Thread: Tank Treads
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Unread 12-01-2010, 04:04
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M. Mellott M. Mellott is offline
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AKA: Mike Mellott
FRC #3193 (Falco Tech), FRC #48 (Delphi E.L.I.T.E.), FTC #9980 (FMF)
Team Role: Engineer
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Rookie Year: 2003
Location: Austintown, OH
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Re: Tank Treads

Team 48 has used Brecoflex belts with a lot of success over the years. Several pictures of past systems are available on CD. Some pointers:
  • Keep the belts properly tensioned, but not too tight
  • Protect the tread from sideload stresses as much as possible by using mutiple wheels/sliders along the area of the belt that contacts the ground, and keeping the "open" distance between the wheels/sliders to a minimum
  • Use a belt profile with a middle inner rib as opposed to flanged wheels--we typically used TK10-K13
  • If memory serves me right, we were using an 1880mm long belt with 4" wheels (2" boggie wheels) in our 36"-long tread module, and those belts were about $350...EACH...three years ago
Feel free to contact me if you have any other questions.
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