Carefree_Dude

Do Big Ben wheels need added traction?

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I'm interested in getting some big Ben XL drivers for a project, but notice they lack o rings. Do they need anything added for traction, or are they fine naked?

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It depends on what you want to use them for. I've got a model on an A1 Peppercorn, powered through the Drivers, that uses them without traction bands and it can pull a few cars just fine. It has got a pretty fair amount of weight to it, though.

If you're looking to pull a lot of cars or have a relatively light engine, you might want to check out something with traction bands. BigBenBricks offers Medium Drivers with O-Rings and it looks like the grooves are actually lathed into the wheel instead of a new mold, so perhaps he will have O-ring compatible drivers for other sizes soon too. Couldn't hurt to ask!

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Great thread, just discovered it ...

I had the same problem and found two different solutions:

1) In simple cases use bullfrog snot. This is a latex paint, greenish when wet and nearly transparent if dried (or better polymerized ..) Best results I gut by thinning this stuff with 10% water and put it with a very soft and slim brush on the wheels but not on the flanges. Be careful: Bullfrog snot (or latex paint) on flanges can cause frequently derailments. Be patient, a laye of sufiicient thickness needs perhaps more than one layer. I have best results with 3 or 4 layers of the thinned latex paint.

2) For heavy duty use there is no better solution to cut a shallow notch with a lathe into the wheels. With rubber sealings called O-Rings I have the best results with 1.5 mm diameter (and notch width) and a notch depth of 1 mm.  I for myself build a lathe from LEGO bricks driven by two XL motors driven by a 12V grid adapter. The matching 1.5 mm lathe tool can be found on Ebay.

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32 minutes ago, legoman666 said:

If you're open to wheels designed by others, most of Shupp's have a groove/no groove option.

I'm not against using other wheels, I just can't justify spending $140 on wheels for a single train.

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I built a DB shunter with BBB medium wheels a few years ago. It really suffered from bad traction. I got a tip, and successfully added cut slices of ordinary bicycle innertube. Size (diameter) need to be slightly smaller than the wheel diameter, to ensure a tight fit. Traction area is significantly bigger than an o-ring, plus the advantage of no machining of wheels needed.

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1 hour ago, Selander said:

I built a DB shunter with BBB medium wheels a few years ago. It really suffered from bad traction. I got a tip, and successfully added cut slices of ordinary bicycle innertube. Size (diameter) need to be slightly smaller than the wheel diameter, to ensure a tight fit. Traction area is significantly bigger than an o-ring, plus the advantage of no machining of wheels needed.

Do you recall the inner tube size? I am facing the same issue right now and my O-ring solution is not working, so I want to try your tip.

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Seems to be 700 x 23c.

Check out comments in my Flickr, related to photo DB class V60.

DB class V60

Hope it works....

Tubes were added after taking this picture !

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Hi, on my big scale 112 I experienced some wheel slipping in case of heavy loads. The engine is pretty heavy , but this is not helping. Making it heavier would make it too aggressive for the rails.

I therefore used what I had (plumbing gaskets), and they work fine. Also bicycle inner tubes are a great idea!!!  :thumbup:

49005138478_03de24e634_b.jpg

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On 11/4/2019 at 6:29 PM, Carefree_Dude said:

I'm not against using other wheels, I just can't justify spending $140 on wheels for a single train.

http://www.bricktraindepot.com has them for less than shapeways. And keep in mind that a regular lego steam wheel is like $4 on bricklink, so $5 or 6 for a custom one isn't a big price upcharge. Still, I get your point. Not cheap.

 

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I'm trying to add the inner tubes to my xl wheels but they keep slipping off while running. Any way to keep them on? Any other good traction ideas?

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2 hours ago, Carefree_Dude said:

I'm trying to add the inner tubes to my xl wheels but they keep slipping off while running. Any way to keep them on? Any other good traction ideas?

Do you have the wheels that are already grooved? If you have the non grooved then they will not stay.  You can set them up on a motor and cut a groove in them with a hobby knife.  I am unable to search the link currently but I remember someone posting their "lathe" setup

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13 minutes ago, Roadmonkeytj said:

Do you have the wheels that are already grooved? If you have the non grooved then they will not stay.  You can set them up on a motor and cut a groove in them with a hobby knife.  I am unable to search the link currently but I remember someone posting their "lathe" setup

Mine are not grooved; i may need to cut a groove or something. I'm just really nervous about having to cut these things. 

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3 hours ago, Carefree_Dude said:

I'm trying to add the inner tubes to my xl wheels but they keep slipping off while running. Any way to keep them on? Any other good traction ideas?

Are you talking about bicycle inner tube cutoffs? I have used those on BBB wheels (both Medium and XL) and they stay on. I bought a special size though, that was recommended somewhere here on this forum, which is not a common US type of inner tube (but available in various specialty stores and online). 

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Just now, Phil B said:

Are you talking about bicycle inner tube cutoffs? I have used those on BBB wheels (both Medium and XL) and they stay on. I bought a special size though, that was recommended somewhere here on this forum, which is not a common US type of inner tube (but available in various specialty stores and online). 

I used bicycle inner tubes; got the size to fit a 28mm tire, since the wheels are a bit under 37mm. It initially fits fine on the driver, but as the drive goes around curves it slowly works the inner tube off. 

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2 minutes ago, Carefree_Dude said:

I used bicycle inner tubes; got the size to fit a 28mm tire, since the wheels are a bit under 37mm. It initially fits fine on the driver, but as the drive goes around curves it slowly works the inner tube off. 

I used 700c 23-25mm I think. You have to stretch them quite a bit to fit (especially for XL) but they stay on. Make sure you cut them to about half the width of the wheel ...

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I emailed Ben about the traction issue, and his response was to just push the engine with powered tender. Not quite the answer I was hoping for, so I am going to continue to pursue other methods since I really want to use the drive wheels. 

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16 minutes ago, Carefree_Dude said:

I emailed Ben about the traction issue, and his response was to just push the engine with powered tender. Not quite the answer I was hoping for, so I am going to continue to pursue other methods since I really want to use the drive wheels. 

I definitely understand the appeal of the injection molded wheels he produces, but at this point -

Maybe it's time to consider Shupp's 3D printed drivers. There's a good variety of designs and you can get them with or without grooves for O-Rings. They're more expensive, sure, but it seems like the best option now. 

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On 1/27/2020 at 8:42 PM, Roadmonkeytj said:

I am unable to search the link currently but I remember someone posting their "lathe" setup

OK, was ages ago and there may be much better solutions, 10 years after. It still works though.

Best
Thorsten

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1 hour ago, Toastie said:

OK, was ages ago and there may be much better solutions, 10 years after. It still works though.

Best
Thorsten

That is a wonderful method! I wouldn't have even considered using a lego motor for the spinning. How have your BBB wheels held up after almost 10 years? 

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6 minutes ago, Carefree_Dude said:

That is a wonderful method!

Well, it is a simple but rather crude method. A lathe is so much better - but not so many have access to one, I believe. This is why I did it that way. And: It simply works. 

The wheels are in perfect shape. Ben's wheels are simply superb. More interestingly though, the red LEGO rubber bands still do their task as well. I must admit though that I don't run the BR23 that often. On the other hand, the rubber bands are comparably cheap. When they do snap - put on another one. Has not happened, but ...

Best
Thorsten 

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sadly i don't have access to a lathe or a drill press anymore. I do have a power drill which may work, I would just need a way to lock it into the "ON" position. 

I wish I had something to practice with before I put a BBB wheel on it. I haven't used a lathe in years 

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10 minutes ago, Carefree_Dude said:

I do have a power drill which may work, I would just need a way to lock it into the "ON" position. 

That one may work; you could use some sort of tape (machine unplugged) to lock it. BUT: Secure that thing before you do that. Does it go from zero to full forward when you turn it on? Or is there some sort of power regulation? Again: Secure that thing before plugging it in with the tape locking the on key.

The spinning speed should not be too high - on the other hand your pressure on the file is key. Just be patient - with no pressure at all, just the weight of the file in the beginning.

You can use any LEGO round plate for practice. A 2x2 round plate would do, it has an axle hole. Just try it. A 4x4 round plate is closer to the wheel. Both are way more challenging, as you would not have any guide as the flange on the BBB train wheel represents. When you can make a groove on these, you can make any groove you like on the BBB wheels for sure. The flange on the BBB wheels is almost a guarantee that it will work.

Best
Thorsten

 

 

 

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