WHEN DO WE REPLACE A GEARBOX ?

[Deleted]

Hi there !
Anyone knows exactly when you need to replace a gearbox ??

I have one gearbox which is no longer clicking when he gets in contact with another player, however he still turns and works properly and there is still good tension in the gearbox.
Of course its probably a sign that he is about to get looser and looser but for now he still have enough tension to be ok to play

Do i need to replace it ??

I have another one which still clicks, but is way easily to click than the other ones on my table.

THE QUESTION IS:
Do i wait until they are completely loose and no longer turns ?
or is it recommended to replace them whenever they no longer clicks or when the clicks gets lighter ??

Just wish to know exactly when a gearbox is considered dead.

Anyone who might had the experience to replace a few, please let me know

thanks to all

Blaaze3

[asevie]

I'm wondering the same thing. Anyone replace any of these?

[herm99]

It's kind of a preference and how much it means to you, since they aren't real cheap, about $15 a piece. But once they get real loose and sloppy I start to consider replacing them. Eventually they will slip real bad. Plus new gears feel awesome, no slop or play or slipping, way better feeling.

[Deleted]

Hey all !

Just reporting back to myself since i started this thread almost a year ago. After buying a new gearbox to replace the one i thought was defective, i took the ice surface a part to install it, and i noticed the gearbox that i wanted to replace who was no longer clicking, only had a loose screw on the ASY ROD COLLAR. (the COLLAR that squeezes the metal pin which activates the gearbox and makes it turns). I really thought it was defective at first but in fact it might have been like this for a very long time. The previous owner probably never noticed the screw of the collar probably got loose and some grease even got underneath the COLLAR which was why it didnt clic anymore. The COLLAR simply slipped over the gearbox pin so no wonder why it wasn't clicking. You couldn't even tell because it was tight enough to rotate but not enough to make it clic.

So i simply took it out, removed the grease and retightened the screw of the COLLAR and there i got a brand new gearbox ready to play. And i am left with another brand new spare gearbox in my inventory, that i bought for absolutly nothing. Its always good to have a spare i guess.

Anyway, the moral of this story ?
Always CHECK YOUR COLLAR SCREWS BEFORE REPLACING A GEARBOX, it simply might be loose.

Or you're gonna end up spending money for nothing just like i did.

Cheers !!!

[slapnutzny]

I just purchased a brand new game from ICE and I dont hear any "clicking" and all the guys spin correctly..so now im wondering why doesnt mine make clicking noise?

[Deleted]

hey slapnutski

if your table is brand new, don't force the gearbox to clic for nothing. the gearbox will only clic when 2 players get in contact with each other and your rotation is stopped by the other player, if you still force it to rotate, you will hear the gearbox clic. This prevents the gearbox to break. see the gearbox is made of 2 plastic gears spinning on each other, and if you force it too much, the plastic grooves will clic instead of breaking the whole gearbox but by doing so you worn the gears every time you clic the gearbox.

That being said its ok and they are made to clic and it will happen every time you play no matter how hard you try not to do it, in the heat of the action it happens. They will last for a very long time though even if they clic but once they've reach a certain stage you have to change them. see my table is 7 years old and I only replaced one gearbox so far that became a little too easy to clic.
When their new, you have to rotate pretty hard to make them clic, but once it becomes worned you will find them easier to clic, and once they clic too easily, its up to you to replace them, or worn them until they no longer clic at all. it might take years depending on how often you play and the way you play. if you tell all youre friends to try not to clic the gearbox on purpose, and you try not to clic them while playing by adopting a smooth style of play, you probably won't ever replace them.

If you go into an arcade you will find some machines with the gearbox no longer clicking because in an arcade no one cares about the machine and they make them clic on purpose. The arcade with a chexx table, probably change gearbox very often, but since we use our table in our basement and we take care of our units, you probably won't replace them anytime soon

take care !

blaaze