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I know that some of you have or do do this. What van do you use and how do you get it to fit? I’ve been looking at vans, but most rear doors only open to 48 inches. I’d really like to not have to take the wheels off everytime so I bet there’s a better solution out there whether is a certain van or a certain way to load it.
And I can’t afford a Sprinter so please don’t bring that up. I’m looking for something super cheap.
Thanks
Most people just remove the rear wheels and sidepods. The sidepods are one or two bolts each, and you can remove the wheel & hub assembly together, which is only one bolt on each side. It’s not as difficult as it seems.
We hauled a Superkart all over the country in the back of a full size Ford van. Had to tilt it a little to get it through the door opening. then it sat on a rack that was built over the wheel wells. Plenty wide and we stored gear under it.
There was even room for my leathers and lace up Simpson driving boots. Lol
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Go Rick!
Drew, I saw a trick little quick release fastener on the sidepods of a van using karter. You can slide the rear hubs off in 8 seconds with one allen. I’d say your bigger concern is dialing your rig to conveniently hold all the other gear around the kart.
well the van I was looking as was in worse shape then described so I’m still looking.
How tall are (adult) karts normally? Would one fit above the wheelwells of a truck with a topper?
Drew –
We have a Chevy conversion van, one of the last of the old style (’94), and if you undo the rear door hinges I think we’re up to about 52″. I take the pods off and just scoot the rear wheels in on each side and it’s good to go. I’d say it’s better than a pickup, but not as nice as a dedicated trailer.
The ’96 and newer Chevy/GMCs have external hinges and go much wider. And they’re much nicer trucks too.
Karts are pretty low, about 2 feet tall.
Drew,
For the first year I raced karts, I put my kart into the back of my Mazda MPV minivan. I had to take off the sidepods, nose, and rear wheels (the hubs stayed on). Fitting all the tools, spare parts, etc. was a bit tricky but once I figured out a workable arrangement, it wasn’t too bad.
Charles
Heh….
I’ve been doing this for 3 years now, and since day one i’ve been loading my kart into the back of a minivan. :loony:
I think you’ll be OK with a Cargo Van (of course, we do have to take the rear wheels and sidepods off…and move in the front track all the way)….. 😛
After 3 years of that, my Dad and i have gotten pretty good at it! We can tear down our entire camp in 30 mins max!
Of course, after 3 years….things are starting to get a little cramped. You seem to accumulate more and more ‘stuff’ in this sport.
Maybe I should look into a trailer one of these days…… 😉
Pretty soon you guys are going to have to tow bar the old mini van behind something because there won’t be anywhere to sit! :loony:
I need to sell a 88 Ford extended 1 ton window van 351w throttle body fuel injection 199,000 miles runs great, never driven on Sundays.
$3600.00@SubaDrew wrote:
How tall are (adult) karts normally? Would one fit above the wheelwells of a truck with a topper?
Drew, I wouldn’t try going w/ a truck w/ topper. It sounds like a good idea at first and would probably fit. However, Once you’re crammed in between the kart and the cab of the truck you’d have to monkey over the kart in order to get back out.
Sounds like your still thinking about going a route where you can keep the kart loaded at all times. I feel you there. I think a van of some sorts would be your best option.
Or, just build up Harbour Freight trailer and tow it behind the WRX. You know you want to. 👿
good point doug. My tiny brain hadn’t though about that aspect =)
I would love to just get a trailer and tow it, but I have no room to store a trailer. The garage is full of everything but a car, and the driveway barely fits my gf’s car and mine. The van would have to be parked on the street (with a permit). That’s the sucky part of living where I do… no room.
I might try to get a van with bigger doors. Some of the chevy’s and gmc’s apparently can open to 56″ so I should be able to just squeeze the kart in without taking anything off. I want to keep setup and tear down to a minimum. I hate packing things up at the end of an auto-x and I’d likely feel the same if not worse after karting.
Did Greg (welch) get a box van? I think he was talking about getting ont. If I could find one that get double digit mpg’s I might look into one of those. I could store the kart and my car tires in there =).
Lotsa miles, good solutions though…
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Cars-Trucks___2003-Freightliner-Sprinter-Van_W0QQitemZ270246288452QQddnZCarsQ20Q26Q20TrucksQQddiZ2282QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item270246288452&
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Cars-Trucks___2003-Freightliner-Sprinter-Van_W0QQitemZ270246408306QQddnZCarsQ20Q26Q20TrucksQQddiZ2282QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item270246408306&@Rick Schmidt wrote:
Pretty soon you guys are going to have to tow bar the old mini van behind something because there won’t be anywhere to sit! :loony:
Heh….so true. You should see our trips to Grand Junction! 😯
But don’t knock it till you’ve tried it! Our trusty ‘ol Town & Country Performance Kart Hauler is still the most aerodynamic, fuel efficient kart hauler in the paddock! 8)
Although…those high-mileage Sprinters look very very tempting. Especially the one with the sleeper. Hmm….perhaps it’s time to upgrade to a real van? :loony:
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