My Senior design project - a "Swamp Thing" tracked vehicle clone

Garauld · Dec 17, 2019

...to power your Rav-4 differential with the brake-steer system, right?

-> yes.
I welded up the Echo diff.

Garauld · Dec 22, 2019

I've been making up track wheel guide angles. Only 80 to go (252 total) and then powdercoat them all.

ArlyA · Dec 22, 2019

Giving Garauld a hard time

this is what the cleats on our bully's look like. They are nearly 40" wide.

Garauld · Dec 22, 2019

I would have built one of them Bullys but it wouldn't have fit in my basement...

Smokepole62 · Dec 24, 2019

Are those idler axle assemblies based on the torsion axles as used on small sled trailers? They look very similar.

ArlyA · Dec 24, 2019

Are you asking me this qestion???? Those forged axles are indeed similar to torsion trailer axles. Not rubber but steel for there suspension. I have the thread concerning the use and maintenance of Bully's on trails here.

Smokepole62 said:
Are those idler axle assemblies based on the torsion axles as used on small sled trailers? They look very similar.

Garauld · Dec 24, 2019

I am not using any kind of torsion suspension. Each 2 wheel axle assembly just pivots a bit on the center pivot axle.

Garauld · Jan 5, 2020

Happy New Year! Lately, I've been installing Formica paneling to the inside cab walls, making wheel guides and track bars. Here's a shot of the Formica and box 1 of two of the powdercoated wheel guides (260 total).

Today, I was playing around trying to find the best pitch distance of the track bars so they would slide nicely onto the drive sprocket teeth (notice all the holes). It seems 3.33" would do nicely. I did find an issue - as the unloaded track unwinds from the sprocket, it rubbed against the tooth face very hard - 1/8" too hard. I made up a form tool and recut the profile on the teeth and it now seems to barely touch the tooth face. I'll go with that.

airbiscuit · Jan 5, 2020

It's going to be too nice to take outside.

ArlyA · Jan 6, 2020

Garauld, I may see a little problem. Track cleats normally have plates in them to help the machine from sliding sideways. A machine going down a slope sideways is not in the fun department! Channel style cleats lost favor because they fill with ice/snow and loose much of there traction. Did I say this in an earlier post??

Garauld said:
Happy New Year!
Today, I was playing around trying to find the best pitch distance of the track bars so they would slide nicely onto the drive sprocket teeth (notice all the holes). It seems 3.33" would do nicely. I did find an issue - as the unloaded track unwinds from the sprocket, it rubbed against the tooth face very hard - 1/8" too hard. I made up a form tool and recut the profile on the teeth and it now seems to barely touch the tooth face. I'll go with that.

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