Gearboxes on Back Wheels

[vigneshv]

Hi!
We want to use the WCP DS gearbox, but we can't find space for it on the center wheel due to frame & height restrictions. Are there any drawbacks to placing the gearbox on the back wheel?

[PowerfulKitty]

I assume you are doing a direct drive. Having all that weight in the back is going to cause your robot to lean back, assuming you are using a drop center. This could particularly be an issue if you are using an 8wd, because having your back four on the ground probably wouldn't turn nice. You can counterweight the gearboxes with the battery on the front end if this actually does become an issue. As far as power delivery, we've run it before without issue. Proper space for your ball manipulator will be much more important than which wheel you put your gearbox on.

We are planning on doing an 8wd drop center with the gearboxes mounted between the rear and rear-center wheels, not direct drive, and I don't think it will be an issue.

[cbale2000]

I would also add, if your gearbox direct drives a wheel, keep in mind that whatever wheel it drives will always work regardless of what happens to the chains/belts of the other wheels. If the direct driven wheel is always touching the ground, you don't have a problem. If it's not always touching, you may loose all function in that side of your drive if a chain/belt breaks.

Just something to keep in mind.