when do you replace traction tires?

I never try to put old tires back on.  After many attempts I came to realize that once they've peeled off, it's pretty rare they're not stretched enough to come right back off.  I'd rather spend the money for a new tire than the time putting an old one on again and again.

Five your old tires normally aren't deteriorated much as a rule, but it does depend on how they're stored.  If it's extreme climate, hot, dry, etc. they may go bad faster.

For your specific situation, just replace the tires once and see if it improves things.  If it does, then you needed them.  If it doesn't, it could be a problem with the wheels/frame and/or the track.

thanks John. Yes, like I said, once they stretch that's a sure-sign for me too.

The engine is stored in a spare bedroom so I don't think there's an issue there.

I noticed the last time that I looked that the tires seemed 'hard', almost plastic like.  I never examined them closely before but I was expecting a softer, more rubber like feel.

That's why I thought maybe over time, 5-years here, they "change" somehow and need replaced even though they still fit nice and tight on the wheels.

thanks - walt

Hard to say.  The MTH tires start out shiny and looking "plastic like".  Most Lionel tires are more rubber looking, but I actually prefer the MTH tires.  They're thinner and frequently solve issues with the too thick Lionel tires.

Thanks John.  There-in lies my dilemma in a way.  I have one Lionel steamer and compared the tires on it with the tires on my in-question tin-plate one.  That's when I noticed shiney and plastic-like on the T-P engine versus rubber-like.

- walt

I've started not replacing them.  So far, things are running just fine.  Maybe I'll change my mind after a while.

I found that having them on RailRax anodized aluminum shelves would break down the tires.  Now I move them off of the rails so that they rest on their flanges.

Alan

I usually replace them after I find one on the side of the tracks or if one gets bound up in the drive rods on a steamer! 

WALT, I've learned the hard way to keep a close eye on traction tires. I have had damage on both a steam engine (PS2 board fail from wheel lock up) and a diesel (truck gear damage),  from them coming off and getting tangled in the wheels. I like to use a wooden tooth pick and try to drag the tire on the wheel. If they lift easily or slip like their stretched (especially if the engine is used in a MU lash up) I replace them. Visually I will inspect for orange peel and dry rot.

I replace a traction tire only after it has broken and don't replace the tire on the opposite side of the axle until it breaks...

Traction tires seem to last well on my mostly MTH locomotives. One factor in favor of that is that my curves are O-54 and O-72. The larger the track diameter, the smaller the wheel slippage, which helps to prolong traction tire life. Another factor is that my trackage is Atlas O on which the flat-topped rail results in less contact pressure than tubular rail. I also run short trains that require less tractive force than long ones.

MELGAR

thank you all - the MOST important thing that I gleaned from reading them all is that a 5-year old tire is not necessarily in need of replacement just because it's 5 years old.

The tires are not stretched, not chipped, etc.  I'm just trying to figure out if age COULD HAVE BEEN a reason that this engine can't pull more than the 3 cars that came with it.  Rule out age.

As always, thanks - walt

Walt, they can deteriorate, some tires last better than others, and of course they could have been contaminated with some chemical or oil on the track and the aging accelerated.

I normally just wait till the tires fall off. Then I change them. Yesterday I noticed that one of the tires on my MTH Premier GS4 Northern just popped off and unrolled itself while the locomotive was sitting in the passenger terminal on my layout. I figured I would just change both, since they looked original (locomotives was built in 1999). Turns out the previous owner changed the tires at some point and super glued them on. Don't do that. Chipping super glue off a wheel with a tiny screwdriver gets really old, really fast.

walt rapp posted:

The tires are not stretched, not chipped, etc.  I'm just trying to figure out if age COULD HAVE BEEN a reason that this engine can't pull more than the 3 cars that came with it.  Rule out age.

As always, thanks - walt

The next thing to investigate is, how well do the cars roll? Is there excess drag causing the engine to slip?

The extra rollers and axle wipers on passenger cars can really increase drag exponentially.

I've had O scale passenger cars that I had to pry back the axle wipers a bit to relieve the tension. This made a big difference. Of course lubing axles rollers and such all helps if you haven't already.

Tin plate is a bit different but with my oguage stuff I try to lube/ tweak each passenger car so when I give it a shove it rolls freely for a reasonable distance.

Thanks for those comments Ricko.  In response I'll say that I faithfully oiled all of the wheels/axles as directed in the instructions.  I agree that these tin-plate cars don't roll anywhere near as well as my non-tin plate rolling stock does.  They don't drag but they aren't quite as free wheeling.

on the train that I am questioning, there are no lighted cars so not wipes.

just frustrating, that's where I"m at.  Don't want to accept the situation but might be forced into a reality check!

- walt

Have you tried adding weight? Stick a couple magnets on as an experiment If it works you can add some self sticking wheel weights out of sight.

walt rapp posted:

The only time that I have put on new tires was when the old one fell off, loosely speaking.  I have been taught, correctly, that once the tire gets stretched and comes loose, you might THINK you can put it back on but it's best to put a new one on.

Other than that, I'm wondering if there are other occassions to put a new one on.  Specifically, do they simply get old and lose their effectiveness????

That question hits home for me.  I have a tin-plate set that I bought new in 2013.  Keep in mind that I only have a Christmas layout so it has limited mileage on it.  In another thread I mentioned that I bought 2 extra cars but the engine's wheels usually just spin and the train doesn't move when I try to hook them up to the original 3.  It doesn't matter which 3 of the 5 cars that I use, that's all that the engine can handle without spinning its wheels.

I'm wondering if maybe the traction tires, being 5 years old last Christmas, need replaced.  How do I know?????  What signs are there that it's time to replace the tires???  Or don't they get old and need replacement for that reason?

As always, thanks - walt

Walt, does the rubber tire actually touch the rail head? If it is too thin in thickness you won't get any benefit. Try two, one on top of the other.

I find that Lionel's traction tires are wider than Mth's traction tires. Thus the MTH tires will fit Lionel engines, but Lionel tires will not fit MTH engine's. I also find that Lionel's tires deteriorate faster than the MTH tires.

I've gone two different routes,

1) replace tire after it falls off.

2) in some cases I've been able to replace the entire wheel with a drive wheel that has NO groove for traction tires.

The problem is not the traction tire; it's the uncoupling shoe on the bottom of your rolling stock.

Scott Smith