Re: [mowbot] 3 or 4 wheels?
Dave Everett (deverett nospam at idx.com.au)
Fri, 21 May 1999 08:29:42 +1000
At 10:33 19-05-99 -0700, Paul Jurczak wrote:
>Hi all,
>
> I did driving test of my mowbot this morning and it needs some
improvement. My platform is based
>on Black&Decker cordless mower with rear wheels independently driven and
front caster wheels. Due
>to the rigidity of frame mower occasionally looses traction of one of the
driving wheels. I'm
>considering two options:
>
>1. Tricycle with single front caster - stability shouldn't be a problem,
since wheelbase is really
>large, but cutting height regulation will suffer.
>
>2. Independent suspension for front casters (swivel) - allows to limit
tilt of bar with casters,
>so cutting height variations can be limited, but traction still can be
lost when casters reach
>limit of their travel.
>
The only other solution I can think of: Make the drive base a tripod as
suggested above, and have the cutting deck 'float' on two idler casters at
the front that allow the deck to change height as the terrain changes.
The floating only needs to occur at the front, a simple pivot at the rear
would suffice as the rear drive wheels will become the height idlers at the
back.
Dave Everett
Domestic Droids Website
http://members.xoom.com/Mowbot/