5" Wheels

[lemiant]

I would like to be able to buy good 5" wheels, does anybody know of some?

[msimon785]

What was your reasoning behind choosing 5" wheels? Even number diameters are drastically more common. If this is for a FIRST bot, you'll have trouble finding wheels that you can mount easily, be it on live or dead shafts. I strongly suggest that if you need 5" wheels, you machine them yourself.

[lemiant]

What was your reasoning behind choosing 5" wheels? Even number diameters are drastically more common. If this is for a FIRST bot, you'll have trouble finding wheels that you can mount easily, be it on live or dead shafts. I strongly suggest that if you need 5" wheels, you machine them yourself.

Well I prefer smaller wheels, but my design wont allow for 4" wheels. I am aware of the relative scarcity of odd numbered wheels but I'm wondering if delphi knows any good sources.

[AdamHeard]

Well I prefer smaller wheels, but my design wont allow for 4" wheels. I am aware of the relative scarcity of odd numbered wheels but I'm wondering if delphi knows any good sources.

Colson wheels are good, albeit lower traction.

What's the application?

[msimon785]

These wheels are pretty awful, and likely not usable for any design which requires live wheels, but try anyways: http://www.amazon.com/Fairbanks-905-RB-5x1-1-Hi-Cap-Rubber/dp/B0026GFQZA

On further research, it seems that Banebots wheels come in a 4 7/8" size, which I'm assuming will work for your design.
http://banebots.com/c/WHB-WS-498

However, I warn that they're a pain to mount. That being said, they're fantastic wheels. Their driving surface is among my favorites.

Good Luck!

[Akash Rastogi]

On further research, it seems that Banebots wheels come in a 4 7/8" size, which I'm assuming will work for your design.
http://banebots.com/c/WHB-WS-498

However, I warn that they're a pain to mount. That being said, they're fantastic wheels. Their driving surface is among my favorites.

Good Luck!

That's the first positive review of a banebots wheel I've ever read (for driving).

I would recommend Colson Performa wheels, they come in 5" sizes but provide less traction.

http://www.colsoncaster.com/products/productdetails/default.aspx?productid=44

However, I would also recommend you work with a chassis design that allows for regularly available wheel sizes instead of restricted to 5". What is requiring a 5" wheel?

[Hawiian Cadder]

Mcmaster sells some nitrile rubber wheels that are 5 inches, but they are very heavy.

unless you go down to 4 inches, i dont think there is much of a performance gain between cots 5 inch wheels and cots 6 inch wheels.

[Brandon Holley]

Stogi and Adam-

Are you sure about the Colsons having less traction than a wedgetop/roughtop??


A member of our team did a ton of wheel traction testing as part of his capstone project...the results may surprise you guys.


-Brando

[O'Sancheski]

Stogi and Adam-

Are you sure about the Colsons having less traction than a wedgetop/roughtop??


A member of our team did a ton of wheel traction testing as part of his capstone project...the results may surprise you guys.


-Brando

Also during matches they tend to heat up. Making the rubber sticky and more traction. They also wear down pretty evenly.

[Andrew Lawrence]

WOAH! 5 inch wheels???!!! It's like the compactness of a 4 inch wheel, and the largeness of a 6 inch wheel! Amazing!

I googled (http://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ie=UTF-8&ion=1&nord=1#sclient=psy&hl=en&nord=1&site=webhp&source=hp&q=5%20inch%20wheels&pbx=1&oq=&aq=&aqi=&aql=&gs_sm=&gs_upl=&fp=9a0c6f3ce62500b5&ion=1&ion=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=9a0c6f3ce62500b5&biw=1280&bih=648&ion=1) 5 inch wheels, and found some good results.

[Aren Siekmeier]

If you're looking for a more customized wheel to suit your needs, and you have any crude lathing or milling abilities, you could consider making your own out of stock aluminum. Then you can make the diameter whatever you want, as well as customize other features like lightening pattern and how it fastens to sprockets and/or shafts.

Obviously, you should CAD the thing first, keeping in mind the limitations of whatever shop tools you have. Then, the actual machining process would be an excellent exercise for any student. We really need to give our students more jobs like this; they somehow can't ever drill a hole in the right spot, let alone mill something to spec.

Sorry if that was too unrelated to your inquest about buying wheels, but its an option that, while usually not as practical, shouldn't be totally ignored.

[Andrew Schreiber]

Stogi and Adam-

Are you sure about the Colsons having less traction than a wedgetop/roughtop??


A member of our team did a ton of wheel traction testing as part of his capstone project...the results may surprise you guys.


-Brando

Where can these results be found?

[AdamHeard]

Stogi and Adam-

Are you sure about the Colsons having less traction than a wedgetop/roughtop??


A member of our team did a ton of wheel traction testing as part of his capstone project...the results may surprise you guys.


-Brando

That's very interesting, I'd like to see the results.

[Brandon Holley]

Where can these results be found?

That's very interesting, I'd like to see the results.

Let me get the results from our teammate, and I'll publish them and repost with the location.

-Brando

[Jared Russell]

Let me get the results from our teammate, and I'll publish them and repost with the location.

-Brando

Has this happened?

[sanddrag]

Has this happened?
I too am interested. And, I'll throw in another vote for the Colsons, although they are a little heavy.

[Brandon Holley]

Embarrassingly no. We have a meeting tonight- hopefully I'll have time to pull the data off the computer while I'm there.

-Brando

[JesseK]

Colson rubber wheels heat up o.O

So what you're saying is that our robots should be doing side swerves in autonomous, like NASCAR racers do on pace laps? :ahh:

[thefro526]

Colson rubber wheels heat up o.O

So what you're saying is that our robots should be doing side swerves in autonomous, like NASCAR racers do on pace laps? :ahh:

Might be able to get away with spinning in circles for a few seconds at the end of auton.

The crowd always likes that. :D

[Jared Russell]

Embarrassingly no. We have a meeting tonight- hopefully I'll have time to pull the data off the computer while I'm there.

-Brando

Thanks. November is almost upon us, so it's time for my annual "what wheels might we want to consider" internal monologue.

[sdcantrell56]

Thanks. November is almost upon us, so it's time for my annual "what wheels might we want to consider" internal monologue.

COLSONS solve all problems. Done...no more internal monologuing