# Hartland Mack drive question



## sheepdog (Jan 2, 2008)

Just a quick question. Is the Hartland Mack 4 wheel drive and is it a good puller? 

My battery, I/O, audio car is too heavy for reliable traction from the Woody's 2 two wheel drive. 

Thanks, 
Craig


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

Built to last and nearly indestructable.


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## cjwalas (Jan 2, 2008)

Craig, 
Yes, 4 wheel drive and pulls well for its size. The Mack drive is a very solid unit. It's not as heavily built as the older 2 axle drive, but it is a very solid and dependable drive. It's also very easy to work on; simple and well laid out. I've built stuff with a fair amount of added weight , including just a bash of the Mack, and the drive handled it with no problem. The Hartland Mac is still, IMHO, the best buy in largescale. 
Chris


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## sheepdog (Jan 2, 2008)

Thanks Torby - Chris. I thought it was but could not find any specs. I'm gonna have a Mack to hillbilly up next weekend. 

And I will have to edit the audio for two engines..... I think it will be better. 

Craig


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

Agrees with Chris, and I have numerous bashes to back the opinion up with, go for it, best deal in town


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## Richard Weatherby (Jan 3, 2008)

YUP! 4 wheel drive!! 
I rolled over my invisible Mack to see what gender it was and low and behold it is 4 wheel drive. 
You can clearly see it is. I really don't think it needs windows. 
If I add an engineer, I may not be able to post this loco any more. 
On second thought I think this discussion has gone to the dog(s).


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## sheepdog (Jan 2, 2008)

Thanks Richard! 

Have you had any of the binding problems I read about in the forums? 

Craig


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

Got several, never had any issues with binding.


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## cjwalas (Jan 2, 2008)

I've got six or eight of them and never had any problem of any kind what so ever. 
Chris


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## Stan Cedarleaf (Jan 2, 2008)

Craig, I have one powering my snow plow... Never a glitch...


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## sheepdog (Jan 2, 2008)

Thanks for all the replies! 

One is on it's way from the Northwest hoosierland. Gotta modify my Woody audio for two engines. Should sound even better. 

Just a heads up, Hartland has them on their specials page for $45. Free shipping.  

Craig


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

At the Botanic, we wore out both the LGB cog engines. Dave was sure he was going to have to rip out the cog railway. "Oh, that Heartland engine will do that fine." He was amazed when I set the Mac on the cog line and it ran fine. 

Yesterday, there was a little LGB euro steam "injum" running there, but it gronked. Couldn't find the little mac engine. "Did we wear out that little gray engine?" We put another little engine on there and it gronked. "Well, shucks." 

Finally found the mac hidden behind something else in the wrong shed, and it ran happily the rest of the day.


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## Robbie Hanson (Jan 4, 2008)

Mine has no binding issues, but power pickups are pretty much toast for unknown reasons--I haven't torn it apart quite yet.


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## Allan W. Miller (Jan 2, 2008)

Bulletproof little buggers, and I like them a lot. I just received another Mack from Wholesale Trains a week or so ago, and it arrived with a broken coupler. I called the very nice folks at HLW today and the lady I spoke with there said she'll get a replacement coupler off in the mail to me ASAP. Can't ask for better service than that! I've been running a Mack on Aristo's new 20-inch diameter track and it performs just fine. Ditto for the Hartland 0-4-0, the Aristo Eggliner, and a few others. I was amazed that so many different small locomotives could handle that 20-inch diameter circle without any apparent wheel binding, etc.


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## cjwalas (Jan 2, 2008)

Robbie, 
Please keep us in formed on the power pickups. I've never heard of that being an issue in any of the Hartland axle pick-ups. Possibly it's that the plunger style pick-ups have gotten gummed up and just need lubing or the wires to the pick-ups have loosened. I've never had this happen, but the wires are only press fit in place. I would be very interested in what you discover. 
Chris


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## Robbie Hanson (Jan 4, 2008)

Hmmm... 
It stutters while everything else I run does fine. It could be dirty track, since my track was outside a while back, but I doubt it...maybe wheels, now that I think of it--I'll have to check those too. 

The blasted thing DOES run extremely fast....100 scale mph perhaps?


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## Ted_Roy (Jan 2, 2008)

Allan, 

Where in the Aristo site is there mention of 20" diameter track? I run trolleys, and this would be very interesting. 

Ted.


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## Dennis Paulson (Jan 2, 2008)

Ted this is what I have ran on the 20" and 31" curves here  

Well I am surprized , the HLW Interurban car like the 09232 goes around the ART 11140 20" circle like a breeze , as well as the 4 wheel LGB locos , and the Bachmann trolley . 

And the LGB New Orleans streetcar 20380 , goes around the ART 11145 31" circle just fine and quiet like .  

Is there overhang , oh yes , but so did the real ones . 

So the one car train , a streetcar or interurbans car , going around small curves , makes a small layout possible , and beliveable


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## Allan W. Miller (Jan 2, 2008)

Not sure I've ever seen it listed on the Aristo site, Ted. I bought my track from Wholesale Trains after seeing it mentioned on this forum. 

I see Aristo also has a "bee" Eggliner displayed on their home page. They call it a "Honey Bee" but it should be a "Bumble Bee" because honey bees--which, sadly, are quickly disappearing--don't have yellow and black stripes.


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