I've already got plans to load it up with lead to see how much weight it can take, just in case the youngest decides to sit on it! Also if I can get it to run ok, I was hoping to be able to use it to tow the beach trolley on holiday, but that is probably far too ambitious.Will01Capri wrote:Awesome work, really cool idea and have some fun with it.
Looks like i have competition out there doing what i do then with just having fun making stuff weird and wacky.
But your tank looks nice and robust and the kids will love it.
Make sure they don't sit on it and try to get a RC ride along haha
The track tension is going to be a bit tricky i reckon once it gets loaded off road and especially with sandy beaches.
The issue you might find is that if you have to run tight tracks to keep them working and on the drive, the plastic nylon drive sprocket may decide to split on the spline. But i do belief instead of having to buy a complete metal gearbox, you can just buy a metal drive shaft and gear which can be retro-fitted into the gearbox and prevent this from happening.
If you are going for suspension try and keep it simple with some cool old looking leaf spring style suspension. Either buy a load of WPL leaf springs, or if you have something with an old retractable mains powered ting like a hoover, the big spring steel spring for retracting the cable would be perfect for making DIY leaf springs. Then drill a hole in one end to hard fix and let the other side float. Or if getting more adventurous bend one end round a steel bolt, solder the connection and bolt it into some alloy u-channel.
Love you build by the way. Superb
Thats a good idea for leaf spring suspension, could be fairly simple, at a quick look on ebay though and can't seem to see a supply of them. My initial thoughts were for a meccano style suspension, simple upright with a spring on it, wheel bolts on to 1 end and the other passes through a bracket that the spring sits against.
The clutch in the plastic gear keeps slipping with the weight of the tank, and with planning on upping the voltage that will probably get worse, so for the cost of a set of metal gearboxes I might as well get them.
I've added more wheels to 1 side of the tank, but having issues with photobucket now so need to find another host before I can share anymore photos.