I believe we can made grouped objects by fooling the ones already in the game. Building other chains for example, ee could change the structure to wheels rotating, replacing the sliding mechanism.
I couldn't study anything recently but these structures seem to require bones and I lack a lot in max where I do my designs, so no way for me in maya yet.
I wish I can test and make a functional item soon.
Recently I was thinking of a wooden horse which canbe pushed in the dungeon. Push it like a chair but heavy weighted, under the new chains and it would be the cream in the coffee

Still away from xsp sorry.