PROTOTYPE
For a new design to be tested, there has to be a prototype. Sometimes the result is as expected, and usually it calls for changes or complete redesign. The only way to find out if an idea will perform is to build it and see.
The testing process determines the areas that can be improved. Every feature is analyzed and critiqued for improvements. The main purpose behind this particular design was threefold.
1. to incorporate an aluminum rear housing (to save weight) in a frame that would hold up to the stresses of downward and transverse load forces
2. to make the frame as flexible as possible without compromising strength
3. to make the frame so that when a forward pull force was applied, the front end would be pulled downward.
One of the first issues to present itself was how to attach a hook point away from the rear housing itself. Aluminum will not hold up to repeated flexing like steel, so the frame was designed to carry all the load. The housing bolted into a cradle formed by the tubing and the drawbar was attached to the bottom frame rail, which turned in and under the housing.
bottom detail of hitch
bottom frame rails form the hitch - nothing is connected to the rear housing
after the chassis was drawn as a solid model, Finite Element Analysis (FEA) was done to determine weak areas in the design, where gussets were necessary, and where the stress points would be.
tubing too small, shows weakness in upper frame rail
stress in the housing cradle, hitch area, and motor mounts
stress reduced by adding bracing
stress eliminated by going to larger size tubing
After about three weeks of FEA tests, design tweaks, and more testing, the build process began.
The unknown element is how the tractor would handle under load. In theory, the forces pulling back on the hitch would pull the front end of the tractor down, which it did, but there was a control problem. Everything was fine as long as the frame and sled were in a straight line, and if small corrections were made early, it would continue to go straight. If the angle of the tractor increased past a certain point, nothing could be done to turn it back again. Like a mule trying to pull a plow that was attached to its head, or a boat motoring against a strong current, adjustments had to made early and precisely or it was all over.
see the tractor from the beginning here
and the frame that replaced it here
this page was created to show a small part of what is involved in the development of a new product. Research and development is never a failure if something is learned from it.
Technology doesn't just happen, it starts with a basic idea, and gets improved over time.
Ace is always looking for qualified canidates to test new products
Flex-Frame™ technology.
Everything else is just a waste of tubing.
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