I have thought of it. I could probably find the hinges on the Korean economy and order a mess load of bolts and screws from the states. But weight is a factor. The tank is big. It's going to be heavy. I'm trying to keep the target weight no more than 120 pounds, but I suspect with the big motors, hefty drive train, and 60 - 70 pounds worth of batteries, the tank may end up closer to 150 pounds. Any weight I save will be good in the long run.
I was looking at plastic conveyor tracks on the McMaster Carr web site. Other than the expense, they look like a good choice. But I'm not sure if they would take the abuse of a heavy tank. I'm still trying to decide what to do. :( Mike ________________________________ From: "Crooks, Steven M" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [email protected] Sent: Monday, November 17, 2008 7:50:43 AM Subject: [TANKS] Re: Work Stoppage Hello, Are you sure you don’t want to use hinge tracks? I made set pice tracks out of some old shelves and some plywood. If your tank is 55Kg (120lbs ) then the tracks will have to be strong anyway. Steven C. ________________________________ From:[email protected] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Mike Mangus Sent: Saturday, November 15, 2008 6:31 AM To: RC Tank Subject: [TANKS] Work Stoppage While the work on the Merkava's turret moves steadily onward, I've reached a deadend when it comes to the track. :( Today, I tried to make the track pieces for a TTS track. Two problems popped up that stopped progress cold. First, lack of suitable wood. I found some 1.2" thick cutting boards made of red pine. It's pretty tough stuff, but not as hard as maple or a hardwood. 1" thick wood simply isn't available in large sizes is a country that imports most of their wood in the first place. I've also tried locating some 1/4" masonite, but the Koreans seem not to use the stuff. I really wish they had something like a Home Depot or Lowes here! The second problem is lack of machine tools to cut the wood into 1/4" thick strips. I have access to a huge precision table saw. It's problem is that it is too big to safety cut small pieces of wood. I also have access to a quality chop saw, but again it is just a little too big for cutting small pieces. I nearly got clunked on the head today by a piece of wood that got loose. I even tried putting a fence on a bandsaw, but the bandsaw is in poor shape and won't cut straight anymore. I want to stay with the TTS for lightness and all around durability. I was avoiding the attachment chain tracks because of thier heavy weight. Same goes for the hinge track ... it's heavy. I don't think the plastic conveyor track system is going to be strong enough for a 150 pound, 3 hp tank.. So ... is there anyone out there that is willing to cut out and ship to me a complete set of wood(and/or masonite) pieces to make a pair of TTS tracks? I'll compensate of course for time and materials via paypal or any other payment method. Mike M The contents of this electronic mail message and any attachments are confidential, possibly privileged and intended for the addressee(s) only. Only the addressee(s) may read, disseminate, retain or otherwise use this message. If received in error, please immediately inform the sender and then delete this message without disclosing its contents to anyone. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You are currently subscribed to the "R/C Tank Combat" group. To post a message, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Visit the group at http://groups.google.com/group/rctankcombat -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
