Brian's 2017 NO. 10 LATE TIGER 1 BUILD

[Adrian Harris]

I'm only guessing but I would say the right hand side is under more tension than the left hand side, which has flattened the imperfections from the casting process inside the track pin holes more on the right hand side, and has hence led to the left hand curve in the track.

What happens if you swap the tracks over across the Tiger ?

Are the rings on the sprocket exactly lined up ? If you place is on a good flat surface, does it sit squarely on four points of contact, or does it rock?

Adrian.

[Brian Ostlind]

I don’t know Adrian. I m pretty burned out I need to take a break. Here you can see the tracks slipping on the sprocket. Note how far out the sprocket is mounted onto the main drive shaft. If it sits any closer to the hul the problem gets worse.

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[Brian Ostlind]

I don’t know what I am doing wrong but I moved the sprocket back to the normal position and it drives fantastic in a straight line and I can SLOWLY TURN LEFT but not very reliably. I am a little more relaxed now and I made a video with some narration. I apologize for all the previous posts that were very boring. I am having fun just a little frustrated that my right tracks slip off all the time.

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[Brian Ostlind]

I am pretty spent from working on this breaking in business BUT I have come a loooong way. And with a simple tip from Kian to remove one more track link we have a successful test drive...finally!

Here is a quick video with a near dead battery and a flashlight to boot.

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[Tom OBrien]

Brian, glad to see you've got it adjusted.

I found the same track slippage to occur when on any kind of side slope. I have to do a three-point turn in such cases until I can get the tank back onto a relatively flat, level surface.

Don't feel that you're alone -- I think the greater majority of us go through the same trials (and hopefully tribulations).

How many tracks do you now have on each side?

Tom

[Brian Ostlind]

92 on the right and 94 on the left.

[Tom OBrien]

92 on the right and 94 on the left.

I wound up with 92 on each but I think I'll go back to 93.

I'd be curious to know how many other owners use.

The problem with too few tracks is that it puts more stress on the tracks when at rest. When driving and maneuvering, you're putting a lot of torque on them and it takes only one stone to carry over the drive sprocket and break the track. At least, that's what's been happening to mine.

On a full scale tank, the tracks are very heavy and the weight of them will cause them to sit in their appropriate slots atop the road wheels.

In a scaled tank, like ours, the tracks are light weight and will tend to ride up onto the roadwheels unless they are perfectly centered. Too many tracks, and the tracks will slip off the sprockets unless running in a straight line.

[Brian Ostlind]

I got 1100lb motorcycle jack and tried it out. It’s just barely too tall to slide under but I got it under without much lifting the tank chassis. Of course a fully build tank would be impossible to lift so I will modify my deck and bolt the jack onto it then I will drill holes in the hull floor bolt the hull to the jack maybe or just build a thin deck on the jack for a better surface to lift the tank.

[Tom OBrien]

I couldn't find a scissors jack that would fit underneath. But this one looks pretty close.

Currently, I use a 2 x 4 to leverage first the front end, then the rear of the tank onto blocks of wood until the tracks clear the table top.

I think I'll order the jack and then I'll just have to leverage the tank just a bit onto it. Once I have it jacked up, I'll still use wood blocks to rest the tank on, just for safety.


Thanks for posting the pic.

Tom

[Brian Ostlind]

Sure thing Tom. It’s only 1/8” too tall right now. I am going to cut out a piece of my table deck so it will sit lower and then ad another piece of decking to get the deck and the top of the jack at the same level or close. I’ll post a video when it’s done.

Brian

[Tom OBrien]

Another way to consider is to add a couple of 3/8 inch thick (or whatever) plywood slats each about 3 inches wide to sit under each track.

That might give you the required clearance, and you wouldn't have to attach the plywood slats permanently.

[Brian Ostlind]

I tried that last night with some cedar fence boards but i didn’t make it wide enough for the jack to fit between them then I got the idea to cut out a space for the jack and bolt it directly to the table.

[Stephen White]

Brian, as Tom suggests, putting some packing under the tracks is a better option. You can then partially offload the suspension and if you need to test the running, just jack it up and remove the packing. I use two lengths of 4 x 2 timber. Another couple of refinements to consider: drill the two lugs on the base and drill matching holes on the table top. You can then drop locating bolts into the holes which ensures the lift is correctly positioned and stops it moving. Secondly, a piece of rubber or similar on the top of the lift will protect the paint finish on your hull bottom plate. I'd take a picture of mine but it's got a tank on it.....

Stephen

[Brian Ostlind]

I have cut out two pieces but I think I’ll add one more board

[Christoffer Ahlfors]

I put my jack upside down. This provides better stability when there is rubber on the top, as Stephen suggests. But you are working way too fast for the rest of us to come up with suggestions in time!