[Ianworld]

My team initially had a tank tread design. It was optimal we figured because we could keep ourselves very low to the ground and easily get up the ramp. We had about 3/8" to 5/8" inches of clearance on our chassis depending on where you measured. However at our first regional this year our treads all sheared so we were forced to convert our robot into a 2WD set up. We wrapped the tread around the one driven pulley and put some smooth material on the front pulley. We just assumed at this point that the ramp was out of the question. However in one of our matches an opposing team gingerly pushed us up their ramp and plopped us on the top of their ramp. It got us thinking and we took our robot over to the practice field. Turns out with 2WD and less than half an inch of ground clearance we can still scrape our way onto the top of the ramp. Its not pleasant and once we peak at the top our drive wheels hang in the air, but its far from unreasonable and its perfect for last second ramp point scoring. So onc can get up with basically no clearance that means. We still have about 6" wheels but thats just due to the nature of the tank tread drive train. At our regional next week we're going to modify the drivetrain again to either a 4WD or possibly a 6WD set up. 4WD won't help us get up the ramp, but a 6WD set up would make it even easier. Our other idea is put delrin or HDPE slides on the bottom of the chassis to make it glide more easily over the top.