pic: Prototype 8 Wheel Drive Chasis

[AaronSonn]

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[jblay]

This chassis is just begging to have AM Shifters sit on top of those side rails.

Good looking chassis, looks like you will need to do a lot of machining on it. What's the clearance from the bottom of the chassis to the ground?

[steelerborn]

What is the sheet-metal thickness?

[Borobo]

you might want to think about putting another frame member somewhere in the middle of the side rails, especially with the heavy pocketing on the end members, it looks like it wouldn't be very rigid.

[AaronSonn]

Originally Posted by jblay

This chassis is just begging to have AM Shifters sit on top of those side rails.

Good looking chassis, looks like you will need to do a lot of machining on it. What's the clearance from the bottom of the chassis to the ground?

We have a laser cutting sponsor that would be able to cut the frame out, so the only in house machining is really the spacers and driveshafts. It has 1.125" clearance in the middle and 1" on either side.

[AaronSonn]

Originally Posted by steelerborn

What is the sheet-metal thickness?

.1"

[AaronSonn]

Originally Posted by Borobo

you might want to think about putting another frame member somewhere in the middle of the side rails, especially with the heavy pocketing on the end members, it looks like it wouldn't be very rigid.

There will be a cross member when there is a special function added.

[tzjin]

Why not have the gearboxes in the center? An 8WD needs to have a center of gravity somewhere over the two middle wheels, or it will rock violently while turning. Chain will also be nicer if its symmetric on both sides.

[Yalib]

If you bring the two middle wheels on each side closer to each other you would probably get better turning ability.. looks good!
good luck!

[sdcantrell56]

Originally Posted by Yalib

If you bring the two middle wheels on each side closer to each other you would probably get better turning ability.. looks good!
good luck!

If anything the center wheels should be further apart to avoid lots of rocking. 8wd with even spaced wheels already has a much shorter track length than a 6wd layout. Splitting the difference in lengths by spacing the center wheels apart seems to be the sweet spot.

[ttldomination]

Originally Posted by tzjin

Why not have the gearboxes in the center? An 8WD needs to have a center of gravity somewhere over the two middle wheels, or it will rock violently while turning. Chain will also be nicer if its symmetric on both sides.

I think if you maintain your COB on any portion of the DT, it'll really be ok. Sometimes, it's preferred that the gearbox is in the front/back to leave for a large mechanism/intake. Either way, I can say that on a 6WD it wasn't that bad, and I doubt it'll be as bad on a 8WD.

Originally Posted by Yalib

If you bring the two middle wheels on each side closer to each other you would probably get better turning ability.. looks good!
good luck!

Bringing the two middle wheels closer will allow for better turning, however, I think it will also cause relatively more rocking/disturbance. I suppose this is why we've seen various teams opt for the 8WD, but the middle wheels are actually spaced out *more* for added stability.

- Sunny G.

[tzjin]

A 6WD needs to be slightly off-balanced so it stays on the same 4 wheels while turning. However, I do see your point of having more room for a mechanism or controls system.