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For those contemplating a TTS (Tyng Track System) for your tank here's a review of
the system after two hard days of battling. For those that may not know, the TTS is
built using treadmill belting with wooden pads nailed and glued (GOOP brand
adhesive) to both sides of the belt. On my tracks there is a guide tooth attached
on alternating "links" which keep the tracks in position. Christopher Denis has
built a TTS with guide teeth on all links. The guide teeth are made of wood and are
nailed and glued to the links. Now on to the review.
When I first came up with the design of the TTS I thought of four failure points
that may occur with the design. These were:
- Track would separate at the belt splice
- The belt would rip or tear
- Treads would pop off
- Guide teeth would break off
I'm happy to state that none of these occurred over the weekend. The treadmill
belting is turning out to be a very robust material for this application. The GOOP
brand carpenters adhesive has shown no sign of failure in keeping the treads glued
to the belt and the belt splices stuck together. I used Titebond II water resistant
glue for attaching the maple guide teeth to the maple treads. None have broken off.
On pieces tested to destruction, I had to use a hammer to bust the guide tooth from
a tread.
Before I go any further a little note on wood:
I know many of you would never consider wood in an application like this. Those who
think this way ( I surmise) may only have experience with softwoods (i.e. pine) like
what the typical 2x4 is made out off. hardwoods like maple, oak, cherry, and
others, are much denser and stronger than any softwood. Consider a maple butcher
block or a wooden hammer or axe handle for an example. In fact, Joe Sommer broke
several acrylic axle supports on the first day of battling that were replaced with
some walnut that evening (it's what I had lying around in the correct thickness) .
The next day Joe broke the rest of his axle supports with the exception of the
walnut ones. One drawback with wood is that it will rot. To prevent this you coat
the wood with any number of coatings. Frank Pittelli uses epoxy, I go a cheaper
route and just slather on a coat of Titebond glue and then paint. On my tracks I
used paint on the inside and used 3M undercoating on the outer treads. I've learned
that the undercoating does not stick well to the wood (at least in this
application). One aspect of the undercoating that I think will be an advantage is
that it is petroleum based which should act as an excellent preservative for years
to come. Now to continue with the review,
Traction and operation of the TTS:
First off, the field conditions. The field we battled on was a reclaimed gravel
mine. Field conditions included grassy areas with dispersed areas of gravel.
Throughout the field were various leftovers from the mining operation which included
protrusions of steel, broken masonry, and other various junk. The field was also
rutted here and there from the machinery that was used to smooth the site during the
reclamation process.
The above mentioned obstacles proved to be quite a challenge for several of the
vehicles that day. I am happy to state that the field conditions were of little
hindrance for T005 equipped with the TTS. It is my 'unbiased' opinion that TTS
exhibited the best traction qualities of all the track systems participating in the
event. On several occasions T005 was easily able to power through and over field
obstacles (and in one case over another tank) due to the superior traction abilities
of the TTS. Of course the power of my drive system helped in this area. In tests
the T005 is easily able to climb up shipping pallets propped at a 40 degree angle.
One particular advantage the TTS has over any other existing track system is that it
is "closed". What I mean by this is that the continuous belt design does not allow
any debris to enter into the track system from below. This generally keeps most
items out of the wheels and treads of the tank. With an attachment chain based
track design, debris can enter the track were it wraps around a wheel and jam the
mechanism when it "closes up" again as it straightens out. When this happens
something will break, either the debris item, the tread, or the drive system as the
system jams.
Friction Drive:
It was a concern that a friction drive system would slip to much to be of any use in
R/C Tank Combat. The TTS, properly tensioned, did not exhibit any undue slippage.
Slippage that did occur would occasionally happen on the "reverse" side during a
turn in place. This was usually when attempting a turn in place when the vehicle
was in a rut or some other obstacle impeding the turn. I think of track slippage as
a safety valve saving other components from failure and eliminating motor stalls
which could fry the wiring and batteries. T005 took numerous hits in the track area
and I did not experience any undue slippage due to the lubricating qualities of the
broken paintballs. John Pittelli's tank, which is using the original chain design
pioneered by his brother Frank, did experience slippage due to paintball
lubrication. John overcame this somewhat by throwing dirt onto his drive wheels. I
think John experienced lubrication slippage, whereas I did not, because the TTS can
handle a higher track tension. Tensioning the TTS places tension on the inner
treads which then directly tensions the belt. The original chain design has its
treads located on the outer side of the chains and are attached using pop rivets.
Thus, when you tension the chain design, the drive, idler, and road wheels are
attempting to push the treads away from the chains. This puts a lot of stress on
the pop rivets. I know that John lost several rivets over the weekend of battling.
Looks:
I know it doesn't matter to some but, the TTS looks (at least to me) most like a
tank track of any system currently in the hobby.
Conclusion:
Overall the TTS has exceeded my wildest expectations. It has proven to be a
relaible and good looking system. If you are moderatly good at woodworking or has a
friend that is and have some time. Then the TTS may be a good option for your R/C
Combat Tank.
Steve Tyng