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Unread 11-08-2012, 00:33
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Tom Line Tom Line is offline
Raptors can't turn doorknobs.
FRC #1718 (The Fighting Pi)
Team Role: Mentor
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Rookie Year: 1999
Location: Armada, Michigan
Posts: 2,521
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Re: Plaction wheels Vs. the bridge (after 3 comps)

I can attest to this as well. Our 2010 plaction wheels (8 wheel skid steer) worked incredibly well - but we never once went over the bump. We never saw a crack.

This year (6 wheel drive skid steer) we never went over the bump. We used the bridges. We saw the exact same failure mode on every single wheel (24 of them). The outer lip used to retain the tread side to side cracks. This fracture propates, and many times will propogate through the rim. We drilled and riveted the tread on as the lips were all broken off our wheels. We have many with no lip at all now because it's all fractured off.

We have NEVER seen a spoke break or fracture.

The wheels appear to need a redesign: the rim and lip need to be significantly beefed up, and the spokes can be lightened to save some of the added weight from the rim and spokes.

I think I'm going to push for the new KOP wheels to be used next year - having a wheel that tread can come off would be nice.