Vex Versachassis

[Chris is me]

Originally Posted by Andrew Lawrence

Looking at the capabilities of this chassis, I'd say any team, rookie or pro, who doesn't use the VersaChassis is going to be at a disadvantage in 2014 compared to everyone else, solely because of the time saved that can be used to work on scoring mechanisms.

You can't possibly make such a huge blanket statement like this. I'm reasonably confident that at least one team in FRC can finish a drivetrain before the VersaChassis parts arrive in the mail, assuming they order on Kickoff. So that's time and money saved. Not to mention that man-hours aren't simply interchangeable like that.

It's a fantastic drivetrain, don't get me wrong, and it will be of tremendous help to many teams, but don't be ridiculous.

Anyhow, to answer the OP: Kitbot on Steroids is about 42 pounds with motors and without electronics; this chassis can cut that number down a lot (I've heard 30 pounds thrown around). It is worth noting the cost of this drivetrain though - it's going to be at least $120 in bearing block parts, $40 in frame, $20 in gussets, $40 in shafting, $120 in gearboxes (2 reduction single speed), $60 in bearings, and ~$60 in sprockets and chain. All assuming you still have CIMs and live axle wheels lying around.

So you're looking at a $460 drivetrain, compared to a free frame and gearboxes in the kit of parts. If you already opted out of the kit, then factoring in $450 of free AndyMark stuff which could replace some Vex components makes the drive a bit cheaper. It will take a little work to assemble, but it seems like you just need a drill, a saw, and a credit card to pull it off.

It's all about tradeoffs, really. Depends on your team and your situation, but it is certainly a really tempting drive that you should seriously consider. WCD has never been easier.