Mark IV No. 35

[Daniel Scholefield]

Chris, it's a fair point as the weight of the big batteries could well be what pushed the load factor on the wiring to literally melting point. They were an experiment after the regular batteries just didn't last and if I could abandon them I probably will. It could be that in the short run scenario such as the arena displays at Tankfest etc. I don't run the tank under constant load to get a critical heat build-up so it wasn't until an extended run that the draw from the motors caused the failure.
Hmmm, still wish I knew what the root cause of this is, so frustrating...

[Daniel Scholefield]

Well I finally bit the bullet and stripped down my Mark IV prior to it's long planned overhaul and the installation of the 'wiggly gun' pack. Fair to say it's taken a beating with metal filings and dirt everywhere. Having removed the tracks, side and top plates and all the electronics and motors it looks a sad empty shell but hopefully this time I can rebuild and correct all the mistakes I made the first time around..

Tracks off so I could see the wear patterns on the frame and rollers

And around the sprockets

Some of the rollers, particularly where the hull contacts the ground are well worn, I did find a few that had siezed and were not moving. A generous application of WD-40 frred them up but I may well swap them with less worn ones from eslewhere on the run.

Top run slip strips are still ok, but I may replace them with PTFE

Drive chains need cleaning and seem rather slack, not sure if I should do anything as the tank was running fine with no slippage since I last tensioned it two years ago...

Just the motors to go...and maybe why I have had opower issues since day one?

Well that doesn't look good....managed to do the same thing on both sides. I really hope that is the root cause as it would make life so much better.


So there you have it, now to clean,repair and then start upgrading. Hopefully I can get it done by Tankfest...or maybe finish my Quad, who knows.

[Adrian Harris]

A very interesting look at the insides of one of these beasts

I hate to say, but I think if your performance issues were related to those cables, the squashed insulation would be noticeably discoloured.

Adrian.

[Robert Reid]

That is some serious galling and wear! Aluminum on aluminum is a tough combo!

Wonder if you've figured out how many 'scale' miles that your track has travelled?

The originals were carried to the front on trains and were not exactly long-distance travellers. Even the scale ones apparently are wear-prone in the dirt.

Beautiful pix and love to see the Great War iron here!

Cheers,

RPR

PS. Just read the tread and loved the term "Replace half the box!!!" Very apprepeau!

[Adrian Harris]

> Aluminum on aluminum is a tough combo!

Most of that is steel on aluminium. Either steel chains on the aluminium rollers or steel track plates on the hull sides.

Adrian.