Finally have an electric vehicle.

[Galane]

Behold! A Palmer Twosome! It's going to get a complete teardown, sandblast and paint the frame and wheels, fix the fenders, modify the seat to be a bit wider, with cushier new cushion and backrest. All new wiring and LED lights of course. And yes, a new cover for the top. Might go with pink and white stripes with white fringe for a Fantasy Island sort of thing... A plexi windshield and full soft cab would be nice to extend how long it can be used.

I'd like to drastically modernize the electronics and controls. I found a 1985 date on the manufacturer's label on the front fork. It has two very sad looking 220AH 6 volt golf cart batteries in it.

[puddleglum]

I think that is a pretty neat unit, not sure I like the pink and white stripes idea though. My question is, will you be able to use it anywhere? Are you planning to try and make it street legal?

[Frank Lee]

Needz a top chop, tote lid, and front suspension fork.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Since it's a 3-wheeler, it's pretty much easier to make it street-legal.

[Galane]

Even cooler is I took it in trade on a $150 parts bill for repairing a lawn tractor and garden tiller. Palmer is still in business and sells pretty much the same trike for almost $6,000! :-)

My folks,74 and 69 years old, figure they can use it to run around town, to the grocery store, McDonalds, Bi-Mart, hardware store etc. instead of taking the Mountaineer or Dakota.

Shouldn't be a problem, there are some other seniors running around town on golf carts and something the size of a GEM car, but it's not a GEM car. All warm weather rigs.

Watching some videos of the current Palmer Twosome, it appears to have a different drivetrain, the motor is farther forward and it doesn't have the shift lever that moves up and down.

This old one has a 5 speed Tecumseh transaxle, most likely the 800/801 series. It has a horizontal input shaft at one side and a short belt from the motor to that shaft.

If the axle shafts have their own bearings mounted to the frame, shouldn't be too hard to make changes to the drivetrain. Smaller, lighter, more powerful. We have the technology, we can rebuild it!

If the axles are just extensions from the transaxle and supported by it, then the easiest course will be just replacing the motor with a more efficient brushless DC and electronic control system. Not as efficient as a pair of motors and direct drive/reduction belts, but easier to do.

Palmer boasts that the Twosome can climb a 40% grade with a 150 pound load. They don't say at what speed it can do that. 'Course there's no 40% grades in this town but my folks aren't the sort of senior citizens that look like they've been left in the sun to dry. ;-) People frequently assume they're 10~20 years younger than they are.

[bizzybody]

Replaced the missing resistor coil yesterday and hooked up the big car battery charger. It runs!

Got on Craigslist and found a somewhat local place that works on golf carts and other electric vehicles. Asked if he had any 6V golf cart batteries and it just happens he recently did a replacement/upgrade on a cart.

$60 each for the tested good used ones and I can get 20 cents a pound out of the two 65 pound junkers.

Yay! Cheap batteries! I'll be able to get the trike usable while I figure out what to do for upgrades and modernization.

Just for fun I pimped out a new Twosome with all the options, choosing the most expensive of any that were mutually exclusive. Final tally was nearly $14,000!

I'll settle for a PWM controller that can handle the existing motor and perhaps a solar panel atop the surrey top. Might get that modified to a twin post style like the current models to make more room for a cargo box.

[Christopher Jordan]

Cool! Palmers seem to hold value for some reason; even on Craigslist. I have 3 low speed vehicles to avoid legal problems. All were on CL. The fastest one is a Chinese electric trike, but a canopy??? NAH!

[freebeard]

1901 Duryea

Kick the front wheel out and use brass lanterns fitted with HID bulbs.

[Christopher Jordan]

I was pleased to see an orange Elf 3-wheeler downtown in Santa Cruz. I saw this article - The Man Behind the ELF - EVWORLD.COM today and read that 400 sold. Thankfully the Elf and Naked Elf are not products that are "coming" or have a long waiting list.