I undertook a test-fit of some of the first Wheels of Time heavyweight four-wheel trucks to a very old Bachmann combine, and it was not a simple swap-out.
- the truck crossmember (I'm sure it has a name) sits a bit higher than the original Bachmann truck, necessitating some body work to lower the car
- the kingpin supplied was much larger, so a 2.5mm hole had to be drilled (the original hole enlarged) but it does look like I can drill the center of the pin to run magnet wire for lighting
- the lowered floor may play havoc with coupler height. Need to do some proper measuring to be sure.
- the truck crossmember (I'm sure it has a name) sits a bit higher than the original Bachmann truck, necessitating some body work to lower the car
- the kingpin supplied was much larger, so a 2.5mm hole had to be drilled (the original hole enlarged) but it does look like I can drill the center of the pin to run magnet wire for lighting
- the lowered floor may play havoc with coupler height. Need to do some proper measuring to be sure.
But they do look pretty good:
Bachmann combine with new truck on the coach end
Comparing the original (left) to the new (right)
I'm not 100% sure it is worth the work on the newer examples of the cars. I may complete this one, and see how it compares in use to the others with "as is" trucks. Those with older plastic wheeled trucks need at least new wheels, so we'll see.
Once I make a final determination I'll post a thread; I may also attempt to convert a Micro-Trains RPO to the four wheel truck, as a lot of the pictures I have show this instead of the six-wheel truck...
