bumper problem

[Vikesrock]

Originally Posted by lopz056

the bumpers are already 3 1/2 inches out of the robot, i wish i had some extra room. i really dont want to have to divide the bumpers (one on the two sides of the robot), because weve already welded the mounts and "prettified" the frame, so were not doing anymore welding

Well it looks like you have quite a few options here.

1. Ask the Q&A to verify the comments that have been posted here, all previous bumper questions have outlawed any modifications to the standard bumper system as described in the manual and I don't think this would be any different, but you can definitely try.

2. Change the design of the protruding shaft/pillow block setup so it does not protrude from the frame.

3. If you still fit in the 28"x38" box with the protruding pillow block (which you must do anyway), then you can use standoffs as suggested by usbcd36 to mount the bumpers outside the protrusion. If your bumpers are more than 3.5" thick I would examine whether or not they were designed according to official specs as a 2.5" diameter pool noodle and a 1/4" sheet of plywood do not add up to near 3.5". Mounts for the bumpers that are attached to the robot do not count towards this 3.5" and must fit within the starting dimensions of 28"x38".

4. Suck it up and split the bumper.

Regardless of which option you choose to go with, hopefully your team uses this as a learning experience. All parts of the robot design must be considered from the very beginning. This goes for big things (size, weight etc.) as well as small (flag holder, bumpers, RC visibility).