What do you think of this tool from Micro-Mark,is it really all they say it is?
I don’t own one, But a friend of mine swears by his.
I don’t see the need for one…You see my cars are free rolling as it is…Every one of my cars can start rolling on the slightest incline including the cars that is still equipped with plastic wheels…I still don’t understand what all the excitement and ballyhoos about.[?]
Is that the round reamer type tool? If so, I’ve found the older the equipment the bigger difference it makes. For the old Roundhouse and Athearn there was noticable difference. On the newer Atlas and Intermountain types I could not tell anything different.
One problem with the tools is having to stretch out the truck frame 6 times to use it. Once to get the axle out, once to get the tool in one direction, the to get the tool out, twice for the other side, and once more to get the axle back in. A careless person (bull in china closet type) can really mess up the geometry if they stretch them too far.
I own one, and it is perhaps the bes 10 bucks I have ever spent. I had some problems with some Train Station Products passenger trucks (using Kadee 36" wheels) and they would barely roll. Now they won’t sit still!! I was surprised about how much “junk” is left in there from the molding process.
Probably 90% of my stuff it hasn’t made a difference on - obviously quality molded trucks and sideframes with little or no flash.
But on the ones that DID need it, it makes a big difference.
–Randy
I own one and yes it helped with lots of older car, even with new wheels, things weren’t right till I tuned them. Like someone above said the newer products probably don’t need it.
Earlier truck molding just snapped the molded truck off the core in the mold resulting in damage to the socket for the axle end. This is where the reamer helps to polish up the socket. And yes, some of the molds were poor enough to sometimes result in flash. Newer high tech moldings do not have this problem. Some people try to make the wrong length axles fit with the tool.
I also swear by mine! It’s an excellent tool and has caught gunk, old pain and flash in several different trucks. If you change trucks or kit ba***hen this tool is a must have.
Most of my cars were equipped with Lindberg Delrin trucks. Linderg was one of the early adopters of engineering plastics. In my case, yeah, it did make a big difference.
As has been mentioned, in the newer trucks, maybe not so much.
Your mileage amy vary. See dealer for details. Not valid where prohibited by law. Cannot be combined with other offers. Subject to availability. Not all sizes and colors available in every store. Etc. etc.
Tom
I’ve never found a real need for one. In all the years of modeling, I think I may have found only a couple bad trucks. Just replaced them. As said, improper use can cause more damage. Even used properly, too much reaming will cause the car to ride lower and make too much end play requiring longer axle length.
Bob K.
I agree with Smitty, I have one and use mine, especially when changing wheelsets. It helps correct for a slightly longer axle. Also good for cleaning up any plastic frame truck that doesn’t roll freely.
I’ve been changing a wide variety of cars over to KD wheelsets lately
(also using some P2K). The test I use: spin a a wheel hard and see
how long it goes. Six seconds is only fair. Eight isn’t bad. Ten
or more: with four such axles, that car will find every grade,
intentional or not.
The Reboxx reamer is probably the same one MM sells. I have found
that I can change wheels and fix any dragging sets with it (unless
the sideframes are metal, too hard by hand).
Because even with the reamer treatment, some axles would squeak
slightly plastic-to-plastic, I was using a Q-tip to add a thin film
of lite oil to the cones before assembly. Ron at Warrick Custom
Hobbies recommended dipping the cone in graphite instead, so I’m
trying that for awhile.
Hal
I am with Randy. Most of the cars I have didnt need it. But the ones I was able to use it on? Wow, what a difference. Considering how much a set fo new trucks costs, you use it on 3 or 4 cars and it paid for itself. That is on my list of things ot get when I get to Caboose Hobbies. None of the stores here in town carry it.
Bob,
You know those Walthers ore hoppers at the club? Almost all of them needed reamed when I put in those metal wheelsets, as they wouldn’t roll worth a darn. Now they are all good.
Dave’s got one of them, and while I haven’t used it before or since, it certainly saved the club about 32 cars worth of new trucks.
P.S. Man, you’ve got to get to the club soon. The natives are getting restless… I’ll explain next time I see ya’. Let’s just say that you and Jeremy are in the same boat right now.
Paul A. Cutler III
Weather Or No Go New Haven
Any that are squeaky - get the powdered graphite. Don’t use oil, it WILL drip down and make a mess. And even with plastic compatible oils - sometimes I wonder, with some of the wierd new engineering plastics in use. Excess grphite gets on something, you just blow it off.
–Randy
I have one and it generally does make the wheels roll better
I have one and it seems to work well in a lot of cases, certainly enough to be worth every penny it cost.
Don’t use ANY oil on your trucks., even a small amount. It will attract dust & form a sticky mess that will interfere with the free rolling ability of the wheels. use only graphite.