Replacing traction replacement on Railking 2-8-8-2 Y6B steamer

Soxfan posted:

Three questions for those of you with more experience with traction tires than me.

1. Do you replace all of the traction tires at one time or replace them as they  fall off/tear? I replace them all at the same time. Assuming this is the first time they've been changed, they're all the same age.

2. I am assuming that all drive wheels with a side flange should have a traction tire. The engine that I am working on has two wheels currently with no tires  that i assume should have them. Is that correct? No. Not all wheels take traction tires. The wheels that take traction tires have grooves in them. You should have four on this engine. 

3. The actual replacement of the tires on this engine  does not appear to be simple. For each of the wheels in a set, the front tire can be replaced by simply loosening a hex nut and slipping a new traction tire around the wheel. The back 2 tires (one on each side) are not as easily accessed. It looks like all of the side rods must be removed to get at the hex nut on the wheel that needs a new traction tire. How would I go about doing this? The product manual is scarce on detailed instructions. Not that big a deal taking the rods off. Make sure you have the right sized wrench. Work one side at a time. Take a picture or two if you need to. Don't overtighten the bolts when you put it back together. They will break and it isn't fun from that point forward.

Thanks, Paul