Mine is.

I think the articulated hub is a better plan. Simpler movement would be better. Straight driving is not really an issue. Turns on the other hand is where the problems are. Right turns, you are basically slowing down the hack wheel and driving around it. Left turns, speeding up the hack wheel and dragging it around. The most stress is going to be put on the lead rail.

wavewright-
could you pull back a little on the photo...I'm not sure what I am looking at....Thanks.

Err, If you only articulate the wheel then I presume the rest is fixed solidly to the scoot? That's not going to work at all, because when you lean the whole fixed bit is going to either try and dig into the ground or lift up in the air. Now the wheel will stop it diging in, but conversely if you're flying the chair with a hinged hub, then the likelihood is that it will fold under so that when you try and bring it back down it'll dig in.

What you've seen and are showing in that pick is a parallelogram set up which allows the scoot to lean over and for the wheel to lean over also parallel to the vertical axis of the wheel.

A couple of thoughts on your existing test rig. I notice your hinges aren't parallel to the ground, really they should be. If you think about it when you lean you rotate the whole scoot and yourself about the contact point of the fron and rear tyres, so your hinge axis should be in the same line as this.

You might want a glance at the proprietary childcarrier-sidecar for push bikes HERE. It leans with the bike, and you can see has a simple pivot system parallel to the contact points and also along the centreline of the bike.



A couple more links for you.

Homemade bicycle sidecar http://www.63xc.com/sidecar/sidecar.htm and http://motorbicycling.com/f28/bike-side-car-2495.html

Like this?


One of my current questions is does it have to be a double articulation like that image? Can I put enough play into the wheel hub alone? What originally got me going on the articulated concept was a bicycle sidecar with just one point of articulation (no leaning parallelogram) and I wondered if it could scale up to a scooter.



The hinges are parallel to the ground, its just that in the pictures the scooter is on the center stand and the back end is thus raised up.



I have seen that chariot child carrier online. Unfortunately I've yet to see one in person and really figure the thing out. It looks like the rotation occurs at the point underneath the bike frame where the carrier attaches. It appears to be a tube within a tube. Unfortunately, I don't think there's room underneath the Ruckus for such a mechanism. But perhaps something can be mounted on the side in a similar manner if this is the best option?

Thanks for the links, my list of them is growing vastly. I had found the first one about Jezz's bicycle sidecar before. It appears to be solid and the car lifts into the air on turns, which is probably one reason why the builder says he uses it to, "Terrify people, really. It's come into its own as a drunken fun bike."

What about a new seat frame/ sidecar combo. Then you could use mounts for the seat, and and sandwich a plate between the front/rear frame connection to weld off of.

Could it have a setup similar to this, so the 3rd wheel turns?

I found that Ruckus-as-wheelchair-transport-sidecar picture back before I even bought my Ruckus! I'm not sure I want to incorporate a turning wheel along with articulation. That seems another step altogether and I'd probably make a Piaggio MP3/hammer head type Ruckus if I was going to go that route.

The seat frame/sidecar combo is intriguing though.

Just thinking out loud- 1st rule of brainstorming- No bad ideas. Yeah I was thinking if you ditched the seat frame, many other options open up. And to solve the 3rd wheel issues- a simple linkage could be devised to allow the out side to turn as well as dampen the ride. The linkage could be aligned with frame leaving a good opening at the rear for the dog to enter.

^^Your sketch make that third wheel turning concept much clear to me. Maybe that's not so complicated as I envisioned.

Work on the idea has slowed this week, but I'm still sketching sidecar plans. Yhlruck just posted this on the Ruckus Pic of the Day thread:


I'll see if he has anymore info about the sidecar.

I saw a big ruckus on ebay last month for sale that as in california and had a custom made side car attached. It was the length of the ruckus and was made of metal tubes, and had a flat bottom. It was just a very large milk crate for function. I will try and find a pic of it.. . .

Are you guys talking about side cars just for your dogs or are you planning on riding a person with this? Does anyone have anything solid built for the Ruckus yet?

Did you read the post?

The sidecar project has slowed for me. I got busy with other stuff and then decided to experiment with bicycle trailer I picked up for free. I still have plans to do a sidecar, just not yet.

Pic looks about right, only thing I'd leave out is the linkage attatched to the steering. There's no need for
the wheel on the sidecar to turn left or right, just lean so that the car can follow the Rucks turning arc
with as less resistance as possible. As shown in the pic below;



See how the tire just leans right or left? That's all that's necessary. ^.^

Cheers,

-Stan

The sidecar project is back again.
I played with some trailer ideas, but I don't think the dog liked riding behind me. Plus, I probably needed to re-route the tail pipe so I don't gas her.

So I acquired a Chariot bicycle sidecar for cheap. I just got it put together and tested with the dog this afternoon. It leans nicely, doesn't bounce or pull at bicycle speeds, and the dog did OK on her maiden voyage (though I do need to get some Doggles). I need to get some more time riding with it, but this may be the frame work for the Ruckus sidecar. Its quick release, so I could conceivably switch between the bicycle and the Ruckus if I fab up the right bracket. Thinking ahead I might remove the nylon cab and build a solid white and red plastic one to match both my bicycle and Ruckus and look a little more stylish.