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How saggy should the tracks be?
Posted: Fri Aug 27, 2010 11:10 pm
by Victor
My tracks on my tamiya pershing are really saggy, just wondering how saggy they should be?
Re: How saggy should the tracks be?
Posted: Sat Aug 28, 2010 2:52 pm
by BigPanzer
Hi,
You are really getting into the Pershing aren't you?
If you have a manual for it then it tells you how much sag you need on the standard plastic tracks. If not, then you should be able to download one. There are several sources that have Tam manuals available online, try Google. I did have one, but I lent it out and never got it back.
This is only an (un)educated guess, but if you can't find the info and nobody else sticks their head up try this:
put your tank with its belly on a brick and adjust till you have about 10mm of fresh air between the centremost roadwheel and the track (ignoring the track horns) and try running it. Make sure both tracks are the same.
Don't take Tamiya publicity photos/video as a guide. They adjust track tension according to how it will look best. If you watch the KV1 video you will see what I mean. For the static shots they loosen the tracks right off to give them a really good sag like a KV should have, but for running shots they have to tighten them up or they will fall off.
Peter
Re: How saggy should the tracks be?
Posted: Sat Aug 28, 2010 5:38 pm
by BigPanzer
I'm wrong!
Just been looking online at a manual. Can't find any reference in it to correct track tension which surprises me.
Try as I suggested, but if it tends to throw a track in turns tighten them up a bit.
Re: How saggy should the tracks be?
Posted: Tue Aug 31, 2010 1:27 am
by r32
The Pershing uses a multi-position cam on the first large roadwheel. The standard position called for in the instructions which has that cam pointing straight down is the correct tension for the tank out of the box. I sometimes run it one step back for more realistic-looking sag (8 o'clock position) when I run without the fenders. But most of the time I run with the tank's fenders installed, so the sag isn't visible.
In Tamiya's marketing material I think the fenders are shown installed and you can't see the sag the tank's tracks are running, unlike with the German panzers.
Re: How saggy should the tracks be?
Posted: Tue Aug 31, 2010 1:29 am
by r32
I found my manual: reference to Page 15 Step 11, right at the bottom right corner of your page, that describes the three settings you get.
Re: How saggy should the tracks be?
Posted: Tue Aug 31, 2010 1:50 am
by Saxondog