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tracks coming off
Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2009 4:43 pm
by tiger3818
hi all just returned from a stint in the desert and boy do we have problems,the h,l tiger 1 has both tracks off and the h,l jagdpanther has lost 1 track and idler wheel.
this seems to be happening all of the time running on rough ground and sand the tracks been thrown off .
the tiger1 has:-
metal gearbox upgrades.
metal tracks as standard.
rear idler support upgrades.
metal suspension arms/ renforcements.
this is the sound and smoke version
latest asiatam gun recoil unit and ir battle unit.
i have removed 2 links from both sides of tracks this still has not solved the problem.
the jagdpanther is a h,l s and s tank ir battle ready this too is throwing tracks off,
again i have removed a link from either side of the tracks
with no joy
can anyone tell me the number of track links on the tiger and jagdpanther, and if you are also having problems.
any cures.
the jagdpanther is running plastic tracks

Re: tracks coming off
Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2009 4:53 pm
by forgebear
hi there i think the tiger should have about 95 links each side as for the jagdpanther not sure dave ::)
Re: tracks coming off
Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2009 4:57 pm
by madbadger
if you look at the tiger idler wheels i bet they are bent forwards, mine is doing the same and i fitted the idle adjusters. Waste of time, here is what IM going to do, i picked up another chassis and i intend to fit a rod from one side of the idle wheel to the other. I have some stainless steel rod which is a perfect fit through two small bearings i have found, my intention is to get the metal idle wheels drilled out so the bearings fit then fix them into the chassis with the rod going all the way through the chassis (can you see where im going with this?) drill and tap both ends of the rod, fit a washer and locktite the screws in, then fit the outer idle caps.
i removed links from the tracks and this makes it 10 times worse, it pulled the idle wheel and axle out of the hole in the chassis and made the hole egg shaped.
Its all to do with alignment, if you can get the idle wheels solid and in line with the front sprockets, metal tracks wont come off (maybe in extreme cases where you have pebels jammed between the track/wheels but im certain that with this mod, it should work fine, but you will need to make the idle wheels run on bearings, running in just metal pins wears them out, mine are worse than ever now so i need to buy all new....
cant help you with the other tank
but i hope this helps with the tiger.
Kev
Re: tracks coming off
Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2009 5:10 pm
by boxerdog
i too am having this problem with my tiger (see my hl/ tiger help) thread, im stuck on what too do

Re: tracks coming off
Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2009 5:48 pm
by tiger3818
thanks for the help guys the problem solving from madbadger is a good one i was thinking on the lines of tamiyas set up on the rear idlers the ,shaft ,adjusters bearings and making it fit. :-\
good old helg long

Re: tracks coming off
Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2009 6:37 pm
by 971wright
Hi Guys havnt had this problem for a while it used to happen when I did spin turns but with Darkiths boards it stops you doing this also the alinement of the idlers is very important and adjusters since these have been done cant rember losing a track .
First check alinement of idlers if this is good second, does it happen when doing hard turns or spins if this is the case modify driving to avoid doing this.Third if it continues fit tensioners .
regards pete
Re: tracks coming off
Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2009 7:39 pm
by madbadger
like i said, tensioners are a waste of time, i did all that, aligned the idlers up and it was ok for a while, the main problem is wear on the axle......after a few months my idlers wobble as bad as before, but if you manage to get the idle wheels solid and on bearings, no matter how slack the tracks are, they shouldn't jump off. My tam king tiger has the impact heavy duty tracks on and they are slack as hell, the only thing that happens is the front drive sprockets try to ride up on the tracks, but because of the weight of the tracks, they just click now and then. But the idle wheels on the KT are bang in line with the front sprockets. You definatly need a solid axle all the way though the chassis.....dont waste £20 on tensioners, they're pants honest!!! think of something else or like you said, try to copy the tam setup.
Kev
Re: tracks coming off
Posted: Mon Mar 30, 2009 6:59 am
by oztruck
Found the same thing with my KT, as soon as I put on the metal tracks with the 3/1 gearbox it started to through tracks and pulled the idler out of it's socket. Problem solved with a solid axle from one side to the other. Now it can't pull the idlers out of alignment.
Re: tracks coming off
Posted: Mon Mar 30, 2009 8:21 am
by wargar
I dropped a link on either side of my Jagdpanther which cured the problem for a while. After another couple of outings I dropped another link as the tracks were coming off again. The tracks on this tank seem to be a softer plastic than the old brittle tracks and possible prone to stretching.
I also noticed the spring on the first road wheel is under a lot of pressure especially with metal gears and never pushes the road wheel back to its correct position, this causes a big kink in the track which is why my tracks kept coming off.
Hopefully some new metal tracks and a beefed up spring coming soon so the problem should go.
Re: tracks coming off
Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2009 3:43 am
by johnmar78
Watch this video and it explains all.
You need reinforcemnet on idler wheel support-very important.
Use new alumium support angle bars for each side. This will keep idler wheel spin straight.
Quality vs time
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qyJf_3I39Y
Pa WARGAR, your sping problem can be solved by cutting off 1 coil or two. Do on a vice.