I was going to put this in workshop tips, but it didn't exactly fit there. The main thing is seats but depending on how someone does it they may have extra parts for a tow motor.
Anyway, I have been working on a little side project to make a "scooter" for touring around at large airshows and rod runs. Most of the normal scooters are pretty expensive, and
the batteries are expensive to purchase for limited use. Often "touring" requires going across grassy areas and the small scooter wheels aren't always good at it. I decided to take an old
Snapper rear engine mower and combine it with a cheap used Hoveround and see if I could come up with something better. Bought a Snapper for $150 and sold the motor for $125.
Bought a perfect Hoveround that was 10 years old and never used. $100 for that. So right now I have $125 tied up.
Now here are the two things that come to mind as far as being aircraft related. After looking at a lot of scooters, I realized they usually have some fairly lightweight and comfortable
seats on them. Some are pretty heavy because of the steel frames, but that can be removed and replaced with lighter stuff if need be. They often have simple fold forward mechanisms.
With a little creativity they could easily be adapted to single seat airplanes. Even if you just use the cushions, they are cheap to purchase used. If you buy a whole scooter, and end up with
the controls and motors, they could be converted to a simple tow motor. The batteries are expensive, but I made my scooter with a larger battery compartment. That way, I don't
have to buy the small expensive batteries just for use a few times a year. I can just grab two batteries out of one of the cars and tractor and use them when needed, and return them a few
days later. The point is that with a little creativity, for a hundred bucks or so you can get some seats for your plane and maybe have some other creation too. The Hoveround type wheel
chairs are very heavy duty with large seats. They have big motors (2) and the prices range all over the place. My understanding from a guy that buys and parts them out is that there is not
a good market for the used wheelchair type machines and most people buy the scooter type. Watching Craigslist for a while will usually eventually yield a good buy, or you can go to someone
who parts them out and get a good price on just a used seat. I decided the Hoveround seat was heavier and larger than what I wanted on my creation, so I gave another $30 for the small
leather seat in the pictures. Anyway, I don't want to get into all the safety discussion that often surrounds seat selection and construction. Just want to point out that its a source for cheap
seats that might be useable in small airplanes . (Note! They even have some that are extra wide for very large people.)
Anyway, I have been working on a little side project to make a "scooter" for touring around at large airshows and rod runs. Most of the normal scooters are pretty expensive, and
the batteries are expensive to purchase for limited use. Often "touring" requires going across grassy areas and the small scooter wheels aren't always good at it. I decided to take an old
Snapper rear engine mower and combine it with a cheap used Hoveround and see if I could come up with something better. Bought a Snapper for $150 and sold the motor for $125.
Bought a perfect Hoveround that was 10 years old and never used. $100 for that. So right now I have $125 tied up.
Now here are the two things that come to mind as far as being aircraft related. After looking at a lot of scooters, I realized they usually have some fairly lightweight and comfortable
seats on them. Some are pretty heavy because of the steel frames, but that can be removed and replaced with lighter stuff if need be. They often have simple fold forward mechanisms.
With a little creativity they could easily be adapted to single seat airplanes. Even if you just use the cushions, they are cheap to purchase used. If you buy a whole scooter, and end up with
the controls and motors, they could be converted to a simple tow motor. The batteries are expensive, but I made my scooter with a larger battery compartment. That way, I don't
have to buy the small expensive batteries just for use a few times a year. I can just grab two batteries out of one of the cars and tractor and use them when needed, and return them a few
days later. The point is that with a little creativity, for a hundred bucks or so you can get some seats for your plane and maybe have some other creation too. The Hoveround type wheel
chairs are very heavy duty with large seats. They have big motors (2) and the prices range all over the place. My understanding from a guy that buys and parts them out is that there is not
a good market for the used wheelchair type machines and most people buy the scooter type. Watching Craigslist for a while will usually eventually yield a good buy, or you can go to someone
who parts them out and get a good price on just a used seat. I decided the Hoveround seat was heavier and larger than what I wanted on my creation, so I gave another $30 for the small
leather seat in the pictures. Anyway, I don't want to get into all the safety discussion that often surrounds seat selection and construction. Just want to point out that its a source for cheap
seats that might be useable in small airplanes . (Note! They even have some that are extra wide for very large people.)
