What's An Aluminum Falcon

A Place To Hang My Differential

I worked on the brackets that will secure the front differential to the main truss. They would be made out of flat plate (probably fabricated on the Tormach CNC Mill at Lowell Makes) and welded together. They would be bolted...

Rudy January 28, 2023

Exploratory Surgery On The Transaxle

I opened up the transaxle! The layout of the parts inside is a little different than I imagined.The ring gear is a largest spur gear and it's riveted to the differential housing, acting as an endcap.It will be difficult...

Rudy January 22, 2023

We've Intercepted a (Rebel) Transmission

I removed the rear axle from the lawnmower! Two bolts were the only thing holding it on. Once I took those off, I was able to get the belt off without too much trouble. The tires still have to come off. The...

Rudy January 21, 2023

IRL Parts!

I got the new rear hub yesterday! It's pretty.I also received today a single speed conversion kit and a 28 tooth wide sprocket.I need to confirm if the sprocket actually fits. Otherwise, I'll have to find a sprocket...

Rudy January 18, 2023

So That's How a Lawnmower Works

I spent 2 hours on saturday studying the lawnmower frame and how to detach the rear transaxle. I found and removed 4 bolts that attach the transaxle to the frame. 2 came off easily. I had to cut the other 2 off. There's...

Rudy January 16, 2023

Shifting Into Gear?

I spent the free time I had last week working on the shifter box design. "Easy" removal of the belts in the box is my main design requirement. Everything I've come up with before now would have required removing the...

Rudy January 16, 2023

The Hubs Are A Problem

I noticed (and just confirmed) that the two fat tires I possess both have front wheel hubs. But I need a rear wheel hub for the racer. I went looking online yesterday and they are surprisingly hard to find. I eventually...

Rudy January 12, 2023

Lawnmower, Revisited

I looked at the lawnmower again today. It looks like the shifter and differential are both part of the same assembly. And that seems like it's held in place by 4 bolts.Let's see if I can take the rear axle off during...

Rudy January 08, 2023

Belts vs. Chains

Someone asked me why I was using belts for the racer's main drive. Kinetic sculptures apparently don't really use belts and pulleys. My main motivation for using belts is gearing down significantly while minimizing...

Rudy January 06, 2023

Hyperdrive Motivated

I spent the rest of my down time thinking about the drive mechanism. The belts and pulleys I want to use are from Maedler North America. I've kept the front half of the pulley layout the same, but I've decided to couple...

Rudy January 05, 2023

Organization is Key

I worked most of the holidays but the time off I did take, I spent thinking about the new racer! 😜 I'm almost done cleaning last year's projects out of my garage, including Big Fish. It's turned into a full blown reorganization...