User:Tyler Wilson

Tyler Wilson

I'm a student in the college of engineering at UCSB. I am a first year Mechanical Engineering major.

A ride on cooler is a means of transportation that can also store and cool beverages or other food products. There are two different main designs for the motor of the cooler: the electric motor, and the gas powered lawnmower engine. The ride on cooler is a combination of a low horsepower, or small electric, engine with a go-cart frame which uses the cooler as a seat.

Engine
One option for the gas engine is the 6.0 Robin Subaru OHV Engine. This is a smaller engine that can be found very powerful, ”making them suitable for homeowners, recreational user and light-duty professional users.” Another option that can be used for the motor are electric motors ranging from 250 to 1000 watts. The electric motors can be lighter and more energy efficient, and also don’t have the excessive noise that the gas motors will produce. Taking off the excess weight of the gas tank and fuel allows the electric powered coolers to be lighter.

Frame
The frame also consists of two main styles of design: three wheels with a single steering wheel out front, or the four wheel design as in the average go cart. The steering column of a gas-powered ride on cooler is very similar to that of the go-cart. However, one major difference in the designs is the position of the steering wheel. For the go-cart the steering wheel needs to be angled toward the driver so he can sit lower to the ground and thus make it easier to maintain control at higher speeds; although, on the ride on cooler the steering column needs to be vertical because the seat is so high and the driver sits much more vertical on the ride on cooler.

Uses
The ride on cooler can be used for a variety of different events. It has the ability to transport any type of food or drinks short distances, and it can be used in places such as: a small backyard, a neighborhood, or at other large out door parties. The ride on cooler also comes equipped with a little trailer hitch so it can tow an extra cooler as a trailer. The extra trailer cooler is capable of holding much more than the drivable cooler, the extra room comes from the lack of engine on the trailer. Most of the ride on coolers advertise that they are capable of holding twenty-four twelve oz cans with a bag of ice and the trailer can hold up to 72 twelve oz cans along with ice.

Specifications
Both types of motors, gas and electric, are support by a wide range of power. The electric motors range from 250 watts to up to 1000 watts and generally run off of twelve-volt batteries. The gas-powered engines on the other hand range from 33 cubic centimeters (cc) to 39cc engines. The gas-powered cruizin cooler advertises a top speed of thirteen mph and can travel up to 30 miles before running out of gas. It holds up to a gallon of gas so the mileage is thirty miles to the gallon. The size of the engine has a lot to do with the initial weight of the cooler. For the smaller electric engines the weight can be as little as 65 pounds and for the larger engine the unloaded weight can be almost 100 pounds. Most of the ride on coolers can support up to three hundred pounds while still running at full capacity.