Changing a traction tire

Yardmaster96 posted:

I have a DDA40X engine that threw a tire.  I hope I have the right forum.  Due to the fact that you can't move the geared wheels manually, I can't use my toothpick to spin it back on.  Does anyone know how to remove the plastic silver cover that covers the truck wheels?  I don't really need the tire, the engine runs just fine traction wise without it, but it would be nice to know how to do stuff like this.  Last time I had to do this it was to a 1971 switcher engine that allowed you to move the wheels manually

Did you turn on its side and look for 2 screws to (truck side) plastic wheel cover on?  Usually what it is.

In order to change traction tires on early diesels you had to drop the power truck in order to access the small screws which hold the side frames in place. The power truck is secured by a recessed phillips head screw on the bottom of the truck. Thus, you had to remove the shell from the chassis so that once the tire is changed and the side frames re-installed you can align the can motor with the gearbox and reinstall the screw holding the truck block and the motor together. It sounds complicated but after you do  one or two you will be an expert. Later diesels have side frame screws you can access without dropping the truck itself. Look on the inside of the side frame to see where yours are. 

you do NOT have to remove the power truck or drop the side frames to replace traction tires on diesels.  You can make simple tools out of two paper clips/tool, wire them together and solder them.  This has been covered on the forum in the past.  You might find u-tube videos on it.  If you would like, I can text you pictures of the tools.

Bruce

Great.  Now that I know what to look for, I'll give it a shot.  Thanks for the information.

John

I finally got the owners manual out and read the section on changing traction tires. It spoke of two screws that hold the covers on.  I found no screws that were obvious, but did find two tiny, and I mean tiny, holes that may or may not have had a screw in them.  The only obvious screw was the one holding the truck assembly to the engine frame.  Defeated I just fell back to my old creative engineering gene that has sustained me throughout my 54 years.

I took a toothpick and a paper clip and a pen light.  Pen light went in my mouth, while the tooth pick and paper clip fit cleanly into the space created between the cover and the wheel.  Set the tire on the wheel, then painstakingly but gently pushed the tire down until the bottom of the tire rimmed over the bottom of the wheel.  It's on, but I still need to drive the engine forward about a half inch to get what is now the bottom of the tire more toward the top so I can check to see if it is on completely.  These new engines with their "won't move except under power" wheels, make it difficult to not only do something like this, but clean them as well.  I know you can take powered track, a cloth, and a bit of elbow restraint and hold an engine in place while it does a burnout on the cloth and cleans the wheels, but my fear up burnout on the motor is more pressing than clean wheels.

Some models do have side frames too close to easily change tires.  So it is best sometimes to take off shell and loosen motor to get to the side frame screws that are on the top and hidden when truck is install on chassis.  G

Here is the link I mentioned in my earlier post.  This tool makes changing traction tires easy.

https://ogrforum.com/...ick-with-right-tools

Really - it works,  I change many traction tires.

Bruce

These work fine as well and are only $1.99 from Harbor Freight:

https://www.harborfreight.com/...mp;lid=6,949,644,225

-Greg

I have something like that.  Thanks Greg.  And thanks Bruce for your link.  We bought some pumpkin carving tools and there is a tool that just might work.  Not hooks and picks, but scraping and detailing.

I have a specific tool too for changing tires too, but not all side frames are the same and some wheels that tool can not fit between wheel and side frame.  With out being able to rotate wheel or move side frame you can spend a lot of time stretching the tire too much and hope it snaps on.  G

Then you have some where they used a press to mount the sides of the truck onto the top so you can't remove them and you have about 1/16" to side the traction tire up there ( ie my 8654 B&M GP-9 ) And I have two of them  

rtraincollector posted:

Then you have some where they used a press to mount the sides of the truck onto the top so you can't remove them and you have about 1/16" to side the traction tire up there ( ie my 8654 B&M GP-9 ) And I have two of them  

Would that be lionel?  I have not seen a MTH that way.  Not saying it is not impossible they did that at one point, but I have repaired a lot of MTH trains and never seen staked side frames on an engine.  G

yes Lionel