# "truck tuner" tool



## 3.8TransAM (Jan 13, 2016)

I've know what they are, just not used one before.

Anyhow, my last batch of Flexi vans I nabbed were poor rollers all the way around.

You could feel the drag and it was slowing the engines down at the club. One of the members had the truck tuner with him and let me bring it home for the week.

I sat on my butt and went thru 7 Flexi van cars, 20 something Branchline/Trainman kit box cars and a few other odds and ends cars. I left alone the ones whose wheels spun with authority when tested.

Damn was it a boring process, but it made a huuuuuuuuuuuge difference on the Walthers trucks on the Flexi vans and a decent improvement on the Branchline/Trainman kits. Noticeable improvement in rolling by hand individually and when cars assembled together. Engines were happier as well on a longer train than the last run.

So my two cents is, its damned expensive for what it is, but it can work some serious magic on "cheaper' trucks.

Going to have to find one on the cheap and add it to my list of things to do with new equipment if there is any question as to rolling quality.


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## Chip (Feb 11, 2016)

Being broke and "Mr Cheapway" anyhow. I'm thinking you could make one from a drill bit of the right diameter, cut it to size, grind the end to the proper angle and "WALLA"! It will not be "factory" but it might work. I have enough old drill bits to where I might just try it.


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## JNXT 7707 (May 5, 2013)

3.8TransAM said:


> So my two cents is, its damned expensive for what it is, but it can work some serious magic on "cheaper' trucks.


It IS an expensive tool for its size, but worth every penny.


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## gregc (Apr 25, 2015)

I have a flat layout on foam. I noticed one car rolling and others not. Obviously the grade was very very shallow.

I tried the truck tuner on the ones the didn't roll and they started rolling. Amazing.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Good tools are an investment. I have never regretted spending money on them.

And a drill bit isn't really a good idea. The bevel on the point is a different angle. You will ream out the truck, sure enough, but you will affect the seating of the axle. By the time you've invested the effort to grind it and resharpen the bit, you might as well just buy the tool. Plus it's hard to get that long bit in there perpendicular to the frame of the truck.


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## Chip (Feb 11, 2016)

CTValleyRR said:


> Good tools are an investment. I have never regretted spending money on them.
> 
> And a drill bit isn't really a good idea. The bevel on the point is a different angle. You will ream out the truck, sure enough, but you will affect the seating of the axle. By the time you've invested the effort to grind it and resharpen the bit, you might as well just buy the tool. Plus it's hard to get that long bit in there perpendicular to the frame of the truck.


?????You stopped at drill bit and did not READ it, I said quite clearly "grind the end to the proper angle" AND "cut to size"!

I'm BROKE unemployed, disabled and on SSI, I have the drill bits and a grinder, no money!
Some grinding, one cut and a little sharpening is not that daunting. Having the proper diameter bit for the job is my only consideration.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Chip said:


> ?????You stopped at drill bit and did not READ it, I said quite clearly "grind the end to the proper angle" AND "cut to size"!
> 
> I'm BROKE unemployed, disabled and on SSI, I have the drill bits and a grinder, no money!
> Some grinding, one cut and a little sharpening is not that daunting. Having the proper diameter bit for the job is my only consideration.


No, I didn't.

I said, quite clearly, "by the time you've invested the effort to grind..." etc. 

I guess your fingers are much more agile than mine, if you can consider cutting a bit to that size and still control it.

We can differ in our opinions, that's what forums are for, and back and forth discussion helps others make good decisions as to when the effort for a "do it yourself" might be worth it. The way you phrased your comment, I was under the impression that you were wondering whether that would be a good idea. I offered my opinion on it.

But please, let's avoid the baseless accusations and recriminations. I am not belittling your condition or your situations.


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## santafealltheway (Nov 27, 2012)

lol you guys are just as bad as the xbox vs playstation people.


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## MtRR75 (Nov 27, 2013)

Chip said:


> I have the drill bits and a grinder, no money!
> Some grinding, one cut and a little sharpening is not that daunting. Having the proper diameter bit for the job is my only consideration.


The diameter of the drill bit is not critical. The angle on the truck tuner only goes part way into the truck, and the diameter is larger than the hole in the truck where the wheel set goes in.

But the angle is critical. I have seen somewhere what the correct angle is. Can't remember whether I saw it in an advertisement for the truck tuner or in the NMRA standards. Maybe someone else can shed some light on this. But it is NOT the same angle as the point on the wheel sets -- it is wider than that so that wheel set makes contact only on the points.

Make sure that you use a drill bit where the cutting edge goes all the way to the tip.

Also, you need to put points on both ends of the "tuner", but only one end does the the cutting. The other end sits in the hole in the opposite side of the truck to keep the tuner properly aligned. Use a wheel set to give you the correct length.


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## Chip (Feb 11, 2016)

CTValleyRR said:


> No, I didn't.
> 
> I said, quite clearly, "by the time you've invested the effort to grind..." etc.
> 
> ...


No biggie, my hair trigger slips a bit now and then, my options are limited and I get defensive about being poor sometimes. I'd love to be able to not have to fabricate almost everything from nothing but it is what it is. I'll give it a go and post pics of my lame attempt at saving money. I'll start on crappy trucks that have been 86'd but not thrown out, hate to ruin anything decent.


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## raleets (Jan 2, 2011)

Chip,
I'm going to make you an offer difficult to refuse.
Since I have a genuine truck tuner tool that I haven't used in over a year I'm going to offer to loan it to you, for as long as you need it, free of charge.
We're nearly neighbors since I'm in Flint and, what the heck, what are neighbors for? Loaning tools is pretty common among neighbors, right?
Simply send me a PM with your mailing address and I'll do the rest.
What say you?
Bob


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## Skylark-14 (Sep 13, 2016)

Anyone have a link for said tool ? Walthers and E-Bay searches came up empty. hwell:


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## raleets (Jan 2, 2011)

Skylark-14 said:


> Anyone have a link for said tool ? Walthers and E-Bay searches came up empty. hwell:


They are sold by Micro-Mark.
Simply google.....micro mark truck tuner
That will get you there,
Bob


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## gregc (Apr 25, 2015)

Skylark-14 said:


> Anyone have a link for said tool ? Walthers and E-Bay searches came up empty. hwell:


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## Genetk44 (Feb 26, 2016)

IMHO....two HO tools that are essential in our hobby and worth every penny are the Truck Tuner and the Kadee Coupler Gauge.


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## Skylark-14 (Sep 13, 2016)

I would add to that list the Kadee Plyers (less risk of breaking the blasted coupler) and a good Multi-meter with continuity buzzer.


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## 3.8TransAM (Jan 13, 2016)

raleets said:


> Chip,
> I'm going to make you an offer difficult to refuse.
> Since I have a genuine truck tuner tool that I haven't used in over a year I'm going to offer to loan it to you, for as long as you need it, free of charge.
> We're nearly neighbors since I'm in Flint and, what the heck, what are neighbors for? Loaning tools is pretty common among neighbors, right?
> ...


That is pretty awesome! Mine is a fellow club member who let me borrow it last week and I have nothing bad to say about it. If the wheels don't spin nice, in the truck tuner goes.



Genetk44 said:


> IMHO....two HO tools that are essential in our hobby and worth every penny are the Truck Tuner and the Kadee Coupler Gauge.


Agreed on truck tuner and Coupler Gauge, now if I can only find mine dammit! It's there somewhere.



Skylark-14 said:


> I would add to that list the Kadee Plyers (less risk of breaking the blasted coupler) and a good Multi-meter with continuity buzzer.


If you do it with needle nose pliers and only press on the "air hose" it works too. Tool is kind of awkward to use on cars to me.

The multi-meter thing, buy a low model Fluke and never buy another one again. I have like 4-5 multi-meters, the only one to stand the test of time is my Fluke. You can use it repairing anything with electricity in the house, your cars, etc. Worth spending a little extra in my own opinion. I cry every time I see buy a Harbor Freight multi-meter.


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## NinnJinn (Oct 12, 2016)

Skylark-14 said:


> Anyone have a link for said tool ? Walthers and E-Bay searches came up empty. hwell:


http://www.micromark.com/ho-truck-tuner,8241.html


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## slammin (Mar 25, 2016)

When Micro mark first introduced this tool maybe 10 years ago, the price was less than 10 bucks IIRC. While I have never seen one in person, it looks like an altered center drill, available for a few dollars (Chinese variety). Altering them would take a few minutes each in a fixtured production setup.


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## Chip (Feb 11, 2016)

Wow, thanks a bunch "raleets" but I really can't.

It's not THAT make or break expensive and I'm curious if I can actually make one, if not "I know where to find you"! LOL!


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## Genetk44 (Feb 26, 2016)

slammin said:


> When Micro mark first introduced this tool maybe 10 years ago, the price was less than 10 bucks IIRC. While I have never seen one in person, it looks like an altered center drill, available for a few dollars (Chinese variety). Altering them would take a few minutes each in a fixtured production setup.


I got mine from Reboxx 15 years ago...can't remember the price but it seems to me that the cost of and effort to modify a drill bit of any type to the specs required would be no different than just buying one from Micro Mark or Reboxx


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## Chip (Feb 11, 2016)

Genetk44 said:


> I got mine from Reboxx 15 years ago...can't remember the price but it seems to me that the cost of and effort to modify a drill bit of any type to the specs required would be no different than just buying one from Micro Mark or Reboxx


LOL! Any price, no matter how low, still requires money I do not have. The bits and the time, I have.


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## raleets (Jan 2, 2011)

Chip said:


> LOL! Any price, no matter how low, still requires money I do not have. The bits and the time, I have.


Chip,
Did you read my offer to you in an earlier post on this subject?
The offer is completely friendly and still stands.
Bob


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## Chip (Feb 11, 2016)

raleets said:


> Chip,
> Did you read my offer to you in an earlier post on this subject?
> The offer is completely friendly and still stands.
> Bob


Oh Yes and I do thank you most kindly, again. It got glossed over in my other post! I'm going to have to try to make one now and If it is a wash then "I know where to find you". LOL!


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## raleets (Jan 2, 2011)

Chip said:


> Oh Yes and I do thank you most kindly, again. It got glossed over in my other post! I'm going to have to try to make one now and If it is a wash then "I know where to find you". LOL!


Okie dokey......have fun, and I hope you succeed.
BTW, having the genuine article in front of you could make it a bit easier to clone (pun intended).
Bob


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## LateStarter (Mar 12, 2016)

Got mine direct from MM a few months ago.
I can honestly say, it's probably one of the best tool investments I've ever made in the hobby.
I'm at the point now, of placing it on the bench before a truck set is even picked up.


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## MtRR75 (Nov 27, 2013)

3.8TransAM said:


> If you do it (bend coupler pins) with needle nose pliers and only press on the "air hose" it works too. Tool (Kadee pliers) is kind of awkward to use on cars to me.


Regular pliers will straighten the coupler pin, but you can't increase the curve with them -- unless you use 2 pair, with very small tips -- not THAT is awkward.

The problem with the KaDee pliers is that they were not designed by KaDee -- just resold. They are originally designed to be used to form stiff wire into round loops (wire looping pliers). The 3 sizes of the loops do not exactly match the desired bend in the KaDee coupler pins. But the are far superior to needle nose pliers for this situation.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

MtRR75 said:


> Regular pliers will straighten the coupler pin, but you can't increase the curve with them -- unless you use 2 pair, with very small tips -- not THAT is awkward.
> 
> The problem with the KaDee pliers is that they were not designed by KaDee -- just resold. They are originally designed to be used to form stiff wire into round loops (wire looping pliers). The 3 sizes of the loops do not exactly match the desired bend in the KaDee coupler pins. But the are far superior to needle nose pliers for this situation.


Actually, a pair of tongue and groove pliers with the head offset to one side can be used to bend a trip pin. Place one jaw on the top of the pin (above the coupler) and use the other jaw to bend the pin.


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## Lemonhawk (Sep 24, 2013)

Chip, do you have a metal lathe to cut the bevels and dress up the non cutting end? It would be a fun project if you do. I wonder if the actual tip of the cutter part has been dulled to prevent actually digging into the truck. I think this thing works by mainly doing a really good cleaning job on the beveled part of the truck.


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## MtRR75 (Nov 27, 2013)

Lemonhawk said:


> I wonder if the actual tip of the cutter part has been dulled to prevent actually digging into the truck. I think this thing works by mainly doing a really go cleaning job on the beveled part of the truck.


The tips at both ends are sharp, but not sharp enough to cut. You would not want the socket to be cut deeper -- the wheelset would get too loose and rattle around and possibly fall out. The cutting end has a cutting edge that goes all the way to the tip. The cutting edge cleans out the socket and reshapes the socket to the correct angle.


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## TomFromMo (Aug 9, 2016)

Got my tuner tool today from Micro Mark. If you want one there are still a few hours left in their $4.95 flat rate shipping special. At least it saves you a few bucks off this pricey tool.


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## santafealltheway (Nov 27, 2012)

TomFromMo said:


> Got my tuner tool today from Micro Mark. If you want one there are still a few hours left in their $4.95 flat rate shipping special. At least it saves you a few bucks off this pricey tool.


shipping is nuts. I just sent out a loco for 3$ shipping lol.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

santafealltheway said:


> shipping is nuts. I just sent out a loco for 3$ shipping lol.


Never mind the fact that you're not including your time or packaging materials in the cost.... What method did you use?

The only place I've found that has shipping & handling charges that I consider outrageous is Wholesale Trains, and they're no longer with us.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Normally, I would say that good tools are an investment, but I gotta admit, $20 for this little guy is really pushing it. I got mine for less than $10.


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## LateStarter (Mar 12, 2016)

Got mine from Main Line Hobby for $17.99.

https://www.mainlinehobby.net/product/14816/MMAR-82838-TRUCK-TUNER-HO/

But add mailing cost, and it's over $22.


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## Shdwdrgn (Dec 23, 2014)

CTValleyRR said:


> Normally, I would say that good tools are an investment, but I gotta admit, $20 for this little guy is really pushing it. I got mine for less than $10.


I think it was last year I was trying to get one of these tools from them (listed at $15), but they were out of stock for most of the year. I even filled in their form a couple times asking to be notified when the tool was back in stock. Then one day I happened to notice they WERE back in stock, at the $20 price. I still haven't received my notification that the product is available though. Personally I feel if they can't handle such small matters, why should I trust this company with my money?


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## Genetk44 (Feb 26, 2016)

Shdwdrgn said:


> I think it was last year I was trying to get one of these tools from them (listed at $15), but they were out of stock for most of the year. I even filled in their form a couple times asking to be notified when the tool was back in stock. Then one day I happened to notice they WERE back in stock, at the $20 price. I still haven't received my notification that the product is available though. Personally I feel if they can't handle such small matters, why should I trust this company with my money?


If you are talking about MicroMark then you can trust them. I have been purchasing stuff from them for 15 years and they have never screwed up an order of mine.


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## Shdwdrgn (Dec 23, 2014)

Yes, I was referring to MicroMark... it's nice to see a good review of them. I usually don't say anything about a company unless I've had to do a return/replacement with them, because that's when their real nature usually shows through. It just bugged me that here I was trying to buy a product from them and they couldn't let me know when it was available again... and the 33% markup on the price was a real shock.


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## Genetk44 (Feb 26, 2016)

Yeah ...well the price increase is partly due to popularity...I got mine about 15 years ago and I think it was about $5-6. But nobody knew about them, now everybody either has one or is about to buy one.
The notification thing..who knows, may nobody bothers using it so they don't follow up or maybe its so popular that you got lost in the shuffle. Personally I never rely on companies to notify me of anything, if I really want something I follow up on it regularily until it comes back into stock.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Shdwdrgn said:


> Yes, I was referring to MicroMark... it's nice to see a good review of them. I usually don't say anything about a company unless I've had to do a return/replacement with them, because that's when their real nature usually shows through. It just bugged me that here I was trying to buy a product from them and they couldn't let me know when it was available again... and the 33% markup on the price was a real shock.


I'll give them as many good reviews as you want. I, too, have been buying from them for 15 years, and I've never had anything but top notch service. I have used their "notify me" feature on a couple of occasions, and it works. The first time I did it, though, I noticed the same thing you did, so I e-mailed and asked (and BTW, MicroMark is a very small company with about 2 dozen employees). To summarize their response, the system isn't automated. When they receive a shipment of something that has been out of stock for a while, they fill 100% of the backorders <90 days old, and contact anyone with an older backorder to make sure they still want it. They also start to notify the "notify me" folks, but this process can take a few days, because each notification has to be sent manually, and in the meantime, it will show up as "on hand". Their inventory on the web isn't real time, either, so something may look like it's in stock but really be sold out again.

And you know, mistakes happen. I wouldn't let this one incident color my opinion of the company.

Also, it's a 33% price increase, not markup. That's an important distinction in retail, although hobby stuff tends to be a high margin, low volume business.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Shdwdrgn said:


> I usually don't say anything about a company unless I've had to do a return/replacement with them, because that's when their real nature usually shows through.


Although if you go into the return / replacement relationship with a bad attitude, that can have a huge influence of the response you receive. Just look at the guy who was complaining about Arizona Rock and Mineral.


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