Treads, Tracks, Tank system Talk/Help

[bmusser]

when I was a mentor with 226 we had a tank drive for two years. We used brecoflex belts for tank treads. The hobbling that we experienced was from the track trying to scrub off the friction while turning. We ended up using an adjustable center wheel that was lower than the rest to provide better turning similar to what is used on 6-wheel bots. Not sure how low it ended up being, but I know it was between 1/8" and 1/4" lower than the rest. Gear ratios depend on the game for that year. We used a two speed shifter to give us more flexibility. Older games tended to need a lot of traction and had a lot of pushing/pulling, so we had one gear that was real low. We also had a high gear that provided around 12fps. As far as belt tension, we used a wheel that pushed down on the belt that adjusted using a jack bolt. We would tighten the bolt until the wheel was putting the right tension on the tread and then tighten a jam nut so it would not come loose. Feel free to PM me if you want any other info.