Three-Wheeler Direction Of Motion

They don't.

I used to have a Reliant Regal and a 'Supervan III', for anyone not in the UK these are three wheeled vehicles (one wheel at the front, 500cc petrol engine, fibreglass body on steel chassis) they went pretty straight !

Del

That'll be the Coriolis effect .

If you are a rickshaw driver try shifting your balls on the right side and it will go in the right-direction. Rickshaws handles are very sensitive (like a gold smith's scale where a slight dust will register the weight and hence scale enclosed in a glass box)to wind & weight disbalance.

What you take all of us as idiots that we would'nt know the answer?

Try it and let us all know because we'd love to hear from your first hand experience.

Pick one:

1. Flat tire.
2. Improperly aligned wheels.
3. Imbalance in weight.
4. Hill goes left
5. Wind
6. dry bearings on left side
7. difference in wheel size
8. bumps in the road
9. crown of the road http://autorepair.about.com/library/glossary/bldef-684a.htm . I know it says right, but it depends on what side of the road you drive on.

May I add road inclined to the direction the vehicle.

And one leg longer or one shoe thicker.

or is the roundabout in UK or USA (left side or right side of the road)

I presume our guest is referring to the rickshaws and three-wheelers in Asia-pacific region...in specific-India. Actually the guest is right. The reason being, the brake pedal is always right legged, and the direction control is usually by handle ( unlike sterring in 4 wheelers ). So, if the rick driver has to raise the accelerator (throttle), he obviously uses his right hand to apply a bit of force ( pulling towards him ) which usually compensates for the left pull of the overall vehicle.

This is very much true, considering the road conditions in India....Jai hind.

Mr.Idiotalways.

Dear Ankit,

(1) First point - 3-wheeler rickshaw (man pulled) does't have differential which is used to distibute the power (revolutions) to both the rear wheels - mounted on the single and same axle - as per the need for example in turning left or right.

(2) Second point - Due to abscence of differential, how we can provide power to rear wheels mounted on single and same axle? If we provide power directly to both the rear wheels fixed to single and same axle - at a time they have to revolve at the same rpm during left and right turning as well. To overcome this problem the power is provided to only right hand rear wheel which is now fixed to the rear axle - through chain and sproket arrangement - and left hand rear wheel is kept free to rotate on the same axle so that during turning left or right it can take proportionate revolution as compared to right hand rear wheel.

Due to this reason when power is provide to rear axle there is always a unbalanced pull associated which tend to move the rickshaw left hand direction.

In adition --- even in train wheels (which are fixed to same and single axle) also there is no any differential provided so how it overcomes the left and right turn problem where both the wheels has to rotate at different rpm -- this is done by providing a proportionate radial slope to the rail track itself.

If it's man pulled it won't apply power to the rear axle !!?? .... Also the two back wheels are probably independant bycycles wheels, not fixed solidly to a common axle.

Other than that you are spot on!

I was joking and took this as thread like "what is fittings" & "what is displacement".

after your reply, I take back since this thread has converted to an intersesting & intellegent one. Sorry.

interesting

I think your first reply was correct...

Interesting! Are these all driven by one wheel? Is the braking applied to one wheel as well?

I would think that if the drive is on one wheel then acceleration would make it pull left and deceleration would make it pull right if the deceleration is done by engine compression.

How much power do the engines in these things have?

Scooter

I used to own a Harley Servicar which is a three wheeler. Longest running Harley model and not many people know that either but that is beside the point.

When riding that thing, you had to have your wits about you as it invariably tried to chuck you off. It was so lively at the front end that when you changed gear, which was on the tank, you had to let go of the handlebars with your left hand and it started to wobble like mad. This would go away at 25 to 30 miles per hour but before that, it was lethal.

Never noticed if it had a tendency to the left or the right, both sides looked painful to me from where I was sitting.

It never actually managed to throw me off and now I have sold it I have changed my name and phone number

Older Motorbike in the UK in the 50s & 60s (and before!) used to have a steering damper to stop such gyrations, or at least keep them under control.....a big knob in the middle of the handle bars...

Motorcycle combinations that I have driven, including a Matchless 500 single cylinder, were a dream to steer. I do admit that it had a proper foot gear change that did allow me to keep both hands on the steering whenever I wished.....but hands free was also possible....

I have the feeling that the setup/alignment was either wrong, or someone had bent something a tiny bit. Or you had an unbalanced front wheel/tyre combination, ever try getting it balanced?

My experience lends me to think that something was dangerously wrong.....

It was a Harley we are talking about here!

It was basically a WL or WLA with the back end chopped of and converted with an axle the same width as a model T ford so it followed the same rutts in the road.

They were always notorious for their lively front end but a damper would have helped although never fitted. All wheels were balanced correctly and the wobble would be less with very under inflated tyres. The frame was just not up to the job and a modern version would most likely have failed any of the tests needed to get them licensed.

I built my own sidecars and have fitted some from scratch so I do know about the combinations and how they are set up, this was a proper trike though with the front end in the middle of the whole setup. This would mean the dynamics are entirely different from a "rig". It was ok as long as you knew it would happen and lent your lower arm on the handlebars while shifting the gears from 1st to 2nd. Over 25 mph it was gone anyway so only at low speeds. Still frightening the first couple of times.

Top speed was never over 49mph as the flathead engine only produced about 21horses. In the solo setup they could do 65mph or just over but not much over that without some tweaks here and there. Harleys are not known for their "speed"

Dear All

Normally there is no differential provided in Three Wheel Rickshaw.One wheel is Free on the Shaft .By making both the Wheels Run through Free Wheel sprockets you can get over this problem .

B.G.Muralidhar

front wheel is possibly side way mounted common fork right or left , depending it will slightly tend to pull in perticular direction if it is handle driven , but it wont happen with stearing control or even with dual fork /suspension assembly. you can work it out to resolve the problem ,it is dangereous to drive three wheelers with such handle at higher speeds

The only 3 wheel cars I have ever had an interest in personally, are those with 2 wheels at the front and 1 at the rear driven from a Motorbike engine via chain or shaft.

You have the braking, steering etc of two front wheels and that is very important for safety....

have you ever seen or heard of that mini project where they chopped the back of and put this very long extended structure on the back with a single steering wheel?

That was great I will try to find some info again but it was a long time ago so don't know if i can.

Sorry, no interest, but thanks anyway.

That was some 30 years back when some front wheel drive two wheels front and single wheel at the end with two doors , there are newer technologies i have seen on discovery where two front wheel one back wheel with inclination for sharp turning and complete features of luxary car included , there prime purpose was to make a car compact for parking , biking pleasure , car comforts in one . Merce , Chevy ,VW , BMW, Toyota ,demonstrated there working protype

Sorry but if you mean the dutch leaning 3 wheeler, that has one at front and 2 at rear. The front part leans including the cab and gives you the "bike" sensation while driving inside a car.

http://www.rqriley.com/3-wheel.htm

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/gadgets/ventureone-is-one-quick-tryke-electric-or-hybrid-237328.php

Cannot find the dutch website so quick now but they are their somewhere.

I've always been happier with the 2-at-the-front layout (tho' I must admit that I've only ever driven (powered) 2- & 4-wheelers). I'm sure a few sketches & sums could prove it, by intuitively, going into a corner & braking has to be more stable with 2 front wheels.

Not so with this one.

I found the original Dutch inventors website for it, must be a blast.

http://www.carver-worldwide.com/SubItem/SubItem.asp?S_ID=21&nc=1

Yea, but, No, But, ...

Can't immediately see a date on this, but I seem to remember it (or something like it) from Tomorrows World (or was it Top Gear ) a while back.

BUT this is cheatin' - the 2 rear wheels are basically acting as one wide one (compliantly coupled to what should be the back forks). My comments re. 1- or 2-at-the-front related to a conventional more-or-less rigid chassis. It may be fun, but how many people could sit comfortably side-by-side in the back of one of these things?

The sit behind eachother.

Cheating or not, I would still love one for the shear fun of it.

Bit pricey methinks

I'm not completely sure of the specific items which they are refering to but in New York City there are a lot of 3 Wheeled power assisted bicycles that drive tourist's around. The gear on the pedal is usually mounted on the left or right side of the bearing hubs. This could cause the bike to have a slight prefference to one side or the other. With a two wheeler you can easily compensate with balance and may never even know it. Ever pedal your bike with no hands? you adjust your balance for each foot that applies pressure.