bigtrak Front Suspension Mod

The front wheels connect to an axle, which is independent of the main body of the bigtrak. Unfortunately, it was loose and floppy and it occurred to me that there should be some suspension springs. There seems to be all the right markings and holes, but the springs appear to be missing. I bought my toy second-hand, so I am not sure if this is how it is supposed to be, or whether someone has removed the suspension parts.

Perhaps the designers had thought of having them and then decided not to in order to reduce the manufacturing costs. However, I decided to install a spring of my own, to put a spring in its step so to speak.

Here is the axle which pivots from its middle point, hence the plastic pillar. There are also two square cutouts for the compression spring to go through.

The plastic pillar at the centre appears to fit inside a recess slot made in the gearbox transmission case.

I had one of these large battery terminal springs, which has just the right tension. Fitting it to the centre will allow the axel to rock as well. There is a moulding mark inside the case that is centre, so I decided to use that as a guide. The spring secures easily with a blob of clear glue from a hot glue gun.

This is how it looks from the other side.

As you can see, the spring pushes the axel out. It now has a springy action when the front wheels go over small obstacles. It seems to work much better now.

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