Has anyone found a use for the retractable rover wheels?

[KerikBalm]

In the past I've used retractable rover wheels from the kerbal planetary base systems mod to move modules around on the surface, without making each module a rover of its own. This helped keep part count down on modular surface bases, but to do this requires that the rover units can dock with a surface module and then deploy their extendable  rover wheels to lift the module and move it around.

I was hoping to use these new "stock" rover wheels for that purpose, but their range of motion is so poor, craft will sit just about the same height above thr ground whether or not the wheels are extended.

I'm struggling to come up with any ideas for using these parts in a way that makes use of their ability to extend/retract.

Does anyone have any ideas for using these? Pics would be appreciated.

[Hunony]

you can do wheelie! dont have a pic but wheelie!

[Foxster]

They are pretty useless. Like most of 1.4. 

[Aegolius13]

I guess they're slightly easier to fit inside a fairing?  That's all I got. 

[HalcyonSon]

Motorized wheels with range of motion similar to the aircraft landing gear would be a huge asset!  It would be much easier to tuck a small rover into spaceplanes and service bays.  It would reduce part count on bases, mining stations, and large manned science rovers.

 

...I take it that's not what we got in 1.4?  

[Capt. Hunt]

The new rover wheels are trying to replicate the wheels on the Apollo lunar rover, which did fold up to fit in the LM descent stage.

[Foxster]

25 minutes ago, Capt. Hunt said:

The new rover wheels are trying to replicate the wheels on the Apollo lunar rover, which did fold up to fit in the LM descent stage.

Yup but they were mounted on hinged panels that aren't possible with stock KSP parts. So, on their own, they don't achieve much. 

[Snark]

I like the new wheels, mainly because they're significantly smaller than other wheels, so it feels like they're filling a niche.  Handy for little bitty rovers.  The fact that they happen to be hinged is just a handy bit of icing, useful for fitting things in a fairing (rovers have always been one of the most awkward things to launch).

[klesh]

I used them for a classic Apollo-style MRV.  Worked great.  Their retractability does save a little space, but you still have to clumsily slap the rover to the side of your lander without folding structural panels.  I used two docking jr's and a 2/3 full small radial ore tank as a counterweight, which I can detach after deploying the rover should I need to hop the lander elsewhere.

 

 

 

 

Edited April 24, 2018 by klesh

[Hotel26]

(I don't know anything about 1.4 but I came here searching for a more universal docking system.)

I thought this might work...

...coz I thought, aircraft come in various shapes and sizes but...

...their top surfaces always have plenty of clean space.

[I know KAS can do this kind of stuff, but if I can do it in Stock, I'll be pretty happy]

This is just a prototype, so far.  I'd like a system I can build into my Krew Bus and Vodka fuel truck -- or, alternatively, make a separate boom attachment rig like this, that the other components can then dock with (altho double the work and double the equipment to deploy).

 

 

Edited April 25, 2018 by Hotel26

[Capt. Hunt]

19 hours ago, Hotel26 said:

(I don't know anything about 1.4 but I came here searching for a more universal docking system.)

I thought this might work...

...coz I thought, aircraft come in various shapes and sizes but...

...their top surfaces always have plenty of clean space.

[I know KAS can do this kind of stuff, but if I can do it in Stock, I'll be pretty happy]

This is just a prototype, so far.  I'd like a system I can build into my Krew Bus and Vodka fuel truck -- or, alternatively, make a separate boom attachment rig like this, that the other components can then dock with (altho double the work and double the equipment to deploy).

 

 

what does that have to do with the topic?

[Hotel26]

21 minutes ago, Capt. Hunt said:

what does that have to do with the topic?

Perhaps this is a bit tenuous, but I thought maybe retractable rover wheels could do something similar in a more compact form...?

Edited April 26, 2018 by Hotel26

[Capt. Hunt]

the OP mentioned, the new wheels don't really add much clearance when they unfold

[klesh]

Did a small test for examples.  When you retract the legs the vertical part footprint actually expands, while the lateral one shrinks fairly reasonably.  In the following pictures the old structural panels mark the bottoms and sides of the wheels:

 

Edited May 14, 2018 by klesh
fixed image links

[fourfa]

I keep meaning to do a whole build just for this topic, but maybe if I post first I will remember

The folding wheels can tuck very cleanly into a bottom-opening Mk2 cargo bay, for a deployable and perhaps recoverable rover from a Mk2 planform

[KerikBalm]

Deploying rovers is not really an issue, its recovering them, and moving modules around on the surface that interest me.

What I wanted were some "stock" wheels that could do what the KPBS extendable wheels could do

In this system, I'd move the module into place with the extendable wheels (which lift it off the ground). Then I'd detach the front bogie, drive the rear one around on its small wheels to link up, and then reattach them all at the back, extend the wheels to lift up one end of the module, and push the module into position, then lower wheels for it to attach

No duplication of probe cores and power supplies on each module to kepe part count down. Now I'd still have 4 landing legs... so why not 4 wheels? well for long modules without extra clearance, I'd need 6 wheels.

Maybe instead I'll just have each module on its own wheels, and just have a small rover with some power and a probe core attach to each when its time to move them

Of course, in that case, the docking port height needs to be very precise. With the extendable wheels you could extend and retract them to wiggle the ports into the right height. I got around that a bit with extendable aircraft landing gear just for raising and lowering height... but again.. part count... 

More examples of modular bases I built using extendable rover wheels from the KPBS mod:

Spoiler

 

 

*this was built at Muns north pole at a high pointto have constant solar power

Minmus, attached to a fuel tanker:

I separated the modules once just for fun to put them back together again:

This base took a fair amount of work:

Extendable rover wheels are very useful for putting stuff together on the surface of bodies, but I don't think these DLC wheels are any use for that

[Jestersage]

I think the question is: What's the point of the new rover wheels over the original small wheel, other than looks?

[klesh]

9 hours ago, Jestersage said:

What's the point of the new rover wheels over the original small wheel, other than looks?

 

• Wider wheelbase.
• Lower clearance.
• 25m/sec max speed instead of 12m/sec.
• 30m/sec crash tolerance instead of 20.

[Kaa253]

I use them for making little Apollo "J" style mission LRV's basically the same as @klesh. I just clip the rover on and off the LEM using KIS/KAS.