Parts of a Rickshaw Named on Auto and Cycle Models

The parts of a rickshaw are built around a three-wheeled chassis, with one wheel at the front and two at the rear. A handlebar steers the front wheel, and a canvas hood is stretched over the passenger bench behind the driver.

An auto rickshaw drives the rear axle with an engine, and a cycle rickshaw drives it with pedals and a chain. Each part is bolted or welded to the chassis at a fixed position.

Parts of a Rickshaw Labeled on an Auto Rickshaw in Side View

In side view, the handlebar and the single front wheel are at the nose. A windshield is fitted ahead of the driver cab, and a roof extends back over the seats. The engine and the rear axle are mounted to the chassis between the two rear wheels. These are the parts of a rickshaw, and the parts of an auto rickshaw, as mechanics and body builders name them.

Rickshaw Cab and Steering Parts

The cab is the front compartment of an auto rickshaw, and these parts of a rickshaw are the ones the driver operates.

Handlebar

The handlebar is the steering bar at the front of the cab. A twist throttle grip, a gear-shift grip, and a brake lever are fitted to it. On a handlebar model, it turns the front fork directly. Some wheel-steered e-rickshaws use a steering wheel with a column and a linkage instead.

Front Fork and Wheel

The front fork is a pair of tubes that hold the single front wheel on its axle and pivot with the handlebar. A coil spring inside a damper tube absorbs shock from the road. The wheel is a steel rim fitted with a tire.

Front Mudguard

Among the parts of a rickshaw, the front mudguard is a curved sheet-metal fender fixed to the fork over the front wheel. It blocks the water and mud thrown up by the tire.

Headlight

The headlight is a round lamp mounted on the nose of the cab or on the front mudguard. Two small indicator lamps are set on either side of it on newer models.

Windshield

The windshield is a glass or plastic screen set in a metal frame ahead of the driver. A single wiper arm sweeps the glass in an arc from a pivot at the base of the frame.

Driver Seat

The driver seat is a padded bench at the front of the cab, built over the engine bay on older models. A steel partition separates it from the passenger bench.

Rickshaw Body and Passenger Parts

The body is the sheet-metal shell behind the driver cab, and these parts of a rickshaw hold the passengers.

Hood

The hood is the roof among the parts of a rickshaw body, made of canvas stretched over a tubular steel frame. Its rear edge extends over the passenger bench, so the hood protects both the cab and the seat from rain and sun.

Passenger Bench

The passenger bench is the padded rear seat, wide enough for three passengers behind the driver. A standard rickshaw seats four, counting the driver. The backrest is vinyl over a steel frame.

Side Curtains

Side curtains are drop-down sheets of plastic or canvas that close the open sides of the cab and the bench. Snap fasteners fix each curtain to the hood frame, and the curtains roll up when the weather is dry.

Body Panels

The body panels are the pressed sheet-metal sides and the front cowl, riveted or welded to the chassis. They enclose the engine bay and form the lower walls of the cab.

Rickshaw Chassis and Drive Parts

The chassis and the drive form the structural base. The parts of a rickshaw in this group bear the load of the body and the passengers.

Chassis

The chassis is the steel frame beneath the body, built from welded tubes and channel bars. It joins all the parts of a rickshaw into one structure. The front fork, the engine mount, and the rear axle housing are fixed to it.

Engine

The engine is a compact unit mounted beneath the driver seat on older rickshaws and at the rear on newer ones. Fuel options are gasoline, diesel, CNG, and LPG. Electric models use a motor in place of it.

Rear Axle and Wheels

The rear axle is the steel shaft that joins the two rear wheels and turns them. Each wheel is a steel rim with a tire, and a rear mudguard curves over it.

Brakes

The brakes are the parts of a rickshaw that stop all three wheels, and they are the main safety system. Each wheel has a drum brake, a steel drum that holds a pair of brake shoes. A foot pedal works the rear brakes, and a hand lever on the handlebar works the front.

Rickshaw Drivetrain Parts

The drivetrain moves power from the engine to the rear wheels. These parts of a rickshaw are placed between the engine and the rear axle.

Clutch and Gearbox

A clutch lever on the left grip disconnects the engine from the gearbox during a gear change. The gearbox is a manual unit with four forward gears and one reverse on most models, and a gear-shift grip selects the gear.

Driveshaft and Differential

The driveshaft transmits torque from the gearbox to the differential in the rear axle housing. The differential lets the two rear wheels turn at different speeds in a corner.

Accelerator

The accelerator is the twist throttle on the right grip. Turning it opens the throttle and raises engine speed.

Fuel Tank and Exhaust Pipe

The fuel tank is a steel tank mounted under the driver seat or behind the cowl. The exhaust pipe runs from the engine to a muffler at the rear of the chassis, where it reduces noise.

Suspension

Front suspension is the spring and damper in the fork. The rear has leaf or coil springs with hydraulic shock absorbers between the axle and the chassis.

Rickshaw Lighting and Safety Parts

The lamps, mirrors, and restraints among the parts of a rickshaw make the vehicle visible to traffic and protect the people inside.

Rickshaw Lamps and Horn

Turn signals are small indicator lamps beside the headlight. The horn is fixed to the cowl and is sounded from the handlebar. A red tail lamp and two reflectors mark the rear of the body.

Mirrors and Seat Belts

Two rearview mirrors are fixed to the cab frame, one on each side. Newer models add seat belts on the driver seat and the passenger bench. The speedometer is a dial in the handlebar console.

Cycle Rickshaw Parts

The parts of a cycle rickshaw differ from the auto model, since a cycle rickshaw is a pedal-driven tricycle with a passenger seat. The parts of a cycle rickshaw follow those of a bicycle.

Frame

The frame is a welded steel tube structure that joins the driver saddle, the handlebar, the rear axle, and the passenger seat. Its front half matches a bicycle frame, while its rear half is extended into a platform.

Pedals and Chain

Pedals turn a chainring, and a chain drives a sprocket on the rear axle. Rim brakes press blocks against the wheel rims to stop the rickshaw. Cycle rickshaws outside Asia have multiple gears and stronger brakes. Electric-assist models add a motor, such as the 500-watt unit on the German CityCruiser.

Passenger Seat and Hood

In Bangladesh, India, and China, the passenger seat is behind the driver. In Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, and Vietnam, it is in front of the driver. Bangladeshi cycle rickshaws have a folding hood, which is a canvas roof on curved metal bows.

Footrest

A footrest is a steel bar or plate fixed to the frame in front of the passenger seat. It braces the feet of the passengers and keeps their feet off the front wheel.

Rickshaw Types and Their Added Parts

The parts of a rickshaw change with the type. An e-rickshaw, a cargo rickshaw, and a sidecar rickshaw each alter the body or the drive.

E-Rickshaw

An e-rickshaw replaces the engine and the fuel with a battery pack, an electric motor on the rear axle, and a controller. The electric bike page names the same battery, motor, and controller parts.

The battery pack is lead-acid or lithium-ion and is mounted under the passenger bench. A brushless motor with a reduction gear turns the rear axle. The controller regulates current from the battery to the motor in an e-rickshaw.

A DC-DC converter steps the battery voltage down for the lamps and the horn. A charging port takes the charger cable, and a wiring harness joins every electrical part. Many e-rickshaws use a steering wheel with a column and linkage in place of the handlebar.

Cargo Rickshaw

A cargo rickshaw replaces the passenger bench with an open rear bed, built on the same chassis and rear axle. The hood is removed or cut back to the cab.

Sidecar Rickshaw

A sidecar rickshaw mounts a passenger sidecar to a three-wheeled motorcycle or to a bicycle. The Philippine pedicab is made by fitting a sidecar to a regular bicycle.

Related:

• Parts of a Scooty

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