Metal Idler removal on Panther/ PanTiger

[Delizar]

Does anyone here know how to remove the Metal Idler wheel on the Panther/Pan-Tiger. I'm guessing this would also apply to the Tiger 1.
The included hex wrench doesn't "seem" to work. It is hard to tell with the small access hole. I can't see in there to figure it out. The included hex key does fit through the hole. The included phillips screwdriver does not.
I'd like to adjust the idler track tension and it looks like I need to pull the Idler to do that.

[Delizar]

I found it. It is a philips head screw just needed to get out my jewelers screwdrivers. The biggest Phillips in that set fit perfectly.

[Delizar]

Ok forget that. Instead go in from the back side of the Idler and remove the 3 very small tapping screws that hold the 2 halves of the idler together. Then you have access to the large Phillips. I'm thinking of drilling a hole through the Idler so that when rotated into position a screw driver could hit the tension adjust screw. This would allow adjustment in the field with no disassembley of any kind.

[Delizar]

Some shots of the assembly.

[Beeg]

That doesn't look too bad. I watched a Youtube video of a guy using a screwdriver as a drift punch and banging away on it and thought that can't be right!

I wish there were parts diagrams/lists of Heng Long tanks for those of us wanting to work on them. The good thing about Tamiya tanks is you have to assemble them so you know exactly how they're put together.

[Delizar]

Here are some shots of the drilled out Idler wheel. Now I can get to the adjustment screw without even removing the track.
It wasn't to tough to do just a hand drill and a vise grip to hold the parts. Once everything is painted and weathered, that offset hole will be a lot less noticeable.

[Cascabel]

How about simply enlarging the existing hole in the center enough to pass a small Phillips screwdriver to the screw that holds the idler ? It would not take much of an enlargement, Problem solved !!

[Delizar]

Hello Cascabel,

Yes, you could, for the purpose of just pulling Idler. However the hole i drilled was to access the idler adjust screw without having to pull both the Idler and the Track. And for that you have to drill both halves of the Idler to get a straight shot at the adjustment screw.
Having now run the tank more, I probably wouldn't bother with this mod. Once the track is tensioned correctly I haven't thrown a track since.