# Plastic idler gear



## timmytorr (Jun 12, 2011)

I pick up this car at Midwest Slot Car Show and after tore down to clean it I noticed that the idler gear was plastic, that was the first time I have ever seen a plastic gear on a Tuff Ones chassis does anyone know if that was an aftermarket gear or did Aurora put them on some of them?

Thanks,
Timmy


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## 15807brett (Sep 10, 2011)

Could it be a autoworld gear placed on a tuff ones top plate, maybe that's all the seller had. Maybe he lost the brass gear or replaced it with the plastic auto world gear?


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

My memory could be failing, but when I finally got the few slot cars from my childhood out of storage, I swear one of my AFX chassis had a plastic idler on it. It is possible I used a 4 gear idler on it, so I can't say for sure...


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## ParkRNDL (Mar 20, 2002)

Pretty sure I have a couple black plastic idler gears down in the dungeon, and I've had them since before the "new" JL/AW existed...

--rick


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## ruralradio (Mar 11, 2011)

If I'm not mistaken, the Tuff Ones were the first cars Aurora used a plastic idler gear on. A plastic idler was also used on a lot of the A/FX Magna Traction cars, but with a smaller center hole. Most racers avoided the plastic idler like the plague in the brass wars era.


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## ParkRNDL (Mar 20, 2002)

I found a few of the black ones I remembered in the dungeon:



the 4 on the lower left are black plastic. the lower right with the indents is for a MagnaSonic (i think, right? not an Overheads police car?) The gray plastic above that is new AW/JL. The brass one at top left is a "standard" Tjet gear, and the top right is... a high performance lightened one, I guess? I have 2 or 3 of them around, no idea where they came from...

--rick


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

Yep, alot of original Tuff Ones came with Plastic idler gears from Aurora. And even found a couple on a few original A/FX cars as well, along with the lightened Gears shown by rick (above) as well.


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## ruralradio (Mar 11, 2011)

Magna-Sonic or something like that, "realistic engine sounds". Along with those Magna whatever gears, I also have both plastic and brass idlers for a small post gear plate, but I prefer the large post. I'd be happy to take those lightened gears off of your hands, I have a few in cars now. I think those are a genuine Aurora piece.


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## timmytorr (Jun 12, 2011)

Thanks everyone, it looks like the ones in ricks photo the 4 on the lower left.


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## warnergt (Feb 9, 2000)

Aurora definitely sold them for Tuff Ones.


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

The black plastic idler came stock on Tuff Ones.

They took a beating between the brass arm and driven gears. Good used ones are rarer unless it's a low miler. Many are hooked or gnarled in some fashion. They are notorious for weird harmonic buzzing or flutters at higher RPMs. Sometimes you can lap it out.


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

*Factory Lightened Brass(Driven) Gears ?*

Ok guys, I have a related question... How Rare is THIS Lightened Driven Gear on a Tuffy !?
FYI- I own about two dozen Tuffies, and two or three of them had this lightened Driven gear. I couldn't find my other cars quickly as this one, since I could see the gear easily under the Lola's Rear window...which sure makes it look VERY Cool


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## warnergt (Feb 9, 2000)

Ralphthe3rd said:


> How Rare is THIS Lightened Driven Gear on a Tuffy !?


I had never seen one of those lightened gears until the 1990's when I started really collecting T-jets. Back in the day (late 60's-early 70's), I owned a number of T-jets and Tuff Ones and I never saw one of those gears. I did see the black, nylon idler gears in Tuff Ones. I thought they were standard in Tuff Ones but I've seen enough without it now to believe they weren't.

I would say they're pretty rare. The lightened idler gear is kind of rare, too, but a little more common.


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