pic: Unobtainium 6wd - Cantilevered, Dead-Axle, Slot-Tensioned Drivetrain

[Jonathan Norris]

I'm pretty sure this would hold, over time you would probably see the slots warp a bit after repeated use. My main concern would be the flex in the main angle bar. The middle wheel would likely flex a decent amount when it had weight on it, if there wasn't any extra cross support in the middle of that system. I could see it flex enough in this configuration that it could almost negate a 1/8" center drop. But that flexibility could be interesting for a mecanum drive...

[MrForbes]

Interesting design, it might work for some games, but not for others.

We built a cantilevered dead axle drivetrain on our 2008 robot, using 1/2" threaded rod for the axles, and 1/8" thick 1x4" pultruded fiberglass for the frame members. We had an adjustable chain tensioner instead of slotted holes. It worked fine for the Overdrive game, since the playing field was flat and most of the action was driving laps.

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/photos/29697