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1" square or 1" round?

5K views 21 replies 14 participants last post by  88mudder 
#1 ·
which is stronger. soon i'm going to be building a new frame for my gokart and would like to know which is stronger. 1" square stock or 1" round pipe? not sure how thick i wanna go yet maybe .125 wall. square is alot easier for me to weld so i'm leaning twards that right now. any input would be helpful as i'm not much of a fabricator
 
#6 ·
alright. i'll probably build the frame from round tube, but i'm designing my own front suspension setup similar to that of a dune buggy being long travel equal length control arms with a coil over shock setup. i'd like to use square for that because i can mount the bushings in it easier.
 
#10 · (Edited)
ideally you want unequal length arms, with proper geometry it will keep the contact patch of the tire square to the gound while the chassis leans. look up trophy trucks and class 1 cars for examples.

if you are going to actually go through with making a chassis and you want it to hold up you might as well make it correctly so you are satisfied with the results.
 

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#8 ·
what size would you reccomend? like i said idk much about fabrication or steel for that matter. this kart will eventually be powered by a yamaha warrior 350 engine and have full suspension and i will put it through some hell so i want it to withstand the abuse and not crack the frame. my frame is cracked badly in the front and have had to reweld it 2 times already.
 
#9 ·
Use round tube to build it. check to see what materials the tube is made from, you want to be sure its structual tubing, not non-structual like gas pipe/conduit ect.
Use 0.125 for the main chassis, and 0.095 for the non-structual parts.
Use gussets to help with load handling.
If you can, use a bender rather than cutting and welding.
 
#15 ·
I'll probably have a lot of people go against what I say, but I would honestly check into 3/4" pipe which is approximately 1 1/8" O.D. (you can find a chart online, pipe diameters are never exactly what they say they are, inside or out). It will be thicker, cheaper. The downside is that it has a welded seam unlike round tubing and is not rated as structural but rather as a pressure vessel. Although square tubing will also have a weld seam, and some round does unless it is labeled D.O.M. (Drawn Over Mandrel). For a roll cage, no way. For a go-kart on the cheap, I'd say why not. You may find it's a little heavier than what you need but if the extra weight is not an issue I really don't think you'd have problems building a go-kart with it.
 
#16 ·
P.S. if you do end up going with pipe or seamed tubing, try to keep the seam in the inside of your bends. We use pipe for several non-structural parts and have great success with it, and it saves money. If you want to "do it right" though, go with D.O.M. tubing, it's very high quality steel.
 
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