Royal Ranger set up

[RR Dad]

There are a variety of tips floating around and wanted to see if I could get some consolidated feedback on the "best" prep for Royal Ranger wheels and axles using graphite and no center rail track. Here is what I have gathered so far:
- use #5 screws for the axles
- taper inner face of screw head (portion that contacts wheel hub)
- DD4H procedure for axles, bores and hubs
- jigaloo? or pledge? on the axles. Let dry for 15 min. And wipe off excess
- negative camber on rear wheels
- on DFW side shave rear/ shorten rear axle so it stays off the outside rail
- Apply any polish, graphite, etc. To wheel where it contacts the track?

I'm sure there is a 100+ other things to do, but considering I can only build during designated "class" time (total 12 hrs) I'm just trying to get the biggest bang for my buck.

 

[Guest]

Welcome Ranger Dad!
What wheels are you running- the 6 spoke tractor style or the smooth 4 spoke?

I don't think the Big Dogs use the jig for graphite, I have heard that you can use the red rocket on the axles when running graphite.

The holes in the dowels are a joke! Resolving how to get straight holes drilled and then driving the axle/screw in straight will be your biggest beef.

 

[RR Dad]

They are the 6 spoke. Also just discovered the track is center rail.

 

[Guest]

Ah, the good ol 6 spoke "Royal Rumblers". Slightly smaller bores on the sixers so running the #5 screw may be overkill. The amount of material needed to be removed to make the #5's fit will remove all of the zinc or nickel plating and leave bare steel which will eventually oxidize. You should be fine with the #4's in the kit.

Lowes sells sticks of poplar dowel for dirt cheap if you plan to redrill. I cut both dowels at 1 3/4" and glue in the car, then drill on the Silver Bullet. After drilling all holes I remove an 1/8" material off the dowel on the DFW side. If you have a 2" machinists V-block you can clamp the dowel in the V portion and drill each side.

For the rear wheels run em reversed so the smooth domed side is touching the axle head.

Are you allowed to groove the axles or shave the wheels?

 

[Guest]

AWWWW yeah! Are you stoked or what Eccentric?

I was wondering if more of your kind were going to show up, or if you just made this whole RR thing up.

You fellas sure are rare it seems.

RR dad. I am pleased to present you with the big dog of the RR world.

 

[Guest]

HaHa, that's good stuff there bud! Thanks for the compliment Laser but I've still got a long way to go to before stepping into Big Dog territory- not for lack of trying though.

Makes my day when I meet others who are interested in this style of build, I certainly wish there were more that would take it to the next level but interest for the Royal classes has been low comparatively speaking. I guess the YMCA and Indian Guides use this style of wheel but they call them the "Chule". Now that is a rare breed, I've never encountered anyone that has took part in that class.

 

[RR Dad]

I like the v-block idea to re-drill the dowels.

Any advice for prepping the wheel contact surface with the track?

 

[Guest]

Your rules will dictate what can be done to the tread profile, from light sanding to remove mold marks to reshaping. If you can reshape then cut razors or shape them so the outermost portion of the tread comes to a point. Unfortunately, most Royal Ranger rules do a pretty good job of limiting creativity and modifying the parts. When I raced at the church we were not allowed to bevel wheel hubs or the axle heads, no axle grooves, no rounding the ends of the dowels- about the only thing we could do was extend the wheelbase/images/boards/smilies/frown.gif/images/boards/smilies/confused.gif

 

[RR Dad]

The official race rules are very minimal. However, there appears to be unwritten rules that will limit me from shaving the wheels to razors. I am able to sand, deburr, polish.

 

[Guest]

That sounds about right. In that case I would just true them up while maintaining the stock profile. The rounded wheel profile will have minimal surface contact the way they are.
Also, these 6 spoke wheels may benefit from a small fender due to the ridged indentations catching the air.