Originally Posted by
crackerdog
Well mine is a number of years old. Bought it from the original owners off Craiglist 6 months ago. The parts are mostly go-kart parts, it has 36 gears or so but it is so poorly designed that it is sad. It only has one wheel drive, which isn't too bad on a trike but with 4 wheels it is much easier to have the drive wheel spin on gravel. If only has a go-kart disc brake which only brakes one wheel. The shifters are located in such a way that you have to stop to shift gears and the passenger shifters on on the drivers steering column so the passenger can't shift without stopping and standing up. I was going to put disc brakes on the wheels (we have hills here) and a differential and move the shift levers but I got into other things so if someone wants it, for $1100 it is yours. These are made for flat smooth off-road places and would need tinkering to make it really useable.
I bought a 4-seater modified Rhoades Car to use for a Green business I was starting. I thought (for the money I was paying - $7500) that I was getting a high-quality quadricycle. Boy was I wrong.
Rhoades Car uses the cheapest, lowest quality components for their quadricycles. The bearings, cassette, shifters, wheels, etc., are terribly substandard for what one pays for a Rhoades Car.
I had my Rhoades Car only 2 weeks before the drive sprocket just broke apart - no load, hill, or speed stresses - it just broke apart. I was told by Rhoades Car that they've seen this happen quite a lot. I asked Rhoades Car why they don't change drive sprocket manufacturers and have never received an answer. Then, the replacement part they sent me was the wrong size, so I had to buy an 1/8" chain (can you believe the stock chain on the electric drive is 3/32" !?!) and use it.
I had just finished repairing the Rhoades Car drive sprocket and was out on my first job when 3 wheels folded on the Rhoades Car as I went over a bump. I was carrying around 400 lbs at the time. When I bought the machine Rhoades Car told me it could carry 1200 lbs. The wrecker home cost me $200.
I had a couple of bike shops in the area look at the wheels and they all said they folded because they were cheap, and said no cargo manufacturer uses rims like Rhoades Car as the rims Rhoades Car uses cannot withstand any lateral stresses.
So I bought much stronger wheels and put them on. On my 2nd ride with the new wheels, the right rear axle bearing on the Rhoades Car failed with a god-awful whining noise. Fortunately, I was able to make it home in my Rhoades Car - but just barely. That was over 2 months ago and it is still sitting where I left it.
The Rhoades Car is the cheapest, most poorly designed piece of crap I have ever seen. Here's another example for you: the rear wheels on a Rhoades Car 'float', i.e., they are free to slide on the axle - what holds them in place are the disc brake calipers! I kid you not.
Here's what they are saying in China:
罗兹车是垃圾
Whatever you do, DO NOT BUY A RHOADES CAR!!