My 11 yr old boy is DYING for a go cart. They run about 300 bucks used on craigslist. I am hesitant to let him get one (his saved up money) because we live in the country. We have an acre of dirt he could ride on, but I'm not sure these go carts can handle that? We have a 100 ft long paved driveway,but 'Im thinking he will get real tired of that pretty soon. We live off of a two' lane paved country road with no sidewalks and he wants to drive it out there. People do 40+ miles an hour on this road and Im thinking it would be dangerous for him to ride on that road.Especially since these sit so low tot he ground. What say you, mamas? Did you ever buy a go cart and regret it? Do they work on level dirt?( ones that are not specially called all terain)
My husband had a go cart at his grandparents home out at the lake, he still speaks fondly of that thing. he learned how to drive, how to repair it.. All sorts of things.
He saved the money, he needs to understand the rules, maybe you all (boy included) could flatten an area out there for him to drive on?
Would be a good thing to use in negotiations if he needs motivation.
I say get him a good helmet, set up rules with him included.
YES get the boy a go-cart! Just make sure he wears a helmet :)
our boys grew up with their go-kart. we just recently passed it on to another family with wiggly dirty young daredevils.
we never regretted it. our boys LOVED it. and yes, we had one broken wrist. but we're not one of those families who considers 100% safety to be the most important factor. my boys live big, now and when they were growing up.
khairete
S.
When I was growing up we had a go cart. Granted, the one we got had a roll cage. I couldn't tell you whether ours was considered "all-terrain" or not, but I can tell you we drove that thing all over my parents' back pasture. The only person who ever rolled it was my dad (who did it twice). We even took it out in the snow and pulled a sled behind it.
I would NOT let him ride on the road. I would think it would be fine on level dirt. In my mind, there's not much difference between packed, level dirt and a paved road (aside from the dust).
You could probably let him, and make sure you take him, with it on a trailer, to somewhere he could ride is safely.
The rules could be - You only ride on the driveway, unless we take it to the go carting spot.
It is illegal, I am pretty sure, to ride a non licensed vehicle on a road.
Hi,
I never got my kids a go cart, but they had ridden them at the amusement park places. A go cart will do fine on dirt, specially if it is level ground. I would however add a roll cage, plus demand that a helmet is worn at all times, just to be on the safe side. To make the place that he rides the go cart not so boring (your land), put out some old tires & make a course for him to do, like at the go cart places. Once he has mastered that course, change it up, add some dirt hills or a mud pit. You could even put out cones to weave around. This would help to teach him control, not to mention an early driving lesson.
I would NOT allow him to drive it on the road. 1) it is very dangerous & 2) it is illegal.
Best of luck to you.
C.
As you said, he would be tempted to want to ride it on the country road.. I've lived on those, and they can be very dangerous, especially since the go cart is so low to the ground. The 100 ft long driveway isn't very long, and yes, he would get tired of that pretty quickly. Even an acre of land isn't much... we have 1/2 for our yard, and I can't see it being much fun riding a go-kart on just that area....
Do you completely trust him to follow the rules on this one?
Get him the go cart. We have 2 acres and a go cart and small 4-wheeler. My 7 yo daughter and 10 yo boy ride both around here regularly. Good fun.
1. most small-size go carts are illegal on the road. If he does not have a place to keep him entertained, then he will be tempted to have fun on the road.
2. the larger go carts....hmmm, well, yes....they can be licensed. BUT he is underage & this would be illegal.
3. both of my sons had 49cc scooters. & even tho' that is legal, they were underage....& both (oh, the horror) were brought home by the local police. Oh, well. :)
4. Be very aware: if he rides off of your driveway, he will unintentionally destroy the landscaping/wear ruts thru-out. You will see the effects of this on the property.
5. yes, go carts are low profile. Mount several of those red flags on the back! & have you considered a 4wheeler or motorcycle to give him some height?
6. Both of my sons were raised on recreational vehicles, & I mean raised! Beginning with Power Wheels....my older son was 2 & my younger son was 1. They graduated to the real thing by school age. Zero accidents, & we always made sure to provide safe play areas.
7. AND #1 rule: buy a properly-rated helmet to be used at all times. :)
