Taigen T-34/85

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43rdRecceReg
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Re: Taigen T-34/85

Post by 43rdRecceReg »

Son of a gun-ner wrote:Mr jimbo_wa, if you would like to lower the ride height of your Taigen T34, the usual and best way to do it would be to place a small stop no more than 3mm in the lower part of the semicircular slot that guides the suspension swing arm. This will stop the swing arms from making their full downward travel and thus keep the tank sitting lower without compromising the suspension.
As an owner of three and a half T34's, I feel I can offer the best solution, as I know how this particular suspension works, which doesn't have the usual torsion bar or coiled torsion spring type suspensions.
Any photos of your solution, Mick? :)
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Son of a gun-ner
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Re: Taigen T-34/85

Post by Son of a gun-ner »

I did have a quick look on the forum, I'm sure someone posted pictures etc. I'll have another look later
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Son of a gun-ner
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Re: Taigen T-34/85

Post by Son of a gun-ner »

See the curved slot where the lug on the suspension arm travels in.
If my memory serves me right, it's less than 4mm wide, about 3.5mm.
Option A; Get some 3mm thick plasticard and cut a 3.5mm wide strip (Why does predictive always give me wife whenever I type in wide. . . .)
Or whatever the width of your curved slots are, sorry, can't remember the exact width. A tight fit is preferable.
As the bottom of the slot has a radius, a little chamfer on the lowest two corners would benefit. Then cut off suitable short lengths and glue in place at the bottom of the slot.

Option B; if you have any plastic or brass rod or tube that is a good fit, cut off suitable lengths and glue in place at the bottom of the slot.

Note; 3.5mm rod isn't that easy to find. However, the screws that hold electrical sockets and switches in place are 3.5mm, file a little flat on these, just to take away the sharpness of the thread, cut to suitable lengths and epoxy in place at the bottom of the slot, flat facing up.

How's that Roy?

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Re: Taigen T-34/85

Post by General Jumbo01 »

Mick, if you have several T34s all you have done is modified them all in the same wrong way! By reducing the travel by compressing the coil spring (it is a coil torsion spring) all you are doing is adding preload and that will lower but just stiffen the ride.

If you add a further spring retaining hole in the chassis using the same radius as the original two holes, but effectively one more spacing apart (clockwise one side, anti-clock the other), you will lower the ride without making it stiffer and slacken the track in one simple move. Suspension is something you get very expert in when racing 1/10 internationally! The stock front idler adjuster works fine too.

Yes, l read through the dozens of posts about the T34 riding too high, too stiff etc when the model came out and the very simple 'solution' of inserting a foam or rubber bung in the swing arm guide slot to reduce the travel and force it down was considered by many to be okay because it could be dine regardless of model making skills but to the more experienced engineer it was just a cheap, quick bodge. Improve yours too Mick and you'll instantly appreciate the improvement. Trust me, I'm a doctor.Image

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Re: Taigen T-34/85

Post by General Jumbo01 »

Sorry, forgot to mention. This better way of resolving the problem doesn't inhibit the full downwards travel of the road wheel. More realistic and better for rough surfaces.

And Jumbo - the fact that the wheels can lift to foul the top returning track is not s fault. The Christie suspension system is designed to do just that!
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Son of a gun-ner
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Re: Taigen T-34/85

Post by Son of a gun-ner »

General Jumbo01 wrote:Mick, if you have several T34s all you have done is modified them all in the same wrong way! By reducing the travel by compressing the coil spring (it is a coil torsion spring) all you are doing is adding preload and that will lower but just stiffen the ride.
Why are you giving this advice? You don't even know what suspension springs these T34's have. None of them have coiled torsion springs. They have coiled compression springs in a little internal box, there is no clocking holes.

And after doing this mod, it's up to the owner if they want softer compression springs. Whichever case, it's always best to have the leading and trailing suspension a little firmer than the rest to stop track pull under load on those further most wheels.

Anyway, did I say I've done this to all my tanks?
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Re: Taigen T-34/85

Post by General Jumbo01 »

Son of a gun-ner wrote: This will stop the swing arms from making their full downward travel and thus keep the tank sitting lower without compromising the suspension.
As an owner of three and a half T34's, I feel I can offer the best solution.
Sorry Mick. I unreasonably assumed that since you claimed ownership of three and a half T34s you were claiming more experience of you solution, why else would you mention it? If you had modified all 3.5 that way then of course, you would be able to offer the best solution. (WTF!)

As for stopping full travel and stiffening the suspension not compromising the suspension, a suspension that Jimbo already considers ineffective but may improve with use, how will that help?

Okay, so this tank version uses a small box housed coil spring. Without seeing it the answer would be to increase the height of the 'box' so that the coil spring is relaxed a little, thus reducing the ride height but not reducing the travel. Again, this would require a little more work but would still be a better solution than inhibiting travel and preloading the spring.

Just out of curiosity, if you feel your method improved things, why didn't you do it to all your T34s? Genuinely curious. Honest. Trust me, I'm still a doctor ;)


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Taigen T-34/85

Post by Ghosttjr »

The best looking tank ever, I want a Taigen full Option T34/85 so bad, I own a Taigen Tiger (6,5kg) already


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Re: Taigen T-34/85

Post by Son of a gun-ner »

One, I mentioned how many I had to show I know how the suspension works and the best way to lower it.

Two, my springs aren't that stiff, and too soft a spring, especially at the ends can cause running problems. Also, if the wheels already lift to foul the returning track, the springs are surely too soft to start with, therefore, they'd need stiffening rather than softening. Although tracks at the top running on the wheels are not a problem, they do on Tigers without consequences.

As for why I haven't done mods to all my tanks, I have over 30, and some, the lad and myself are happy with how they run over rough terrain with more ground clearance, I'm not that bothered by exacting visual representations when we're having fun.
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Re: Taigen T-34/85

Post by jimbo_wa »

General Jumbo01 wrote:And Jumbo - the fact that the wheels can lift to foul the top returning track is not s fault. The Christie suspension system is designed to do just that!
Hey, you’re the Jumbo -I’m Jimbo! Image

It’s not the wheel fouling the track, it’s the upper track being limited by the upper deck mounting plate.


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