Climber in a Box

NEW FOR 2026: This product now includes two styles of hook, allowing teams to choose which style best fits their robot build.

The AndyMark Climber in a Box is a robust, lightweight, configurable, and affordable solution for climbing challenges historically present in FRC end game periods. The design of Climber in a Box has been inspired by many team designs along the way, including 254 and 2056. The final prototype for this climber was developed in partnership with FRC Team 3940 CyberTooth for the 2020/2021 Infinite Recharge season. This mechanism has been battle-tested with hundreds of climbs on a full-weight FRC Robot without failures, both in development and real match play. Available in single and two-stage configurations, this product should help teams of all levels elevate their team's performance at competitions.

This product uses a "spring out, winch back" powertrain strategy, using off-the-shelf 3.5lb constant force springs to raise the included Hook Kit, and 3 mm Dyneema Rope to retract it with the included Winch Kit. Simply unspool the included rope using a planetary gearbox to raise the hook(s), drive the robot up to the bar, and winch it back to elevate your robot. The AndyMark Climber in a Box does not include a motor or gearbox, but is compatible with many off-the-shelf planetary gearboxes on the market that have a 2 in. bolt circle mounting pattern and support a 2 in. long 1/2 in. hex output shaft, including the highly durable blue Sport Gearboxes when a 2 in. replacement shaft is purchased.

The bearing kits within this product are designed to go from 2 in. square 1/16 in. wall aluminum tubing, down to a 1 in. square 1/16 in. wall tube, with a 1.5 in. square 1/16 in. wall tube in between for the 2 stage flavor of this product. A combination of durable 608 bearings and custom molded plastic components provide the bearing surfaces for a free-flowing telescoping tube mechanism with no 3D printed parts. Each stage has a maximum travel of 24.5 in.

The AndyMark Climber in a Box is an unassembled kit of everything you need (excluding gearmotor), which is designed to require no precision machining in order to make your FRC robot climb. The plates included within the Hook Kit, Bearing Kits, and Winch Kit are all designed to be assembled and used as drill guides for match drilling their mounting locations onto the aluminum tubes. Each tube is pre-cut to a 30 in. length so no cutting of the tubes is required to achieve maximum travel. This product is available with and without aluminum tubes. If a team has access to extrusion locally, ordering this product without tubes can cut down on product and shipping prices.

Motor and Gearbox Pairings:

Driving the Climber in a Box can be simple and easy. Not sure which gearbox or motor to use? Below is a list of recommended reductions for whichever motor you may have on hand utilizing our CIM Sport and 57 Sport planetary gearboxes. These recommendations are based on one climber and one robot and are based on the minimum safety factors for the motors, gearboxes, and other components. Utilizing two climbers instead of just one may allow for lower ratios.

• RedLine - Paired with 48:1 Sport
• CIM - Paired with a 16:1 Sport
• NEO 550 - Paired with a 36:1 Sport
• NEO - Paired with a 16:1 Sport
  
• Kraken X60 - Paired with a 12:1 Sport

When using a Sport Gearbox, a 2 in. shaft is needed to extend across the full pulley width.

Assembly:

Assembled Weight (without motor or gearbox):

• 2 Stage Climber in a Box - 6 pounds
• 1 Stage Climber in a Box - 3.75 pounds

Assembly instructions can be found below. Watch this video for more in-depth instruction about adding the rope to the assembly.