Hi everyone,

I'm FINALLY ordering the fohrman tools I've been putting off without for years. (flex track clamps, wheel gauge, wheel press)

One Item I was debating which version of to order- or whether I need it at all- is their wheel pullers. Does anyone know what is the difference between the two, or their application? I couldn't figure it out from the german language video:

https://www.fohrmann.com/en/mini-wheel-puller.html

https://www.fohrmann.com...el-puller-z-n-tt-h0.html


Thanks! Any other tool recommendations from them would also be appreciated...

that second one looks like it wont fit around most wheels. the first one is adjustable.

I made my own. I do have a lathe to make things easier, but not necessary.

I drilled a 10mm bolts to take an [ undersize axle ] length of steel [ the "peg" ]. I drilled and bent a pc of panel steel to act as the puller legs. I fitted the legs to the bolt and wound a nut on, which locked against the panel steel legs. The " peg" was inserted in the bolt and we had a puller. Some locos have the wheels so close together that the thin panel steel was perfect to get around. The wheels are not so tight on the axles either so the panel steel is plenty strong enough and it can be adjusted for the size if the wheel.

When you live in the boondocks you have to improvise.

Dereck

Don't get the round one. The adjustable one is way more versatile.
Mikey

Hi John
The adjustable one is the most flexible, but it's sometimes a bit awkward to adust and center properly
It is especially useful to remove axles from locos
The "mini" one is easier to use on wheel up to 13...14 mm, and would be your primary tool when re-adjusting wheel spacing on coaches' axles
More than anything else make sure you have a complete range of spindles and always use the right one.
They're inexpensive, will last a lifetime and interchangeable beween the various pullers.

Cheers

Jacques

I'm curious, why would one need 2 sets of 4 (8 clamps?) and not just 2? I'd think 2 clamps could lock in a single piece of flex track which you then properly attatch to the layout and then can remove the clamps and move to the next bit.

I thought like you originally and only bought one set of 4 and quickly realized if I want to do an S curve or anything more complex than a sweeping curve I will require at least 6 clamps. I had to go back and buy another set and pay another S&H fee. I agree that 8 is optimum and I hardly ever use less than 6.

I'm not sure if you need 2 sets of the adjustable parallel track clamps, but for the same reason, I'm sure you will encounter a situation where 1 is not enough.

Peter

Thanks as always- you are a fountain of knowledge! Missing you on this side of the pond, although your absence has forced me to learn!

I solder all my K track connections within a "block". So in order to cut the rail correctly and add the 7595 connectors and solder them in place I need to retain the entire shape. Once all the soldering is done, wires as required are attached, I connect the track "block"to the existing track with 7522 isolation pieces, nail the track to the cork and remove the clamps. In most cases I can do this with 6 clamps. I got very frustrated when I only had 4.

Peter