I don't think I've heard or seen anyone using 2040 chain for tracks, so
not really sure how well or not that design would work.
Back in the early days of the hobby, Mike Blattau used #40 attachment
links with riveted plastic track pads to build a track for a lightweight
vehicle. He used a single chain for each track, with standard #40 drive
and idler sprockets. Unfortunately, he never tested the completed
vehicle in battlefield conditions, so we can't be sure how well it
performed. My conjecture is that the track would have been reliable with
the proper tension on fixed axles with double road wheels. A suspension
system starts to complicate things and I'm not sure if the #40 sprocket
teeth alone would keep the track from coming off in a hard, bumpy turn.
Welding pads to a 2040 link would be roughly the same design, so my best
guess is that the track would work fine on fixed axles and would be
questionable on a suspension system.
In general, the main concern when using chains as a track drive
mechanism is to ensure that the chain is well-aligned even when turning.
Large links like #2060 are so stiff that they don't need any road
wheels at all to stay aligned (Will's SU100 runs around quite well with
missing road wheels). Smaller #40 links, however, have enough lateral
flexibility that the road wheels need to keep them aligned. On fixed
axles, the proper track tension with dual road wheels usually works
effectively to keep the chains aligned with the sprockets (which is why
most heavy tracked vehicles use fixed axles). On suspended axles, track
tension varies dynamically, so the road wheels alone are needed to keep
the chain aligned. Unfortunately, #40 chain links aren't really tall
enough or have the right cross-section to do the job properly. The
addition of guide teeth can solve the problem, but now the "simplicity"
of the chain design is lost. Tracks with two drive chains make the
matter even worse, providing twice the probability of throwing a track.
On 11/28/2015 3:08 PM, Aaron Stern wrote:
Frank, I saw your comment on experience with different roller chain.
Have you seen anything regarding using 2040 single chain (double
pitch #40) with metal flats welded across the chain faces (for an
effect similar to the super expensive 2040 flange chain)? My plan
was to use a lathe to turn the wheels so that the metal flats will
rest againt the wheel and the chain will ride inside of a groove in
the wheel...
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