PART 3

In this part I wanted to talk about the M60 metal tracks and sprockets. The M60 uses a proprietary sprocket that uses a drive axle mounting slot compatible with HengLong drive axles. That is good thing, unfortunately the sprocket to fit the cosmetic of the rear of the tank was made wider then scale and has a rather aggressive negative backspacing. This made it so TD couple use a shorter drive shaft and keep the sprockets tight looking against the rear hull as with the real M60.

The draw back is that now the tracks also have to be wider. Not just a little wider but a whole lot wider which removed the ability to use other brands of track already on the market. As an example DKLM with their M60 uses a HengLong Abrams sprockets and drive shaft extensions. This enabled their M60 to use HengLong Abrams and Leopard 2 tracks but also Tamiya Abrams and Leopard 2 tracks plus a few others.

This could become an issue if spare tracks for the TD M60 are hard or time consuming to acquire, which as of right now they are. Fortunately the TD metal tracks are rather stoutly constructed. Unlike HengLong metal tracks the TD do not have hallow spaces inside the pads and the pins are fully enclosed through the entire length of link section. So no scooping up excess dirt/sand. Also the space between the links is rather large. Cosmetically the spacing looks questionable, but coupled with the solid pads it does allow for faster evacuation of dirt/sand which in turn makes the tank run more reliably outdoors. Which takes me to the next question I am asked. How well do the tracks perform outdoors?

Outdoors in the dirt, sand and low cut grass the tracks have run great and I have not yet thrown a track. But given that they have flat metal track pads and are single pin designs means they have poor grip for climbing and can not take full advantage of the excellent suspension travel as the tracks are not as flexible as they could be if they were dual pinned. At times the M60 struggles to climb slopes or rough ground that other similar sized, weight and powered tanks do not. If at some point TD or the aftermarket produce a dual pin track with rubber pads that fit, then the M60 will be almost unstoppable.





I have had a few issues with pins "walking out". This should not be happening as often as it is with new track.


TD M60 metal tracks.

End or PART 3.

PART 4. To be continued.

Please feel free to ask questions or and constructive comments.