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Technical Information Page

Needle in a Haystack DurableToys.com is your source for fun, friendly durable toys, accessories, specials, owner's manuals and help with parts sources. This page highlights technical topics. It was split off from a page "toyacc.htm" with options, accessories and parts sources. Click on the logo for Wagon frame 20x40 as shipped.

our welcome page for links to all of the other DurableToys.com pages. Click the big "Search" button to get a generated accessory BUY-QUOTE list. "Delivered." prices include ground shipping within the contiguous USA. Many accessory items result in no additional S/H or are discounted when ordered with the base item; use a BUY-QUOTE button for your total by destination state.

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Part Sources, Manuals, Warranty Info Contacts

DurableToys.com refers customers to parts sources listed below:

DurableToys.com has accessories for products either sold seperatelty or with new product. We also list places to find accessories and parts in the list of contacts provided below. Even if not stocked here, we hope that you benefit from the information and bookmark DurableToys.com for your future shopping. Parts, accessories and contact information for products is on our toyacc.htm page.

Air Tires, Wheels, Inner tubes: Wheel toys with air tires use commodity sizes of tires although the rim could be more special. More air tire info. You should have access to a tire pump, but be cautious of excessive pressure at commercial services. An inner tube can be patched yourself with a bicycle patch kit or by a pro. A tube can be patched, replaced or added inside a tubeless tire without much disassembly. To assure best match, stay with the same maker if possible and note the axle diameter as well as tire size, and don't forget to request a new axle retainer cap. Otherwise, change only the tire and/or tube as needed to save trouble matching the rim size and offset, bearing, etc. subtle characteristics. Local farm supply, lawn mower and industrial supply stock commodity sizes of wheel/tire sets that match or are close to the originals on larger wheel toys. Tire stores will have tires and tubes and the equipment to change a tire on the same wheel rim. Radio Flyer wheels/tires may vary from popular sizes, Radio Flyer parts and accessories only call 800-621-7613. For Kettler only parts and single accessories: toll free 866-804-0440. We will source wheels/tires only for wheeled items that we sold. Note: The tires mentioned here generally carry an "A" speed rating, max. 20 km/h, and a load rating of between 0 and 60 (45-250 kg).

Hard Rubber, Plastic Tire/Wheel Combinations Many hard tires are specific to the maker's design. A close substitue is possible but may have to be fitted in person, there are too many variable to guess long distance. Wheels/tires from larger companies may vary from popular sizes. We will source wheels/tires only for wheeled items that we sold. Radio Flyer parts only 800-621-7613. For Kettler only parts and single accessories: toll free 866-804-0440. Roadmaster and Flexible Flyer only tricycle parts call: 800-626-2811.

Some additional general help: Every town has welding shops that would be happy to help you. Our little Mayberry of 55,000 has 14 such shops. Auto exhaust specialty shops also have the capability to weld thin steel such as tricycle frames, and one shop in our town offers to fix toys free. These folks can melt metal magically and solve your problem with repairs and fabrication. Paint welded areas right away.
JB Weld is a really hard epoxy repair material that we know works.

Rust??More.

Still Searching for old stuff? For odd or antique parts get a copy of Toy Shop ad magazine.

For NEEDAK Manufacturing in O'Neill NE (Rebounder mini trampolines) call 800-232-5762. Needak, Inc. (NC) is not connected in any way to Needak Manufacturing but we hear from our wrong number callers that they make the best mini-tramps on the market. Web address is www.needakmfg.com .

Technical Reference Information Section

This section holds referrals for more info from other areas. Index to Topics follows:

Flotation Tire Sand/Soil Loading
Hauling Large Items
Hauling E-Z UP Instant Shelters
Assembly Notes: Kettler
Air Tire Issues
Kettrike Freewheel Hub Feature
Kettcar and X-Trac Freewheel Control Feature
Kettler Stroller Handle Fitment
Kettrike Seatbelt- Jumbo/Junior/Blossom
Kettler Tricycle Sizing, Accessory Fitment
Radio Flyer Tricycle and Pedal Car Freewheel
Quality Issues- Special Versions, Clones, Country
Schoenhut Toy Piano Handling
What is this stuff? Various materials explained.
Wagon Brake Retrofit Installation

Flotation Tire Sand/Soil Loading

Wagons with large footprint air tires expand their usefulness over soft terrain. The following table represents suggested maximum loading per tire for adult hand-pulled wagons and trailers over a level surface. An up slope of 15 degrees will add more than 25% of the rolling weight to the drawbar force. The table does not assume that the tire loading times the number of tires is the total safe maximum for the combination of wagon, load, terrain and person on the handle. The tire sizes listed are common nominal rounded number sizes, for example the 10" x 4" tire is actually 3.6" wide; the same tire could be described either way. See below- wagon empty weights and hauling. For machine-pulled full-frame wagons, the pulling force can be very high though the tire is still able to carry the maximum weight listed on the sidewall at the max inflation pressure. Reducing the inflation pressure increases the pulling effort primarily on hard surfaces while lowering capacity. A tire pressure of less than half the rated max is not recommended especially for tubeless tires which seal at the bead. Both the tread pattern and tire pressure seems irrelevant to the effort of rolling unpowered tires in soft sand. Most small tires are "A" speed rated for 20 mph max. Wagon on sand experience was gathered at North Carolina's treasured Cape Lookout National Seashore - thanks John and Heather for your downeast hospitality. More air tire info.

Suggested Loading Max Per Each Tire, lb. - Hand Pulled
Nominal Tire Size	Pavement	Hard Sand/Dirt	Wet Sand	Soft Dry Sand
9" x 2.8"	200	80	40	20
9" x 4"	250	110	55	27
10" x 4"	250	120	60	30
13" x 4"	250	160	80	40
13" x 6.5"	250	250	140	70
Note: Maximum Safe Load Depends on Wagon, Terrain and Person

Hauling Large Items

Large Wagons and Wheel Toys

It takes the fun out of it when your wagon is too big to fit your car or it is too heavy to lift. Many SUVs and mini-vans now have elaborate rear air conditioning systems that take up usable space, so consider measuring what you have. There was a time when all standard sized station wagons and full length SUVs could hold 4'x8' building materials, but now the usable area varies. We take the risk that you can use what you buy through a liberal return policy, but it is better for both to know what you can use.

Generally, the overall size of a wagon can be determined by the style and the nominal bed and tire size. Berlin and Radio Flyer woodstake wagons' bed dimensions are specified at the outside of the vertical rack posts. (The overall width is just larger than the number at the rack holders.) Valley Road, Speedway and L&L wagons have the nominal size of the bottom plywood (or other) sheet called out once and rounded down to the nearest inch where repeated. The rack holders or racks do not extend beyond the bottom sheet. The EZ fiberglass wagon has rack holders that extend 13/16" on each of four sides beyond the specified fiberglass size. On most wagons, the bed perimeter top edge without racks installed is about 5" above the tire diameter, except for the EZ FG, at 4". Radio Flyer metal wagons are measured at the outside of the lip, and wood over steel at the outside of the wood posts.

Wood wagons by Berlin Valley Road, Speedway, EZ, L&L and Radio Flyer all have a tongue that sticks out beyond the wagon's nominal size. The tongue is about 6-7" out and it has parts starting above an inch below the tire diameter. On brands other than Radio Flyer, the steering can be turned to a deep angle to shorten it but then the handle and wheels change position. Tires may or may not stick out beyond a wagon's bed, refer to the picture, usually only the biggest tires on the smaller wagons extend out. A track width dimension is measured across the tread centers, not outside edges. As far as height, removable wood racks allow the handle to drop lower, and setting a wagon inverted helps if the handle has someplace to fold or has been removed. Radio Flyer wood over steel racks are bolted on, not slip fit as are many others. This works well with Radio Flyer wagons with store-under handles. Radio Flyer wagons have a single pivot steering axle with limited turning radius, so they can't shorten overall with hard over steering.

Handles are fairly easily removed and can be made easier with "hitch pin" hardware available at mower or industrial supply stores. Wheels are held onto most all wagons with a splined, dished spring washer covered by a plastic trim cap. When initially properly fitted with the tap of a hammer, they can only be removed by destructive force and are not reusable. Removing wheels to haul is only practical with a different retention system, such as drilling the axle for spring clips outside of a washer.

Well-made wood over welded steel frame wagons from Speedway, Valley Road, Berlin Loadmaster and L&L can be heavy, around 50-58 lb. for the 40 inch class. Smaller Berlin wagons, EZ fiberglass, Radio Flyer steel, steel/wood, hollow plastic and wood wagons are lighter at 25 to 45 lb. But L&L recycled plastic is several pounds heavier than the same design with wood. Woodstake style wagons are most easily loaded when the weight and bulk of the removable racks are off, and the wagon can then be gripped across its girth. Loading one end at a time is also helpful where there is maneuvering room. Wagons intended for handling by kids have a maximum practical size of 21x42 due to the weight topping 50 lbs. Bigger dogs properly tied into a dog shaft (picture) seem to have the energy to pull the largest wagons. Wagons pulled by machine must be full frame wagons like the Berlin 600, Speedway, Valley Road, EZ and L&L.

Some Kettler wheel toys easily break down for transport or adjustment. The Navigator, Happy, Jumbo, Combi, Junior, Blossom, Splash, Oceana, Kalypso and City Surfers have a two-piece frame joint that may be separable without tools. Not true for one-piece older or older non-adjustable two-piece Kettrikes. All tricycle pushbar styles and brands are removable without tools. Kettcar models Kabrio, older Sportster, newer mid-size Grand Prix and Targa have a frame hinge point that will allow the steering column to drop down with the removal of one bolt. Not so for Nevada, older small Grand Prix, Safari GT, Formel One or most older models except the fold-down 1996 Autobahn.

Hauling E-Z UP® Instant Shelters®

Portable outdoor items vary in the effort and capability required to haul them. E-Z Up Instant Shelters span very portable to semi-permanent in their ease of transport. For symetrical peaked shade tops the shorter continuous roof span divided by two is approximately the folded length. For models with tapered-in feet such as older Pryamid models and Dome, the length is just under 48". The new Pryamid II vertical leg 10' square canopy has more joints in its frame perimiter so it also folds to 48". For the Escort model, the larger top with high gable ends and less tapered legs makes its folded length 60". Many other premium 10', 15' and 20' shade tops with a full 10' wide canopies fold down to a length of about 61". Speed Shelter 12'x8' folds down to 48" x 12" x 9". The folded girth of a 10' square shade top is usually 9"x9" plus some extra for the fabric. Some fold to 12"x9" or larger and the biggest frames are shipped in two pieces but after initial use are one piece. Shade tops inside their cover bags are readily carried lengthwise on roof racks up to the rack manufacturer's stated limits. A top should properly secured with the carry bag open end facing the rear. If you plan to purchase a shade top with intention to ship it ahead of your travel, note that UPS charges a $5.00 premium for items over 60" long or an item not in a cardboard box.

Assembly Notes- Kettler

Assembly Note: Steering lock hub/fender on Kettler Jumbo and Happy.

Kettler trikes with freewheeling hubs and with the steering stem lock have to be assembled with the correct front/back sense otherwise the steering will not lock. There are two different designs that you may receive. Some trikes already have the fender mounted to the fork, other ones have the fender separate in the box. For (mid-2002) Jumbo and Happy with pre-attached fender: Automatic freewheel front ends have front indicated by an arrow on the underside of the front fender. The spacer that goes between the fender and frame stem also has to be correctly placed per forward facing arrow. (For air tires with unidirectional tread the tread should point downward when looking at the front.) Match the forward sense of the handlebar with the fork. Click for a pic. For Jumbo and Happy with fender shipped unattached: Assemble the fender to the fork and fork to frame by first determining the front of the fork with attached tire. If a hard tire, look for tiny forward pointing arrows on the sidewall. If a unidirectional air tire, the tread pattern points downward when looking at the front. (Look at a farm tractor or a Chevrolet Corvette to see a one-way tire's self-cleaning orientation.) Then look for a single tiny arrow on the underside of the front fender, which points and signifies forward and correctly set it on the fork. Then the fork/fender together goes into the stem and the handlebar.

The fastener that pulls the handlebar clamp is a square shouldered bolt and a locking type nut. Put the bolt through the square hole side first. The trim cover should be on the handlebar stem first, then the clamp. Tighten firmly, note that the locking type nut will bind with some force well before it is fully tightened. Use real metric tools if available, or put the rod through the socket if your trike has one included. Additional advice on the handlebar to fork stem assembly: Place the clamp so that it is over the splined part of the fork stem (hidden) with the clamp's bolt centered over the split side of the handlebars. Some leftovers are not parts but tools provided for assembly.

Kettler Bicycle, Flipper, Bingo, City Surfer Air Valves
The oddball tire inflation valve on the air tire Kettler Flipper, City Surfers and Bingo training bike is really not a problem. Each item includes a little adapter that fits as follows: Remove the rubber cap, thread the rubber insert side of the adapter over the exposed metal threads, use a regular air chuck on the open end of the adapter. When filled to the recommended pressure, lift off the air chuck and remove the adapter only, don't loosen the lower part. Save the adapator where you can find it again, and replace the rubber cap. Lose the adapter? No problem, we don't bother with them anymore since a small tapered nozzle or a common football inflation needle will inflate it also without the adapter by pinching fingers around to it prevent air escape. Before you decide that such an inner tube has a leak, make sure that the knurled metal keeper is tightly threaded on the brass stem. If you get a flat a patch kit will usually fix it without any dissassembly. For a ruined inner tube or to get an air valve adapter there is Kettler parts toll free at 866-804-0440, but also a regular 12" (or 16" CitySurfer XL) bike tube fits perfectly, and they have the ordinary Schrader air valve just like a car. The Kettler Jumbo Air and Happy Air trikes and Formel 1 and Targa Air pedal cars use the Schrader air valve, no adapter needed. Kettler bicycles have yet a different Presta style air valve but the bicycles come with a hand pump with frame mount. Catption: Four Goodyear Eagle GTII P235/70-15 tires in a Valley Road Speeder 350 wagon.
Difficult Air Tire Valve Access
If your pump nozzle end it too big or too short to properly fill an air tire, solutions are available. Some toy wheel rims with trim covers may be made more accessible by taking apart enough of the axle to pull away the cover, exposing more stem length. A handy solution is also a valve stem extension which replaces the cap. They are usually sold in sets of four to allow filling tires on cars with access to the too short valve stem reduced by full wheel covers. Look in a hardware or auto parts store for a card with four pencil diameter black cylinders about 1.3" long. Leave it on the wheel if it is not interfering or subject to damage with use or keep one with your pump.
Flat Tires
Flat tires from punctures are very rare especially where the tire loading is only a small fraction of its capacity. A common issue for small tubeless tires is a break in the tire to rim bead seal covered below. A new wheel/tire assembly purchase may be simpler especially if the rim is rusted, but be sure to obtain a new axle retainer if used. Most flats can be repaired without any disassembly only prying the tire half way (one side) off the rim. Tires may have have an inner tube or have a sealed rim and a tire that is coated to stop leaking- a tubeless tire. It is an option to add an inner tube where it was previously a tubeless tire. Spotter's guide: A tubeless tire will have a valve stem that is much thicker at the base than the diameter of the hole in the rim. It is set tightly as a grommet and won't be easily pushed or pulled. An inner tube's valve stem will be only slightly tapered and you will be able to see the edge of the hole in the rim.

First verify that the valve stem is tightly set and not itself the source of the pressure leak. A drop of detergent water on the valve under the cap will bubble if leaking. It can be threaded tighter with a tool that you may already have on the outside of a plastic or metal cap on some other valve stem. If no valve stem tool is available, needle nose pliers or tweezers often work as a wrench. A leak at the valve stem base on a tubeless tire means that the valve stem is bad or the seal to the wheel hole is a problem. If a tubed tire leaks at the base of the valve stem the leak can be anywhere in the tube but just exits the rim at the stem hole.

When you get a flat with a tubeless tire look for the leak by wetting the tire with dishwater. If either side rim to tire bead seal leaks, look below for a procedure. If the flat is on the tread or sidewall there are some choices. One option to fix a cut or hole in a tubeless tire is to simply put a tube in it. Only half of the tire need be pried off the rim to insert the tube. A tire pro can also patch the inside of the tire and reseat the tire on the rim.

If there is an inner tube with a leak, it can be patched or replaced by prying the tire halfway off the rim- carefully so as not to lance the tube. Patch or replace the tube, stuff it in enough to avoid pinching possibly with a little air to fill it out. In either tube or tubeless case, make sure that the tire is well centered and seated before gradually adding air up to at most the tire's maximum pressure.
Mounting A Tire On/Off A (%@$#®) Rim
Easier said than done, especially putting a tire onto a rim; this may be too ambitious for some readers. Disclaimer: Use this information at your own risk. Beware of the hazards of finger pinches or a sudden slip of the tool, and eye hazards such as from a tire valve. CAUTION: Use of foul language could occur. Tire, valve stem (or tube) and wheel should be inspected or known to be in good condition. New valve stems are recommended with new tubeless tires, they easily insert from inside before the tire is on the rim. The only way to remove a tubeless valve stem is to cut it off from either side and take the two sides away. Rims are made to facilitate the tire installation from the front side of the rim.

To mount a tire onto a wheel, secure the wheel rim outside up and place the tire outside up on top of the front side of the rim. Lubricate the tire beads with a minimum amount of tire mounting lube or vegatable oil emulsifed in detergent water. Hook as much as possible of the back tire bead over the front rim edge by hand, about halfway around. Use a flattened hook-shaped prying shape to put more of back bead of the tire over the front edge of the rim. Hold the tire so that the back bead is in the deepest recess of the rim on the side opposite your pry bar. A second pry bar is useful to prevent the tire bead from coming back onto the front side after working hard to put in under the rim edge. Work the pry bar(s) around until the whole back bead is inside the rim while the front bead is still outside of the front of the rim.

Insert the tube, if used, at this point and spread it into its approximate place, but beware- avoid puncturing it. If present, inflate the tube just enough to give it a soft inflated shape. Then start about half of the front bead over the front edge of the rim by hand. Start prying the front bead over the front of the rim with the hook end pry iron. Continue to push the part of the front bead that is already in the wheel opposite the pry site into the deepest recess of the rim. This reduces the effort at the pry location and it is part of the tire/rim design. Once on all of the way around with both beads, seal small tubeless tires per instructions below, and larger ones with instructions from a tire maker.

To pull a tire off a wheel rim, start by letting out all of the air by unscrewing the valve body from inside the stem, catching it in a rag. With no pressure possible in the tire, break the bead adhesion to the rim on both sides. Pressure from a piece of wood or shoe heel will break the beads loose on small 4"-6" rim size tires. A purpose built bead-breaker with a long lever is usually the only solution for 13" and larger automotive tires. Once the beads are free to move away from the seating portion of the rim on both sides, secure the wheel outside up. Lubricate the tire beads with a little squirt of tire mounting lube or vegatable oil emulsifed in detergent water. Use a flat pry bar or "spoon" shaped end of a double ended tire iron tool. Pry the front of the tire from the front side of the rim all of the way around, while the back bead is in the deep part of the rim opposite the pry area. Then lift the tire so that the back bead is fully within the top part of the deepest recess of the rim, and get your pry tool under the bead from the front rim edge. Work the tool or tools sideways under the back bead up to the front edge of the rim, and rotate the tool with bead over the front edge of the rim. Work more of the back bead over the front of the rim until nearly the whole way around to free the tire completely. Tires are nearly perfect at trapping water so they should not be stored where rainwater can enter and foster insects.
Sealing Small Tubeless Tires on Toys
It is often hard to get a tire without an inner tube to seal all the way around both sides of a tire/rim bead. Tire pros have a device at the shop to blast a lot of air in all at once, and it works well. For the rest of us haplessly at home, try this- but WARNING: your pants could fall down. Jack up the tire so that it has no flattened side or loading and wet both beads with tire mounting lube, vegetable oil or water and detergent (dishwater?). Take a belt from your waist or a cargo strap or rope and put it around the circumference of the tire along the center of the tread. Pull it tight and then put the air in, it may also help to thump your fist on the tread to momentarily displace some trapped volume outward at the beads. When the bead seals be careful not to suddenly overinflate (especially a small tire) beyond the maximum pressure on the sidewall.
Automotive Tire Safety
More general information on tires for automotive use and tire safety are on this link from the Dean Tire Company Safety Instructions page. Dean Tires is a brand of the Cooper Tire Company, a reputable USA maker of all types of tires. Dean Tires and other popular brands are available from Vulcan Tire Sales, an excellent pure web outlet at vulcantire.com. DurableToys.com owner's family have experienced the worst of outcomes that were probably rooted in incorrect replacement tire size selection. We have also learned a lot from AutoCross (A-X) and drag racing plus on-track driver education at Charlotte's major racetrack. We select and order tires online, and when UPS brings them we mount and balance them ourselves for our business and personal vehicles. Goodyear and Cooper are two of our favorite brands, and the quality is affirmed by the minimal amount of balance weights needed for them. See if you can spot two cars from DurableToys.com family members on the Cooper Tire web site "rides" page- hint, we are in the wagon business and have had one fast durable toy for over 23 years. In the past tire dealers selected tires for us based on their stock rather than the correct match. What we have learned about another's profession has served to make us safer as we travel on public roads and try to avoid repeating past tradgedies.

Kettrike Freewheel Hub Feature

Use the freewheel hub feature to push the tricycle with the optional pushbar or stroller style handle, or to coast. Your trike will have one of two versions. If there is a black knob on the right side pedal hub, it is the switchable freewheel hub. When the knob is pulled out, the pedal crank will force the wheel only forward, but the spinning wheel will not force the pedals to follow, thus the trike can move while the legs remain at rest. Pedaling backwards has no effect in freewheel mode other than sounding faint clicks. When turned "off" (knob in) the pedal crank and wheel are rigidly connected just like simpler tricycles. Some Kettrikes have the automatic freewheel which switches between freewheel mode and rigid mode. When pedalled, it is driven from the pedals, but stop pedaling and the pedals disengage for coasting. Kettler trikes with the freewheeling feature also have a brake because back pedal pressure will not always stop the trike. A companion feature is the switchable steering stem lock to help assert parental omnipotence when using the pushbar.

Kettcar and X-Trac Freewheel Control Feature

Four wheel Kettcars have a lever control which lets the rider coast or pedal by an elegantly simple rear axle chainwheel mechanism. When the handle is forward, pedal force to drive wheel is connected by interlocking shapes on the axle and on the chainwheel hub. It is then rigid in both directions, so reverse riding is possible. When the rider pulls the handle back, a curved rod separates the cog shapes (against a spring) and thus rotationally disconnects the chainwheel from the axle so that the car is completely in neutral. The Kettcar can then coast and the pedals will turn freely either way with no effect- this is why freewheeling pedal cars are equipped with a hand operated rear wheel brake.
X-Trac pedal tractor has the freewheel plus a more complex transmission. There are two different gear ratios about 2:1 apart selected by a three position locking gate lever. X-Trac does not have a brake, we expect dragging the bucket or shoes will work if really needed.

Kettrike Stroller Style Pushbar Base Fitment

New hardware package includes adapters for different Kettrike frames. Now the Stroller Handle fits all current genuine Kettrikes (same p/n). See tabular summary below. The mounting stub made to mount the Stroller handle is larger than the one for the regular pushbar and both bases won't fit together on the same tricycle frame tube. It is not designed to fit other brands of tricycles, clones, private brands made by Kettler, or some older Kettler tricycles.
Other Applications: The following is informational only, and not an application recommendation from DurableToys.com or Kettler. Other trikes or even other rideable toys may be able to accept the Stroller Style Pushbar base by adapting it with drilling, cutting and/or different hardware than what is supplied. Be sure to review your installation before making modifications to either your trike or a pushbar kit.

Kettler Tricycle Sizing

Kettler tricycle models have transitioned over the years and now the names are not always indicative of the actual size range. Tabular summary. Each one is rated for at least 100 lb. We have a chart below with both features and seat to pedal size of Kettler Kettrikes. Note: Kettler uses more than one measuring standard, so we have presented the best approximation of height numbers and pedal crank center to seatback numbers.

Kettler Tricycle Size, Feature and Accessory Fitment Chart - Kettrike Pictures, Descriptions, Prices

Feature Description	Junior/ Blossom	Oceana S frame	Happy Navigator	Jumbo S frame	Air Happy	Air Navigator
Model No.	K8152599/ K8152699	K8838399	K8838590	K8845699	K8848090	K8839590
Air tires, ball bearings					X	X
Synthetic Rubber Tread Wheels	X	X	X	X
Wheel Diameter F / R inches	9.0 / 6.5	9.5 / 8.0	9.5 / 8.0	9.5 / 8.0	10.0 / 9.0	10.0 / 9.0
Automatic freewheeling			X	X	X	X
Rear hand brake				X	X
Locking handlebar		X	X	X	X	X
Tipping bucket	X		X	X		X
Age Range per mfr.	1 to 6	1 to 5	1 to 5	1 to 5	1 to 5	1 to 5
Height range est, inches	35.4 to 45.3	35.4 to 44.5	35.4 to 44.5	37.4 to 44.0	35.4 to 45.3	37.4 to 44.0
Seat to pedal range, inches	15 to 19	15.5 to 18.5	15.5 to 18.5	16 to 18.5	15 to 19	16 to 18.5
Frame Size adjustment	4 wrench	5 knob	5 knob	5 knob	4 knob	5 knob
No. of seat positions	4	4	4	1	4	1
Seat to floor height, inches	10	11	11	11	11	11
Fits Blue/ Red Tandem Insert	NO	X	X	X	NO	X
Fits Stroller Handle (B)	X	X	X	X	X	X
Accepts Seatbelt	X	X	X	X	X	X
Pushbar (A)	Included	Included	Included	Included	Included	Included
Other Features			Rear Caster Steering			Rear Caster Steering
Color scheme	red/pink frame, green/purp. seat, yellow grips & pedals	silver frame, blue seat & fender, yellow trim	blue frame, red seat, yellow handgrips & pedals	blue frame, red seat, yellow bucket, grips & pedals	yellow frame, blue seat, red fender, yellow grips & pedals	red frame, blue seat, yellow bucket, grips & pedals
25Feb08 Note: Applies to current models of genuine Kettrikes from DurableToys.com. For informational use only.
For replacement parts or accessories for previously purchased Kettrikes, call Kettler USA toll free at 866-804-0440

Notes: Size, Feature and Fitment

(A) Sometimes Kettler promotes a tricylcle model without an included pushbar with the temporay addition of a bonus pushbar, click on BUY-QUOTE listing from the Kettler tricycle page. Note: Older models up to about 2002 use a different pushbar, email (research required) with your model number for help.

(B) Note that either a Kettler Stroller Handle base OR a pushbar base will fit on one tricycle. Kettler Stroller Handle has hardware adapters included to fit all current genuine Kettrikes. We will verify correct options fitment when you buy the set from DurableToys.com or if you ask by email (research required) about an fitment for your older model identifed by part number.

Your tricycle's enclosed papers will list Kettler's contact information.

Quality Issues Important to our Customers

First Quality vs. Volume Order Cost Reduction

Most of our twenty or so makers of fine toy and leisure products can be found at highly attuned specialty shops. Big nationwide retailers often select from unique offerings to seasonally freshen their mainstream product line. The massive volume buying power puts downward pressure on costs to facilitate the lowest price to that customer base. Costs are reduced in part or whole by actually degrading the product's design and/or materials while holding up the famous name's previously earned reputation. Entire separate production arrangements have been set up for special volume buys sometimes not even the same country of origin as the original. Warranty may be reduced or handled only by the retailer rather than the maker. Parts for special production may or may not match the manufacterer's available regular product parts supply. We've had at least a dozen instances of hearing from snakebit owners seeking elusive parts for special items. Of course, the word "special", a higher sounding model name or number or other superlatives are frequently used without notice of whether it means especially good- or not. We are fully aware of the game and have considered how we compete for your business in this environment by offering superior products and service. We view the practice as debasing the previously earned quality reputation for the quick cash- like "selling one's soul to the devil". Be wary of name brand products when offered for sale by a mega-retailer at a too good to be true price.

Our regular product lines are limited to first quality current products benefiting from most recent design experience and manufacturer warranty, accessory and parts support. To that we add really great customer service based on resources and decisions made here- almost always far exceeding our published hardball terms. Used, returned etc. items are also sold with clear distinction at great deals. Sometimes we are offered and have taken the opportunity to purchase for resale such "special" product to sell. Where a product is new first quality with full warranty and parts support, but otherwise not current we will simply identify it as a special purchase, note the model year or call it a limited offer or closeout- at a better deal for you. Major brand items that are cost reduced from the regular branded product line are accepted here for resale only when three conditions are met:

Parts availability and Warranty coverage match the regular product line.
A significant price advantage to the customer is a given.
We can clearly distinguish and identify to you the merit of the offering.

Reverse Engineered Clones

Once the reputation and desirability of something novel is well established, the look and feel of a product is frequently extended toward a larger and more affordable market. What we call a clone is a copy of a name brand item from another independent company that is designed to initially look and feel like the orginal but to sell on low price. Parts may not be available or interchangeable with the original. Accessory fitment may be missing or different, and worldwide marks of safety and industry standard compliance may not apply. Special versions of real brands are quite distinct and superior to reverse engineered copies. We actually submit information to our suppliers when we find flattery that could be confusing to our customers or a patent infringement. The brandless copies of real products will not be found for sale on our pages.

Kettler Clones & Murky Waters

Don't be swept away by the flattery of imitations of Kettler's top products. DurableToys.com offers Kettler products that are sourced only directly from the Kettler USA warehouse in VA. They have the five-step four-layer synthetic epoxy powdercoat finish that stands up to outdoor use and storage. The plated metal parts also have a better grade of finish. Special offers from Kettler may have brands from other lines that also meet Kettler standards and carry the three year residential warranty. Far eastern and west coast companies buy genuine Kettler products and reverse engineer them. The results look close to the same when new, but with lesser quality paint and jagged welds. They won't weather as well nor carry the same worldwide marks of product design and safety compliance. Genuine accessories and parts from Kettler may or may not fit, and warranty service? Nobody knows.

Kettler's major competitor, Radio Flyer, has established a line of tricycles much like Kettler's. They are mostly red and made in China but otherwise quite similar to popular Kettler models. Kettler has responded by introducing metal and wood red wagons and toddler toys. Kettler also added thier own low cost line of mostly red feature tricyles, each made in China. Thus, Kettler offers a copy of a copy, and they have only 90 days of warranty rather than thier first line's three years. Kettler has introduced a new Kiddi-o Supreme Stroller Trike which has the bright colors of German-made trikes but is made in China and has only a 90 day warranty. DurableToys.com will offer for sale these low cost products from these two reputable makes, but will not sell no-name similar copies. The DurableToys.com "BUY-QUOTE" system where there is keyword entry permits selection based on the ISO country code to positively identify the country of origin of a product.

Aside from imitation, Kettler and other established companies are subject to large custom orders in which a seemingly familiar named item is produced in a cost-reduced form. Look out for paint, powder coating or plating with fewer process steps and layers, thus inferior durability; and a different Kettler part number suffix. A desirable feature or parental control may be completely missing from an item that yet sports a superlative moniker. (!?) Question names like "nitro", "super", "max" and "extreme" hung on lower grade toys. Worse than that, the warranty may be only 90 days rather than the 1, 2 or 3 year manufacturer's warranty. But at least the parts that might fit both versions are of uniform top quality. For parts specific to a private brand, the only recourse is to contact the seller, and likely be charged for out of warranty parts. (We detail above our policy on possible sale of such items to our standards.) Accessory fitment may be a problem for private brands (and clones) because mounting holes may be different or completely missing. This muddies the waters because both first quality Kettler and watered-down "exclusive" items R floated for sale down the same river.

Finally, items from both low and high volume dealers may become obsolete- without benefit of the latest colors, accessory mounting points, improved features or safety standard compliance. DurableToys.com always offers the latest first quality new products from Kettler and other fine toy makers. We clearly identify specific items that are closeouts, returns or scratched and list them under the "manager's specials" search catagory. You can verify the design (first 5 digits) and finish or detail (last 3 digits) of an item you are considering by eyeballing the part number shown on our pages to compare "apples to apples".

E-Z UP® Instant Shelters® Special "Express III" Version

All E-Z UP® Instant Shelters® set a standard of quality above "shady" copies. E-Z UP also has cost reduced versions of regular product for sale at warehouse club retailers. The "Express III" is visually similar to the Express II shelter, already a low priced genuine E-Z UP regular product with full 10' square coverage at the eaves. The Express II has a frame identical to the higher line Enterprise II model. Our Express II frame holds a 250 denier canopy which can be upgraded to the physically heavier 375 or 500 denier fabric of the Enterprise II or Eclipse II. Two full width crossed trusses support a central vertical spring loaded pole to keep the fabric tight, and newly a patented E-Z UP refinement increases the center headroom clearence by six more inches. The crossed truss ends attach at the midpoints to stiffen each of the four perimeter trusses. We estimate that the II is 2.5 times more resistant to parallelogram compared to the III in case of a blow down based on the count of "L" joints in opposition. The reduced cost "exclusive" Express III version eliminates the two cross trusses and peak pole. Instead the "III" version uses four long hinged steel rods up from the corners which meet at the peak. The cost reduced "III" four corner rod top support (about 15% of the length) is most similar to the smaller angled leg E-Z UP 7' 9" Dome II flex rod system. While the volume "III" version is about 10% ligher to carry and it might sell for less, the 250 denier top fabric is not supported like the regular (II) version. Experience from the beach shows that the spring center pole supports a canopy that remains taut and centered rather than caving to leeward. In addition, large quantity production arrangements may be different with material and components differently sourced. The higher numbered "III" has a different design so that neither the fabric top nor the metal frame is able to be replaced by the Express/Enterprise components nor can you upgrade to a heavier denier Enterprise or Eclipse fabric. How did we learn about this? We fielded a rash of complaint calls to our business seeking parts or warranty support for the cost reduced version bought at a big box. The primary fault that we heard was a parallegram fold up of the top perimeter into a diamond shape from being blown onto a side. We sell the genuine E-Z UP® Instant Shelter® Authorized Dealer product line with full manufacturer's warranty, not cost-reduced big box "specials". E-Z UP parts, contact info.

Country of Origin - USA vs. western nations vs. far east

Trade laws have changed during the time DurableToys.com has offered carefully selected items for sale. Sometimes it is hard to know where something is made- a spotter's guide for cars is the first VIN digit; 1-USA, 2-Canada and 3-Mexico. We have first hand experience with country of origin differences among specific products from several brands. Add to that a past career in engineering and manufacturing spanning high end national defense to cost driven consumer items. Be aware that volume produced special versions of familiar products may come from different production lines possilby on a different continent. This opinion is free but worthy of consideration: First quality regular production of named brands made in named places don't have a cloud over them.

Roadmaster tricyles went from USA to Taiwan with bad results. The paint was visibly less bright and the axle retaining cap to axle dimensional tolerences were sloppy- back wheels fell of. The packaging was smaller but less protective- then the whole product line went out of production. We hoarded the last of the USA trikes for years asking a premium for the originals. Roadmaster (now Pacific Bicycles) also made Flexible Flyer sleds which met the same fate. Radio Flyer has more sucess with transitions of product from USA to China. The biggest negative is spotty availablity from weeks long supply outages. An A-B comparision between the vintage USA and newer far eastern made items shows good quality and an obviously different species of source trees. Radio Flyer wagons are an American icon that will never be the same after eighty years of tradition are broken in Fall 2004. Kettler of Germany has a few less exclusive and more mature designs made in Taiwan with high quality driven by internal high standards. Pedal tractors from Ertl were moved to China when Racing Champions merged in - now RC-Ertl. The transition was clearly so smooth that we did not even notice it. Regrettably our last USA made Ertl pedal tractor was sold before being snagged for our nostalgic collection. Even so, a direct competitor with the same Ertl in the name makes pedal tractors in the same Iowa area. Scale Models / Dyersville Die Cast is part of J. E. Ertl Inc. "American Owned - Family Operated". The USA models of pedal tractors are ISO 9002 certified. This means that we know quality control management and procedures assure that the design and manufacturing intent is upheld. The EU has similar highly respected marks and standards bodies that we really don't understand but wholeheartedly respect. Our interconnected economies at the borders make it hard to pin down some facts completely. E-Z UP® Instant Shelters® come from southern California, almost a different country anyway. The cross border situation means tighter management and better materials from the USA, Mexico and now China for the regular product frames. Berg pedal cars are made in Holland but imported through Canada transparently with a shipping point in FL. The products and company are trouble-free. Schoenhut Piano completed a move of production within the USA to meet thier goals while retaining a high quality 130 year tradition that bears the founder's name. Schoenhut has started in 2004 to have most toy pianos produced in China. More info below.

The conclusion that we reach is that real brands from the USA and Europe are with all aspects considered first rate, with the rest of North America a close second. Another conclusion is that a major brand has high accountability at stake regardless of product origin. Look for a mark or text with USA or Germany called out by item. Industry advocacy and other organizations also offer thier input and use of identifing marks to indicate various facts to consider. We display the "Powder Coated Tough™" logo to call out the superiority of that product's coating. For plastic products we like to see quality UV protected named varity of plastic and the recycle catagory marked on the item. We identify the type of synthetic fabric by generic name or trademarked name when it matters. We also simply describe the materials' basic characteristics in the techincal section below. What we fear from noname and noplace reverse engineered products are consequences of material or process decisions that you would not appreciate. Who is held to account if the paint supplier 7000 miles away changes from the agreed upon spec to something containing lead? Do we reward the theft of intellectual property embodied in patented designs or the exploitation of labor? Do workers that handle product practice good hygeine? Would you use food product or generics of medicines or fly in an aircraft from the anonymous? These issues have been left up to the consciences or our company's American owners. We report to you, the customer first and our maker utimately.

Schoenhut Toy Piano Tech Info

For more than 130 years Schoenhut has made toy pianos first in Rochester and then in St. Augustine, Fl. Schoenhut Toy Pianos are precision musical instruments with a loose pivot design making a very light touch for little fingers. Some initial need for loosening is sometimes noticed with new pianos. They will sometimes harmlessly play a full keyboard "chord" with handling. During shipping, if the piano is disoriented and shocked, the no-spring gravity return of the hammers may jog out of position. Solution- simply run your hand lightly over keyboard both up and down a few scales to loosen them and recenter them in place for ready return, and then keep the piano right side up. You can also gently shake the piano in the direction of keystrokes to loosen and center the keys en masse.

We share with you methods to accomplish more techical adjustments if that would be preferable to repair or replacement service. To free a single key that is stuck down first open the piano right side up if practical for your model. Then be sure not to invert the keyboard once the top of the keys are exposed and unrestrained, or the keys with attached hammers will spill out randomly. They are easily if tediously replaced. Behind the name panel, white keys are embossed with the note letter except for the rightmost "C" or "F" which is marked "X" (no cutout for adjacent C# or F#). All black key/hammer sets are the same. A stuck key can simply be worked over a wide arc with minor side to side bias to deburr the pivot once the key with its hammer are separated out- note caution above. Usage will keep them free and lively long term without any real maintenance or lubrication. A single note that has less of the higher harmonic overtones can be brought out, surprizingly, with a hammer. The flatened ends of the music wires are tightly seated into round holes in a thick steel strip. The mounting of the music rods need to reflect rather than absorb energy to vibrate with vivid overtones. A single strike with a nail set or chisel onto the protuding nub of the wire will change its coupling to its attchement in a way that tightens it, reflecting the wave back toward the wire end. Overdo it, and the wire will come out giving you a chance to further flatten the end and reset it. Physics. Note also that Schoenhuts have standard finger spacing for training but don't have the mysterious brake or clutch pedals.

Schoenhut Toy Piano Country of Origin

Schoenhut Piano Company now produces toy pianos both in Florida for one high-end model and in China starting fall 2004. DurableToys.com was unaware of the new imported source until customers notified us. No distinction in model number, name or dealer cost was offered as a prior clue. Both sources will continue to carry the Schoenhut brand name with the expectation of the same high quality. We have decided to stock the China-made Schoenhut toy pianos and have been unable to prevail in our preferences for USA- made with the company. Or we cannot limit our offerings to USA-made toy pianos since there is no known availability beyond one model, even at a higher price. Possibly due to the longer pipeline, the numerical years since founding has been deleted from the silk-screened logo on both domestic and foriegn made toy pianos. The unique charm of a Rochester, NY or St. Augustine, FL made Schoenhut Toy Piano has been diluted moving the product line into direct competition with existing brands similar to Schoenhut's legacy. It is possible that formerly USA-made favorite toys could become collector's items. We may consider offering other brands of imported toy musical insturments including toy pianos if a USA source cannot be found. While our web site search target data indicates that "made in USA" is sometimes a specified feature we still want to solicit customer opinion on this issue.

Radio Flyer Tricycle and Pedal Car Freewheel

Radio Flyer Tricycle with "freewheeling" have a one-way hub that always drives forward with pedalling and it will always coast or can be overdriven with the pushbar. Radio Flyer #88 Retro Red Classic pedal car has a freewheel clutch that engages drive for forward, reverse and slowing or it disconnects completely for coasting. A console mounted lever selects drive or neutral and a hand operated brake operates on both rear wheels.

What is this stuff?

Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic is a composite reinforced with very thin strands of glass fibers woven or matted and then saturated with a polymer matrix, typically epoxy resins, which hardens around the fibers. The natural analogy is bone, a mix of hard fibers and binding. If the process is layered into a mold with an initial thin coating of a pigmented hard epoxy called gel-coat, a beautifully smooth pre-colored surface results, which can also be painted. The end result is a solid material that is heavier than water, strong, attractive and very water resistant. Many recreational boats are FG but few light airplanes are due to the weight- compared to aluminum or fabric. In road vehicles, fiberglass is the light weight material- compared to sheet steel or metal castings. Efforts to reduce the weight and retain the other favorable qualities of fiberglass have spawned materials like carbon fiber composite, extensively used in aircraft and high end sporting gear. This material is frequently left unfinished to show off the brown/gray weave look in high tech material. Fiberglass will often be called plastic because of the epoxy resin content that binds the glass fibers. More fiberglass technical info is from the Composites Technology Magazine website, top page at www.compositestech.com.

The glass fibers in fiberglass is mostly silicon (Si) most often seen as sand. The Si is blended and melted with lime and it flows out or adopts a mold shape nicely when heated. This is the same substance used as the substrate for semiconductor electronics when allowed to grow in a cystalline form, then sliced and polished. Factoid: Glass even when cold and brittle is actually still a liquid with flow rates that may take eons for a Coke bottle to become a puddle. It can be argued that cold glass is a solid but the primary physical characteristic is that there is no energy storage or realease due to phase change between the liquid and solid conditions.

Plastic is one word that refers to a lot of different organic or inorganic polymeric materials that have one thing in common - giant molecules which can be shaped by flow. The term usually refers to the final product, with fillers, plasticizers, pigments and stabilizers included, versus resin- the homogeneous polymeric starting material. Linear or branched molecules are thermoplastic which soften when heated for the chance to cast, mold, extrude or spin into a shape, then freeze in place. Thermoplastic remains somewhat flexible and it can possibly be heated and reshaped again. Cross-linked molecules make thermoset plastic that permanently hardens into shape after heating, making for harder, more stable materials. Thermoset will char when heated enough- without melting. (Source: SAE) Historically plastic was sought after as a replacement for ivory in billiard balls cir. 1860. Celluloid was first, followed by Bakelite in 1906, seen in old radio boxes. Cellulose acetate, PVC and more came out of rapid development during the 1920's spurred on by chemist Hermann Staudinger. More progress continued prior to WWII with Plexiglass, urea formaldahyde resins, (tableware) and materials for radio frequency insulators used in early radar systems. Warring nations created demand for more and better materials with the reduced supply of natural raw materials. Nylon and neoprene latex, a synthetic rubber were suddenly produced. The postwar era gave us much more such as epoxies, polypropylene, linear polyethylene, polyesters and more "engineered materials" intended to replace metals. All of this can be categorized in several ways based on the quality of interest. Now plastic is everywhere - even though what we candidly call "plastic" is often referred to as "space age", "molded", "polymer", "composite" or "rustproof" to embellish its identity. Our Alamance County NC is a hub for synthetic textiles, making the world class "Sunbrella" outdoor fabric at Glen Raven Mills, as well as many brands of stockings. Kettler fabrics are solution dyed acrylic synthetic textiles. We now have numbered codes in a triangle symbol to identify the numerous codes of materials for recycling the various plastics. Kettler resins are special formulated blends of polyppropylene and materials designed to resist various weather conditions. The North American automakers use over 2 millon tons of plastic each year and have led the world in the plans to identify and reuse plastic materials in large quantities.

Plastics are shaped by flow and may continue to change shape later when under stress. The effect is called "cold flow" when plastic gradually relaxes in the direction of reducing the stress. If you lean a plastic wagon rack against a wall for 4 months, it will be curved. Turn it over and lean it again or just lay it flat and it will straighten itself out. Plastic wagons beds and racks can warp over many months or years if continuously bearing a large static load. Wagons from L&L and Valley Road that have sheet plastic could warp although they each have a steel backbone frame, end cross members and a perimeter berm so warpage has not been a serious issue. Speedway has plastic bottom sheet only a with hardwood perimeter over a steel frame and thus has no cold flow issues. Berlin Wood has discontinued thier plastic version of the Loadmaster wagon. Plastic wagons are preferred for weather and cleanup water resistance and for uses where wood could support growth. An example on our Plastic Wagons page shows our pony not chewing on what is not wood. Learn more from the American Plastic Council's plastics primer page.

Kettler's Exclusive K2 Massive Resin Molding is a method of molding thicker sections with all sides finished. The superior heavy-duty construction of Kettler Tiffany, Venezia, Roma and Caribic outdoor furniture items are done this way. The K2 method can create molded items three times thicker than standard molding processes while allowing designed contours on front and back for enhanced beauty, utility and comfort. Comfort is improved by the design of the level strentgh and compliance of the material. For instance, the bottom slats of Caribic chairs have reinforcing ribs of different sizes and positions, to give just the right amount with the motion of the person seated. Massive molding's inner workings must be a proprietary secret because we can't tell you here how they do it but we can spot the difference in the results. The Caribic and other chairs legs have a pleasant flexibility to them as a result of using thick non-boxed sturctural sections of resin. Kettler's outdoor furniture resins are a high grade mixture of polypropylene and minerals designed to resist all weather conditions.

A Kettalux™ table top encases expaned resin using an exclusive state of the art process. The scratch resitant top is exceptionally strong thanks to a 0.60" thick sandwich of hardened resin foam between two layers of high density resin. A hole for an umbrella can be drilled right through with a common auger bit without excessive weakening of the top. The top surface is faintly patterend in marble style or plain white with a UV fade resistant and weatherproof coating from the chip proof edges.

Luran S is a material that is scratch resistant, harder than polypropylene but with greater as molded rigidity. Luran S has high heat resistance combined with excellent resistance to oils, foods and other chemicals. The top surface has weather stability comparable to PVC enduring 4000 test hours of sunlight with practically no discoloration. Some Luran S talbes from Kettler have an umbrella hole molded in with reinforcing webbing.

Paint- liquids that solidify as a surface covering have been around for millenia in one form or another with a variety of common ingredients. There are four basic parts which make up paint, the solvent, binder or vehicle, filler and pigment. Today paint is largely characterized by the solvent and vehicle combination. In order of increasigly "hard" solvents, there is water (latex paint), enamel then lacquer. The result of different levels of solvent may prevent, for example, putting lacquer over emamel. The exceptions are there, due to additives, etc such as hardener. The solvent has the job of allowing the rest of the paint to be a liquid long enough to spread it and to have it "float" to a glossy finish, then dissappear into the atmosphere. The binder is the glue that holds it together, and it may be a two part epoxy plastic or solids dissolved in the solvent. The filler adds bulk, to thicken the mix for structure when cured or for facilitating application. The pigment is varied in its chemical source. Lead was once used to make vivid reds and yellows, now something else has come around. Black is carbon, like charcoal dust. White and other colors are from oxides, chromates, sulfides and sulfates of many elements. Paint technology is driven in large part by the American automakers, in the variety of colors, metal flake content, and clearcoat over the color. To avoid the environmental effects of the evaporating solvent, many cars are painted with a water- based paint or they have solid-emulsion paint "powder coating", keeping many tons of hydrocarbons (VOCs) out of the air. Paint has numerous variations in both materials and processes for different applications, such as to make it flat or glossy, or hard or even perlescent. Some paint is meant to connect compatibility with a surface, or to have a smoothly sandable bulk, or to thwart rust; that is a primer. Some paints are designed to be soft and carry a bio- active metal such as copper in boat bottom paint. The is even an additive called "fish eye remover", to change the surface tension to span small areas of bad surface compatibliltly.

Powder Coat Tough TM

Powder coating is an advanced method of applying a decorative and protective finish to a wide range of materials and products that are used by both industries and consumers. How does it work? Powder coating is a dry finishing process. Finely ground particles of pigment and resin are electrostatically charged and sprayed onto the products to be coated. The parts to be coated are electrically grounded, so that the charged particles adhere to them until melted and fused into a solid coating in a curing oven. The result is an attractive, durable, high-quality finish. The powder coating process itself offers another advantage -- it is environmentally friendly, virtually pollution-free. Unlike liquid paint, no solvents are used, so only negligible amounts of VOCs are released into the air. In addition, unused or oversprayed powder can be recovered, so any waste is minimal and can be disposed of easily and safely. Look for products with the powder coated tough logo on our pages and learn more at the source: Powder Coating Institute web site. "First At The Finish Line"

Sintered Powder Coating: Kettler's Royal Garden iron outdoor furniture has a sintered metal variation of powder coating (above) that makes it even more attractive, smooth and durable. The three year anti-rust warranty has been extended to five years. The sintering process:

bare metal gets a pH balance wash and primer

item is heated to 350° C (662° F) in the Thermal Tunnel

item is dipped while hot into a dry powder mixure of: paint pigments, resin particles, and aluminum flakes.

Powder coating sears to the hot metal

Innermost part of 8 mil layer dries and hardens, outer half becomes tacky

item heated again in Thermal Tunnel until it reaches 200° C (392° F) to dry and seal outer coating wall

Cooling is followed by inspection and packaging Shop for sintered powerder coated outdoor furniture products on the DurableToys.com furn/kiron.htm page.

A new use for powder coating has been developed by General Motors for the LS9 engine that will appear in the 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1. The LS9 is a derivative of the 6.2L LS3 V8 with the addition of an Eaton supercharger to boost the horsepower peak to 620 (not yet SAE certified) according to GM's Small-Block V8 Chief Engineer Sam Winegarden. In GM's 100 year plus history, this engine has the highest output power second only to the Allison aero inverted V12 that powered WWII fighter planes. The belt-driven supercharger is a postitive displacement pump that forces more combustion air under pressure (10.5 psi) into the engine than would be drawn in at atmospheric pressure. The supercharger's two four-lobe interleaved impellers have a graphite based abradable powder coating that is designed to seal the lobe interface very tightly. The two 160 degree helix shapes have a self machining break-in process to close the rotor-to-rotor tolerences. The mere 0.3kW that the supercharger consumes under cruise conditions helps maintain high fuel economy even in GM's most exotic performance car. (Automotive Engineering International, Feb 2008 p26-28.) DurableToys.com family member Kate has an Eaton supercharger on her Buick V6 that has a Teflon® coating to make the lobes slippery.

Aluminum (Al) is an element, in fact the most plentiful metallic element in the earth's crust. Oxygen is the most plentiful element overall with much of it bonded to aluminum to form the oxide alumina. Aluminum is characterized mostly by its light weight- one third the density of steel and also by its high corrosion resistance. Until the 20th century, resonably pure aluminum was costly to extract from naturally found ore and thus rare- making it a novel metal worn as jewlery by the wealthy. The Hall-Héroult Process uses direct current electricity to extract the metal from naturally found alumina. This very low cost technique, not superceded in a century, has changed the basic uses and even the perceived image of the lightweight metal. Aluminum is highly conductive of heat and electricity so it is used in electrical wiring, integrated circuits and heat sinking forms. It can be left unpainted because it immediately skins over with a thin clear coating of oxide, stopping further corrosion. Aluminum can be polished to a mirror finish with Mother's Aluminum Polish or sputtered on glass to make a mirror. Structurally, aluminum can be cast, forged, arc welded or extruded into complex shapes, often with no further finishing steps. Aluminum wheels on vehicles are stylish while self protecting, strong, low inertially and dissipative of brake system heat. In fact, modern painted plastic wheel covers are almost all styled to look just like aluminum wheels- such as on the new Kettrike Spash. There are many other ways to form aluminum, with some methods actually creating a functional grain structure within the metal, further increasing its useful specialization. A wide variety of alloys mixed in vary the desirable characteristics of the metal for many uses; it is hardly ever used in pure elemental form. Decorative and protective coatings are many; paint, powder coating, plastic dipping, electro-plating. Further classes of finishes add nothing but contact, such as shot peening, sandblasting and solvent etching to give any desired look. Aluminum is popular in boats and aircraft where its two primary traits in combination plus a non-magnetic nature (compass use) are ideal. Powdered Aluminum is used as pigment in what we call "silver" paint. Aluminum has more oddities such as use as a low neutron absorber in nuclear reactors, in cryogenic vessels and in addition to more common packaging or architectural uses. Automobiles use increasing proportions of aluminum in body panels, engine blocks and cylinder heads, heat exchangers and suspensions. Aluminum is highly recycleable, from making the low end "pot metal" which contains the alloy soup of the day to highly pure metal for the same uses as newly refined material. We know from drink cans that it is generally too valuable to throw away.

Iron (Fe) is an element- a single atom weighing only 9.28 x 10 -23 grams is still iron. Iron is very plentiful in the earth's molten core and its rotation-induced flow is believed to be the source of the magnetic poles. Pure iron has limited uses such as in the making of electromagnets and galvanized sheet. Generally, iron is used in processed form such as wrought iron, cast iron or steel. Wrought iron is hammered into shape when hot by blacksmiths, it is naturally more rust resistant compared to steel. Cast iron is poured as a hot liquid into a mold where it hardens upon cooling. Steel is an alloy primarily of elemental iron and 0.04% to 4.4% carbon (C) and possibly more elements alloyed to create a stronger, harder metal. Steel has many possible solid phases that vary by temperature and alloy to set the molecules into different patterns. The greatest part of the effort in isolating iron and making steel goes into a series of chemical reactions to burn out the excess carbon and other impurities from the iron. A clever arrangement of air or oxygen, carbon for fuel, lime and other materials are arranged and introduced in a vertical vessel in the blast furnace method. The temperature layers' convective draft, pumps and gravity move the intermediate forms on their way up or down reacting out the desired liquid metal from everything else. Temperatures of 2500° F (1370° C) are needed to purify the alloy using one of several processes, open-hearth, basic oxygen or electric furnace. Even the leftover materials are useful as lawn fertilizer or black slag "cinders" for traction on snowy northern roads. Learn the technical details of blast furnace steelmaking from The American Iron and Steel Institute.

Steel is highly elastic, meaning it can make springs which absorb little energy internally when flexed. For example, a steel ball bounced on a steel surface will bounce very high and steel wheels on rails offer low energy loss. Yet steel can also be malleable enough to absorb energy to allow shaping into complex curves which require a thickness variation to avoid wrinkles. Steel is finished by forming it while still hot to both shape the mass of metal as well as cause the internal crystal structure to freeze into the correct molecular form- making for desired characteristics. Steel can be heat treated or cold treated to reshuffle the tiny amounts of alloying elements within molecules of mostly iron resulting in dramatic effects on the material's overall strength. In continuous mills the metal enters rollers as an ingot of 13' long by 35" wide and 4.5" inches thick. After successive pairs of closer and faster moving rollers a sheet emerges with the same width but it may be 1210 feet long and 0.05" thick. Tool steels have tungsten, molybdenum and other alloying elements to make very hard cutting tools. Stainless steels contain chromium, nickel and other alloying elements that keep them bright and rust resistant. Stainless is both decorative and useful for tough environments such as marine, space and food and chemical handling. You see stainless in mixing bowls, milk shake makers and in automotive exhaust pipes. It is inert to living tissue making it useful for joint repair parts and skin contact jewelry. What is chrome plated steel? Electro plating is like recharging a battery. Dissimilar metals are connected through immersion in a liquid electrolyte allowing for the movement of the ionic forms. Direct current electricity is forced across the two "electrodes" (opposite of the accidental battery) then the more noble metal will swim across and stick to the less noble metal. Done right, this is a three layer process. Copper then nickel then chrome is the order of the plating on steel to achieve the required durability with correct compatibility. The result is very corrosion resistant with the classic mirror finish of real car bumpers. Electro plating is similarly done with lots of other metals.

Rust is an oxide of iron, chemically Fe₂O₃ and other oxides. We have some experience with rust, with vehicles from northern climates where salt is used to melt snow. Our former exhange student Marco is now a chemist working back in Switzerland and he is a reliable font for answers to any chemical question. Marco also translated the German language message below on this page. We quizzed Marco recently on the merits of rust treatment products in which a claim of "conversion" or "catalyzing" to form a paintable inert barrier to further rusting is made. In his highly technical response we seem to get a yes, that it is possible.

To Mark:

...I bought some stuff that seems like clear [spray] paint and claims to turn rust into black primer. Seems true except that I did not read the label for recoating directions until it was about gone. Worst spot is a steel servo- steering line under the hood, totally rusty...

Marco replies:

No, I've never heard of such a "rust-seal" material, but what you write sounds reasonable. Rust contains Fe₂O₃ and other oxides of iron. These iron ions probably catalyze a polymerisation. Lots of chemical reactions are catalyzed by metal or metal ions. For example catalytic converter: coated with platinum, as far as I know...

We have used products from RustOleum, mar-hyde "One Step", Klean-Strip and Dupli-Color directly on rust with good results. One noticable outcome is that it does not work over paint, remaining a clear coating that later peels off. Another interesting characteristic is that the material cannot be applied by dipping a brush into a can, rather only by spray or squeeze bottle onto a brush. Any flakes of rust contacting the supply will catalyze all of it, ruining the material.

After many years, two available rust treatments have emerged as favorites. For smaller areas of the worst or most critcal areas of rust we use Klean-Strip brand Rust Converter. It comes in an black and white 8oz. bottle that is poured out and brushed on to form a hard, sandable black primer over encapsulated rust. Without gloves it will also discolor your hands in a way that resembles dark superglue. Rust Convertor is a good base for touch-up finish painting over it with conventional primers and paints. Tough areas like rusty bathroom vents that you can no longer replace have been brought back to new life. Rust Converter or equivalent is available at many discount or home center stores.

The other product works well on larger areas where over-application is not a contamination or cosmetic issue. "Rust Kutter" by Sanco Industries, Inc. in a quart size pump sprayer or gallon refill turns into a dark stable surface on rust and a chalky surface elsewhere. Rust Kutter can also be a fierce skin and eye irritant during use especially with the spray set for a fine mist. A drippy, acrid residue sometimes remains for a day or more especially where there is not rust prior to the product drying or is cleaned off. Up to three applications really seal the rust well to stop propogation cold. The oxide formed where rust wasn't can be ignored or cleaned off with scrubbing. Rust Kutter can also be damaging to low grade paint finishes and bright autmotive trim so clean up promptly. It also marks plastic with white spots and leaves a chaulky salt deposit where it drips onto concrete.

This effective chemical nicely blackens surface rust such as on classic car frames where the area is unprotected steel or deteriorated black paint. Other practical uses are on steel wagons and farm and garden tools of all sizes especially those that are stored outdoors. Rust Kutter is even used on highway bridges so it is likely available to pros in much larger quantities. In spite of the significant negatives the beneficial effects are appreciated. Rust Kutter is only known to be available at Tractor Supply Company in our area. At DurableToys.com we are in the small pull wagon business while the owners have several large classic station wagons that are preserved using Rust Kutter.

Welding - method of joining metals without fasteners

Fusion welding is the process of melting two or more pieces of like metal together, often with more filler metal, to form one piece. Welding is distinct from the brazing process technically known as non-fusion welding. In the (fusion) welding process a metal work piece and possibly identical or very similar filler metal all melt together to solidify into literally one piece of metal. Non-fusion brazing and its subclass soldering work by melting and wetting a lower melting temperature metal over the unmelted work pieces, then the filler freezes solid. Several methods of (fusion) welding exist from earliest known form: blacksmiths pounding hot metal with a hammer- forge welding. A later method is cast welding where molten metal is poured into a mold around the joint area. Carbon-arc street lighting was noticed to make useful amounts of excess heat, enough to locally melt metal together.

By 1948 arc welding grew out and diversified from the carbon arc heat source into three common and mature welding techniques. The first is known as Shielded Metal Arc Welding or commonly as simply arc welding or stick welding. A welder (machine) is a power supply as simple as a transformer stepping down its supply voltage into a lower voltage with current capability from 30 Amp up to 230 Amp or more. Since the physics of the molten metal within an arc establishes a relatively low and stable voltage, the power for heating is set by controlling the current flow. An arc welding rod is a stick of metal between about 1/16" and 1/4" thick by 14" coated in "flux", material that makes inert smoke over the weld site promoting arc stability and oxidation prevention. The rod is held by a bare end in a spring clamp with an insulated grip electrically connected with a heavy wire to the welder. The other side of the electrical circuit is the work piece with typically a spring clamp and another thick wire back to the welder. The weldor (person) slides the rod or "stinger" over the work area like a match and pulls back as the initial arc immediately expands into a stream of molten metal and plasma from the heat and effects of the flux. The rod consumes over a few minutes by depositing metal in a pattern using a hand motion like a series of cursive "e" or "&" strokes. The weldor also moves the grip closer to maintain about a 1/4" long arc as the rod shortens. The weldor's advancing technique produces a repeating process of lapping new and existing liquid metal while the molten pool cools behind at a constant distance behind the arc. The results have to be cleaned of hardened flux deposits to reveal the "bead" of shiny metal and some hardened splattered metal.

As you might expect, looking at a 6000 Watt arc with brightly glowing liquid metal at arms length from a font of molten droplets requires some protective gear. A full face shield with very dark movable glass covers the whole front of the head. Leather gloves and jacket are generally worn to protect the arms and chest, even when the weather may be already hot. Sweating inside a heavy jacket is more pleasant than sunburn or splatter burns that could ignite clothing. Some newer face shields have a lens of liquid crystal display (LCD) to darken on signal at the first 0.001 second of arc, this helps to locate the original point of contact using an unattenuated view. This is the same system used to darken many automobile rear-view mirrors from glare. The typical uses of a basic system are for welding steel in thickness ranging from 0.10" to 0.25" with current settings between 90 A and 140 A AC (alternating current). This is often referred to as "farm welding" where strength is vital but appearance is unimportant at a reasonably low skill level. A step up is DC (direct current) arc welding which opens up the possibility of welding aluminum and increases the options and variable characteristics of steel welding. The DC flow can be either direction for more penetration or cutting- or it can be the opposite way for more build up of the filler metal both with less unsightly splatter around the weld. A variation is "spot welding", where a big pulse of current is forced through the two sides of an electrified clamp squeezing a small area. The resistence to a large burst of current makes a hot spot fusing a 1/4" or so dot of weld on a larger area while the clamp ends are not melted. No protective flux (or inert gas) may be needed for such a short duration, but molten droplets fling outward.

The better form of arc welding is known as Metal Inert Gas or MIG welding. MIG does not need the flux material coating as on a straight 14" rod, so the consumable filler and arc source together is bare metal wire fed from a spool, a.k.a. wire feed. The lack of flux also means that there is no flux residue to cause porosity or contamination of the weld area; important for strength and for food, medical or chemical contact. A tank of Argon, Helium or other inert gas protects the weld area by excluding the oxygen in the atmosphere to prevent oxidation. MIG is usually DC with fine control over the arc and new material feed rate thus it makes for both strong and better looking welds almost devoid of splatter; this is important for smooth fluid or aggregate flow and even wear within welded pipes. Using inert gas instead of flux smoke makes it easier to see and thus gain better control of the heat and metal feed rates, often with a foot pedal. A distinct variation of MIG is "heli-arc" or Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welding. TIG has separate heat source and filler metal feed, with a pair of non-consuming tungsten electrodes supporting the arc to generate heat. Tungsten has a much higher melting point than the weld metals, so it stays relatively intact as it does in a light bulb filament. Filler metal is in the form of bare rods are fed in by hand, and again inert gas is supplied to keep the area bathed in clear gas that does not allow oxidation. Collectively, MIG and TIG are referred to as simply inert gas welding.

Gas torch welding uses a flame torch fueled by a hydrocarbon fuel known as acetylene made ultra hot by metering in pure oxygen. Gas welding, or oxy/acetylene welding is much like TIG except for the heat source. Two pressure tanks with a long double hose terminate in a highly adjustable mixing torch head. After lighting, the torch head is adjusted manually with valve knobs for correct flame shape, color and sound. Gas welding is especially good for thin metals where difficult arc stability or melt-through would be a problem, i.e. applications such as automotive exhaust pipes. The torch head usually has provision for a temporary boost in the oxygen flow to make it better at cutting metal, since the oxidation helps consume metal to be removed.

Electric welding is understood well enough to have observed master weldors and programmed welding robots. Typical robotic welding is by MIG or spot welding used for mass production consumer product or automobile manufacturing. Welding can even be done underwater or in space with the correct skill, materials and equipment. There are also many more technical solutions to specific welding challeges adressing costs, conditions or materials not covered here.

Wood

What is wood? Duh ha!? We all thought that we knew more than enough about the hard, tough material that forms in the trunks of trees! Useful as both a construction material and fuel, wood has been used for tens of thousands of years. The technical term "wood" even includes the "veins" in leaves, but for this discussion only the materials that have commercial importance are mentioned. The structure of wood visible in the grain is primarily vertical fine cellular ducts which carry water and dissolates from root to leaves. The grain results from seasonal variation in growth rate and thus the new wood layer's density- darker is more dense. Classification of wood as hardwood or softwood depends on the type of tree from which it came. Hardwoods come from broad- leaved trees and wood from coniferous trees are called softwoods, regardless of the actual hardness. In softwood, life fluids are transported cell to cell and there may be resin ducts but hardwood has long continuous ducts parallel to the grain. Wood's physical properties vary over a wide range, and if it is not attacked by living organisms, wood lasts for centuries. One preservative is zinc chloride used in pressure treating wood for ground contact. Surface protection against weathering for wood is effective unless there is underlying deterioration caused by insect, fungi or borers. Factoids: Some fresh water wooden boats actually have salt placed in the bilge as a preservative. Spruce is the only material with the right resonance properties for piano sounding boards. Most US lumber is softwood with hardwood reserved for flooring, funiture and of course durable wood toys.

So You Think This Is New?

Some clever ideas that appear in DurableToys.com products and all around us date back farther than you might believe. Sometimes innovations are lost for centuries before being independently reinvented i.e. batteries. The progress built up over time is a result of effective written language and its use in documentaion. Heavy lifting happened at the Pyramids and Easter Island and plenty more feats human engineering occured before anyone would guess.

An early example is the reaction turbine steam engine that Hero set up as an exhibition at the temple. He had remote control powered door openers as well, activated by hot smoke expanding into a source of force. The earliest engines were still too big or integrated with terrain in thier needs or output functions so they were purely stationary fixtures. Pumping water especially to open up mining operations was an early break for horses trudging endlessly around in circles. At some point around 1800 the engines had changed from atmospheric pressure on reduced internal pressure towards pressurized steam acting on pistons, and the power conversion went way up. Steam engines became somewhat portable with maturity that enabled them to be installed in riverboats no later than 1786, likely before. In 1802 a commercially viable tugboat towed two 70 ton barges against heavy wind as a demonstration. Shareholders of the canal blocked the use of that steam powered tug fearing that the new phenomenon of a powerful wake would eronde the banks. Riverboats continued to improve with high and low pressure boilers. By 1840 the Cunard liner "Brittania" served cross-Atlantic passengers with massive 740 horsepower output from a single cylinder.

Powered "cars" or traction engines began with a 1769 effort and improved over time; a locomotive on a Welsh railroad had all wheels powered in 1804. An amphibious powered vehicle cruised the streets of Philadelphia and the Delaware River in 1804. Powered wheels benefitted from the 1828 differential gear to prevent a battle between the inside and outside powered wheels seeking different speeds when rounding a curve. The independent wheels on a horse-drawn chariot could blissfully ignore that effect. Four wheel drive had been used for soft surfaces without benefit of differentials earlier as do some modern 4WD vehicles. The same 4WD system still seen in powered toys using bevel gears at the wheels dates from a vehicle of 1825. Steam engines also enabled bus service around London in 1827 later expanding to regular suburban routes. Back in 1833 a bus had a name like a ship, the "Enterprise" carried passengers many miles on a scheduled basis. Finally the long term average rates exceeded the best horse-drawn carriage. Terrible accidents with boilers and loss of control had to be overcome both technically and in the minds of the public. The various steam engines took on an evolutionary path with ever larger pulling forces and speed mostly in response to freight industry sponsored contest prizes. The Timkin roller bearing really brought the railroads into heavy cargo capability.

Solid fueled sky rockets were just entertaining fireworks centuries ago but powdered fuel was tried out for an early attempt at an internal combustion engine in 1807. By 1826 liquid fueled internal combustion engines were doing useful work though the first gasoline car didn't appear until around 1896, a long time compared to other progress. Gasoline was already a common industrial solvent, dangerously flammable dry cleaning fluid. Of couse a carburetor to atomize the fuel was not on the hardware shelf so that essential element was made from a perfume sprayer. Somebody had to invent the word as well. Two world wars created an environment for rapid progress in self-propelled vehicles of all types. The "tank" label was only that, meant to be disinformation about the contents of the large crates hiding the fighting machines. Caterpillar also known as CAT branded crawler machines brought the technology to civilian use. CAT® branded toys are on our web pages and CAT® Diesel engines power bigger toys like yachts and motorhomes.

A 1714 attempt to cure tipping at the steering end of a wagon with dual pivots (kingpins) with stub axles created a new geometric problem when steered parallel at a sharp angle from center. The Ackerman arrangement of 1818 takes out the scrubbing error by steering the inside wheel at a sharper angle than the outside wheel as they make circle segments of two different radii. This Ackerman feature appears on your street car and most of our pull wagons, visible as a connecting tie rod made shorter if behind the axle or longer if in front.

Hand launched toy gliders emulated birds centuries before aircraft but the design would be recognizable as though quite modern. The Wright brothers has to await their own engine development and collection of available bicycle parts to take large gliders from dangerous sport into useful sustained flight. Only decades later, Douglas DC-3 aircraft were hauling passengers for hire and later flying through clouds with instrumentation and remote radar (radio detection and ranging). Plenty of DC-3 airplanes are still in use today (fully amortized!) a tribute to the greatness and maturity of David Douglas' design of the 1930's.

Signalling has taken every form in which information can be embedded. The fife and drum corps in armys were not for upbeat morale but to convey orders over distance. Sound and light were known to travel at far different rates with attempts to measure the speed of light centuries back. Electricty was well known to exist before becoming usefully controlled. Electro-plating using direct current electrcity was going on around thousand of years back by evidence found in and about the clay immersion vessels and pottery batteries. While touring a steel mill in 1982, our guide pointed out a two-foot diameter electic motor and announced that it had been in service for over 100 years. The manufacturing environment showcases frugal preservation of mature equipment diametrically opposite our own tendancy as consumers to repeatedly crush and remake cars. One brand, Rolls Royce, actually markets the product as fully intended to last a lifetime. DurableToys.com has long lasting products that go back to the invention of the wheel like the Radio Flyer Kids Wheelbarrow. Some Kettler and other products are improved by fresh thinking and protected with patents from this year.

If you have a new current year car, what is obviously a fresh design might also have been fifty years out of date by now. A labarinth of permissions, monopolies, taxation and effective competitive lobbies have led governments and leading citizens to thwart the natural rate of progress. We have a whole era called the "Dark Ages" of technical stagnation but roadblocks happened even during years of rapid advancement.

Wagon Brake Retrofit Installation

We have a document with image describing installation. Get PDF version.

Lubrication

Kettler recommends a drop of oil periodically on the bearings of its products, and we add especially if they are always left outdoors. On wagons with grease fittings, it will take a long time with a lot of use to really need to relube the wheels. On other wagons with ball (or sleeve) bearings infrequent oiling will do. My favorite lube is heavy synthetic gear lube intended for marine stern drive units. (We use synthetic lubricants a lot.) The SAE 90 rating is thick, so it won't drip after the initial wipe and then will stay on the bearings. More readily available motor oil of SAE 10W-30 or similar is rated by a different viscosity standard and is almost as thick as gear lube. If you find that the greased fitting wheels on small wagons feels like there is too much drag then purge them with a spray solvent/lube.

Wagon and Pedal Car Steering Geometry

Correct steering geometry makes your family car or a toy corner without excessive tire scrub during tight turns. The wheel on the inside of the turn is best angled more sharply than the outside wheel. The mechanical solution has been known for hundreds of years and is known as the "Ackerman" arrangement beyond 1818. It's easy to see and design without the math backing it up. Lines through the vertical pivots, the kingpins, and the tie rod end pivot points (on each side) need to cross at the center of the rear axle. This makes for very low rolling direction error even at hard over angles. When steered off center, lines extended from all axles converge together at the turn's center of radius on the inside of the turn- straight out from the back axle. A well designed tie rod is longer than the kingpin span when placed ahead of the axle and shorter if mounted behind. The low geometic error allows for very hard over steering limits and highly manueverable wagons- such as the VR280G wagon fleet aboard the Queen Mary hotel ship or the Berlin wagons at a Texas children's hospital. Kingpin and tie rod steered vehicles that we sell with the most accurate geometry are: Kettcars, Berg Pedal Karts, Rhoades Cars, Valley Road wagons, Speedway wagons and EZ Flyer wagons, Berlin model F600- only, Rolly X-Trac, Rolly Caterpillar pedal tractors, Caterpillar Dumper, Scale Models and RC-Ertl wide-front pedal tractors. Six and eight wheel wagons have a only slightly less precision from use of a shared design. A center pivoting solid front axle or "fifth wheel" steering on Radio Flyer wagons, narrow front Scale Models pedal tractors, Radio Flyer Tiny Trike and Kettler Baby's First Car are inherently correct, but they may include turn angle limits to prevent instability from wheel tuck-under. L&L wagons with a design shared with four-wheel steer versions cannot easily adapt to the Ackerman system since both ends are linked. All L&L wagons, smaller Berlin wagons and Power Pumper cars have less accurate (at hard angles) parallelagram kingpin and tie rod arrangement.

A further steering geometry refinement is the use of kingpin inclination to induce a camber (side tilt) change with steering input. Featured on Berg Pedal Karts the intent is to cause benign front end breakaway at the cornering limit. The rear axle of Kettler Navigator tricycles also have inclined kingpins, more below. A secondary benefit of this design is that a tighter turning radius can be allowed within safe handling limits. The two kingpins (vertical steering pivots) are tilted off vertical so that their tops are closer to each other than the bottoms. The kingpin to axle angle is such that the wheel is vertical when steered straight ahead. When steered to 45º off center, the outside front wheel adopts a positive camber of half of the kingpin tilt- biasing the loading toward the outside sidewall by that number of degrees. The primary result of the camber change is to diminish the grip at that tire relative to the others. Thus the front end with the stressed outside and lightly loaded negative cambered inside tires will break away before the back end during hard cornering- making for an understeer condition. Understeer is also called "push", "plowing" or "tight" handling. The famous book by Ralph Nader "Unsafe at Any Speed" about dangerous oversteering characteristics of rear engine cars in the 1960s has caused automobile makers to be quite sensitive to oversteer or "loose" handling cars in the hands of the driving public. Highly adjustable race cars are generally finely tuned close to "neutral" between loose and tight except for intentional loose handling on dirt or gravel racing surfaces. There are ways to tune in the relative cornering grip between the front and rear by means of "roll stiffness distribution" in the frame, suspension and tire selection and pressure, among others. One way to measure the handling balance is to take the surface temperature of the tires to get a view of the immediate past cornering stress. Other ways are to highlight the short term wear pattern with paint dots or to look at the markings left on the pavement. Look at the report on cornering force measurement of a pedal car for evidence of cornering balance in a car without kingpin inclination as evidenced by marking left on the pavement.

The Kettrike Navigator and Air Navigator tricycles have lockable caster steered rear axles designed to work intuitively for the person controlling the pushbar. Both or either end steers or locks straight ahead for use in one of several different modes. The unique feature of the Navigators is the moderately complex geometry of the steerable rear axle. Applying force on the pushbar toward the left from far behind the center of the tricycle steers the trike right from rear wheels steered forward side of each tire to the left. The kingpins (steering pivots) are inclined toward each other at their tops with spindle links made to keep the tires vertical when steered straight ahead. Kingpin inclination makes for stable self-centering at low speeds since steering in either direction raises the ride height in opposition of gravity. The kingpin inclination also is what makes the axle act like casters. When the bottom of both tires experience a sideways force in a given direction it will cause a matching tilt to the outside along with a steering action in that direction. The rear steering axle thus yeilds to the same direction as it experiences a cornering force. Without a pushbar in play and a rider on the pedals, the unlocked rear wheels will stay close to the center position at low speeds but will begin to assist slightly in the turning direction with increasing speed. At speeds beyond what could be pedalled this could be undesirable. Advise children to limit speeds to the tire's "A" speed rating of 20 mph or lock the rear steering out. As a plus, the simulation of oversteer does seem to take the base out from under the possibility of a rollover. If you could go fast enough this could also be useful training for someone who will one day drive a car on rain or snow. Counter steering at the handlebars must be learned fast- otherwise the tail will hang out more than a good-ole boy outrunnin' the revenuers. In summary, the rear steering is a great feature that can be disabled for use like a regular tricycle. A member of the Society of Automotive Engineers, the author has been a design consultant for two products. He checked his life insurance before exploring the performance envelope at the cornering limits of toys. His mama also reported that his first word was "car".

Parts Sources are above.

NEEDAK, Inc.
Burlington, NC 27215
Email: manager@durabletoys.com

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