Tyres

[dgr]

Is there any easy Roboteer-cheat type way to get tyre or grip on a Heavyweight? Or is it as complicated as I'm finding it? I'm using car rims so they are concave, so I can't just bolt tyre to the surface, as much as I've tried.
Can anyone offer any tips? I remember on Robot Wars, Thermidor 2 glued on some sort of foam to car rims as tyre, would this be a good route to go down?
I'm completely out of money by the way, so any expensive solutions are out too.
Ta muchly in advance.

[joey_picus]

Re: Tyres

Thermidor used car rims but bolted a layer of thin polycarbonate over the concave section I think, and the rubber was attached to that.

Try getting hold of some foam and sticking that in the gap? Or if you've got the weight you could go for proper tyres :P

[dgr]

Re: Tyres

I've got the weight and originally did have proper tyres, but they give it far too much ground clearence. I've no idea where to get foam or what kind would be useful.

[typhoon_driver]

Re: Tyres

I've found that an ideal place to get foam cheap and relatively thick is from foam camp mattress's (the foam sheets you throw down under a sleeping bag). You can usually find em cheap in large supermarkets when camping season is on. Ideal for padding batteries and should do the job for wheels.

[dgr]

Re: Tyres

Thanks Gary, I'll look into that.

[robotwars]

Re: Tyres

use old car tyres, and cut the tread bit off.

We used an angle grinder to do it, but madea lot of smoke and smell.

We did this for Ripper for Robot Wars worked well.

JOhn

[craig_colliass]

Re: Tyres

Regards to filling tyres I found the best results was to run hose the garden variety in to the tyre packed as tight as I could then cut strips of foam sleeping mat to fill the rest of the tyre then assemble the split-rim with threaded bar to compress the foam this worked well for the first Saint. The only thing I had to do was screw the tyre to the rim as it sometimes slipped under acceleration!
Perhaps conveyer belt would work as a tyre material the stuff I have wrapped round Saint Hammer.

[dgr]

Re: Tyres

I didn't really understand any of that Craig, lol, but I'm sure it's a great solution.

Jonno, I am doing exactly that, I've cut down the car tyres so I've got the tread, its just attaching it to the rims I'm having issues with.

Here's a pic:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3 ... =502594561

I have a little rim of rubber that I'm currently running on, but I may have to cut that off in order to get a flatter surface to mount the car tread on. I'm not an engineer, can you tell? lol

[dgr]

Re: Tyres

Given up trying to fit tyre, its just far too much hassle. The wheels are going to be changed later anyway, I just have no job and therefore no money, so will just have to make do for Barnsley. Unless anyone has any old ones lying around they are willing to give/sell me? About 12inchs?

[craig_colliass]

Re: Tyres

Your right the first bit is talking about filling a tyre so it€™s puncture proof this is no good in your case
and the second bit is instead of cutting up an old car tyre re Jonno€™s idea. Use conveyor belt.


I have still got some 500mm wheels you can have old Saint ones but they would be a bit big!
The Saint wheels are just 12mm HDPE cut with a jigsaw (not even that round to be honest) then bolting a half motorbike tyre with 6mm bolts. The tyre was cut with a jigsaw with a course tooth blade fitted,
If you would like this type of wheel and feel a little apprehensive about cutting the plastic
then bring some plastic along with some drawings to the next show and I will cut it for you when i get home. Hope this helps.


Craig

[dgr]

Re: Tyres

Craig I just did a measure and the current wheels are more like 40mm, so those 50mm ones might well be ideal. Would you be willing to part with them?

[robotwars]

Re: Tyres

Dave,

if I was you is get some sheet steel and wrap It round the wheels to get you a good surface to put the rubber on . If you can weld them weld it on. if not you can bolt it on.

The sheet steel would be about 10 quid, and a few nuts and bolts. The you can screw the rubber on after .

Or get craigs wheels .

[dgr]

Re: Tyres

Getting Craig's wheels would be a lot easier if he lets me have them. His are proven in battle too, haha.

I have hubs for my motors, so it'd be dead easy to just remount the hubs onto Craig's wheels and then I'll be rolling. I beleive they'll be infinitely better than anything I could build. I don't weld and, more to the point, I don't drive, and I live in the middle of absolute nowhere at the moment, so everything has to come by post. I reakon even a ten quid piece of steel will be a fair bit more by the time you slap postage on it.

No, I am up for going for the easiest possible solution at the mo, particularly with the robot so close to rolling.

[craig_colliass]

Re: Tyres

The 500mm wheels are yours
I will bring them to the next event I am at don't forget to remind me closer to the date.

[dgr]

Re: Tyres

Any chance of getting them posted Craig? I'll refund you for postage. I'd like to try them before I put them in the arena at Barnsley, and that's the next event.