Armortek

Howdy fellow modellers,

I installed a ball bearing system for the KT turret. In case anyone might be interested, send my a PM.

For the technically interested modellers:

I used heavy duty ball bearings which are normally installed into injection moulds. They are only 1.8 mm higher than the brass turret ring (see drawing: h=4,8 mm), thus barely visible when the turret is mounted. Each ball can carry 10 kgs. As the complete turret weights around 32 kgs, I installed 12 bearings (I know... we Germans have the tendency to over engineer things, but just in case and to make good for any tolerances….).
Here is a drawing so you have a better understanding how they work:

A very elegant solution Peter.

In the cut-away diagram, is the larger ball sitting on smaller ones ?

Adrian.

Hello Peter, PM sent.
Regards,
Lerh Chang

Hi Adrian,

Yes,it does. Material of the balls and the casing is hardened steal, thus there should be little to none wear and tear...

Regards
Peter

Howdy Peter,

The bearings are a nice modification. Does the turrent rotate smoother now or use noticably less power? I'm not that far on my build, but it's something I'm considering.

Like your "Howdy"

Mark

Howdy Mark

the "howdy" comes from me visiting the US and friends in Michigan quiet frequently...

The reason why I installed the bearing was my dissatisfaction with the turret rotation and the strain it put un the drive motor. Even grease didn´t help much... Thus I checked into a ball bearing ring the size of the brass + x.... Finding nothing in an affordable price range ( € 600,- and up...) I decided to run some tests at a friends tool maker shop. Having in mind that teh turret brass ring only is 3 mm high, the sollution had to be something slightly higher... After some experimenting I ended up with the ones I finally installed....

As some of you fellow builders asked me about selling the kits (which I hadn´t in mind when I posted the pic)I calculated the price for some orders....
The 12 pcs needed for the KT would be about € 100,- plus shipping (which I would have to figure out with the local post office.) The weight and size isn´t much, thus I figure a rough estimate for shipping will be € 10 - 15 per parcel.

So, if anyone else is interested in buying, send me an e-mail and we´ll figure it out.

Chears to the Lone Star State!!

Take care and have fun

Peter

Sorry Mark,

I forgot to answer your questions...
Yes, the turret rotation is a lot smoother, the strain on the motor is a lot less and I think the battery life will be extended... (I don´t know yet, as I took the rebuilding to change from 18 Amps to 30 Amps batteries).

Chears man!!

Peter,

Do you make the bearing assemblies? I had just figured I'd live with the strain of the friction on the turret motor until I saw your solution. Do you have any pictures of the turret in place so we can see how they look in use?

Cheers,

Brown

Hi Peter,
Would this be a viable solution for the Mid-Production (2010) Tiger 1?
I haven't received my tank yet, however I am starting to prowl the Armortek forums looking at modifications being undertaken.
Regards,
Geoff.

Hi Brown, Hi Geoff,

To answer your questions:
I think it is a good solution for all tanks which don´t have a ball bearing system for the turrets. One only has to keep in mind the dimensions of the bearings... For smaller tanks like the Sherman or the T 34 I think you would not need as many bearings as for the Tiger 1 or 2. Can anyone let me know the weight of their turrets (Shearman and T 34 etc.) I would let you know how many bearings would be advisable....

I have the bearings made by a friend of mine who´s running a mould maker shop.

Regards

Peter

Peter,

Please put me down for a set.

Thanks,

Brown

Thanks Brown, I´ll do that.

For a better understanding of how it looks when installed, I posted a new pic at my other post: "Tiger ready to mess with the Russians". It includes also a pic which shows the turret prior to installation of the bearing.

In case you guys have any more questions, lps let me know.

Have a nice weekend!!

Peter

Hello Peter,
Thanks for informarion provided.
Can we have a closer photo to show more details of how was ONE bearing system locked on the deck? (It looks like by several very small screws/bolts.) Thanks in advance.
Best regards,

Lerh Chang

Hello Chang,

Currently I do not have a "close up" pic. Next time I take tzhe turret off, I´ll take one and post it....

What I did was, I drilled holes into the deck, took Mr. Dremmel to smooth any edges, Nitro to clean the bearing housings and superglue and a little pressure to fix the bearings in the deck. Process was accomplished in under one hour.

Regards

Peter