Re: Static to FO KT
Posted: Wed Apr 22, 2015 10:45 am
So the last couple of days I've been playing with the electrics and the new gear boxes in the garden - a proper run in. Performance is great, running the tank with it's full weight and Impact tracks it dealt with the grass pretty well - way better than either the stock Tamiya boxes or Impact boxes.
As mentioned, grub screws were cone ended apart from one and they worked themselves out too which was really annoying. I ordered some more - all flat ended - and replaced the cone ended ones but they still work there way out fairly quickly. I think the machining on the holes is slightly too large. I've used some threadlock to keep them in place now but I will feed this back to Rob. It's not a deal breaker but annoying. I've ordered a bunch more grub screws from various suppliers to see if some vary in size by a small amount to account for the slack.
So here's my final take on the ETO boxes:
Pros:
Incredibly tough and robust design. The gear downs are cleverly constructed and the system is quite modular. I can't honestly see any components breaking in it.
Good quality machining and high quality metals used in construction
Great torque and works well on all surfaces. Can tear up grass! Performance is really very good.
Slower speed than the standard Tamiya boxes.
Easy to disassemble and reassemble, would be very easy to maintain in the future and swap out broken parts.
Low profile
Full bearings throughout.
Quiet! I can't really overstate how quiet these are. It's about the same level of volume as the Tamiya box from the Leo 2A6 which is a self contained nylon/ABS box.
Standard axle width for hull mounted bearings.
Can be dropped straight into the tank (which is a very easy process, far easier than traditional boxes) - although on the ones I had two holes were misaligned but I was assured this was affecting only a couple of sets of these.
Cons:
Design is low profile but takes up considerable space in the tank. A standard 7.2v battery just about fits between the end of the boxes and the side of the speaker box.
Only four attachment points on the hull. Not a big deal in the short term but it puts lots of strain on four holes. An additional two down the centre line would help.
Heavier than the standard transmissions so a tougher first and second torsion bar is probably needed.
Supplied hex spacers were fairly weak. I managed to twist one off tightening them.
Supplied grub screws were a mix of cone and flat ended.
Price. They are very expensive!
I would recommend these to anyone wanting to replace the stock Tamiya gearboxes or wanting more realistic movement and/or wanting higher torque for heavier tanks. Definitely a better investment than the rather loud and questionable quality of Impact boxes
As mentioned, grub screws were cone ended apart from one and they worked themselves out too which was really annoying. I ordered some more - all flat ended - and replaced the cone ended ones but they still work there way out fairly quickly. I think the machining on the holes is slightly too large. I've used some threadlock to keep them in place now but I will feed this back to Rob. It's not a deal breaker but annoying. I've ordered a bunch more grub screws from various suppliers to see if some vary in size by a small amount to account for the slack.
So here's my final take on the ETO boxes:
Pros:
Incredibly tough and robust design. The gear downs are cleverly constructed and the system is quite modular. I can't honestly see any components breaking in it.
Good quality machining and high quality metals used in construction
Great torque and works well on all surfaces. Can tear up grass! Performance is really very good.
Slower speed than the standard Tamiya boxes.
Easy to disassemble and reassemble, would be very easy to maintain in the future and swap out broken parts.
Low profile
Full bearings throughout.
Quiet! I can't really overstate how quiet these are. It's about the same level of volume as the Tamiya box from the Leo 2A6 which is a self contained nylon/ABS box.
Standard axle width for hull mounted bearings.
Can be dropped straight into the tank (which is a very easy process, far easier than traditional boxes) - although on the ones I had two holes were misaligned but I was assured this was affecting only a couple of sets of these.
Cons:
Design is low profile but takes up considerable space in the tank. A standard 7.2v battery just about fits between the end of the boxes and the side of the speaker box.
Only four attachment points on the hull. Not a big deal in the short term but it puts lots of strain on four holes. An additional two down the centre line would help.
Heavier than the standard transmissions so a tougher first and second torsion bar is probably needed.
Supplied hex spacers were fairly weak. I managed to twist one off tightening them.
Supplied grub screws were a mix of cone and flat ended.
Price. They are very expensive!
I would recommend these to anyone wanting to replace the stock Tamiya gearboxes or wanting more realistic movement and/or wanting higher torque for heavier tanks. Definitely a better investment than the rather loud and questionable quality of Impact boxes