Gearbox

December 28, 2005

The gearbox transfers the power of the motor to the driving wheels but it also reduces the turning speed. The gears of the MDC Shay are made of plastic. Their fit is reasonable but most certainly not perfect. The previous owner had worked on the gearbox but it didn't run smoothly. Work had been done rather crude so I set out reworking the gears. Following Johnston's instructions and by trying over and over again (I must have assembled the gearbox over a million times) I finally obtained some better results but I wasn't happy. The gearbox was simply too noisy and no matter what I tried it sometimes hung up.

The disassembled gearbox: only six parts will keep you busy for hours

Deburring will take a lot of time