steering

I made a customised steel bracket to fit the 4x m8 thread from the hoverboard. a tube slides over the original axle and it is bolted fixed on top of the swivel point. later on a light is mounted to the top of this part.

Step 7: Building the Frame

With aluminium tubing and rivets I extended the frame. The bottom plate is stainles steel sheet attached to the tubing with rivets. A hole is made in de middle, for the wires to run through. A second seat is added to the back. The battery comes underneat the seat and the seat can slide over it.

Step 8: Brakes

For the brakes I use a 12mm stainless steel bar as a leverage arm. Each rear wheel has its own brake pad. They are connected with a 12mm rod that runs throug a pipe. In the pipe that is mounted underneath the kart there are bearings on each side. So there is not too much friction.

Step 9: Lights

The lights are from an ebike. The rear ones can handle the 36v but for the front ones I have to use the 36 to 12v adapter. I like the small front lights very much. They are mounted on top of the wheel mount and the lights steer with the wheels.

Step 10: Speed Limited

As this Kart goes 30+ km/h with an adult driving on it, we need to be able to slow it down to the drivers racing level.

For this I went old school with a plate restrictor that stops the pedal from going down. By turning the blue knob the plate moves up and down. Inside the blue plate is a nut, glued to the plate so it cannot spin. This forces the plate to go up and down when you turn the knob.

Step 11: Remote Killswitch

I would like to be able to stop the kart remotely, for safety reasons. The killswitch is mounted directly after the battery and cuts the power supply to the controllers. It works great untill about 50 meters. Further away the connection gets weaker.

Step 12: Hang It

To save in space we store it with the electric hoist, above the workbench . The battery is stored separate in a metal cabinet with our other batteries. For safety reasons.

This kart was build in about 3 months time. We have driven it for a year now. It has proven to be very fun, strong and reliable. I hope this instructable can give some inspiration to someone to build their own.

Step 13: Make a Trailer for It

I took our old beach towing wagon and cut of the T-handle. We put the leftover bar under the hydraulic press to make it flat and drilled a hole in the pressed flat side. We use a simple towbar with a pin on the cart. That is a 15 minute work for a matching trailer!