# Best Way to "Square-Up" Wheels???



## toddalin (Jan 4, 2008)

I was just pressing some "collars" onto USA-engine cracked gear wheel sets (for the umpteenth time) and usually end up with a little more wobble in the wheels than factory when done.

What do other people do to "square-up" their wheel sets and make them run true?


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

I use a press from harbor freight, no wobble.. 










Regards, Greg


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## stevedenver (Jan 6, 2008)

useful tip indeed


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## toddalin (Jan 4, 2008)

I really don't see just how using the press would result in it any being more square than doing it in the vice as I have been doing.

Once you remove the axles and "collar" the gear and press the axles back in, there is a little tweaking as the wheel first presses in, especially on the second axle as the first axle would rather to continue to press in rather than letting the second one start. My remedy for this is to start the first axle then wrap three coils of wire around the first axle before starting the second axle. This keeps the first axle from pushing in too far. Remove the wire once the second axle is in the "collared" gear and nears its final position.

Ideally a "jig" of some type could be used to contain the assembly and keep everything aligned as the axles are pressed in so no wobble would occur. Alternatively, a tubular shell could be placed around the completed assembly and the wheels squared-up with that.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

How it is better is that there is no "little tweaking"... also press one side on first, at least part way. This makes it easier to keep things square. 

Your vise has more slop in it than the vertical ram, and I'll bet your vise jaws are not smooth. I think this is enough reason why a press is better. 

You are getting this from a guy who has replaced a lot of axles in his USAT locos... and re-gauged all of them too, and I tried a vise first too. The press is way better. 

I use the press to move the wheel on the axle shaft to re-gauge, not move the axle in the plastic gear housing. 

I have tubular collars on about half of my axles, to fix the splits. 

Regards, Greg 

p.s. the press is cheap, from Harbor Freight.


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## Les (Feb 11, 2008)

Todd,

I've gotta second Greg: the vise has a lot of wobble--just grab the free jaw and shake it, you'll see. And as for parallelism, forget it, those jaws could be off in any direction. Also, the lead screw is no masterpiece of tolerance fit, either. Wasn't made to be. And a press is pretty handy for other things: if you make a head for the ram--most of 'em have two holes in the ram that accept screws, and if they don't, you can drill & tap 'em, and make a series of punches for faux rivets using Stanley nail sets with the tips ground to your heart's desire and mounted in the hole in the head with a thumbnut, all kinds of drifts to slowly press things to and fro, a couple of squares of aluminum extruded, with appropriate slots and you've got a limited-range gear setter/adjuster. On and on. Straighten bent parts.

Crack nuts, too.

Les


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## John J (Dec 29, 2007)

Make one of these

Make sure that the little metal piece on the end of the threaded shaft has a hole in it to accommodate the axel 

Most inexpensive C clamps do have a hole in the metal piece 

You can vary the size of the gap ( see third picture) to work on most anything you want.


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## toddalin (Jan 4, 2008)

John, I like the innovation! I just may have to make up something similar.


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