Back Yard Hot Rod

With the Derecho of 2020 passing through our area in Eastern Iowa and causing a lot of damage to our black walnut trees we wanted to incorporate these back into our landscaping. Having used every part of the trees we had lost from the storm we were left with one larger trunk. My two boys are both into cars so we decided to create a back yard hot rod for them to play on.

One large tree trunk minimum 18"diameter by minimum 3' long

one limb about 4-6" in diameter to use for the steering wheel

chainsaw

Sawzall

hammer & chisel

20 - 3" long outdoor deck screws or lag screws

one 1/4" x 4" long lag screw with two washers

The log should be long enough that you can cut 4 wheels out of it and still have at least 32" left. The one I had was a bit too short so I used another log to provide two of the wheels.

I cut two wheels from the existing log that were about 1" thick making sure to try and get a good straight cut. The original plan was to cut the two front wheels from the narrower part of the log and the back wheels from the back of the log. After mocking up after making the first two cuts I realized I wouldn't have enough of the log left to cut. So I used a different log I found to use for two of the wheels.

Before cutting the seat I made sure the log was laying on the flattest part, then I measured a section that was 18" wide and made marks on top of the log so I knew where to cut. I also marked about half way down the log so I knew when to stop cutting. Using a chain saw I made the two initial cuts on each end. Then on one side I made cuts every 1/2" or closer until I got to the width of my chain saw. Then I broke off or chiseled out those pieces so I could then make the horizontal cut with the chainsaw along the bottom (there is probably an easier way to do this step) . After my youngest son sat in the seat I realized it was a bit too small so I cut off a 2" section with the chainsaw.

After I got the seat dimensions right I chiseled off any high points then did a quick sanding to make it smooth.

I found a smaller branch that was about 5" in diameter and cut off a 1.5" section. Then on the seat (front side) I cut at a 45 degree angle a place to attach the steering wheel. I pre drilled a 5/16" hole through the center of the steering wheel. Then I put one washer on each side of the steering wheel as I pushed the 1/4" lag bolt through the steering wheel to attach it to the car. This way the steering wheel will spin. using a socket or wrench tighten the steering wheel to the 45 degree cut on the car.

I decided to try and mimic a 5 bolt pattern to attach the wheels. This is why I used 20 3" lag bolts, you could easily just use a few 1/4" lag bolts or screws to attach the wheels. The main thing is to make sure the wheels sit flat on the ground so it doesn't roll side to side. The location of where I want to put this car was on a hill so I slightly angled the wheels so it would sit level. I cut out a 5 bolt pattern out of a piece of plastic to replicate the pattern with all 4 wheels. It is important to not over tighten the screws if going with this method as it could crack or break the wheels. The longer the log you can get the wider you can cut your wheels.

Set the car in your landscaping and project complete, you can add paint, sidewalk chalk, or stain if you want to complete it. We chose to leave it natural and let it age over time. We selected a spot in our landscaping that we made a path (road) that will be our next project to landscape with the pavers in the picture and a different color mulch from the brown much used on our hill side.