[Qbot2640]

Many posts are indicating the same thing we do - rather than "multi-quote" them all - I just wanted to add:

The sharp but gentle tap on the back side of the tote with the chute door is what we've done, and I would venture to guess that we're 100% when this is done right. The times the tote has landed improperly were because of one of the two following faults: If you tap too hard or too long, you slow the tote too much and it lands on end....if you miss entirely and do not tap at all, it comes out erratically and will likely end up on it's side. SO...

Quick tap and lift (we've found that using both hands on opposite handles of the door is the best control) on the back portion of the tote...not so much to slow it down, as to "control" it's departure from the chute...is the key.

And "yes" to both - "practice, practice, practice" and "all chutes react differently". Our "practice field" style chute that we got from our kickoff field works perfectly, landing totes flat with no intervention at all...it had us at a major disadvantage in our first event, expecting the same results in competition that we had in the garage.