[Paul Copioli]

I can't find it now but I made a post a long time ago on this forum (maybe 2004 or 2005) titled "Gear ratio doesn't matter." The point of that post was that gear ratio alone doesn't matter, you have to take wheel diameter into consideration, too. In addition, weight has nothing to do with the optimal gear ratio either. Higher mass means that the wheel diameter for a given gear ratio (in this case a gear ratio of 1) must be smaller to generate enough force to counteract the weight (mass * g) and other acceleration of the mass. To simply show the relationship let's use simple F = ma. F in this case is T/Rw (torque divided by wheel radius) and a is g + your desired acceleration at max power. As you decrease your wheel radius you will increase your force which is needed for higher mass.

The bottom line is that the ability to climb the pole at all really only has to do with the motors and mass (in its simplest form). Motors represent the max available power. You just have to find the right combination to lift the mass.