Thanks, makes sense. Only question I have is I have a model airplane with solid though thin wheels and on take off, it veers a lot. Trying to understand this.

The wheels on a model airplane have only a minor influence on the directional control -- heck, the same is true on real airplanes, especially the light ones. Ask me how I know!

 

The wheels on a model airplane have only a minor influence on the directional control -- heck, the same is true on real airplanes, especially the light ones. Ask me how I know!

How do you know

 

How do you know

Been there, done that -- and not always in a way that was enjoyable!

The main wheels on most light aircraft are fixed straight ahead. The other wheel (nose or tail) may or may not be steerable. Directional control at low speed is done via differential braking, but at anything much above a walking pace it is done using the rudder and the resulting aerodynamic forces on the airframe. Taxiing with even modest winds can become a very lively endeavor and light planes can easily get turned completely around, or even flipped upside down, if care isn't taken to maintain proper flight control positioning for the relative wind.

Very early in a takeoff roll, these become completely dominant because not only do the aerodynamic loads increase dramatically, but the weight on the wheels is decreasing at the same time. This is even more pronounced with most model aircraft, which have extremely light wing loading resulting very little weight on the wheels almost immediately. As a result, even if you could drive/brake the wheels, they would have almost no effect during most of the takeoff and landing rolls. I had a coworker that took one of his old RC planes and he epoxied the wheels to the axles so that they couldn't turn. It shuddered down the runway, but took off with little problem. The landing wasn't a whole lot worse. He was doing more and more drastic things to it to see how far you could push it before it crashed as a result -- it was pretty amazing how extreme he had to get before he finally succeeded.

Consider this -- you've probably pushed something like a two-wheeled dolly, right? Did those free-turning wheels have much to say about the direction it went? Not really, it was dominated by the sideloads you applied at the handle. The same with a four-wheeled shopping cart. The front wheels are on castors but the back wheels are rigidly mounted straight ahead (at least until the cart gets banged up). But it is very easy to turn, right?

 

While the video of the dogs on skateboards was quite entertaining, it is not clear what the actual goal of the project is. and solving a problem is much more than seeing the problems one person is having. Mushy wheels always cause problems. Soft tires on a car certainly affect handling a lot.
We really need to understand the goal of the project to provide useful advice.

 

While the video of the dogs on skateboards was quite entertaining, it is not clear what the actual goal of the project is. and solving a problem is much more than seeing the problems one person is having. Mushy wheels always cause problems. Soft tires on a car certainly affect handling a lot.
We really need to understand the goal of the project to provide useful advice.

Goal is to build a small trolley to clear snow from my driveway. Trolley already built using 12VDC and 2 rear motors for traction and diff. steering. If I change to 24 VDC, would it help in the steering problem?

 

Fit a simple remote control to it and get instant correction,
Fitting a remote servo to the steering gear.

 

IN my area the required effort to remove snow from my driveway would greatly exceed the capability of that package. My one neighbor has a small snowblower with a FIVE hp engine. My next door neighbor has a snow blower with a TWELVE HP engine. I choose to use a sturdy snow shovel and make a lot less noise.

 

I choose to use a sturdy snow shovel and make a lot less noise.

Those of us that are rapidly approaching four score and ten, have to rely on some other method using modern engineering, at least this one is powered electrically rather than a gas polluter!
I say Kudos to working out a 'clean' method.

 

That would be me!! But I am not letting it stop me! I still never back away from hard work.I climb my own antenna tower and hang antennas for myself and others. The secret to be able to do hard work is to not quit doing it. (end of my off-topic rant.)

 

That would be me!! But I am not letting it stop me! I still never back away from hard work.I climb my own antenna tower and hang antennas for myself and others. The secret to be able to do hard work is to not quit doing it. (end of my off-topic rant.)

I have always been a proponent of hard work, but then often the time comes when the body is not able to operate any where near what it used to be able to. !
I am at least fortunate to be able to work on mind demanding pursuits that do not involve any real physical exertion .

 

My initial point, much closer to the topic, is that the motorized device is not likely to be able to push much Michigan snow.. Of course, I have no hint about how much snow the TS has to deal with.

 

My initial point, much closer to the topic, is that the motorized device is not likely to be able to push much Michigan snow.. Of course, I have no hint about how much snow the TS has to deal with.

Michigan snow?

 

Certainly other areas have more snow, and some have less. I am most familiar with snow in my part of Michigan. AND I am familiar with year-end snows along I-94 in Wisconsin. AND I once had to deal with quite a bit of snow just outside of New Orleans.(1964)
So given that I have no clue as to where the TS resides, my response.