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Thread: ATC110 Suspension Seat

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    Arkansas
    --
    2,196

    ATC110 Suspension Seat

    A 110 I bought earlier this year, had a trashed seat pan. It was held together by duck tape more than metal; a total write-off.

    I've been out of the 110 circles for a bit and thought a used seat pan wouldn't be too expensive. Wrong.


    These aren't exactly super sought after trikes. They're common and nothing special trikewise. No way I'm paying through my nose for a used, partially trashed, seat pan for one of these. A used pan I'll have to make minor repairs to and rivet the cover on anyway; no thanks.


    My 110 is in good shape for a rider, but not good enough to drop double the purchase price on a semi-junk seat pan. So...



    ...I thunk outside the box and came up with an idear.



    The 110 fenders/seat are simply held on by the brackets, which all bolt onto the fenders/seat pan. That's pretty simple, just make some plates that'll allow the brackets to bolt to the fenders without the seat pan.

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    For anyone breathing heavily, those are not melted/burnt spots on the fenders. That discoloration is from the lockjaw seat pan. After a tack weld, it's pulled off for final welding.


    That was all done with strap; nothing special, and that's the goal. I'm not trying to go idiotic on the complexity of this.

    I was thinking about using a bicycle rear shock, but at max angle (going by 30 degrees), that still puts the seat too high. The other option would be to lay the shock down by using a linkage system, and that goes back to not getting stupid complicated with this project. A linkage system would require figuring out the geometry/math of it all, spring rate, travel, and a whole bunch of stuff that isn't worth two inches of travel. That would add more wear points and be heavier too.

    I had a bicycle shock in hand while figuring this all out. Time spent holding, looking, and using angle finder.


    The other option is an air bag/spring. I have one from an 18 wheeler cab that a friend gave me to try for this, but it's still too long when compressed.

    I found that TC Bros sells an air spring for chopper seats that is perfect for this build, but the price is putting it on hold for the moment. I've been unemployed for a year, so I'm doing the wobbly wheel, shopping cart version (burning plastic in a burn barrel for warmth edition).

    The TC Bros air spring.
    http://www.tcbroschoppers.com/air-powered-spring.html



    After turning to YouTube for some inspiration, I found this for the squishy function...

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    Anyone who knows what it is, raise your hand. It rhymes with dong, like the sound a bell makes or Vietnamese currency. Ask you wife about what her dog likes (I bought it at a pet store). There are some Harley riders who love this black rubber. Have I covered all the innuendo?



    Everything aside, with the current mounts, the fender is solid on the trike. I rode it around, standing up, but that super sucks on a 110 because they're too small for an adult. The bars are at my knees and at any moment I feel like I'll go over the bars or loop it out. Part of this suspension seat build is to build a taller seat so the trike feels more comfortable for a taller rider. There is not a 'desert' or tall seat available for the 110 AFAIK. I totally don't get how adults are riding 70's around. Maybe it's like midget porn.
    Last edited by ATC King; 12-25-2020 at 02:50 AM.
    The story of three wheels and a man...

  2. #2
    207wheelin is offline At The Back Of The Pack Arm chair racerFirst time rider
    Join Date
    Mar 2019
    Location
    Northern Maine
    --
    150
    It's a Kong dog toy. My old hound was given one when she was a puppy. They are indestructible.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    Arkansas
    --
    2,196
    Yep!

    I was looking for something to use on a suspension seat and got to looking on the interweb. I found that some Harley riders with the police bikes wanted to ditch the seat's air ride for one reason or another, and some posted videos on YouTube about their solution. One guy says in his video that he later removed the Kong, because he thought it wasn't offering enough support and caused the pivot and bracket on his cruiser to break/bend. I don't know about that, but I'm giving it a whirl on this build anyway.

    One guy used a red one, and like one video commenter, commented, it kind of looks like a hemorrhoid when squished. Maybe that person was a proctologist, or not, but I can't shake that mental image, so I got the black one, which is stiffer.


    These are hollow, for anyone who doesn't know. They're meant to hold treats, so the dog will play with it longer. When used in the way I'm going to, they kind of collapse into themselves, which makes them better than a solid piece of rubber and actually provides some travel. They're almost like open elastomers used in bicycle and recumbent trike suspensions.

    I'm not so certain the T-shirts Kong sells are something I'd want to wear in public. To most people, it'll probably look like you're proud of your big doodoos, or, a user of butt plugs. Either way...

    https://shop.kongcompany.com/collect...sleeve-t-shirt




    I do have to say this is on hold for the next week. I've been getting in some much needed local traveling, and plan to do a day or two more before the year is out. I've been to four state parks in the last couple days, and I think one or two more before the year is out will have me feeling better about 2021.
    Last edited by ATC King; 12-28-2020 at 09:23 PM.
    The story of three wheels and a man...

  4. #4
    207wheelin is offline At The Back Of The Pack Arm chair racerFirst time rider
    Join Date
    Mar 2019
    Location
    Northern Maine
    --
    150
    Happy New Year ATC King hope your enjoying your state park tour.
    Take care
    Corey

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    Arkansas
    --
    2,196
    I got the pivot built and the main support welded to it.

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    The bolt and spacer are Harley Davidson. I don't know where they came from, but it's what I had on hand that worked for the pivot. Again, this is a budget modification (sort of). Foam and vinyl for the seat will be coming from Walmart. I'm thinking faux alligator for the seat...haven't decided on black or brown yet.

    I did put a board on it, to test sit. This is going to be a double Kong build. That one dude isn't going to cut it, but two may be a bit much. I'm going to try and do it so I can swap out to the air bags later.
    The story of three wheels and a man...

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Location
    CT
    --
    206
    I like what you've done so far, but why not two upper arms with a kong on each side?

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    Arkansas
    --
    2,196
    Thanks!

    It's going to get a T at the rear to support two suspension devices (Kongs for now).

    There will be another cross brace, midway.


    Why not a perimeter seat frame? Weight. This thing is already bulking up quite a bit. If I was working with DOM/Chromoly tubing, then sure, I'd build it different. I don't have a tube bender, TIG welder (only a cheap flux core MIG and Arc), or the funds to purchase those right now.

    This cheap flat steel is heavy, and I'm doing what I can to minimize weight. It's going to end up heavier than the stock seat, but hopefully the ride quality will offset the weight penalty.
    The story of three wheels and a man...

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Location
    CT
    --
    206
    The T makes perfect sense. I can't wait to see the finished product and hear the ride report!

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    Arkansas
    --
    2,196
    I worked on this a bit more yesterday. The router depth adjustment got loose at some point, so I'm going to make another seat base and pay closer attention to that. The final shape will mimic the stock seat, this was just a rough shape to get started.

    I inset the seat bracket to hold the seat base more securely, to there's more than just the bolts keeping it in position. No shear stress on the bolts, just tension this way.

    There's not a whole lot left to do. A little more fastening hardware, another Kong, some prep and paint, then make the foam and cover for it.

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    The final seat isn't going to be very thick, because it doesn't have to be. I'll use a denser foam, something with good support that doesn't just smoosh flat. I want it taller than stock, overall, but not ridiculously so.
    The story of three wheels and a man...

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Cold Lake, Alberta, Canada
    --
    3,001
    That's a novel idea, can't wait to see how it performs. I also got to thinking about all the old hard tail Harleys out there and remembered they had a spring seat on them too. Just in cast the Kong doesn't work out.
    https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005...B&gclsrc=aw.ds

    And if you wanted to contour the seat pan, steam will allow you to bend the plywood....or another option is heavy puck board which bends (with heat) and holds it shape.
    https://www.globalindustrial.ca/p/bu...YaAuO9EALw_wcB
    Last edited by coolpool; 01-17-2021 at 11:51 AM.
    Trikes
    1970/71 US 90 (Aquarius Blue)
    1970/71 US 90 (Future Project)
    1972/73 US 90 Camo Project (110 Big Bore)
    1972/73 US 90 Green
    1977 ATC 90 w/83 110 motor (Fugly)
    1982 ATC 70
    1983 ATC 70 (Ladybug)
    1973 ATC 70

    1965 Marketeer 3 Wheel Golf Cart with 1986 Honda 250 drivetrain

    TF 2015

    Other
    1983 Honda Z50
    1978 Honda XL75

    Feedback http://www.3wheelerworld.com/showthr...ck-for-coopool
    http://www.3wheelerworld.com/showthr...k-for-coolpool

  11. #11
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    The Open Road
    --
    4,729
    Your dog called.

    Said "WTF happened to my kong toy?"

    Interesting endeavor. Your rhoids will thank you later, I'm sure.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    Arkansas
    --
    2,196
    I keep an eye out for used 185S and 110 seats, or more precisely, seat pans.

    With the prices I keep seeing, this little project gets to looking better every time I work on it.
    The story of three wheels and a man...

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    Arkansas
    --
    2,196
    I think I've got everything I need to finish this up and done a little more work on it today.

    Remade the seat base using plywood, and made certain the router depth was securely adjusted.
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    Added some 'furniture' hardware.
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    Bolted the Kongs on. All this has to come apart one more time for final finishing.
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    The Walmart seat foam, one layer at a time. Actually, it's a sleeping pad. Hopefully I don't' fall asleep riding.
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    The first seat base still came in handy for bonding the layers.
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    Once I got four layers, I cut and sanded the foam edges to shape. The height is about right for me, so I'm not so cramped up while riding it. A dual orbiting sander was used after a hobby knife cut the bulk of it away. The sanding leaves the foam a little hairy, but using a heat gun and a wide putty knife cleans it back up.
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    I bought some of that incredible faux leather at Walmart for the cover, which I may sew up tomorrow (or sometime this week). It's the pin rolled faux style.
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    I do still have the original seat pan. I'm wondering what I should list it for on EBay; $100?
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    Last edited by ATC King; 01-26-2021 at 09:49 PM.
    The story of three wheels and a man...

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Cold Lake, Alberta, Canada
    --
    3,001
    That's turning out nice, well done. Do you think rounding off the edge on the first layer would relieve a pressure point from the inside of your legs or does that foam crush easily?
    Trikes
    1970/71 US 90 (Aquarius Blue)
    1970/71 US 90 (Future Project)
    1972/73 US 90 Camo Project (110 Big Bore)
    1972/73 US 90 Green
    1977 ATC 90 w/83 110 motor (Fugly)
    1982 ATC 70
    1983 ATC 70 (Ladybug)
    1973 ATC 70

    1965 Marketeer 3 Wheel Golf Cart with 1986 Honda 250 drivetrain

    TF 2015

    Other
    1983 Honda Z50
    1978 Honda XL75

    Feedback http://www.3wheelerworld.com/showthr...ck-for-coopool
    http://www.3wheelerworld.com/showthr...k-for-coolpool

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    Arkansas
    --
    2,196
    I did think about rounding the top. I may still do it. I'd say the foam is about the right firmness, but that wouldn't hold true for someone half my weight.

    The main duty this 110 will see is loaner, so no telling who'll be on it.
    The story of three wheels and a man...

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