[W3NZL]

U got it about right Greg, thin wall tubing slightly shorter than the b2b spacing, spacers or axles
cut to length to control the "going wide" problem... I got to playing around with BBs & differentials
back in the early to mid 90s as part of some early R/C work I was doing with some old Tamiya
6 meter RC equipment, an I had some heavy battery cars that needed all the help they could get..
My layout, built in the early 90s is all 4 ft radius, the biggest available at the time, its really a test
track, I don't really "run trains" much on it at all, but I test a lot on it... The addition of BBs & diffing
the axles did wonders for getting those heavy battery cars around the layout, albeit expensive at
the time, but I normally run on much larger radius track these days. I posted a lot of the test results
on the old forums of the day, LSOL and the Aristo forums, all long gone... Its only been the last few
years that BBs have been available at prices that made this kind of stuff practical & affordable though...
Paul R...

 

[vsmith]

I have found the only stuff that actually needed the BB wheels are the stock I run on my pizza layouts, as they are under R1 diameter, it can get redonkulously expensive very very quickly.

 

[OldNoob]

At the risk of resurrecting an old thread,,,
I happened to purchased a passenger car on EvilBay recently that surprisingly came with one LGB bearing wheel. So i was able to get a glance first hand at the difference they can make. So after seeing the results, now im pretty much motivated to spend the extra cash to purchase a couple sets.

 

[Dan Pierce]

I once purchased the single ball bearing wheel sets from Gary Raymond. Been working fine for years.

 

[Greg Elmassian]

Remember that you want the 2 wheels to turn independently, which means there is at least one ball bearing in the "hub" of one wheel.

If you have an LGB wheelset, then there should be ball bearings in both hubs, and little pins protruding from the axle for power pickup also.

I would imagine the car you have was retrofitted mainly for power pickup.

Greg

 

[OldNoob]

I once purchased the single ball bearing wheel sets from Gary Raymond. Been working fine for years.

Good to know. ive been considering purchasing from him. He has a lot of options. Do they spin freely like the LGBs?

Remember that you want the 2 wheels to turn independently, which means there is at least one ball bearing in the "hub" of one wheel.

If you have an LGB wheelset, then there should be ball bearings in both hubs, and little pins protruding from the axle for power pickup also.

I would imagine the car you have was retrofitted mainly for power pickup.

Greg

Thanks for the reminder. I think you are right the battery door was missing.

 

[Greg Elmassian]

When you have a single ball bearing wheel, you have to ensure the axle spins in the journals freely. I do not see how this can be as low friction given the sloppy tolerances typical in G scale and the lack of any friction reducing device at the axle tops.

It seems to be a halfway point, in terms of friction reduction and cost, which might indeed fit your situation.

Greg

 

[s-4]

I have found that LGB and Piko have the most free-rolling motion (of the ones I've tested). I think the Piko ones are a little cheaper, but be sure to order the smaller 30mm. The 35mm wheels are too large for most LGB, USA, BAC rolling stock.

The only time I use the extra large 35mm is to convert older Aristo diesels into free-rolling "dummies"...saves power when running ABA lashups that don't really need that much traction. The wheelsets fit right in the brass journals.

 

[Greg Elmassian]

That's a good tip to know about fitting the Aristo diesels.

 

[s-4]

...An even cooler tip is when doing this you lower the locomotive the "easy way". Take the side frames off completely and then place them 1/4 or so higher up on the "A-frame", drill new holes and replace! This is how I lowered my fleet of RDC trailers. I swapped the fake Budd side frames for working AAR frames and didi modification mentioned...also cut off the brake gear to make them closer resemble the Budds since RDCs have discs anyways.

 

[Greg Elmassian]

Your tips are on my web site, thanks!

Your link to your blog is broke by the way.

Greg

 

[Adam Homann]

I've found the Roll-EZ wheels to be very stiff, especially when they're cold. Not convinced there's actually less friction than well lubricated metal wheels. The LGB sets spin much more freely all the time, but are ~twice as expensive.

I have compared Gary Raymond wheels to Roll-EZ… and yes same result as you, Roll-EZ wheels do not roll easy lol. The bearings are quite stiff. I got 20 axles and all of them are pretty much the same. Gary Raymond on the other hand… wow the best bearings probably up there with LGB’s and PIKO’s but he’s cut back on production sadly.

 

[Adam Homann]

I have a bunch of Roll-EZ wheels if you're interested. shaft is independent of each wheel. Each wheel has a ball bearing. There's some wear, originally chrome. some of them are painted brown. PM me if you're interested.

FWIW I did find the ball bearing wheels rolled better than stock plastic, but not as well as the friction-bearing wheelsets from USAT and Kadee (once appropriate white lithium grease was applied). I have wide turns, so I don't need the "differential" the independent bearing wheels give you.

I think I got 12 axles for $200. They're always on sale on EBay.

Roll-EZ are quite stiff for bearings sadly, I would not recommend. I got 20 of them and all of them have some level of stiffness. Gary Raymond wheels on the other hand, back in the day when he was still making them were outstanding. Wish I had bought more of his. And they where reasonably priced.

 

[mickey]

Glad I saw this as I was considering the RollEz. But now I understand it much better. I looked at Gary Raymond wheels website and he still shows you can buy. But I’m not understanding is that a complete axel, or what. Can you post a pic since he doesn’t have one.

 

[Pete Thornton]

Gary Raymond wheels website

Give him a call and ask.