pic: 2996 Octocanum Prototype

[Chris is me]

Originally Posted by jnicho15

What was your reason for putting the traction wheels on the pivot? In my team's design, we placed the mecanums on the pivot because then, when you retract the traction wheels, you don't need as much cylinder force to hold them off the ground.

Two great reasons to pivot about the traction wheels. First is that traction wheels will see a lot more force in all directions than the mecanums will, especially when being pushed from the side. Pivoting about the traction wheels means these wheels are more rigidly supported by the whole frame. Additionally, mecanum wheels seem to behave better when on a suspension, and the cylinders will serve as a form of a suspension, helping to ensure all of the wheels are touching the ground. The amount of cylinder force for holding one wheel off of the ground instead of the other really shouldn't change in either case.