Go Cart Memories
Growing up on a farm meant early exposure to the equipment and buildings that always seemed to be in need of repair. As a result, Dad had a well stocked tool shed with all kinds of interesting odds & ends inside. Coupled with all the space on a farm, as kids, we seemed to have a natural desire to build objects that moved. The urge started with crude go carts made of wood somewhat like those shown above, only we never used a helmet. Mom always did say we were hard-headed! If we couldn’t find the right items in Dad’s tool shed, we’d scrounge parts from my uncle's even more elaborate tool shed across the road from us.
Naturally, we’d want to race the go carts down hills around the farm very much like depicted in the photo above. It was indeed fun!
Just like new cars and trucks at the time, each year brought a new go cart model, always better than the one before. Braking or steering would be improved, or we'd find an old chair that could be jerry-rigged to the go cart to provide more comfortable seating like the example shown below.
About this time of year each summer, the annual Soap Box Derby would be held in Sidney, followed by the national championship race in Akron. Even though we never entered a car in the downhill race, the thought of doing so was very compelling.
As we grew older, motorizing the go cart became a passion, but a real challenge to accomplish. At the time, old-style reel-type lawn mowers were being replaced with the newer rotary mowers, so finally Dad’s old reel mower was shot, which presented the opportunity and challenge of retrofitting the old lawn mower chassis onto the go cart. Our go cart in the end looked a whole lot like the unit pictured below, although there were no seat belts or horn. Unfortunately, it went no faster than a lawn mower because we were never able to scrounge the right-sized sprockets and chains to speed it up.
One reason was because our interests changed after a neighbor picked up an old Kushman motor scooter like the restored version shown below. His was literally junk, but we loved every minute riding that thing around the farm and into town. Since it sat two, my neighbor and I could and did go about anywhere on that old scooter.
Too often though, it would breakdown and we’d have to fix it just like the guy pictured below with the Kushman in about the same condition as my neighbor's.
Looking back, my experiences during these formative years clearly influenced my eventual career choice to become an automotive engineer. As my wife says, I (and Dilbert) have The Knack!
I remember Meyer's Cushman scooter well! You are right, it did break down a lot, but that was a few years after you and Tom wore it out. I remember hearing a story of Tom falling off of it near church and the Cushman made it past Bruckens on it's own.
ReplyDeleteThat darn thing did about drive itself somehow! A real early example of an autonomous vehicle.
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