Ram air

On Jun 6, 9:20 am, Bertie the Bunyip wrote:
wrote in news:2789e107-b5ff-401c-b261-
:



On Jun 6, 9:04 am, Bertie the Bunyip wrote:
Yeah, that's right. I have a vague memory of an article in Popular
Mechanics about someone building one. I think they might have published
plans for it, even, as they did back then. Quite a challenge to make
something like that! I suspect it must have had a single castering wheel
hidden underneath fore or aft.

Nope. Those things had two smaller wheels that ride inside
each tire. The main tires have no inner sidewalls, and the actual
suspension is a bar that reaches into the inside of the main and has
two small wheels on each end of it that ride on the inside of the
mains' treads. They have a wheelbase of 10" or so, enough to keep the
machine upright. Fools lots of people. The flattish-looking main tires
give the game away to anyone with any mechanical knowhow.
A guy here in our area built one and drives it in the local
parades. Has hydrostatic drive, too. Runs the smaller wheels.

Wow! never expected to hear from anone who knew of one! That sounds pretty
complicated. There can't have been many guys who built those. So the outer
tire just flexes and acts as a sort of track for the inners and, i suppose,
they just use differential power and/or braking to steer.
Cool!
I must have a look for the old plans..

Bertie

http://www.schlattersinc.com/foo_mobile.shtml
http://www.pbase.com/lassaline/image/45060622

Dan

wrote in
:

On Jun 6, 9:20 am, Bertie the Bunyip wrote:
wrote in news:2789e107-b5ff-401c-b261-
:



On Jun 6, 9:04 am, Bertie the Bunyip wrote:
Yeah, that's right. I have a vague memory of an article in Popular
Mechanics about someone building one. I think they might have
published plans for it, even, as they did back then. Quite a
challenge to make something like that! I suspect it must have had
a single castering wheel hidden underneath fore or aft.

Nope. Those things had two smaller wheels that ride inside
each tire. The main tires have no inner sidewalls, and the actual
suspension is a bar that reaches into the inside of the main and
has two small wheels on each end of it that ride on the inside of
the mains' treads. They have a wheelbase of 10" or so, enough to
keep the machine upright. Fools lots of people. The
flattish-looking main tires give the game away to anyone with any
mechanical knowhow.
A guy here in our area built one and drives it in the
local
parades. Has hydrostatic drive, too. Runs the smaller wheels.

Wow! never expected to hear from anone who knew of one! That sounds
pretty complicated. There can't have been many guys who built those.
So the outer tire just flexes and acts as a sort of track for the
inners and, i suppose, they just use differential power and/or
braking to steer. Cool!
I must have a look for the old plans..

Bertie

http://www.schlattersinc.com/foo_mobile.shtml
http://www.pbase.com/lassaline/image/45060622

So, someone did do at least one copy of it. Might write to Mr Schlatter
and see if he has any plans copies.. Not that I need another project!

Bertie