[MrForbes]

Thanks for your comments, it sounds like you have a pretty good understanding of the design and it's advantages and disadvantages.

Weight is always an issue, but we think that a 13 lb bare frame is pretty competitive with other designs. We also like to keep the weight down low, so we go to extra trouble to make the stuff "up top" as light as possible, and generally don't worry about carrying some weight in the chassis. Plus the added thickness of the side rails gives it quite a bit of extra torsional stiffness.

We want to get some transmissions and motors and chains on the prototype chassis right away when we get the KOP, and see how it handles driving.

There are lots of different ways to build a wood chassis, this is just one idea. Other suggestions are welcome!