Haven’t seen anyone on ri3d using the AM rhino tracks although some have them. Why?
Not sure what the question here is, but Ri3D 1.0 used Rhino track to what appeared to be great success in terms of the breaching Defenses, and one can assume from the nature of treads that they can push other robots and can’t easily be pushed back.
Yeah didn’t see the 1.0 video. Just did looks neat.
Ri3D 1.0 used the tracks and Team Indiana did extensive testing with the Tracks and have the results posted on Andymark’s YouTube site. We as Ri3D teams were given choices of what kits we wanted prior to kickoff. Since none of us knew the game we didn’t get to make choices about getting Pneumatic wheels vs Treads like the teams that already had both did.
Until someone pushes one from the side. Word of warning to anyone using treads on their robot this year, BUY SPARES. There are a variety of conditions that can cause treads to break, including normal wear, but getting pushed from the side is a big one if you’re not careful.
Speaking from several years of experience here, this is the main reason my team moved away from using tank treads.
As the person who set up Team Cockamamie’s AndyMark donation, I suppose I can be more insightful.
AndyMark is a tremendous supporter of Robot in 3 Days, not just Team Indiana but all of the teams participating. A few weeks before Kickoff, AndyMark sent each of us a list of items they were willing to contribute in a FIRST-Choice-esque points system. We had no knowledge of the game, imperfect knowledge of the parts (even after Kickoff… :o ), and limited points, but we made our best guesses to balance what we felt we would need, what would be useful for teams, and what was totally cool and shiny.
Getting the tread system was an option, but it would’ve eaten virtually all of our points. Instead, we figured that most teams watching Robot in 3 Days would be using the AndyMark AM14U3–so we opted for that and some of their accessories like the intake kit and the frame opening to show them something usable. We did choose a Rocket Box PTO with some extra points, figuring we’d have some great application for it…and then that darn low bar had to make climbing seem so unappealing! It’s not an exact science, especially when you’re hundreds of miles from Kokomo and can’t grab things off the shelf, but we’re greatly appreciative of AndyMark’s support all the same. 
I used the same logic as Billfred when selecting items for Ri3D Choice. I actually had the track kit selected for a while before deciding that going all in for an item wasn’t a smart decision for our team. Without having any idea what the game would be, I decided to get as much of a variety as possible.
Going back, the tracks seem much more appealing. I’ll also echo Billfred and say thanks to AndyMark, and Danny Blau, for working with us!
As the person who choose the parts received from AndyMark for Team [REDACTED] I took a similar pilosiphy as Billfred in that I and the rest of Team [REDACTED] feel that the teams that can benefit most from something like Ri3D will be using the AndyMark One For You Three (AM14U3).
I too need to thank AndyMark for the Ri3D choice donations that they made available to Team [REDACTED] and all of the other Ri3D teams. Our efforts over the past two years would not have been possible without their donations.