New with Rovers. What type of chassie to choose?

Hardware Rovers and boats
1

Hi,

I have been flying with a bunch of planes and even more multicopters with ArduPilot since 2014. And now I am going to order a chassie. I am gonna use Pixhawk of any kind. I am aiming for a rover that dont have to go any fast, walking speed max is okay. I am not sure yet if I should go with a lighter chassie for testing or skip it and go for a bigger heavier chassie that can make its way outside on the grass or in the park.

The questions… what “rovers” can ArduRover handle? 4-wheeled car with traditional steering on the front wheels? Tracked vehicle (is that “skid steering”)? More variations? I think a 4-wheeled vehicle steering like a tank/tracked vehicle or a tracked vehicle is best suited for outdoor use on tarmac/asphalt to more dense grass. Steers on the spot. I dont know if a 6-wheel is necessary?

I have LiPo’s. 2S 360-5000, 3S 800-8000, 4S 2200-4000, 6S 3300-6000.

The use? Learning ArduRover at home and later on ArduBoat… in the water. The Boat is another project. This Rover are gonna use GPS to follow waypoints.

I guess there are a lot of other sensors, but I dont know them, yet.

First thing… what type of chassie?

2

I have a zero turn lawn mower that I run with ArduRover. I can testify that the skid steer steering works well. I had some trouble with slow actuators for the steering but finally solved that and am very pleased with the performance. I’m sure the normal Ackerman steering is fine also but I will say that I like the skid steer type rover. I plan to record more videos showing changes I have made to the mower as I have learned more, but here is an idea of how it works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khCiFqrhV7E. Good luck!

3

Sweet! =)
Well, after looking around, a 4-wheeled skid-steering chassie or a tracked one is what I am looking for. But I dont know what ESCs is used or if it is brushed or brushless motors I want. Where d o I find these?

4

Maybe any robot lawnmover would work? Have anyone tested that? Rip out most of it and use RC-stuff with Pixhawk or something similar.