Modifying prebuilt junk, in stages, to be less junk like.

DIY Builds
385

IDK what is wrong with me.
It’s tough to publicly admit this.

I allowed myself to believe that somehow a ~600$ product might actually sell for less than 1/6th of that.

I guess Ebay will ultimately eat the funds, after i jump through a bunch of hoops, but apparently it is too late to cancel order although nothing has yet shipped, and that’s 96$ i won’t have back in my account for a while.

On a good note, my 10" pneumies are in the local post office, to be delivered tomorrow… The kayak and land chariot should float nicely atop them, and, my board is running well.
As tomorrow is garbage day, I saw some thick shelves covered in white formica by the curb. I assumed it was just heavy particle board, but on closer inspection, saw it was legit 7/8" plywood core.

I dropped Fiona off and returned with her empty chariot and loaded 5 large pieces ~ 20x 44" into it, which will become a nice work surface, so that I can work on Esk8 stuff in the AC, not inside a 92f , 74% humidity garage filled with mosquitoes and gnats.

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386

Yes dude!

New table is going to be so nice

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387

it can happen my dude!

I just got a dual ESCape from someone here for just over $100, and that’s basically 2x Trampa Vesc6 which would run me over $600!

deals are out there to be had, sucks that you got fleeced. new table will help a ton though!

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388

should be going out this week pay day tomorrow

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389

Glad you got a good vesc on the cheap.

Try not to blow this one up :slight_smile:

Ultimately, eBaY will eat the money I spent, but it is capital that Will be unaccessable to me for an indeterminate amount of time, whilst I wait, then endure some hoop jumping, over a poor decision.

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390

the only reason I blew the last one up was because I stupidly left my battery contacts exposed. I’ve actually had a pretty good go with my last vesc and it didn’t blow up until I shorted it to the battery :rofl:

Assuming I make the right sacrifices to sk8tan this one should stick.

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391

if i can get permission you can come to my house
and we can go to beach

:sunglasses:

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392

Awesome thunderstorm time.

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Loud!

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393

I am not sure of the appropriate response.

I think I hear interdimensional maniacal laughing.

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394

Can you link those tires on the top? I have the same hubs I think and I wanna try those crazy suckers out

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Check post 373.

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I’m not seeing it?

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These 987 gram hand truck tires, don’t really self center on my rims very well, like my rims need a bit more diameter

The tube’s valve stem , also seems to be a bit tweaked, like I perhaps need to dremel a bit of clearance on the half moons of the rim.

I got to stick a finger in behind valve to push and center it so I can get the pump onto the valve.

While these tires are intended for the chariot/kayak axle, they do not bite my deck at full lean, though it is close.

Ill try to get them centered better tomorrow and get them hot underfoot, and hopefully de-wobblifyied, and balanced.

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399

First impression of the Pico tires underfoot was wobbly, especially while slow speed turning.

At a slightly higher straight line speed, I could feel the imbalance. I only added balancing weights to one tire so far.

I swapped them to chariot, then wanted to check and lower psi to 12-15, but couldn’t reach back of valve to push it down enough to get a tool over on top, so left them @ 25ish, loaded Fiona and split.

The chariot now easily free rolls better than the skate.

I could feel some tire wobble through the handle at near max speed and worse at one lower speed range, and see the tire wobble, but not the basket.

The chariot’s first set of 200mm x50 scooter tires were worse in terms of basket harmonics.

On the shell trail, the chariot basically floats atop effortlessly, and presents so little drag on the handle, I had to let out a chuckle.

With the heavy rain yesterday, I could have easily gone a lot faster than ever, over the shell trail.

I’ll make an effort to improve the wobble/offcenteredness, and balance after getting them hot for several more miles.

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400

I would bet that you will find even better results with the pressures closer to around 10 psi.
I want a life like Fiona’s!

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401

At 10 PSI, I can still move the rim within the tire.

In fact, this PSI seemed to best way to trial and error and center the rim within the tire, at least thats how I achieved the best result, so far, on the one worse tire. Pumped both to 20psi, and while there is some centerline wobble, the out of round seems to be much reduced.

These tires are likely not fit for esk8 duty, it is as if the two halves of the mold were not joined very precisely on one of them.

There is a lot of beige waxy crap all over the tires whose removal has proven stubborn.

I can’t hear them over the turf tires and urethane, at speed. The radar sign was relocated at the bottom of a slight decline, and with a tailwind towing, we hit 23 mph with about a 50% battery.

These tires are likely quite old.

The return trip across the shell trail, I saw the sharper edge of these tire’s squared contact patch left a line in the softer parts of the track, at least at 25psi+

I did use a carbide burr to round the edges where valve stem was getting tweaked by the rim, and modified my hand pump nozzle to fit within, a bit better, but pushing the valve from opposite side of rim is still required to attach pump nozzle deep enough and raise the lock.

I collected about 3 gallons of sawdust from my tablesaw, dimensioning some recycled pallet lumber, and some western red cedar, and designing a new chariot basket, as the ‘temporary’ plastic underbed box is falling apart.

Fiona basically exclusively departs the basket out the front after I stop and lower the handle, so I am waffling on the design, as she is not a great jumper, nor young, and exiting the sides or back might be a difficult change of pace.

I do want to be able to tow Fiona, and the Esk8, walking, and incorporate some storage, and use it as a wheelbarrow when moving bags of mulch, when necessary too…

I’d also like there to be some belly cooling airflow through the chariot basket, and a way to set up some shade, which I can perhaps also use on kayak.

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402

Last evening’s hand truck tire ministrations, and 20psi today, had the chariot pull like a dream to the watering hole.

I had to do a quick chariot reassembly beforehand.

The tires do still have little wobble, but almost no out of round ’ bounce’, and I didn’t add balancing weights to the worse of the two, yet.

I just got a shipping notification saying the normally~ 600$ Esk8, but was on special for~ 87$, was on its way.

I’ll be amazed if the product ordered, actually shows up.

According to the ‘net’, the ebaY ‘too cheap to be true’ scam, the seller often waits to ship something, at the very last moment, usually right before the expected earliest due by date, which for me was listed as Sept 4.

Who knows.
Time will tell.

Time to go make some more sawdust…

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So I checked the tracking number provided.
Not a Chinese shipping service, but a USPS tracking number.

I click on this USPS tracking number, and it says package was delivered yesterday at the front door.

I did the ebay chat thing and just kept typing ‘agent’ until it said someone would call me. Within 10 minutes someone did. Thick Indian accent, but they spoke distinctly and were not too difficult to understand.
They say I am protected, and should have the money back in my account by Sept 6.

Immediately after, I get an offer for the same product for 26$ off @ only 700 some $$ from a supposedly US based seller.

I’ll be monitoring my acct, and I don’t expect this to be over this easily.

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404

what was the dudes rating

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