# How to adjust Wheel Gauge???



## dms1 (May 27, 2010)

I just purchased a Bachmann Lil Hauler to use as a Crew Speeder motor assembly and it was real sloppy loose on the track. So I used the Kadee gauge I have on the wheels and they are too narrow. I did some searches here on the forum and saw methods to Narrow the wheels, how do you widen them?


I also read that it is best to use calipers and measure back to back for 1.575" - does that just mean measure the distance between the back of each wheel??


Thanks


Dave S


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

JJ's modified C clamp can go both ways on regauging wheels. 
Got a vise? Open the jaws enough for the axle, rest the wheel on the jaws and tap the end of the axle. Go to far? Remove and rest wheel on top of jaws and tap other axle end 

When I measure back2back, I measure where the flange meets the tread, as this is the part that meets the track. 

Happy Rails 

John


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## John J (Dec 29, 2007)

Posted By Totalwrecker on 21 Jul 2013 08:35 AM 
JJ's modified C clamp can go both ways on regauging wheels. 
Got a vise? Open the jaws enough for the axle, rest the wheel on the jaws and tap the end of the axle. Go to far? Remove and rest wheel on top of jaws and tap other axle end 

When I measure back2back, I measure where the flange meets the tread, as this is the part that meets the track. 

Happy Rails 

John 





Are we talking a Engine here or Rolling stock....My C clamp will not work on Engines....

Engines, as I understand it take more work to change back to back gap 

JJ


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

Good catch!


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

JJ's modified C clamp: (very clever!)



























I use a press from Harbor Freight:


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## dms1 (May 27, 2010)

This is an 0-4-0 engine, I saw the c clamp posts but it looks like the wheels were removed from the car for that to work, not sure that would work with an engine.


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

JJ caught my mistake 2nd reply. Greg skims too much and missed JJ's catch of my advice for freight car wheels. 

I'm going to my corner now. 

John


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## Dick413 (Jan 7, 2008)

John 
What do you use for a measurement? 
Dick


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

1. I wanted to show JJ's pictures, and the press, not just talk about it. Pictures are worth 1,000 words. 
2. Different locos take different techniques, some are not adjustable, notably the Aristo. 
3. The press I show has cutouts and this works much better than a vise. 
4. Do not use the kadee gauge, the measurement is back to back, not the edge of the flanges, it's only a rough approxomation, 1.575" target. 
5. All the specs and info is on my pages... *http://www.elmassian.com...trong>**
Greg*


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

Posted By Dick413 on 21 Jul 2013 06:45 PM 
John 
What do you use for a measurement? 
Dick 
I've never needed to make any adjustments. My Aristo Classics plus a Hartland American have reasonable flanges and make it through AC's WR switches ok.I'm too sloppy to measure it out to 3 decimal places. My rolling stock was designed in the USA by Delton. It works.
The #6 wye switch needed track work, designed 'over there' nuff said.

Look and listen, then apply a hand and feel the car or truck roll through the switch, that's me method.

Greg, nice pictures, wrong tool, that's all.

John


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Actually John, the little "cup" on the end of the clamp can sometimes let you press on the wheel and not the axle. 

Also remember that usat locos are very similar to freight car axles. 

Regards, Greg


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## Dick413 (Jan 7, 2008)

Thanks John 
good to see what other people do. when I started in g I found George Schreyer's tip page and I have most usa and he used 1.60 for back to back 
I started to use this it works for me. now I have some aristo and have started to use greg's tips on them not much dif. 
dick


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## Dick413 (Jan 7, 2008)

Dave 
there may be something here under Bachmann that can help you 
http://www.girr.org/girr/tips/tips.html 
dick


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

You're welcome, Dick. 
When I first looked online I found 'Family Garden Lines', but it wasn't quite what I needed, then I found this Home and then George's pages thru here. 

Greg, I'll try to remember, but I usually hand off USATrains questions to those who have 'em. smiley here. 


I was afraid JJ's fine tool was a derail that I started... ok back to my corner... 

John


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Yeah, George's early work was pretty much controlled by the standards we had at that time, and no one was really building "quality" turnouts, i.e. to a workable set of specifications like maybe HO. 

Thick flanges, deep flanges, flange-bearing frogs, narrow back to back to accommodate the thicker flanges. 

The specs we have now, due in no small part to efforts by our Kevin Strong, are pretty darn good... and if you stick to the "target values" and don't use the sloppy tolerances allowed (to "grandfather" in older stuff) you can really have much improved running. 

Again, my perspective is long trains, steep grades and dead reliable running. You don't have to go to "extremes", but I only want to set the gauge of my wheelsets once, so I was a bit finicky about them, and it has paid off. 

Regards, Greg


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## dms1 (May 27, 2010)

Just to add closure, the engine was a Bachmann Lil Hauler and I ended up taking the whole thing apart and was able to pull the wheels apart while twisting them to the right gauge.


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