Operating Tips

This is a collection of useful ideas to help with operating your tank

Lubrication

The manual for my KT only suggested oiling the bushings and shafts in the gearbox. Nothing was mentioned for the gears themselves. Therefore, I had to experiment. First I tried the standard Tamiya grease that came with the kit. It worked fine to lubricate the gears but after a few runs the grease collected a lot of dirt which turned into a nice paste wearing out my gears. The cleanup of the gears was also difficult. Next, I tried extra dry bike chain oil that is for mountain bikes. I only put it on the metal to metal contacts and left the plastic to metal ones dry. It worked well and will be easier to clean off later. However, on the gears that were not lubricated, the brass started to rub off on to the plastic. This started after only one run. So, next time I may try a little on them as well.

The best tip for first time users of the Tamiya KT.

Remove the black clutch housings and use loctite on the set screw that holds the front clutch plate on the shaft. This gave me all sorts of problems. It sometimes even loosens up with the loctite. It is a must do!

Can I run my tank anywhere?

Sure if you want to be fixing it all the time! The general consensus is that plain old dirt is the best. I would avoid mulch, grass, and small pebbles or gravel. The models look great in the sand but the amount of cleanup and potential for excessive wear is high. Mud! Mud is bad, okaaay. My tank has not been in the mud but I did run my Tamiya Hummer in it once. It was a huge cleanup project where I had to practically disassemble everything. Therefore, since the tank is even more of a challenge to tear down there is no way it is going to go mud bogging. Also, I have never tried water but I would think that these tanks are not sealed up well enough to ford water. Maybe less than an inch? Likewise, I have never tried the snow but I hear that it is bad as well. The snow packs into the sprockets which then causes problems.

How can I extend the run time of the model?

I usually connect two 7.2v 1500mah nicad packs together in parallel with a Y adapter. This gives a total of 3000mah while keeping the voltage at 7.2v. My run times have been doubled from about 8 minutes to 16 minutes. Also, it allows me to use the same batteries in my R/C car. So far the extra weight has not been a problem. To connect the two batteries I had to make my own Y adapter since I use litespeed (duratrax) battery connectors. However, complete Y adapters are available with standard connections from most hobby stores.

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