Cushman based build

burner1

10 W
Joined
Apr 15, 2013
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98
This will be the beginning of a build based on some Cushman parts and a motor I got from Drewjet. I did not want to take his thread so I thought I could make a few post here.

I am starting with an axle from a Cushman Truckster. I may use the steering box but little else. The rest of the vehicle was pretty rough.

I began the axle tear down. The ration was not what I initially hoped for. It is an 8:2 to 1. It does come with a 1/2 ratio gear box. My plan is to use it as an off road truck to haul stuff between my work shop, home shop and to haul things around the yard. I have a Cushman Haulster I have been known to weigh down pretty good with firewood, truck engines, welders, etc.

I have always been fond of things like the John Deer Gator but they let the ATV world infiltrate their design and they have moved away form a useful vehicle to a fun vehicle.

With these goals in mind the axle ratio of 8.2 to one would be fine but I would like to run it down the road to the neighbors occasionally. I am taking the 2:1 gear reduction and turning it around to a 2:1 doubler which I think will be perfect. I think a 2-speed for this truck will be perfect; we'll see if reality works out as well.

Motor is a D&D Es-15-6. The plan for the configuration is a swing arm or triangulated4-link for the rear and independent for the front. The rear will have spring/shock but probably an airbag assist for heavier loads. Bed will need to be as low as possible and as large as possible. Lots of ideas in mind but construction will be based around the drive train.

Photos of Current Haulster which this will loosely be based on as well as the parts I am starting with.

The Axle looks rough but the inner gears are in very good shape. I was able to get the axles pressed off without damaging the threads which was the hard part. I will be cutting off the outside brackets to start with for a clean drawing board. I will be converting the brakes to disc.


c11.jpg



truckster.jpg



Build1.jpg



Build2.jpg
 
Since this vehicle is largely form scratch it takes a while to gather and prepare comonents. Some parts still on order.

I have decided on wheels and tires. The rears are 22x11x8 which is in the black rim. The black rim was one of the rusty turf rims you see stacked behind it. Yesterday I broke one down, sand blasted and powdercoated the rim. The white rim is going to be the front tire which is a John Deer rear mower tire from Tractor Supply.

I will be dropping the drum brakes and converting to disc. I have small Wilwood calipars on order. The calipars will not fit in these small rims which is fine. The hubs are for turf tires which are wide to start but I will still need to space the disc back out of the rim and make a mounting bracket for the axle. I have one basted and powdercoated.

Build5.jpg


Build6.jpg
 
Still gathering parts. All 4 rims are blasted and powdercoated black with the tires mounted. Got a drive shaft which is going to work in this configuration. Also waiting on some machine work for the transmission input shaft.
 
Still waiting on a few key parts but starting on working through some of it.

This is basically the plate which will hold the motor with a Lovejoy type connection. Sill waiting on a key piece which mated a Lovejoy to the proper spline. The gear box is turned around. Instead of a 1/2 reduction it will be a doubler:

Build7.jpg



The gear box will be on the plate but I have to cut out clearance for the bottom. The drive shaft is powdercoated with new U-jpints.

Build8.jpg



Ready to start welding brackets to the axle for the triangulated 4-link and the disc brake:


Build9.jpg
 
The key to reversing the 2-speed gearbox was cutting up a worm gear from an axle (ebay):

Build11.jpg






Almost complete. Little work left on the input shaft/bearing housing but enough I can use it for frame mockup:


Build12.jpg




Axle has been powdercoated waiting assembly:


Build13.jpg
 
Nice thread. Somehow I missed this. I love that you are converting to disc brakes. I wish mine had them.

Keep up the great work, what I have seen so far is amazing, makes me jealous.
 
Thanks Drew, I am going to clean out the axle this weekend and see if I can get it together. Seems like I am always one part short. I gues I will soon find out if I have all the seals and such.

Gary
 
I have a kiln I converted for powdercoating. I made a circuit which automates the powdercoating. I blast the parts, spray the part, drop it in the kiln rack and hit go. I come back 45 min latter and the process is done. Makes it easy to powdercoat all the parts as I go.



Build14.jpg
 
There is an old story about the reason the Space Shuttle Booster rockets are the size they are. It turns out they had to be transported by rail...through a mountain. The hole in the mountain determined by the size of a train and train tracks. The size of the tracks determined by Horse and buggy. The horse and buggy determined by the width of a horses ass so the wheels fall between the legs of 2 horses. The short version is.......The space shuttle rocket size was determined by the width of a horses ass.

I feel that is where I have been on this project. The length of the lower arm was founded on the beam which will suport the motor plate. All this determined by the motor transmission and drive saft. This was all tuned to the rear end being level because that is the shortest the drive shaft will be. It is not where it will run but I needed to know that point. Then I needed to adjust the upper arms acordingly as well as consider 10 other things, tire clearance, axle ride height, etc..



In the end I got here:




Build17.jpg
 
See if you had any updates.

By the way the h is missing in Cushman in the title, that would make someone searching for a cushman to not find it.
 
drewjet said:
See if you had any updates.

By the way the h is missing in Cushman in the title, that would make someone searching for a cushman to not find it.


I changed the spelling; thanks. Not too much to update. Some small things doen, getting front upright parts cut, gathered, setting up rear brakes.

Mostly I have been busy with other things. Did make it out to the Pikes Peak Hill climb. Lots of electrics out there. An electric motorcycle made the 12m climb in 10 min.
 
I am still here. Slow as ever. I have a 100 other things I am doing so this is taking a while.

I have been building automatic turn signal controller circuits which has consumed a bit of time.

I am currently building front a-arms then shock mounts for the front:




Build19.jpg
 
Thanks,

I just got done welding up the steering rack. It was a rack form an MG which I cut down to the proper width:



steering%20raq.jpg
 
If this is going to be a shop truck, consider a stake-bed. Sides on the bed are useful, but being able to remove them means you can set pallets on it with a forklift, when the sides are removed. Depending on some of the jobs it could take on, perhaps even a dumping bed.

special_12stake2.jpg
 
I put the steaks on this one. It has been very handy. It is used at the metal shop and to go back and forth between shop and house. It has been used to haul many things and often loaded and unloaded with forklift.

The new truck will have aluminum diamond plate bed with stake bed; no need for dump though. The truck was built with the bed as low as I could to help with loading things by hand around house and yard. I have even hauled things such as rear tractor tires on the Cushman and the low bed is very helpful.

The rear suspension on this one is basically the same as what I did to the Cushman so there is some experience with that.

My whole problem with things like Gators and such vehicles is they have tried to conform to a fun off road vehicle and the utility is lost on most of them. What I needed was a truck/utility vehicle.


c11.jpg
 
Is this what you need?


side.jpg


This is the Cushman before I changed the suspension:

c1.jpg



This is after:


c4.jpg


c9.jpg


c10.jpg


cush%20haul.jpg
 
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