RC Tank Track - Fully Printable Joint - Version 2

thingiverse

This track is for use with the <a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2414983">RC Tank</a> by Staind. This is a remix of my first version of this <a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4111854">printable track</a>. This track is designed to be printable in sections to minimize the number of M3 bolts needed. I tried this <a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3172412">other track</a> which provides a version using filament pins instead of bolts. But, the filament sheared off under stress and I ended up constantly repairing the track. May be due to cold temperatures or because I used PETG filament? So, this printable version of the joint is intended to be stronger. Hopefully it holds up. I'll post an update after I've had a chance to stress it out a bit. The previous version was giving me some trouble in the snow. The wet snow gets into the inner part of the track and plugs up the track in the wheels. This new version has more space between the tracks to release the snow. You can see in the second video (Demo 2) where the old track plugs and freezes up at the end of the video. The new track (on the right) continues to work. I was not able to get the new track to lock up in any of my initial tests, where the previous version locked up multiple times. I provided a bunch of different lengths of track sections so you can print lengths based on your printer capabilities. This version has links closer to the same length as Staind's original track, so you should be able to use the original track tensioners. The track shown in the picture and videos is 4 x 12 link sections. You can print these with PLA or PETG (PETG shown) with no support needed. Put the sections together with the same 45mm M3 bolts and lock nuts that the original track requires. So, in my case, I needed 4 bolts to put together 1 complete track. ***************************************************************************** *** UPDATE *** Added longer tensioners if needed. These are a remix of <a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3886449">these tensioners</a> which include the ability to add a screw to help adjust the tension. Don't get them too tight, they still need to turn easily by hand. You'll need to print these with a bit of support for the axles. ***************************************************************************** https://youtu.be/A8E1koRG8Zs https://youtu.be/Cy2xVCge8u8 https://youtu.be/niKggT6J7Hw https://youtu.be/imhDm8hZZ9g