Hello all, After a long hiatus from the tank project, I'm back at it. Since I spend most of the week 2 1/2 hours from home (where the shop is), I have WAY too much time to think, plan and plot... probably a bad thing. Anyway, has anyone investigated the possibility of using a scaled-down Transaxle Automatic Transmission (TAT) as a transmission system in a tank? Apparently they were used in the 1970s VW Beetle, so the concept is sound. I found out about them here http://www.vintageprojects.com/go-kart/pdf/six-wheeler.pdf and did a little more digging. I found this comment on it over at 6x6world forums: "I think you're talking about a Dixon ZTR lawn mower Z-drive transaxle. 2 cone cltuches, the more you press on the sitcks, the farther down on the cone the disc rides + higher ratio. Instant reverse." It would allow the use of one motor in a tank, and possibly allow the steering to be more mechanical than electronic. Being more comfortable with mechanical things than electrical things, I like that. Machining a small one wouldn't be too hard, and the above comment seems to hold out the possibility of stealing (umm, borrowing?) one from the right sort of mower for a larger tank.
I don't know if it is a good idea, but I don't know that it's a bad idea either. Input? Thoughts? Howls of derision? Brian "Stop me before I think again" Fannon -- 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
