Crate Help

[Mark McLeod]

The FedEx shipping is donated to teams, but please don't go over the 400 lb limit.
While being over 400 lbs will earn you additional charges from the local drayage company that stores your crate (that you will pay and may be willing to absorb), the long distance FedEx portion of it counts against FIRST HQ's allocation and FIRST HQ gets charged at the end of the year for all team FedEx overages beyond the donated shipping max.

You can put what you want in the crate, with proper outside labeling for the batteries as hazardous materials.

We try to block the frame up keeping the wheels from supporting the robot during shipping. Crate drops from loading on/off the truck and being shoved around are better absorbed by the main support frame of the robot.

We add eyelets to the sides around the bottom and midway up the crate to use as tiedown points. Then use wide straps wrapped around the robot bag mid to top points of the robot superstructure that gets tied to the mid-level eyelets. Same around the bottom.

We reinforce the walls of the lower foot or so of the crate on the two forklift ends to better sustain incidental forklift misses. I'd suggest putting the door, especially if it's hinged, on a side the forklift won't use. We've lost a couple of doors to near misses by forklift operators over the years.

[Jon Stratis]

For securing the robot in the crate, we've always elevated it on some 2x4's (to keep the wheels off the ground and give a solid mount to the frame) and bolted through the robot frame (and bag) into the 2x4. Small holes in the bag for a few screws to secure the robot to the crate aren't a big deal.

This was easier when we have the c-channel KOP frames, but we managed to do something similar this year with the new KOP frame, driving the screws in diagonally through the side of the frame (There are some nice, large holes in the side that work for this) and using some small plates to ensure the frame didn't pull through them.

[popnbrown]

Originally Posted by Mark McLeod

We add eyelets to the sides around the bottom and midway up the crate to use as tiedown points. Then use wide straps wrapped around the robot bag mid to top points of the robot superstructure that gets tied to the mid-level eyelets. Same around the bottom.

I think I understand the bottom, I'm not exactly sure how you tie it down in the mid. Do you wrap it around the robot and basically tighten it enough so that the robot would be hitting the wrap either way it went?

Originally Posted by Mark McLeod

We reinforce the walls of the lower foot or so of the crate on the two forklift ends to better sustain incidental forklift misses. I'd suggest putting the door, especially if it's hinged, on a side the forklift won't use. We've lost a couple of doors to near misses by forklift operators over the years.

How do you reinforce the lower foot? I'm planning on building a frame and mounting the 1/2" plywood to the frame. So there's a 2x2 at the bottom of all four sides, do you recommend throwing another 12" piece of 1/2" plywood at the bottom?

[Mark McLeod]

Originally Posted by popnbrown

I think I understand the bottom, I'm not exactly sure how you tie it down in the mid. Do you wrap it around the robot and basically tighten it enough so that the robot would be hitting the wrap either way it went?

It depends on what shape the superstructure takes, but in general the strap is tight around some firm or substantial parts of the robot high up around the bag. Then the strap is tied to the eyelets either with left over strap or additional pieces of rope.
It forms a sort of spiderweb cushion for when the crate is tipped. Even tight, the ropes give a little spring to absorb shocks from drops, tilts, rough roadbeds.

Originally Posted by popnbrown

How do you reinforce the lower foot? I'm planning on building a frame and mounting the 1/2" plywood to the frame. So there's a 2x2 at the bottom of all four sides, do you recommend throwing another 12" piece of 1/2" plywood at the bottom?

We add additional inside plywood for a foot or two up the front and back. The highest a forklift has speared our crate has been about a foot and a half above the floor. None of our robots have been damaged luckily, but they have gotten through the first layer of plywood.

[801DOC]

Here is a picture of our crate at Championships last year. It is now in its 5th year and still going strong.

Its basic features are that it splits in half with shelves that can be stowed to accommodate the robot. It has 4x4s on the bottom to assist with forklifting and we use a removable transportation adapter that can be attached to our cart to move the robot around. We used a thinner plywood on the sides for weight and have transported a robot, bumpers, banners and a robot cart in the same crate in the past.

In the pits, we use the bottom half for tote storage and the top hals as a work space. We install lighting on the top to add additional lighting in the pits but they can be easily removed and positioned on the robot if needed.

I have a .zip file with detailed pictures and can email it to you, and anyone else who desires. I think there are currently 5-10 teams who are using this design.

EVERYDAY!
DOC

"If you can't be perfect, at least be unforgettable." -DOC

[popnbrown]

I'm going to be ambitious and go for this split design. How do you hold the two half bottom pieces together? Unless the bottom piece comes out completely?