Please offer some heavy duty wheels that can be mounted on Metal Gearmotor 37Dx57L mm. These motors go up to 18Kg-cm in torque and can theoretically carry a 50 to 100 pound or heavier robot. Anyone who needs these motors also needs the right heavy duty wheels and motor hubs that go along. And not many people have the know-how and tools to make custom adapters/hubs.
The current selection of wheels that can be mounted on these motors using the universal hub are the Pololu Wheel 60x8mm Pair series (pololu.com/catalog/product/1558) are designed for rugged terrain, are very wide (6mm width) for odometry based robots that use encoders. Besides they don’t fit these motors.
You can offer colson wheels with motor adapters. These wheels are available in many sizes (2 in to 12 in) can carry a large load (about 375lbs) and cost a few dollars. In my opinion they will be a big hit with people who buy these high torque encoder motors.
Thanks for the suggestion. Just to make sure I understand, are you saying we should make an adapter to work with the colson wheels, or do you know of an adapter they have that would work with the 6mm shaft? I looked around a bit on their site, and everything seemed geared towards larger shafts. Also, are there any particular wheels you like for robots? (They have a huge variety, and it sounds like you might have something specific in mind.)
Thanks for the prompt reply. Yes I was suggesting that you make the adapters that would fit their wheels on your motors. There are many forums in which people have recommended colson wheels for robotics. And I have read many posts about people who make their own adapters. But not everybody has the know how or tools to do that. It could be that Colson may even make an adapter for a bulk order from Pololu. You can also sell the adapters, wheels and the motors ofcourse. It will be the perfect combo for the 37D motor series.
I think that the Ecoforma series would be a good choice since they are the lightest of all the colson wheels and weigh only 4 oz. While other colson wheels are generally heavy and can go upto 2 lbs. Even though the Ecoforma series is among the lightest, it can still carry 240 lbs for a 4 inch diameter wheel.
As for the diameter, I’d personally prefer the smallest practically possible. This is for two reasons:-
a. The slowest 37D series motor can theoretically carry 50-100 lbs and has a no load RPM of 80. That’s a lot of momentum and higher center of gravity can make a drive difficult to control. The fastest 37D can go upto 500 RPM with a 5kg-cm torque. That’s also dangerous if the center of gravity is higher.
b. Anyone who wants to go in for higher speeds can buy a RPM upto 500. But those who’d like lower speeds are restricted since the slowest 37D has a no load speed of 80. A smaller wheel will give the widest speed range that can be achieved with these motors (without using a PID complicated controller).
c. Those who’d use these wheels for combat robots may also like the lowest center of gravity.
Due to these reasons, my preference is for the following wheel :-
Model Number: E2.00004.471 Rigid: E2.00004.471
Wheel Description: Encore Ecoforma Flat Grey Tread (2 & 5 Series)
Wheel Diameter: 4 inch
Tread Width: 1-1/4 inch
Capacity Each (lbs.): 240 lbs
Number
Link: colsoncaster.com/products/pr … oductid=90
