Quick question about 6wd!

[Chuck Glick]

Often on a 6WD, the center wheel is lowered anywhere from 1/8" to 1/4" depending on the amount of rock wanted. Because of this, the robot only hase contact with 4 wheels on the ground at a time, resulting in less friction on turns. If the COG is dead center, then the bot wants to stay on those 2 center wheels, which allows for the easy turning.

Another method to make them easy to manuver is putting omni wheels on the ends. (See 488's base from this year) This allows for the same traction as a rocker style 6wd, but the dropped center wheel is un-needed.

As for disadvantages, the only one I can think of is it can be heavy, but there are easy ways to fight this, such as using a 25 chain rather than a 35 chain.