14-06-2021, 11:44 AM
(This post was last modified: 14-06-2021, 11:50 AM by Dennis Nicholas.)
I too have a Trakrite and pretty sure that past use has proved accurate. I am just trying to set up my Reliant Scimitar after full renewal of offside suspension. Being a "modern" (1980) it has the advantage of being able to individually screw in and out each track rod separately to adjust the tracking. Bodywork gets in the way of aligning front and rear wheels to ensure fronts are pointing strait ahead, though by using the method halving the turns lock to lock will set the steering wheel where it should be for strait ahead. Using the Trakrite has brought up several thoughts/questions in my mind which may be answered by the many cleaver people on this forum. These factors mostly arise from the operating instructions which require you to put the device "in line with the wheel so it runs up the middle of the platform", "place device in front of wheel and run towards it", "use on a flat level surface",
My concrete garage floor has a very slight slope from the inside down towards doors and just before the door the floor on the left (as you look from the outside) drops away a bit where the level inside floor joins the ramped downwards outside part as the garage is at 90 deg on a sloping site. With the Nippy chassis (full Nippy rebuild) up on stands at the back I can't get a flat level run of more than about 1 foot to run over the device. (The nearside rear wheel obviously drops away while the O/S stays relatively level as you exit the door.
Questions:-
Just how critical is the "flat level floor" requirement? - one or two degrees or several degrees (I have a 6 foot spirit level)
In view of difficult lining up of centre of device with centre of wheel just how much out of alignment can be tolerated? (many/a few/none degrees).
Unfortunately the makers do not give tolerances for any of their requirements. Though not a professional engineer I am the sort of person that likes using a DTI and micrometer etc. for getting things right.
I am sure I managed to set up the Nippy ok without too much trouble when it was last on the road as don't remember badly wearing out tyres on the 15 inch wheels but memory has faded with age.
My concrete garage floor has a very slight slope from the inside downwards towards doors and just before the door the floor on the left (as you look from the outside) drops away a bit where the level inside floor joins the ramped downwards outside part as the garage is at 90 deg on a sloping site. With the Nippy chassis (full Nippy rebuild) up on stands I can't get a flat level run of more than about 1 foot to run over the device. (The nearside rear wheel obviously drops away while the O/S stays relatively level as you exit the door.
Questions:-
Just how critical is the "flat level floor" requirement? - one or two degrees or several degrees (I have a 6foot spirit level)
In view of difficult lining up of centre of device with centre of wheel just how much out of alignment can be tolerated? (many/a few/none degrees).
Unfortunately the makers do not give tolerances for any of their requirements. Though not a professional engineer I am the sort of person that likes using a DTI and micrometer etc. for getting things right.
I am sure I managed to set up the Nippy ok without too much trouble when it was last on the road as don't remember badly wearing out tyres on the 15 inch wheels but memory has faded with age.
I was thinking this might be a challenge for the mathematical experts to give limits.
Dennis
My concrete garage floor has a very slight slope from the inside down towards doors and just before the door the floor on the left (as you look from the outside) drops away a bit where the level inside floor joins the ramped downwards outside part as the garage is at 90 deg on a sloping site. With the Nippy chassis (full Nippy rebuild) up on stands at the back I can't get a flat level run of more than about 1 foot to run over the device. (The nearside rear wheel obviously drops away while the O/S stays relatively level as you exit the door.
Questions:-
Just how critical is the "flat level floor" requirement? - one or two degrees or several degrees (I have a 6 foot spirit level)
In view of difficult lining up of centre of device with centre of wheel just how much out of alignment can be tolerated? (many/a few/none degrees).
Unfortunately the makers do not give tolerances for any of their requirements. Though not a professional engineer I am the sort of person that likes using a DTI and micrometer etc. for getting things right.
I am sure I managed to set up the Nippy ok without too much trouble when it was last on the road as don't remember badly wearing out tyres on the 15 inch wheels but memory has faded with age.
My concrete garage floor has a very slight slope from the inside downwards towards doors and just before the door the floor on the left (as you look from the outside) drops away a bit where the level inside floor joins the ramped downwards outside part as the garage is at 90 deg on a sloping site. With the Nippy chassis (full Nippy rebuild) up on stands I can't get a flat level run of more than about 1 foot to run over the device. (The nearside rear wheel obviously drops away while the O/S stays relatively level as you exit the door.
Questions:-
Just how critical is the "flat level floor" requirement? - one or two degrees or several degrees (I have a 6foot spirit level)
In view of difficult lining up of centre of device with centre of wheel just how much out of alignment can be tolerated? (many/a few/none degrees).
Unfortunately the makers do not give tolerances for any of their requirements. Though not a professional engineer I am the sort of person that likes using a DTI and micrometer etc. for getting things right.
I am sure I managed to set up the Nippy ok without too much trouble when it was last on the road as don't remember badly wearing out tyres on the 15 inch wheels but memory has faded with age.
I was thinking this might be a challenge for the mathematical experts to give limits.
Dennis