Ride-on cooler

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 power, or small electric, engine with a go-cart frame which uses the cooler as a seat.

Design

Engine

Gas engine options include 5 and 6.5 hp (3.7 and 4.8 kW) Briggs, 6.5 hp (4.8 kW) OHV greyhound (Harbor Freight) engine, and 6.5 hp (4.8 kW) Honda engines. These small engine can be made very powerful, making them suitable for homeowners, recreational user, light-duty professional users and even racing. The fastest ride on cooler use modified racing Kart engines producing over 14 hp (10.4 kW) and capable of speeds exceeding 70 mph (110 km/h).^[1] Another option that can be used for the motor are electric motors ranging from 250 to 2,000 watts (0.3 to 2.7 hp). 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 fuel tank and it's contents allows the electric powered coolers to be lighter and silent.

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 has the ability to transport food or drinks short distances and it can be used in places such as a small backyard, a neighborhood, or at large out door parties. The ride on cooler can come equipped with a trailer hitch so it can tow an extra cooler as a trailer. The extra trailer is capable of holding much more than the drivable cooler, the extra room comes from the lack of engine on the trailer. The electric 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 of 12 US fl oz (355 ml) cans along with ice. Larger gas powered coolers are capable of carrying up to 72 drinks and 15 pounds (6.8 kg) of ice in the front cooler compartment.

Specifications

Both types of motors, gas and electric, can have a wide range of power. The electric motors range from 250 watts (0.3 hp) to up to 2,000 watts (2.7 hp) and generally run off of twelve to sixty volt batteries^[2] batteries. The gas-powered engines on the other hand range from 33 to 205 cubic centimetres (2.0 to 12.5 cu in) engines. The gas-powered cruizin cooler^[3] advertises a top speed of 13 miles per hour (21 km/h) and can travel up to 30 miles (48 km) before running out of gasoline.^[4] It holds up to 1 US gallon (3.79 l; 0.83 imp gal) of gasoline so the mileage is 30 mpg_-US (7.8 L/100 km). CoolerRacer.com builds a race version with a top speed of 70 miles per hour (110 km/h) and a tank of gas can last several hours to all weekend depending on how fast and the terrain. 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 (29 kg) and for the larger engine the unloaded weight can be almost 100 pounds (45 kg). Most of the ride on coolers can support up to 300 pounds (140 kg) while still running at full capacity.

Legal status

The legal status of the ride on cooler varies from country to country, and in US state to state. In some jurisdictions a driver's license is required to ride one on the public highway and a consumer can be convicted of drunken driving for riding one.^[5]

References