The frame/chassis can be made using round tube or box section steel.
You should really do some research yourself or ask the advice of someone who knows what they are talking about regarding the dimensions of the metal required.
A good rule of thumb is to look at your engine/drive train and estimate the weight you will be hauling about. A motorcycle engine is not going to pull a half ton of steel around and a car engine is not safe with a frame made of half inch diameter tubing.
Do NOT use conduit or scaffolding poles. They are not designed to be stressed and will flex.
If you can afford CDS(cold drawn seamless) tubing, go for that, if not a good quality mild steel. Schedule 40 is what I have used in the past.
Box section is useful if you want an angular look and does not require bending, also it is supposed to be stronger than tube.
Make sure you can weld, this may sound like a peculiar tip, but you would be surprised at how many people, new to trike building, seem to think that they don`t need to weld anything together.
If you can`t weld then learn, see if there
are night classes near you, for one thing you will save yourself a lot of money.
Most countries in the world have some sort of inspection of vehicles, most of them annually. This weeds out the poorly constucted vehicles that could be a danger on the road.
You may also need an Engineers Report for your insurance company.
Here in the UK the the rules for trikes have changed. As of July2003 the weight limit for 'Motorcycle Trikes' will be 1000Kg, and the maximum length will be four metres. Anything over these figures will be classed as a car Trike and will have to go through the full SVA test.
Anything registered before this date will of course be exempt.
Full details have not been published yet,but I have seen an outline on The Trike Register site. (Click on logo)
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