Replace Menards Plastic Trucks with Lionel Metal Sprung

Ken,  

I would guess that you would have to drill out the rivet but that is only a guess.

Doug

@boomer0622 I figured it out. I carefully pryed it off. I actually needed the rivet that was on there. Worked great. These Menards tankers are nice except the trucks are pure trash. Oh well, all set now. Tyvm for the reply!

So it just pries off? I also would have been reaching for the drill to remove the rivet. I never thought to try prying. Good call!

They are pressed in, so they can be backed out. I replaced a few with the Lionel 9150 style plastic trucks. I added a screw / washer / nylon lock nut and had to drill the holes out a bit.

@Mike M posted:

They are pressed in, so they can be backed out. I replaced a few with the Lionel 9150 style plastic trucks. I added a screw / washer / nylon lock nut and had to drill the holes out a bit.

That seems a lot more reliable than reusing a rivet that is pressed into place.

@Mike M posted:

They are pressed in, so they can be backed out. I replaced a few with the Lionel 9150 style plastic trucks. I added a screw / washer / nylon lock nut and had to drill the holes out a bit.

Maybe a silly question but would the Diecast truck install be the same then?

I really like some of the Menards cars but hate the trucks.

Dicast may be a bit easier since the hole is smaller. I went with screws due to the size of the hole in the 9150. This is what I used. The screw length depend on the application.

What does that add to the cost of the car ? Is it worth buying Manards ?   I have a few myself, but haven’t run them yet

I had a few spare trucks so it didn’t really add up to much. I think they were around $7 each at the time I picked them up. In general, I have been able to fix the Menards trucks by rounding the ends of the wheel set. I only replaced the Menards Wheel sets when I couldn’t fix them. The newer couplers have been much better than the older ones.

@Mike M posted:

I had a few spare trucks so it didn’t really add up to much. I think they were around $7 each at the time I picked them up. In general, I have been able to fix the Menards trucks by rounding the ends of the wheel set. I only replaced the Menards Wheel sets when I couldn’t fix them. The newer couplers have been much better than the older ones.

Can you please expend and possibly include photos of what you mean “rounding the ends of the wheel sets” ? I have a lot of Menards flat cars and auto racks I have yet to unpack for a proposed military train.

The wheel on the right has the pointed tip and the one on the left shows the sharp tip filed down and rounded off. This greatly improved the wheel performance. It seems that the points dig into the plastic which creates friction which impacts the wheels ability to spin freely. Rounding off the edges also shortens the overall length which also helps.