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08/21/04
Adding weight to the engine overall and transferring additional weight to the front drivers to limit driver slippage:
To add additional weight to the engine and limit slippage of the front set of drivers, I added weight in a few areas.
I started by adding a total of 1.2 pounds (used 2oz lead fishing weights wrapped in electrical tape) in three separate areas.
1. On the large metal weight on the frame behind the rear set of drivers.
2. In the slot right behind the rear driver's motor
3. On the front driver set itself.
The weights were adhered with this double-stick adhesive tape and is available from Wal-mart near the paint section.
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The next step I chose to transfer weight to the front engine set was to add a spring to where the front drivers connect to the main body of the engine. (Ace Hardware spring part #182) You may want to experiment a bit with different spring types and lengths to get the right amount of tension and allow for proper range of motion. A metal washer was used to protect the plastic from being damaged by the spring.
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Adding weight to the front set of drivers:
When the spring was added to the connection between the boiler and the front set of drivers, the added weight at the back of the front set of drivers required that additional weight be added to the front of the front set of drivers to keep the pilot from lifting up.
To help compensate I added weight to the inside of the front drive using small lead weights and between the air pumps on the pilot.
I used these weights to fit between the air pumps in two stacks (which added about 7 ounces).
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To test whether you have the right amount of weight in the right locations and have the right spring tension, do a pull test by starting the engine moving and hold the engine in place by holding the tender coupler and see which set of drivers would loose traction first. If you have the right balance of weight and spring tension, both driver sets should start to slip at the same time or close to it.
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