Plan of Attack: The Drive Train

After viewing the plans, which were linked in the last post, we can get a general idea of what we need to do. The most important part of this vehicle is the drive train. This is the system that will convert the human energy into mechanical. Once we have established a concept and design, we can begin gathering the pieces and parts to build it. Everything else will be built on top of the drive train. Let's define some parts.

1. The Pump Lever - This is the thing that looks like a see-saw in which the humans push up and down. It is one of the main components converting human power into mechanical power which will make the wheels go 'round and 'round.

2. The Connecting Rod - The connecting rod is connected to the pump lever and is used to turn the drive shaft. The arm is the major component that will change the up-and-down motion from the humans into rotational motion.

3. The Crank - The Crank connects the connecting rod to the drive shaft.

4. The Drive Shaft - The drive shaft carries the rotation motion to the rear axle.

5. Rear Axle - The rear axle is is connected to the drive shaft and distributes the rotational motion to the wheels.

These four components are key to powering the hand car. These are the basic parts. More will be introduce in the future that will aid in the vehicle's motion.

In the spirit of the Green Man, the car should incorporate as much recycled and reused material as possible. This will also save on cash. Another reason for this is because of the nature and size of the vehicle, certain parts must be extremely heavy duty. We don't have the resources or expertise to design and fabricate parts specially for the vehicle. This means more effort must be put in to find the right parts. We may also have to change our design because we don't have the exact part we want but we find something else similar.

Below is a rough sketch of the drive train: