Hi

[Drains]

Dave, can you do us a pic of the steering hubs?

Cheers

Si

 

[Tractor Dave]

yea sure, give us a min to find a pic!

 

[Tractor Dave]

here's the best pic i could find...

 

[Tractor Dave]

try again! lol

 

[Tractor Dave]

the other pic wouldn't load, sorry about the quality of the pic...

 

[Tractor Dave]

you might also be interested to know i built a stored energy device, but didn't have time to fit it sadly!

 

[whycanismellburning]

you might also be interested to know i built a stored energy device, but didn't have time to fit it sadly!

oooh get you dave! rams and springs? sounds like somewhere in the higlands!!! nice bit of work tho!

 

[Tractor Dave]

cheers! lol but i never did get to see if it worked! I thought it was supposed to rain in the highlands??

 

[Wozzaaah]

At the risk of sounding liike a numpty, what is a 'stored energy device' and how do you play with it?
Looks interesting .

 

[Tractor Dave]

well i think it's a device which is "wound up" before the vehicle moves and is used to power (or at least help power) the vehicle along! everyone thought i was mad... never got to see if i was! lol
It works but moving the plate in the middle (by winding the nuts on the threaded bar) so that the springs are at max stretch. The cylinder is then "locked off" so the nuts can be wound back.
A length off steel cable on a drum is attached to the plate and the slack taken out before the device is used. The drum then transmites the power through a chain and sprocket arrangment (get greater torque or distance depending on size/ratio of sprockts) on to the rear axle! The drum has a ratchet so it can freewheel in one direction. The device is then controled on the cylinder valve!
Hope thats not too long! lol It's just one of my mad ideas! lol

 

[wyn]

is the ram connected to a hydraulic motor ?

 

[Tractor Dave]

no the two hoses connect to a valve, all the cylinder does is regulate the speed at which the springs are released! I've heard similar systems being used, hoped it would work on here!

 

[Drains]

Anyone remember the Great Egg Race? Prof Heinz Wolff etc?

The challenge (originally), was to get an egg as far as possible on the energy stored in one rubber band. Great series.

 

[Tractor Dave]

i can't say i remember that, did the egg have to say in one piece??

 

[Drains]

i can't say i remember that, did the egg have to say in one piece??

Definitely. It was real high tech stuff, lots of university engineering departments entering. The series went on for years, and expanded into other quests. The Egg bit was good though. Many of the little vehicles had incredibly fancy variable automatic gearboxes to optimise the torque from the rubber band, and other fancy bits. I was youngish (15) when it started, and that's long enough ago for me to only vaguely remember it. Ask your tutors!

 

[Tractor Dave]

lol, have to remember to ask them! Some of the other teams used gearboxes off small motor bikes, seemed to work pritty well! We also had to cross a 4m wide span, and some of the bridges were "interesting" to say the least, one teams vehicle actually became the bridge by using a double chassis!

 

[Drains]

A bit of history... (people with strange hairstyles, and occasionally, thick-rimmed glasses. And I notice a fair few polo-neck sweaters there too. Bring back "The Return of The Saint"!, I say)

 

[Tractor Dave]

so that'll be me in years to come! lol

 

[snowcat]

A bit of history... (people with strange hairstyles, and occasionally, thick-rimmed glasses. And I notice a fair few polo-neck sweaters there too. Bring back "The Return of The Saint"!, I say)

I thought I imagined that program, It wouldnt be the first time......

 

[Tractor Dave]

how eggsiting! lol (sorry couldn't resist!)
I presume you couldn't just sling-shot the egg?
Can't beat the old tv shows, even if the acting was cheesey, the cars were at least some reason to watch it!!