Have anybody had any experince with this brand of go-cart? I was looking at the big one, 7.8 hp 150cc 4 stroke. How are these things off road? My last go cart really sucked on anything but hard ground.

 

look around, im not the biggest fan of yerfdogs, some of there parts are really rare, like the tap on engine shaft

 

After three years of helping out at my son's gokart shop - his full time job, my hobby - I've worked on a lot of recreational 'yard' karts. Yerf Dog karts are definately below par. They fool the unknowing with some clever styling, but deliver poor mechanical design, poor materials and poor manufacturing. Specifically; bushings where bearings should be, too few and too small welds, undersized tubing, poor maintenance access, and undersized tires.

We looked at several brands before we decided to sell Manco karts. Even the Manco karts are not super-tuff, like a good 4-wheeler. But for what they are, the Manco karts are a safe bet. They are sold a lot of places, sometimes under different brand names. For example, Tractor Supply Company sells them branded as Silver Fox. I've also seen them branded as Rattler. You can tell, because no matter what the brand is, the models are the same, i.e. 405, 606, XTK 707, XTK 710, XTK 713, etc. The first number is the series and the next two are the HP rating.

Manco now uses Robin Subaru OHV engines, which I truly believe are right there with Honda OHV engines. The thing to look for no matter what brand is "fit for use". By that I mean, how are you going to use it, and does the kart meets those needs? If you're going to be off-road - cow pastures, wooded trails, a few minor water crossings - you seriously need a solid rear axle (drives both wheels), a torque converter power train (variable-ratio, belt-drive primary with chain-drive to the axle), shocks, and robust knobby tires.

I've worked on karts by Murray, Carter, BKS, and several that were unidentified. The BKS were as tough as nails - designed and built by farm boys - but are no longer in production. Too bad. The Murray karts must have been designed by someone British, with the steering wheel on the right side, in their two-seater models.

Rather than fill up the forum space, you can email me if you have any more questions.

Glad to help if I can,

 

That info was great. Just what I needed. I will research the other names you mentioned. I currently ride a KDX 220 and was thinking of getting my wife something like a cart to cruise around with. If I did though I would want something that would suit my needs as well in case I wanted to use it. Really new to the kart scene and really need to do my homework. Thanks again..