MikeFairbanks
100 kW
For those of you who are new to Endless Sphere (new being that you have been a user for under a year), This is an industrial tricycle made by Worksman Industrial Bicycles in New York. Worksman is one of the few remaining American companies that still manufacture bikes. The bikes and trikes are steel, super strong, and very much old-school. Yes, I'm plugging them a bit, but that's only because I'm impressed with what they do (note: I've never gotten anything free from them).
We (my fourth-grade students and I) wrote a grant 18 months ago. The local utility cooperative gives 1500 bucks each year to twenty teachers. We asked for the money to build an electric tricycle using a Worksman trike (800 bucks) and a kit from Ebike-Kit.com that was 600 bucks. We used the extra few dollars for zipties, electrical tape, wood, and a ton of other stuff that we all know we'll need, even if we don't know we need it. Velcro, wiring, wood screws, nuts, bolts, beer, etc.
Okay, no beer. That's a joke.
The students assembled the trike (it came in a big cardboard/wooden crate) and together we put the electrical kit on it. (plug: Ebikekit.com is awesome. Jason is so nice and helpful. I really admire and respect his company, his service, and his products. For this project he didn't give us anything for free, but to be upfront, he has given me discounts at a later time and date for my own personal build. That's just a bit of disclosure. However, regardless of discounts, I'd still recommend his company. It's in New Jersey and it's extremely easy to get responses by phone and email from Ebikekit.com.
To the point:
We built it and modified it many times to make it more usable and, most importantly, more accessible to all the teachers and custodians. The trike has had a mixed response. We get a lot of positive feedback on the trike, the effort, the students, etc. It's been a fun two-year project.
My only negative is that few adults in the building use it (and students are not allowed to drive it....but they get a lot of rides on the track outside).
So, because I like to constantly make things, work on things, break things, etc., I thought we'd re-design the bed.
We took off the old cabinet, re-used braces, hinges, etc., and my students built a new cabinet/truck bed for the back. It's 90% finished. We need to do some sanding and painting, and more finish work (rather than duct tape) for some of the components, but it's now in operation again and can hold a lot of weight. I'm hoping it will get more use. We're going to paint it black to encourage the custodian guys to use it (manly colors )
1. The electric Trike.
2. First cabinet we made for kids to sit (two kids, facing backward, getting fun rides around the school and the track on the playground).
3. Latest build. For this build we included the charger and made the cables much more accessible for teachers. I'll be adding a laminated card for operational and charging directions. Everything needed is onboard (although we have to take off the duct tape and use better securing methods....next week).
The cool part was watching the students put the whole thing together. I apologize for the freaky blurred faces, but it's county policy. No posting photos of children unless rendered unrecognizable. The first photo is kids disassembling the old cabinet. The second pic is them building the new one. About twenty boys and girls from the fourth grade worked on it.
It's surprising how excited a kid can get by simply using a powerdrill to install braces, hinges, drill holes, etc. I can ask a kid to do a math problem on the board, and maybe half the class will raise a hand. Ask them, "who wants to add the hinges?" And they all raise their hands while standing up.
We (my fourth-grade students and I) wrote a grant 18 months ago. The local utility cooperative gives 1500 bucks each year to twenty teachers. We asked for the money to build an electric tricycle using a Worksman trike (800 bucks) and a kit from Ebike-Kit.com that was 600 bucks. We used the extra few dollars for zipties, electrical tape, wood, and a ton of other stuff that we all know we'll need, even if we don't know we need it. Velcro, wiring, wood screws, nuts, bolts, beer, etc.
Okay, no beer. That's a joke.
The students assembled the trike (it came in a big cardboard/wooden crate) and together we put the electrical kit on it. (plug: Ebikekit.com is awesome. Jason is so nice and helpful. I really admire and respect his company, his service, and his products. For this project he didn't give us anything for free, but to be upfront, he has given me discounts at a later time and date for my own personal build. That's just a bit of disclosure. However, regardless of discounts, I'd still recommend his company. It's in New Jersey and it's extremely easy to get responses by phone and email from Ebikekit.com.
To the point:
We built it and modified it many times to make it more usable and, most importantly, more accessible to all the teachers and custodians. The trike has had a mixed response. We get a lot of positive feedback on the trike, the effort, the students, etc. It's been a fun two-year project.
My only negative is that few adults in the building use it (and students are not allowed to drive it....but they get a lot of rides on the track outside).
So, because I like to constantly make things, work on things, break things, etc., I thought we'd re-design the bed.
We took off the old cabinet, re-used braces, hinges, etc., and my students built a new cabinet/truck bed for the back. It's 90% finished. We need to do some sanding and painting, and more finish work (rather than duct tape) for some of the components, but it's now in operation again and can hold a lot of weight. I'm hoping it will get more use. We're going to paint it black to encourage the custodian guys to use it (manly colors
)1. The electric Trike.
2. First cabinet we made for kids to sit (two kids, facing backward, getting fun rides around the school and the track on the playground).
3. Latest build. For this build we included the charger and made the cables much more accessible for teachers. I'll be adding a laminated card for operational and charging directions. Everything needed is onboard (although we have to take off the duct tape and use better securing methods....next week).
The cool part was watching the students put the whole thing together. I apologize for the freaky blurred faces, but it's county policy. No posting photos of children unless rendered unrecognizable. The first photo is kids disassembling the old cabinet. The second pic is them building the new one. About twenty boys and girls from the fourth grade worked on it.
It's surprising how excited a kid can get by simply using a powerdrill to install braces, hinges, drill holes, etc. I can ask a kid to do a math problem on the board, and maybe half the class will raise a hand. Ask them, "who wants to add the hinges?" And they all raise their hands while standing up.
:lol: 
