It's been a minute since we last checked up on Grind Hard Plumbing Co., the YouTubers responsible for giving life to all our wildest 2am and caffeine-induced bad ideas. And, you'll never believe it, but they're still doing exactly that. This time, however, they're building something even I wouldn't get within 10 feet of.
You may recall that Grind Hard's last big build was something they called a Monster Chopper, as RideApart extensively covered the build. It was a custom tube-frame chassis with the heart of a KTM and the tires basically off a monster truck. The "motorcycle" was a gnarly thing, one that they did all sorts of events with, including a hill climb and riding (partially) to Sturgis for the annual show.
This build, however, puts that to shame.
What's better than two wheels? Three, apparently. Say hello to the Monster Trike, a diesel-powered three-wheeler with a tractor tire at the front and some seriously terrifying engineering. Don't believe that statement? During its initial steering test, it snapped in half...
Now, I will say, only part of the steering system failed. The trike, again powered by a diesel engine, has two steering setups: one at the rear and one at the front. And it was the front system, which is by far the more complicated of the two, that failed.
At the rear, a simple rear wheel steering system that's found in most other large electric SUVs and trucks, along with most Porsches and other sports and supercars, handles the wheels fine. Think crab-walk mode in GMC's new Hummer EV, turning the rear wheels only minorly with steering input.
The front system, however, that's all custom because, well, you sit in the front tractor wheel. You read that right.
See, trike layouts like Grind Hard's, i.e. one wheel at the front and two at the back, exist already and have steering systems that could've been grafted onto their trike. What isn't a thing is a steering system that lets you ride within the front wheel, turn said front wheel, while also working with the rear. All of which also has to work well enough, but only allow for so much angle, as to not kill the occupant within the front wheel. As you can imagine, that's a tall ask, even for the guys at Grind Hard Plumbing Co. who know a thing or two about insane tasks.
I won't give away why the whole thing snapped in half, but it's a solid one and this build is seriously one to watch.
