Quote:
Originally posted by dlavery
That's a fair question. ... But the gearbox kept working just fine all the way through. In a way, the problem was exacerbated by how well the gearbox did work - it was providing so much torque in low gear that the fiber belts in the treads were stretching, and that allowed the treads to climb up the flanges and get bound up. By the end of the competition, the treads were so chewed up they looked like they had been dropped in a meat grinder.
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As I said elsewhere, next year we go with WHEELS!!! 
-dave
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Dave,
I know EXACTLY how you feel. My fellow teammates and I are growing very tired of treads. For the little advantage they give in traction and climbability, they also give many headaches, breakdowns and inefficiencies. Maybe we should start a "I hate treads" club.
Note to any designer wanting to do treads: be careful, they are very difficult to deal with. Team 45 has been doing treads for 4 out of the last 5 years (3 metal, one timing belt), and there are many issues to deal with. In my opinion, treads are not worth the effort.
Andy B.