The old girl is still going well with only slight wear on the driven shaft for the two speed gear box. The woodruff key was badly worn causing a lot of play.
I had to order several off of Ebay that were not Chinese steel and made of hardened steel here in the USA.
The gear box seals as I posted earlier this week were weeping Hypoid oil and no matter how many times the seals were replaced they would leak after a few hours of running.
I was able to get a case of tubes full of John Deere Corn Head Grease. What amazing stuff! The grease is pressure and temperature sensitive and clings to gear teeth like glue. The more the heat,the more it clings.
Best part,no more weeping hypoid oil! What a mess to clean up after a run.
A new Kevlar drive belt was installed.
The number 50 chain was removed and soaked in chain lube for 48 hours. No wear on the links at all.
Brakes were adjusted but not really needed as the drives clutch-brake system works as a Jake Brake when you back of of the throttle and it really slows the scooter down instantly. It took me an hour to really learn how to drive the scooter when I first got it as it was very unnerving having an engine braking you.
I got a new front tire for the front on order as the original Goodyear Diamond tire is dry rotting in the desert here and is pretty worn but still holds air.
I bought a tool bag that will hold,well tools,and a tire pump,spare drive belt, fix-a-flat,drinking water,camera,food,and emergency rescue gear.
Where I go you may not see another human at all. I check into the Ranger station and tell them where I'm going and when I should be back if only a day trip.
If overdue they will come looking for me. A nice touch.
There is no cell service.
I'm hoping to do Oak and Yucca Flat's trails next week. Each one is ten miles of mountain trails through some beautiful mountainous country.
We have had one of the coldest and wettest springs on record. I had snow this past Monday.
It is so green here it looks like an East Coast State. Not normal here.
The scooter is getting about 40 miles per gallon at 15 MPH in Top Gear. The engine never works hard.
This is not the top speed of 30, but I can go where most ATV's cannot go.
In Low Gear the scooter can climb a very steep grade or over a rock ledge with ease. It has a well designed suspension. The scooter is hinged in the middle and bends when you hit a rock or depression and is very smooth. It has one large leaf-spring in the center that takes up all the shocks. No need for front spring/oil forks that can fail.
I built a new exhaust system for the 6.5 HP engine with a spark arresting muffler that exits the scooter three feet behind my seat.
After all this is where Smokey Bear is from. Forrest Fires out here are really bad.
The scooter is rated for 400 pounds of cargo,not including the driver, which I have never carried but I'm sure it could do it with no problem
I did find an original dealer posting that said the scooter was 450 bucks! ( that is $4,771 today!)That was a lot of money in the late 40's early 50's.
Many of the Scooters were sold to Uranium and Gold Prospectors. That is what my scooter was used for in the Yellowstone National Park area.
I saw that a large Balloon Tired Trail King scooter was made as well for running on sand. Never seen one in real life.
My goal it to try to reach the summit of the ten mountains surrounding my home. I've done three so far.
I had to order several off of Ebay that were not Chinese steel and made of hardened steel here in the USA.
The gear box seals as I posted earlier this week were weeping Hypoid oil and no matter how many times the seals were replaced they would leak after a few hours of running.
I was able to get a case of tubes full of John Deere Corn Head Grease. What amazing stuff! The grease is pressure and temperature sensitive and clings to gear teeth like glue. The more the heat,the more it clings.
Best part,no more weeping hypoid oil! What a mess to clean up after a run.
A new Kevlar drive belt was installed.
The number 50 chain was removed and soaked in chain lube for 48 hours. No wear on the links at all.
Brakes were adjusted but not really needed as the drives clutch-brake system works as a Jake Brake when you back of of the throttle and it really slows the scooter down instantly. It took me an hour to really learn how to drive the scooter when I first got it as it was very unnerving having an engine braking you.
I got a new front tire for the front on order as the original Goodyear Diamond tire is dry rotting in the desert here and is pretty worn but still holds air.
I bought a tool bag that will hold,well tools,and a tire pump,spare drive belt, fix-a-flat,drinking water,camera,food,and emergency rescue gear.
Where I go you may not see another human at all. I check into the Ranger station and tell them where I'm going and when I should be back if only a day trip.
If overdue they will come looking for me. A nice touch.
There is no cell service.
I'm hoping to do Oak and Yucca Flat's trails next week. Each one is ten miles of mountain trails through some beautiful mountainous country.
We have had one of the coldest and wettest springs on record. I had snow this past Monday.
It is so green here it looks like an East Coast State. Not normal here.
The scooter is getting about 40 miles per gallon at 15 MPH in Top Gear. The engine never works hard.
This is not the top speed of 30, but I can go where most ATV's cannot go.
In Low Gear the scooter can climb a very steep grade or over a rock ledge with ease. It has a well designed suspension. The scooter is hinged in the middle and bends when you hit a rock or depression and is very smooth. It has one large leaf-spring in the center that takes up all the shocks. No need for front spring/oil forks that can fail.
I built a new exhaust system for the 6.5 HP engine with a spark arresting muffler that exits the scooter three feet behind my seat.
After all this is where Smokey Bear is from. Forrest Fires out here are really bad.
The scooter is rated for 400 pounds of cargo,not including the driver, which I have never carried but I'm sure it could do it with no problem
I did find an original dealer posting that said the scooter was 450 bucks! ( that is $4,771 today!)That was a lot of money in the late 40's early 50's.
Many of the Scooters were sold to Uranium and Gold Prospectors. That is what my scooter was used for in the Yellowstone National Park area.
I saw that a large Balloon Tired Trail King scooter was made as well for running on sand. Never seen one in real life.
My goal it to try to reach the summit of the ten mountains surrounding my home. I've done three so far.