My Senior design project - a "Swamp Thing" tracked vehicle clone

[Garauld]

Well, everything is now back together and the speed changer is working OK. I now have 8 speed FWD and 2 REV with a top speed approaching 50 at 6k rpm. I wonder if the tracks would be OK and hold up. Failure mechanism? I also installed the wiper to get ready for the 18" we may receive tonight. My next challenge over the winter is to come up with some kind of side window scheme with operable venting. Initially I thought about using clear vinyl and a series of strong magnets to hold it to the inner steel frame. If you want more air, just peel it back a bit and replace the magnet(s) as needed. Anyone have a better idea? The plywood on the rear is a snow hood as I plan to throw a big tarp over it for winter weather protection. Stay well and have a nice holiday.

 

[KubotainNH]

Looking forward to some videos in the snow.

 

[Garauld]

We got a bit of fresh snow, 40 fricken' inches. Should be enough to test Snowzer. After digging a path to the driver's door, I fired it up and drove it 100ft until the hill in my back yard proved insurmountable. No traction. Actually it acted more like a snow plow. I think it would have been OK if we only got 18". I'll wait for it to subside a bit over the next week and then try it again.

 

[Xfaxman]

Wow!

 

[jmc]

Sounds like your track system passed its first real stress test though.

 

[Garauld]

Sounds like your track system passed its first real stress test though.

-> Yup, nothing broke AFAIK. :thumbsup:

 

[PILOON]

For the ventilation you want.

Look into what aircraft use to direct fresh air for passengers.
Even Cessna and Piper have those directed fresh air devices*. (think I still have one or 2 somewhere)

*sort of like a swivel ball that U twist to open and then turn to aim fresh air.

Now to deep snow.
Weight aka PSI is working against you.
Sort of like needing snowshoes to stay on top.
Wider tracks would be your answer but then that would be a whole new design challenge.

All in all very nice work.
I've followed from the onset.

 

[Garauld]

Thanks for the feedback. The snow we had here was dry, powdery and deep. Snowzer plowed through it better than I thought it would. If I had Arly's drain pipe roller mounted up front to compact the snow first, I probably would have gone farther...

 

[The Fred]

I'm surprised it went at all; I remember a huge dump while snowmobiling around the Gaspe in Quebec, one storm dumped over 3 feet, they closed the trails, grouped you up and routed you down a main road with police escort to get you out safely. Two days later they couldn't break trails with any of the groomers, they just got buried.

 

[PILOON]

On snow sleds and snow----------

Way back we had a super dumping and I had a snow sled.
I was running to get supplies and rode on top of snow drifts hearing a whipping noise from time to time.
Well those drifts were buried cars and the whipping noise was antennas.

They plowed my street with a Cat D7 dozer.

Folks sledded down main streets of Montreal for a while.
I ran a reporter to the train station and to thank me he printed a photo of me on my sled with the caption " Resident stocks up on essentials, the essential being a case of beer!"
LOL, still have that newspaper.