TD M60 A3 review.

[keilau]

Now I do have to disagree "sort of" with your assessment of the M60 needing hull supports. This is absolutely NOT the case if the stock mounting screws are used to hold the upper and lower hulls together. In fact I have run my M60s (four of them) quite a lot without the upper hulls attached and done so over rather rough terrain with absolutely no issues. That does not mean support are not helpful, they can be especially if the end user converts the hull mounting method from screws to magnets and is also running the extremely heavy metal TD tracks.

I made the mistake of magnetizing the M60 upper and lower hull. I use a very strong magnet recommended to me from this forum. 4 attachment points are sufficient using screws, but too weak using magnets. The M60 is a large MBT.

[Rubicon99]

Out of curiosity and knowing not to do so, I threw caution to the wind and took two M60 out to play in the some medium thickness of mud. Surprisingly both did really well and nothing broke....LOL. Mud is the one thing that will break and gum up an RC tank fast. It is something I have learned to avoid if possible.

Here are a few photos after most of the mud washed off/removed. I left some on tracks since it looks good when dried and adds to the overall weathered look.

[tank_me]

I magnetized my upper and lower and it is rock solid when connected. As an added precaution for running the heavy metal tracks, I did make two braces around the gearboxes.



The one in front of the gearboxes that uses a modified I-beam design. I made it from failed ASA print material I kept and it slides in place so I can remove it for maintenance. I added it as I could see the hull bowing inward at that point. The following pics are of the brace and showing it pulled out. Since it has a little extension on the top, it also acts as an additional brace in the middle of the two motors.




The second brace is for the gearboxes themselves. One of my gearbox screws was stripped from the factory and being that they mount from the side, I braced them from the inside against each other. That rear brace is also easily removed, but it takes all the stress off those side mounted screw points.




I also boxed in the front end just for the hell of it. That brace also just slides out. Gonna be adding some velcro to the side that faces the Clark and that will hold the Li-Ion battery in place.

[keilau]

I magnetized my upper and lower and it is rock solid when connected. As an added precaution for running the heavy metal tracks, I did make two braces around the gearboxes.

The one in front of the gearboxes that uses a modified I-beam design. I made it from failed ASA print material I kept and it slides in place so I can remove it for maintenance. I added it as I could see the hull bowing inward at that point. The following pics are of the brace and showing it pulled out. Since it has a little extension on the top, it also acts as an additional brace in the middle of the two motors.

The second brace is for the gearboxes themselves. One of my gearbox screws was stripped from the factory and being that they mount from the side, I braced them from the inside against each other. That rear brace is also easily removed, but it takes all the stress off those side mounted screw points.

I also boxed in the front end just for the hell of it. That brace also just slides out. Gonna be adding some velcro to the side that faces the Clark and that will hold the Li-Ion battery in place.

I am thinking that the magnetization problem could be my fault. I may not install the pairs close enough. I have been thinking about experimenting putting some shims underneath them. What is the source of the magnets that you used?

Are your braces glued or fixed to the chassis sidewall? Or they are against compression stress only? I am very interested in copying your work. I have no 3-D printer. The pieces will be cut from plastic stock manually.

The original Tongde screws are soft and very coarse thread. I was able to re-tap the metal gearbox mounting holes for steel M3 machine screws. The case is made of soft alloy making the re-tapped fine thread screw hole very secure. There are 2 factors making the gearbox mounting secure.

1. Do not use self tapping screw. Use sharp machine screw tapping tool all the way through the hole. I did it when I changed the motor when the mounting hole case half is free standing.
2. Use exact screw length as the original screws to avoid interfering or damaging the gears. I had no problem matching the 2 shorter screws. The longest screw is 18mm long. You can buy 15mm or 20mm M3 screws, but not 18. I gridded a 20mm screw down to 18mm. It is not difficult to do if you have good carbide gridding wheel for the Dremel. I drilled a small hole on a 1/2" plywood to pass the screw through to hold it firmly while gridding.

I changed the motors with Tamiya380 standard. They are genius Mubachi motors with better shaft bearing than the HL grey 380. I have no tool to actually measure the torque for comparison. Unscientifically, you can try slowing down the track while running the tank on a dynamo. Don't stop it completely to avoid damaging the motor. The difference in power is obvious.

[RichJohnson]

I would not be able to magnetize the new m60a3 I just got. The upper deck is warped upwards to where if the front screws are secured the back is up in the air enough the back of the turret rubbs on the hull and it also doesnt rotate well with the bind in the barbett ring of the turret. Its not high but it is warped. I just have to hold it together to screw the back down when I attach it.

Rubicon has the best design with his. He magnetized the rear panel and has extra long wires to charge his battery in the tank which is ok with NiMH batteries we use. I am thinking I will go this route eventually as I have a few M60s now and one or two more planned. I pretty much build shermans, leopard 1s and M60s lol.

[tank_me]

I am thinking that the magnetization problem could be my fault. I may not install the pairs close enough. I have been thinking about experimenting putting some shims underneath them. What is the source of the magnets that you used?

Are your braces glued or fixed to the chassis sidewall? Or they are against compression stress only? I am very interested in copying your work. I have no 3-D printer. The pieces will be cut from plastic stock manually. The original Tongde screws are very coarse thread. I was able to re-tap the metal gearbox mounting holes for M3 machine screws. The case is made of soft alloy making the re-tapped fine thread screw hole very secure. I changed the motors with Tamiya380 standard.

I use these, but I buy them in bulk so that they are cheaper since I used them on my turrets and lower hulls. You do have to be a little careful torqueing them down or they can crack.

https://jc-magnetics.com/Countersunk/Magnet-N52-10mm-3mm-Hole-3mm-Countersunk-Ring

The braces are not glued to the hull, only friction fit between the guides. The guides for the braces are glued to the sides of the hull using MEK. So not really glued, more like melted.

[keilau]

I am thinking that the magnetization problem could be my fault. I may not install the pairs close enough. I have been thinking about experimenting putting some shims underneath them. What is the source of the magnets that you used?

I put a piece of the TO-66 (power transistor) mounting washer above the upper magnets. It works perfectly. The washer is about 1.5mm in thickness. Now I can hear the clicking sound when the magnet hits each other. The mount is much stronger than before. I still think that 4 pairs of magnets is not strong enough for the TD M60 size.

The M60 is my 4th attempt in magnetization after 3 successful conversion with HL (Leopard, T34 and Sherman). I cut off a small piece equal to 2 magnet thickness from the upper mounting poles. The M60 is my first failure of weak magnet adhesion. I suspected that the original plastic poles had a gap between them. However, since I have not heard other TD tanker to have similar problem, It is possible that I just made a mistake in measuring the length needed to be cut.

I am still struggling to fix the headlight connections. It does not affect the tank running, but it does not look good to have a pair of dark headlights.

[SoCalBobS]

R99, I seem to recall a while back that you modified your M60 to have the rear panel removable, for easier access to the battery. I couldn't find it on this thread. Did you post what you did? Thanks.

[Rubicon99]

R99, I seem to recall a while back that you modified your M60 to have the rear panel removable, for easier access to the battery. I couldn't find it on this thread. Did you post what you did? Thanks.

The modification I do is for easier access to the battery connections as I do not like the TD charging set up being under the turret and having to force the turret around each time to make clearance to access the charging "port" nor do I care for the batteries that TD uses.

Also I move the on / off switch to the "loaders hatch" which makes turning the tank on / off super easy and convenient.

It is a simple modification to do as shown below. Depending on the battery lead line length you might have to add a few inches so there is enough slack in the lines to reach. I removed the useless smoke system so I have plenty of room for the battery and MFU power lines to reach.

With the magnets and metal "L" brackets shown you no longer need the two side screws to hold the rear exhaust panel on.

[MaverickTank]

I finally purchased a Tongde M60 A3 after waiting to see how it faired with early adopters. I read all the threads and decided to get a metal track and gear box version. Bottom line up front: Pro= appearance, torsion suspension, diesel sound, Negatives= battery charging, backing up over obstacles, radio controls are poor, sprocket screws back out.

Was it worth the purchase? Maybe. I am thrilled to have an M60 and it looks great. It sounds like a diesel. The suspension looks awesome rolling over terrain.

But, there are issues that put a damper on my enthusiasm.

- I don't like the battery being buried in the chassis, and it isn't a simple fix to make it removable. I don't care for magnetic upper hull attachments.
- The radio does odd things at random times, failing to respond immediately to control inputs. I'm getting a Heng Long radio ASAP.
- I lost both sprocket screws in my yard on the test run. Luckily, I had two screws to replace them with and used washers and blue Loctite. The screws should have been cap screws with washers.
- I discovered the reported suspension arm over-travel when backing up over a 1.5" obstacle.
- The turret motion is shaky.

Minor bits-

- It feels fragile...I'm constantly worried that I'm going to bust something on it when I'm picking it up. The mounting holes in the hull for detail parts were larger than need be.
- The tracks are HEAVY. I'm getting plastic as soon as I can locate a pair.

I love having an M60 A3, and I did it up in NATO 3-color. It looks awesome crawling across the terrain.

[Rubicon99]

I finally purchased a Tongde M60 A3 after waiting to see how it faired with early adopters. I read all the threads and decided to get a metal track and gear box version. Bottom line up front: Pro= appearance, torsion suspension, diesel sound, Negatives= battery charging, backing up over obstacles, radio controls are poor, sprocket screws back out.

Was it worth the purchase? Maybe. I am thrilled to have an M60 and it looks great. It sounds like a diesel. The suspension looks awesome rolling over terrain.

But, there are issues that put a damper on my enthusiasm.

- I don't like the battery being buried in the chassis, and it isn't a simple fix to make it removable. I don't care for magnetic upper hull attachments.
- The radio does odd things at random times, failing to respond immediately to control inputs. I'm getting a Heng Long radio ASAP.
- I lost both sprocket screws in my yard on the test run. Luckily, I had two screws to replace them with and used washers and blue Loctite. The screws should have been cap screws with washers.
- I discovered the reported suspension arm over-travel when backing up over a 1.5" obstacle.
- The turret motion is shaky.

Minor bits-

- It feels fragile...I'm constantly worried that I'm going to bust something on it when I'm picking it up. The mounting holes in the hull for detail parts were larger than need be.
- The tracks are HEAVY. I'm getting plastic as soon as I can locate a pair.

I love having an M60 A3, and I did it up in NATO 3-color. It looks awesome crawling across the terrain.

Change out the radio system to a HL 7.1, add the plastic tracks (RichJohnson Models N Stuff has them in stock) change the turret rotation to a new version HL one and add overtravel stops to the rear arms.

After that add some of the detail improvements like a correct barrel and maybe a spotlight along with some new paint and BAMM you will have a good looking, great running tank and durable tank.

The battery arrangement is what it is. I modified my rear exhaust panel to open and expose the battery lead lines for charging. I also swapped out the crazy small stock battery for a much larger and safer to internally store NiMH 5000mah 9.6v battery.

[RichJohnson]

Definitely do Rubicons mod to the rear panel of the m60 and extend the battery line so you can charge a standard size 5000 mah battery. HAving it stuck in the tank is what it is. Just accept it.

I make all the upgrade parts Rubicon mentioned. My site is www.RichardSJohnson.net/id28.html ignore any browser warnings, my site host is just old and the certificate is out of date but it doesnt matter you cant purchase direct off my site you contact me for a paypal invoice or other arrangements.

The tanks run 1000% better with plastic tracks, Rubicon and I tell everyone that. They are a must have swap. Both of us run out m60s hard and they perform excellent for us. I have 4 right now myself.
I have 3 sets of chevron tracks in stock right now infact.
Other upgrades I have are scale barrels both A1 and A3, spot lights, radio antennas, US jerry cans for the turret sides, spare wheels for stowage (early and late) and modern .50 cal amo cans.

[MaverickTank]

Thank you both for the suggestions.

I'll be ordering a set of plastic tracks, and maybe some other accessories later.

I saw the posts about working on a travel limiter for the road wheel- what was the final product?

[Rubicon99]

Thank you both for the suggestions.

I'll be ordering a set of plastic tracks, and maybe some other accessories later.

I saw the posts about working on a travel limiter for the road wheel- what was the final product?

It actually worked very well at stopping the over travel, but does not have enough material strength to be offered as an add on part. We tried several types of 3D print materials and different printing methods, but found nothing worked as well as making the stops out of brass tubing hand cut to shape and fitment.

Something interesting though was found during testing. The M60 when equipped with plastic tracks and properly tensioned have less of a problem with the "backing over travel" issue.

[keilau]

I finally purchased a Tongde M60 A3 after waiting to see how it faired with early adopters. I read all the threads and decided to get a metal track and gear box version. Bottom line up front: Pro= appearance, torsion suspension, diesel sound, Negatives= battery charging, backing up over obstacles, radio controls are poor, sprocket screws back out.

Was it worth the purchase? Maybe. I am thrilled to have an M60 and it looks great. It sounds like a diesel. The suspension looks awesome rolling over terrain.

But, there are issues that put a damper on my enthusiasm.

- I lost both sprocket screws in my yard on the test run. Luckily, I had two screws to replace them with and used washers and blue Loctite. The screws should have been cap screws with washers.
- I discovered the reported suspension arm over-travel when backing up over a 1.5" obstacle.
- The turret motion is shaky.

The Tongde US Patton M60 is one of the best running RC tank among my small collection of inexpensive tanks. It is also the worst looking one due to its out of scale parts.

The original Tongde screws are soft alloy and very coarse thread. I was able to re-tap the metal gearbox mounting holes for steel M3 machine screws. The case is made of soft alloy making the re-tapped fine thread screw hole very secure. I replaced the sprocket screws with M3 socket head machine screw of the same length. I posted details and pictures in Post Hitec and the "Vaporware" Aurora 9x...

[MaverickTank]

M60 coming along, with plenty of fun things to still do to it. It certainly looks the part of a Cold War guardian in 3 color NATO. I read gobs of threads about paint used in Germany during the 80's, and there were discussions of some tanks getting MERDC brown leftovers on the 3-color instead of the rusty brown, so I went with it just to be different. Looking forward to trying out the plastic tracks and adding search light, among other details.

[Rubicon99]

M60 coming along, with plenty of fun things to still do to it. It certainly looks the part of a Cold War guardian in 3 color NATO. I read gobs of threads about paint used in Germany during the 80's, and there were discussions of some tanks getting MERDC brown leftovers on the 3-color instead of the rusty brown, so I went with it just to be different. Looking forward to trying out the plastic tracks and adding search light, among other details.

Amazing what a good paint job will do. Just wait to see how cool it looks with a spotlight and maybe a proper barrel.