Meanderer trike test assemble front suspension

Continuing the Meanderer custom trike project, here is the previous blog post:

• Constructing Meanderer trike lower swing-arms — September 30, 2025

I have constructed the top swing-arms. Firstly, I tried to weld heim-joints onto steel square tube:

...however, the heim-joint started to smoke!

Hmmm, it has some kind of plastic material inside. So I took a different approach, welded a m8 bolt into a steel tube:

...clamped the +ve clamp of the stick welder onto the bolt, based on the theory that electrons from the stick will flow into the notch and weld more securely to the bolt. That's my theory anyway. Cut notches on both sides, it worked out ok. I had some carbon steel tube 8mm ID 15mm OD, thicker wall than needed, but that was in stock so used it.

I took the front wheels and wheel-knuckles off the first prototype trike, and assembled it, to see how it looks so far:

...looks ok, and indeed it would be ok if it was a non-tilting trike. Here is a closer view to show the problem:

...the problem is those ball-joints on the wheel-knuckles; they don't have enough vertical rotation if tilting is required. The ball-joints can rotate horizontally any amount, so good for tight turning radius.

What I have decided to do is replace the ball-joints with heim-joints, oriented vertically. So they will have unlimited vertical rotation and limited horizontal rotation. Turning circle will be limited, but that is the trade-off. Hmmm, need to do some calculations first; it will be bad news if I can't turn corners properly at intersections!

Note, the total width of the trike, from extreme ends of the axles, is 700mm. That's good, as my front door requires no more than 735mm to get through.

A comment about those shock-absorbers; they are 350 pounds/inch. That may seem soft, considering that shocks on the rear of bicycles are usually at least 650 pounds. However, a tadpole trike handles differently and I reckon softer suspension is good.

Prototype #1 has 200 pound/inch, and my assessment riding around was that is a bit too soft. The main problem with #1 was cornering; the overhead weight causes the shocker on the outside of the corner to compress, causing the trike to tip, dangerously so. The fix is stiffer suspension; however #2 is a tilting trike, so arguably soft suspension will be ok.

My feeling, just pressing down, is that 350 pounds is too stiff. I know that once the trike is loaded and hitting bumps on the road, it will be a different story. Anyway, I still reckon will go for softer suspension, so have ordered a couple of 250 pound shocks.

Shock-absorbers off AliExpress vary widely in price. I'm only looking at the cheap non-damped type. They vary from about AU$10 each plus a couple of dollars postage, up to about AU$50. Unfortunately, the ones that I want, 165mm long, 250 pounds/inch, are at the expensive end; cost me about AU$100 for 2, including postage. That would be because they are not the most common type, like you would find on a cheap bike at Kmart.   

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