pic: 499 Prototype drivetrain final layout

[Madison]

Originally Posted by Hachiban VIII

I really like this design Madison. This would be a very friendly prototype layout since it would allow you to use however many wheels you want.

As for machining the slots, all that results in is a loss of movement (and you really only need an inch to tension the chains). The real purpose of using 80/20 is that it allows you to tighten the bolts anywhere along the track, in other words, no need for a tensioning screw or other such contraption.

Will these be using AM Gen 2's? Perhaps you should start another thread

[edit] One thing you may not have considered (and I did not consider it the first time I designed my drivetrain) was tightening the bolts on the bearing blocks. From the looks of your design it would appear the wheel prevents people from reaching the outside bolts. [edit]

I uploaded the image to the gallery: http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/photos/29458?

This never got as far as having motors implemented, really, because it was primarily meant to examine construction methods. A lot of things are placeholders.

The advantage to using 80/20, as I see it, is that the stuff that requires a mill when implementing a sliding wheel tensioning system -- the slotting -- is preformed into the your frame rail. If that's the case, milling a clearance slot for the axle to slide in eliminates any time or resource savings obtained by using 80/20 in the first place. If you're going to be milling anyway, just use rectangular or square tubing and mill slots for the axle/bearing block clearance as well as through bolts that hold the bearings in line with one another.