kv-1, 2 steel road wheels

Which book? I'll go look if I have it........I haven't seen any pics of KVs with the two-piece and one-piece wheels mixed unless it's from a repair.

Inquiring minds need to know.

I've also seen pics of knocked out or abandoned KVs with the tow cables still wrapped in creosote-soaked paper.

waynec wrote:

"just a note: in Steve Zolaga's book on Russian armor he states that they didn't use steel wheels on the outter two wheels, but only the inner ones to reduce vibration. Guess they had some problems with the very early ones." was reading about that when i did a forum search on steel road wheels yesterday. i think the steel and rubber mix was on T-34s and not on the earlier "heavies". could be the KV's couldn't go fast enough to cause a problem. i wonder if the soviets had trouble with steel road wheels freezing to steel tracks.

In his book he specificly points out the KV1. It was news to me when I first read about it too. Still it made a lot of sense.

gary

waynec wrote:

"That is quite a nice KV-I, but here's a tip to keep in mind....remember tow-ropes rarely got rusty. They were kept rust-free or that would defeat the structural integrity of them. Thus a more realistic weathering would be more of a grimy, dirty look. Hope this helps." thanks. easy enough to fix. even if i turn this into an abandoned tank will tone down the cables. may even have one draped in front.

 good quality wire rope is really kinda rust resistent anyway due to all the nickel content in the steel (but it will). Normally they coat the actual wire part with grease. The small diameter stuff seems to rust easier than the big stuff you'd see on a tank. Also the shackels and clevises will be kept clean. But once they are used the paint will peel off them at the bends due to stretching. Normally they are never repainted again for saftey issues alone.

gary

On rubber vs. steel: The T34/43 had a mix or rubber-tired wheels and all steel, due to a vibration issue when using all steel wheels, with the rubber-rimmed wheels being initially used on the first and last stations. As rubber became available in the later years of the war, it was again used on all stations. The KVs were built with the all-steel wheel or the wheel with the rubber isolator, as the all-steel wheels were a later feature. Neither type had a rubber "tire" or rim that made contact with the track. Mixing of the two types occurred due to repairs with whatever was available at the time and place, as also happened with T34s.

Apologies fo the long-windedness......

"just a note: in Steve Zolaga's book on Russian armor he states that they didn't use steel wheels on the outter two wheels, but only the inner ones to reduce vibration. Guess they had some problems with the very early ones."

was reading about that when i did a forum search on steel road wheels yesterday. i think the steel and rubber mix was on T-34s and not on the earlier "heavies". could be the KV's couldn't go fast enough to cause a problem. i wonder if the soviets had trouble with steel road wheels freezing to steel tracks.

"That is quite a nice KV-I, but here's a tip to keep in mind....remember tow-ropes rarely got rusty. They were kept rust-free or that would defeat the structural integrity of them. Thus a more realistic weathering would be more of a grimy, dirty look. Hope this helps."

thanks. easy enough to fix. even if i turn this into an abandoned tank will tone down the cables. may even have one draped in front.

treadwell wrote:

just for the heck of it, from a couple years ago--KV-1 best regards to you, Wayne tread

just for the heck of it, from a couple years ago--KV-1

best regards to you, Wayne

tread

RBaer wrote:

Sounds like you've got it. Long story short, anywhere the tracks contact the road wheels (and return rollers) will be un-painted from wear. Early KVs had a rubber isolation "donut" that separated an inner and outer part of the road wheel. Later KVs used a one-piece wheel to save on rubber. All KVs had a metal rim that came in direct contact with the tracks. I believe you're right in not rusting up the contact areas also. This isn't a great pic but it's what I came up with in the same situation: As can be seen, I still need to show some bare metal on the drive sprocket teeth.

just a note: in Steve Zolaga's book on Russian armor he states that they didn't use steel wheels on the outter two wheels, but only the inner ones to reduce vibration. Guess they had some problems with the very early ones.

gary

waynec wrote:

That is quite a nice KV-I, but here's a tip to keep in mind....remember tow-ropes rarely got rusty. They were kept rust-free or that would defeat the structural integrity of them. Thus a more realistic weathering would be more of a grimy, dirty look. Hope this helps.

if i recall, all the multi-turreted T-35's were lost due to supply and maneuverability issues. will eventually build one for my soviet barbarossa tanks display.

my KV-1A has track that is too rusty for a tank that has been moving into a counterattack. granted, some of the redness is from the photo. i wonder if NO REDEYE in the camera works on other reds as well.

could always remove the crew member, run it off the road, gun tube over back deck and have a couple of german soldiers looking at it after it was abandoned, especially if one was carring an at mine or at rifle.

Sounds like you've got it. Long story short, anywhere the tracks contact the road wheels (and return rollers) will be un-painted from wear. Early KVs had a rubber isolation "donut" that separated an inner and outer part of the road wheel. Later KVs used a one-piece wheel to save on rubber. All KVs had a metal rim that came in direct contact with the tracks. I believe you're right in not rusting up the contact areas also. This isn't a great pic but it's what I came up with in the same situation:

As can be seen, I still need to show some bare metal on the drive sprocket teeth.