Bad Taigen gearbox or just a bad track?

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Son of a gun-ner
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Re: Bad Taigen gearbox or just a bad track?

Post by Son of a gun-ner »

Again, one would have to be careful with the toothpaste too, not to get it in the bearings. I have a feeling the smokers toothpaste like Eucryl would be more abrasive :thumbup:
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43rdRecceReg
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Re: Bad Taigen gearbox or just a bad track?

Post by 43rdRecceReg »

Son of a gun-ner wrote:Again, one would have to be careful with the toothpaste too, not to get it in the bearings. I have a feeling the smokers toothpaste like Eucryl would be more abrasive :thumbup:
Nae worries, Mick, if the bearings are already greased up with Tamiya, or similar, model bearing grease they prevent the ingress of unwelcome abrasives. PTFE for the gears, and shafts completes the lubing. ;)
Eucryl might be useful for smokers, or ex smokers (or those currently obsessed with blindingly white teeth- where did that come form?), but I'd give it a miss. Fixadent, should also be avoided though :lolno:
(and no...I don't use it..a few of my teeth are still my own..Ah dunnae hae Glasgow teeth. :D )
My own inclination is to let gears bed-in naturally, through wear and tear, unless they're really burred. At the price some of us pay, they shouldn't be!
Last edited by 43rdRecceReg on Tue Feb 12, 2019 2:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please"- Mark Twain.
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Son of a gun-ner
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Re: Bad Taigen gearbox or just a bad track?

Post by Son of a gun-ner »

Hey Roy, I'm only suggesting a type of toothpaste to use. Like I said above, I'm horrified with the use of abrasive on the gears, so I'm in the same camp as you :thumbup:
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Re: Bad Taigen gearbox or just a bad track?

Post by seb4 »

43rdRecceReg wrote:I've tried several options. Tamiya's grease in the wee blue tubes works very well, especially on bearings. It's worth noting that has no adverse effects on neighbouring Styrene or ABS parts. The same can't be said for some lubricants and it's well worth checking compatibility.. :think:
Of late, I've used these two; but prefer the PTFE type as it's less messy, keeps gear noise down, and is supposed to be safe on plastics (but it's prudent to mask for overspray, anyway :thumbup: )
Image
Happy lubing! :D
I have used this for lubricating the gear:

Image It is a white lithium grease, recommended by another forum member. To avoid adverse effects on styrene parts I did apply it with a new soft brush. it is water resistant and resistant against high temperatures.

If needed I can buy this PTFE variant, the left one which leaves a dry grease residue, to prevent dirt adhering to the gear wheels : Image

I am thinking to apply some normal WD40 oil on the drive shafts bearings with a clean brush. What do you think?
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Re: Bad Taigen gearbox or just a bad track?

Post by seb4 »

Son of a gun-ner wrote:These look like the bushes/bearings for the other gear shafts, the ones between the motor and the final drive.
Replacement Brass Bushings for Heng Long / Taigen Gear - Heng Long Tank
http://m.heng-long-panzer.de/item/32373630

Sadly brass isn't good enough as bush/bearing material, should be bronze, especially phosphor bronze. However, those in the link look the same material as what comes in heng long and taigen gear boxes.

These are the boxes with the gears made from soft alloy, probably the worst of the three types.
Leopard 2A6 - metal gearbox 2.1 with long axles, 24,95 €
https://www.rctank.de/Leopard-2A6-metal ... long-axles

The boxes you have are the better of the cheap range of boxes. Well, they should be. Because they have steel gears, and ball race bearings on the final drive.

Sadly, without your boxes in my hands, I won't be able to determine why you have that wobble. Is the shaft too small in the inner race of the bearing? Is the bearing too loose in the hole in the casing? Or is the bearing too loose with the balls in their grooves? Or is it a combination of these factors? Or, is it something else that's to do with the design of these boxes I haven't considered because I can't see them up close. Or, lastly, is it an acceptable amount of movement that looks worse than it is and just needs the larger bearings on the hull?
Thank you for your answer, determining all the possible reasons. Really helpful :thumbup:

The bearing is too lose in casing hole, and I think that is due to the excessive wear during that swamp adventure. But the tank is driving ok, so the larger bearings on the hull are an option.

However I am a bit hesitant to do that since I read on another thread that it is not easy to properly fix it, at least not on a Leopard 2a6. What are your experiences with fitting the axles supports if I may ask?
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Re: Bad Taigen gearbox or just a bad track?

Post by Son of a gun-ner »

I wouldn't recommend ordinary WD40 as a lube, it will flush out any other lube, it's more a cleaner. By all means use it to flush out grime, but use another lube after the ordinary WD40 dries out.
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Re: Bad Taigen gearbox or just a bad track?

Post by Son of a gun-ner »

Sorry, I've only just located my stock of bearings a couple of weeks ago, I intend to make my own supports. Although I've run some stock heng long tanks over the years, I haven't yet fitted these supports.
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Re: Bad Taigen gearbox or just a bad track?

Post by seb4 »

Son of a gun-ner wrote:I wouldn't recommend ordinary WD40 as a lube, it will flush out any other lube, it's more a cleaner. By all means use it to flush out grime, but use another lube after the ordinary WD40 dries out.
Ok, thanks.
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Re: Bad Taigen gearbox or just a bad track?

Post by seb4 »

jarndice wrote:Hi,WD40 make a Dry PTFE spray which is ideal for lubricating Gearboxes
(WD-40 Specialist. Anti Friction DRY PTFE Lubricant) .
You mentioned Axle Support bearings, I am a firm believer in them and it is one of the first modifications on every Tank I purchase,
They prevent excess stress on the gearbox mountings and stabilise the gearbox output shafts which reduces the chance of Tracks being "Thrown".
I was surprised that the Taigen Gearboxes were so disappointing,
If you did buy them from DOM at http://www.rctank.de He would certainly want to hear about the problems you are having with them,
I would advise against buying Heng Long Metal Gearboxes, Yes they are much cheaper BUT they really are RUBBISH,
Whereas the Nylon Heng Long Gearboxes are very good value.
Edit- can you tell me if it is a bit easy to mount the axle support bearings? I read elsewhere on this forum that it can be problematic- at least with the Heng Long Leopard 2a6, but I cannot find that thread anymore.

Thank you.
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Re: Bad Taigen gearbox or just a bad track?

Post by 43rdRecceReg »

A few observations:
Mick (SOAG) is right when he says the basic WD40 works better as a solvent,or rust-beater, than as a lubricant. The dry PTFE WD40, and lithium-based offerings above, are indeed 'specialist' lubricants and should be fine. I've used lithium based ones, but now prefer PTFE dry lubricant. Do check, however, that the lube. you opt for doesn't have solvent properties. Otherwise, it might well begin to eat into your ABS or Styrene bits. In any event, always shield/mask the plastic body parts off before spraying, just to be safe. That's my tip. :)
Shaun (Jarndice), has a massive fund of knowledge, and experience to offer, and is absolutely right when he writes that support bearings can greatly reduce output shaft (and therefore gearbox) wear. :thumbup:
However, success in finding and fitting them, varies from model to model. As an example, I fitted some to the drive casings of the Asiatam Panzer IV chassis. That involved reaming out the recess in the transmission casing, because the casing was a bad fit for the support bearing (Not andersherum or vice versa...). That was a total pain. >:< Fitting them to a Tiger is quite a lot easier, and also to the Kingtiger.
I'd say that most builders/enhancers would probably recommend fitting them, though....especially if your models clock up the Kilometers on battlefields or rough terrain :) :thumbup:
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