What your need now is a track press to assemble that chain!Same hobby, different project...
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A couple of years ago, I rescued this 1:16 John Deere 420C toy. It had been played with and, inevitably, most of the small bits broken off and the rubber tracks destroyed.
I fashioned all the missing bits - steering levers, throttle, exhaust, air cleaner - and built in "inside frame" dozer blade for it as the toy didn't come with one originally.
I spent a good deal of time trying to find replacement tracks for it and there were no exact matches and what I found in generic tracks weren't likely to fit and stupid expensive. I tried my hand at making my own rubber tracks but wasn't able to come up with a reasonable facsimile or a sturdy enough process.
Occurred to me this morning that I might be able to make individual track pads with my 3D printer. Googled around and got some dimensions on the 1:1 pad options and extrapolated from there.
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I designed and printed 5 versions with minor tweaks between each until I came up with a set I liked. There are "inner" and "outer" versions of the "track chain" portion so they'll interlock. They'll be pinned together with .035 brass wire.
Now all I have to do is print out and assemble 32 pairs of them...
Lookin goodView attachment 202170
I wound up one pad short with 16 sets, which actually worked out well. I had to make an offset (wide on one end, narrow on the other) to join the track.
Having a little problem with tear-out on the holes as they're pretty close to the edge of the piece. As long as all it does is sit on the shelf, it'll be fine. Hope I can take them off to paint and put them back on without damaging them.
Fer Instance, the loader project for the tractor got spread out over a couple of years. I'd solder one part, and two would fall off...
Hi Ken,- - - Did manage to locate a place that sells a new belt and just got that installed a few minutes age.
$10.00 for a little belt that would just go around the O.D. of a half dollar! I can get a belt for my 24 inch snow blowers for less than that!
Hi Ken,
to get that little belt for the wholesale price of mebbe 17 Cents you'd have to buy 'em by the giant box-full, just like the retailer did.
What you paid $9.83 for was the convenience of being able to buy just one of them.
That teeny little track looks superb DE - but I have never seen a tracked vehicle with a white track....
It's a special model that clears paths at the flour grinders.That teeny little track looks superb DE - but I have never seen a tracked vehicle with a white track....
I was thinking that was from running around in the snow!It's a special model that clears paths at the flour grinders.
...and I wuz thinking, DE, maybe painting them a "rusty" color (they end up that way anyways), and brushing some mud into strategic places, for added realism...