wedge

**gizmo** · 3rd March 2012, 15:20

What angle would be recommended for a wedge?

**Ellis** · 3rd March 2012, 16:40

I see loads of wedges that are very flat and I have never really understood why. A very flat wedge allows the machine you're wedging (lol) to either go straight over the top of you or simply slide off. Plus, the flatter the wedge the further onto it another robot sits, putting the weight of the other robot over your wheels. ANOTHER thing; a low wedge when used to ram another robot into something solid (arena wall) allows the other robot to just fly off backwards whilst your machine takes the brunt of the impact.

As long as it's not 90 degrees to the floor I think a steep wedge is better. You can keep the other robot in front of you (easier to push 'em around, specifically into the pit), you ram them into the wall not you, etc.

I just babbled for 30 seconds there... take from it what you will.

**typhoon_driver** · 3rd March 2012, 17:14

What do you want to do with the wedge?

Shallow wedges are good for running under opponents and getting them off the floor to allow a flipper to do it's thing. Less shallow wedges are better for driving opponents around the arena.

**MikeNCR** · 3rd March 2012, 17:52

On my US hobbyweight I run around a 26.5deg angle for my wedge. It's fairly shallow and stuff would fly over it easily if it weren't for the hooks I mount to the side to catch my opponents chassis.

illustrates how it works fairly well.

It seems to do the job when dealing with some of the more powerful spinners in the weight class, as they have trouble getting a decent bite on a wedge that shallow. I do pull the spikes off when fighting horizontal spinners, which ends up making it more like a mobile launch ramp, but it's better than nothing.

**gizmo** · 3rd March 2012, 20:50

that's exactly what I'm after MikeNCR, to get their wheels off the ground and push them. Out of curiosity what ground clearence does it have?

**Bodge Job** · 3rd March 2012, 20:55

I find the 35 degrees wedge on bruiser fine, its easy to push people, but it also lifts them off the ground, so they have less friction, and we have more. And as he said, a nice shallow angle helps to deflect spinners, and convert their rotational kenetic energy, to lateral energy, so you stay on the ground, and they go up

**MikeNCR** · 3rd March 2012, 21:31

Originally Posted by gizmo

that's exactly what I'm after MikeNCR, to get their wheels off the ground and push them. Out of curiosity what ground clearence does it have?

The wheels are the 2-7/8 banebots wheels, chassis is 2 aluminum with 1/8 mag top and bottom, so 3/16 clearance top and bottom, though with the hooks it's a bit less when inverted due to the angle.