Perhaps then his tracks would be best applied in "feather weight" vehicles and 
in vehicles operating on better groomed/smoother surfaces? Would it be 
potentially feasible in a 50lb tank with a very robust tensioning system? 
Mike Butts

> On Oct 29, 2015, at 1:09 PM, Frank Pittelli <[email protected]> wrote:
> 
> Derek's experience is the rule, not the exception.
> 
> Based on my experience (which goes back to the original dual-chain bicycle 
> track) and the collective experience of everyone who has built, tested and 
> battled such designs in the last 15 years, the dual-chain design is far more 
> problematic than either a single-chain design or a link-drive design.  
> Lateral forces on the track immediately cause the chains to skew, which 
> increases the likelihood of jumping one of the chains off a sprocket tooth in 
> rough terrain.  Guide horns help decrease the likelihood, but doesn't 
> decrease it enough to make the tracks reliable enough in our world (which is, 
> by far, the toughest test of scale tracks).
> 
> When it comes to chain designs, size matters.  Based on quite a few people 
> who have tried such an approach over the years, #40 chain is too small and 
> not rigid enough to be used as either a single-chain or dual-chain track 
> design in our operating scale and terrain.  On the other hand, #60 chain is 
> so rigid that it has proven very reliable when used in a single-chain design, 
> thereby eliminating the need for a dual-chain design.
> 
> That said, the design being discussed is the first time someone has used pins 
> that go from one side of the track to the other, using the track pad itself 
> to keep the pins parallel.  This *could* provide the rigidity needed to 
> prevent chain skew in a hard turn, thereby preventing a dreaded derailment.  
> I say *could* because it all comes down to the stiffness of the plastic pads 
> and the amount of sideways movement allowed between the pads and the pins.  
> No amount of calculation or workbench testing will provide the required 
> answers.  The track needs to be installed on a tank chassis and driven 
> through the roughest terrain possible by an operator skilled in abusing 
> vehicles to determine if the design is reliable or not.
> 
> Battlefield-tested isn't a marketing slogan.
> 
>> On 10/29/2015 12:26 PM, Derek Engelhaupt wrote:
>> I believe I said the tracks might have issues staying on since they are
>> similar to my design that I abandoned because they didn't stay on in
>> high stress due to lack of the center guides.  Even with the center
>> guides, mine flexed too much side to side so they still came off the
>> sprockets.
> 
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