The humble kei truck already proved its worth as a rugged off-roader, a spacious camper and a pocket-sized truck capable of carrying around all your hopes and dreams. Now, a plucky wrencher has converted a kei trick to run on rails proving, once and for all, that there’s simply nothing the Kei truck can’t do.
The truck in question was built by self-professed “wannabee engineer” Preston Summerrow, who runs the Prestongoes channel over on YouTube. There, he built a name for himself embarking on all manner of automotive projects, including building a bespoke underground go-kart and making his own jet pack.
The latest build is a tad less ambitious and a whole lot more lovable. Summerrow is modify a kei truck so that it can explore mile after mile of abandoned railroad track in America.
How to turn a kei truck into a rail-riding machine
Summerrow’s latest project kicks off with a kei truck: the pocket-sized class of vehicle that is common in Japan and slowly winning fans across America. We love a kei truck here at Jalopnik, as they can be customized to create adorable camping rigs, have more bed space than some American trucks twice their size and, generally, look wonderful.
For his build, Summerrow set about fabricating a set of axles for the front and rear of the truck, which could be dropped down to allow the truck to run on America’s abandoned train tracks. Once the train wheels are down, the truck’s own tires then sit on the rails and propel it forward, simple enough, right?
The project starts with the revelation that yes, a kei truck is about as wide as a set of train tracks, so that’s a start. There’s still a lot of work to get the truck running straight and true, however.Â
What has this build added?
Once the Honda pickup is lugged into a workshop, Summerrow sets about fabricating the parts he needs. This begins with a set of support beams that are fitted to the underside of the tiny truck, which will hold the weight of the train wheels and help lock the new axle into position.
The next step is to weld the train wheel axle in place, which included fabricating a hinge for the wheels to lift up and drop down. A boat winch is added to lock the train wheels in place, and a regular winch is strapped to the front to help remove any obstacles from the abandoned railroad Summerrow plans to explore.
On a quick test of the concept, it works! Summerrow manages to lower the conical wheels he’s fitted to the front of the truck down onto the railway tracks, and the boat winch secures them in place nicely. With the front wheels of the truck lifted up off the rails, the rear provides all the power needed to move it forward smoothly. Nice work.
Where will the kei truck go?
To add a bit more stability and increase control for the truck when navigating corners, Summerrow adds a second set of conical wheels to the rear of the truck, which rely on the same winch setup he fitted up front. Then, with the wheels widened by a couple of inches, Summerrow signs off the build as complete.
The truck looks great and is now ready for its big adventure on America’s abandoned railroads. For the truck, Summerrow is planning a trip to Idaho to explore an enormous bridge that’s been out of use for decades. It looks like it’s going to be a lot of fun, and is one to watch out for when an update to the build project is released.
If this whet your appetite for ambitious kei truck builds, then you’re in luck as we have a boat load of them. To find out how good a six-wheel kei truck is at off-roading, head here. Or, if you want to see how fast a jet-powered kei truck can be, then head here.
