This robot is our smaller treaded robot that can be used to climb standard stairs. It does not have the flipper/stabilizer arm on it like the LT-F Treaded Robot, so climbing steep stairs or stairs with big noses is not possible. The LT Treaded robot is an affordable treaded robot that can be easily transported (weighing about 25 lbs) and is small and can handle most terrains with its aggressive all terrain treads. Several different motors, battery options, and motor controllers, motor mounts, wheels/treads can be selected with this robot it. Read this entire write-up to help you choose the correct options located at the bottom of this page. After selecting the options you can click the update price to see the adjusted price with your chosen options. The minimum recommended options are already chosen below and reflected in the adjusted price.
We have added a support page for this robot kit that also includes some videos of the robot in action. The videos also show the abuse the robot can take. See our Treaded LT Support Page!
This robot is not meant for carrying heavy loads or pulling heavy objects like our HD2 Treaded Robot. The robot is a light weight tough little robot that can go over and under many obstacles. The front wheels are driven with powerful IG52 gear motors with #25 chain. The chassis is made from aircraft grade aluminum. The design uses all laser cut parts with mortise and tenon design for precise alignment and mating of the parts. We weld all the aluminum together using TIG and MIG for a solid chassis. The top of the robot is open and can be enclosed with an acrylic cover. The robot axles are solid high strength steel so they will not bend when the robot is dropped. We have designed this robot to be as simple as possible without compromising its strength, durability, or functionality.
The robot chassis is symmetric and invertible. The robot can be driven by a simple RC system, one of our custom controllers, or a PC. Contact us for providing a custom control solution. See our Military and Law Enforcement page for some custom control solutions we have provided.
The robot has the ability to climb common stairs and go over most terrain. We have spent a lot of time developing this robot so you can use it from the beginning with no issues. The standard treads are 4" wide with an aggressive All-Terrain rubber pattern. The treads are reinforced with a nylon mesh with a black rubber tread. We put on tracking guides using a custom jig. We then coat the inside with a highly abrasive resistant high traction rubber to grab the 6inch custom drive wheels. The wheels and treads can be upgraded as described below. The chassis is 3 inches high x 8.25 inches wide x ~18.5 inch wheel center distance length. The total width of the robot is about 17 inches wide with the flipper arms. The center cavity is large enough for for the motors, batteries, electronics, cameras, etc. The top (or bottom - your choice) is flanged with laser cut holes that are tapped for mounting an acrylic cover. The robot is currently geared with a 1:2 reduction (gear motor to drive wheels). Custom gearing can be requested. The OD of the wheels with the tread is about 6.5 inches, so with the recommended Type 02 IG52 290 RPM motors ground speed is about 4 ft/sec. The upgraded wheels and treads are about 1 inch larger in diameter resulting in slightly faster speeds.
Standard Items:
Standard Items that come with this kit are as follows:
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Welded Aluminum Base for 52mm Motors (qty 1)
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Water Jet cut Polycarbonate covers matched to mount on Aluminum Chassis. (qty 2)
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Two friction drive treads with 4 matched 6 inch custom wheels
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Custom tread tensioning blocks.
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Electric Motor Hookup Kit - TE-024-000 (Qty 2)
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Electric Power Hookup parts (Wire, fuses, switch, connectors, etc.)
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All necessary hardware, bearings, chains, sprockets, etc.
Gear Motor Options:
Different gear motors can be selected in the options section. The robot weighs around 25 pounds with two 2200 24V NiMH battery packs. Its capable of carrying another ~15 lbs. The robot itself is designed to carry even more weight, but since its skid steering, turning in deep grass, carpet etc will be difficult with heavy loads. You should opt for the Type 02 IG52 103 RPM motors or the Type 04 IG52 285 RPM motors if you are going to load it up with heavy loads. We now offer IG52 gear motors with encoders. Review the spec sheets for the individual gear motors to determine typical current draw.
Battery Options:
For the motor batteries, you can choice from 1 to 4 24V 2200mAHr battery packs. We recommend two 24V 2200mAHr battery packs. You can also opt to put your own batteries in the robot too. The NiMH batteries can be run in parallel, but should be charged individually. See schematic for recommended wiring. Don't forget to get your battery chargers either.
Battery Mount Options:
We recommend getting the battery mount. One battery mount will hold 1 to 4 24V 2200 mAHr NiMH Battery Packs,
Drive Motor Controller Options:
For the drive motor controllers, you can choice either of these options. The MD03 is a single channel so you need 2 (one per side). The Sabertooth is only rated for 30V max. NiMH batteries will charge to around 30V so you would be at the very limit of these controllers. If using a Sabertooth, either the 10A or 25A can be used, but the 10A will be overloaded in a stall condition.
RC Controller Options:
If using a motor controllers that supports RC control such as the SaberTooth, You can can use a RC controller to control the robot. You will need at least 2 channels with forward and reverse proportional control.
For the RC Controllers, you can choice any of these controllers. Our digital QPCM (Quick Pulse Controlled Modulation systems offer better stability around noisy motors and feature fail safe modes for when the receiver is out of range.
HiTec Laser 4 Channel 75MHz RC Controller Pkg - TE-033-004
HiTec Laser 6 Channel 75MHz RC Controller Pkg - TE-033-006
HiTec Optic 6 Transmitter package and QPCM Rx - TE-059-006
HiTec Eclipse 7 Channel RC QPCM Tx and Rx - TE-068-007
We also carry the Spektrum Radios which we have had outstanding results with. We sell the Spektrum systems with the fail safe BR6000 Bot Receiver. With the spread Spektrum frequency hopping DSM2� technology we get great range and reliability regardless of the other 2.4GHz systems around like routers and phones. The other benefit of 2.4GHz is most motor noise and mechanical noise/interference is well below this frequency, which often causes issues with the 72 and 75MHz radio systems.
Spektrum DX6i Transmitter with BR6000 Bot Receiver - TE-105-106
Motor Mount Option:
The planetary gear motors are mounted on the output shaft end and are cantilevered. The gear motors are fine in this configuration under normal duty. 
If the robot is expected to see a lot of vibration and heavy impacts we offer an upgraded motor mount. The upgraded motor mounts allow adjustment with the motor and support the motor so they are not cantilevered. See the pictures to the right that show the motor mounts.
Wheel and Tread Options:
The standard wheels and treads that come with the LT treaded robot are friction drive wheels and treads. The wheels track fine and under most conditions do not slip when properly tensioned. After a lot of development we have developed a positive traction tread system that uses custom composite wheels. The wheels are made from multiple materials including rubber and ABS plastic to withstand high impacts. We have used these wheels and treads withstand 15 foot uncontrolled falls. We can not guarantee the robot will always withstand impacts of this magnitude, but the chances are a lot better with this upgrade. You can view the videos to see the abuse these wheels can withstand by driving the robot off the roofs of buildings. The upgraded wheels have teeth on them and the treads are cut with matched holes providing positive traction control so the drive wheels will not slip on the tread. Both the standard treads and the positive traction treads have a high strength high traction epoxy rubber adhered to the inside surface as shown in the pictures. The positive traction treads are about 3 inches wide. The friction drive treads are about 4 inches wide.
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| Standard Friction Drive Wheels and treads on an LT-F robot |
Upgraded positive traction composite wheels and treads on an LT-F Robot |
Carrying Handle Option:
This options includes mounting brackets that mount to the back of the robot with a nylon strap so you can easily carry the LT Robot. 
The brackets straps are held in by the wheel tensioning bolts. This option also allows the wheel tensioning bolts to tension onto a flat surface versus a rounded surface, so they are less likely to bend. The brackets are water jet cut to mate with the contour of the robot's chassis. Click on the picture on the right to view the details.
Painting Option:
The pictures as shown are painted a satin black. The chassis is aluminum, and as a default it will be supplied with a wire brushed aluminum look. As an option the robot chassis can be sandblasted and painted a Satin Black.
Assembly Options:
You may purchase this kit assembled or as a kit. Either way you get access to our assembly manual. We recommend full assembly of the robot. Full assembly will include all the mechanical assembly and wiring of the robot for the options selected.
Additional Information:
We build these kits as they are ordered. Please allow 1-3 weeks for shipment. This is a large and heavy package. The price includes building a custom wooden shipping crate. The shipping costs will be calculated upon checkout, the robot and crate weigh about 50lbs.
This kit does not include a microcontroller, sensors, etc. See our Treaded LT Support Page and our ATR Robot Building Page for options and links to our controllers, sensors, and controller batteries. Don't forget to get your battery chargers either.
