Richie, It does not come off during use. Not like the old rubber O-ring TTs. Needs no grooves. No disassembly required, no surgical skills, no special tools (just a toothpick - the round ones work best) You can remove it with an Xacto knife, and when you do try to remove it you'll see how tough it is. The green color allows you to see your work as you apply it. Apply to a powered, belly-up engine, don't try to "paint" it on, just touch with a drop on the toothpick. It beads cleanly around the rotating wheel. Allow the engine to continue to run so the tire stays round as it cures. Watch it cure before your eyes in moments, it thins down tight and is virtually invisible, except a very slight tint. I've sold engines on eBay with Beta test versions of BULLFROG SNOT applied. They never knew it was there, except that they got a great pulling engine. No out-of-rounds, no wobbles. Took quite a while to develop, but I really think I got it right. It will eventually wear out, exactly when I don't know. But, then you've got plenty and it's easy to re-tire. Bill
GO TO: Universal Liquid Plastic Easy Traction Tires - eBay (item 170285865028 end time Dec-15-08 11:08:16 PST) for eBay sales Ordered a bottle just now. Can't wait to see what this stuff can do for my 2-6-6-2's, 0-8-0's, 2-8-4's, 2-8-8-2's. If this stuff works as good as it seems, I'm gonna try it on a couple of my 2-8-2 double traction tired Mikes and see what happens! With this traction stuff on the drivers, I wonder what will happen to power pickup?
Well... I'm certainly intrigued. Happy to see the maker of the product explain how it works. Seems very simple. Might even be a good idea to add it engines with existing traction tires to 'seal' them in place. Would that work? I've got lots of traction challenged engines so it would be a help to have an easy to use pseudo-traction tire product. I also feel the quantity might be too much and the price a bit steep... though if it works as described there may be many engines which would benefit from its application. I would prefer products which have been time-tested and all the flaws discovered before I jump-in. I'd like to know how long this stuff lasts and what happens when it finally wears out. Will it jam-up the mechanism or just fall off harmlessly? It does seem like an encouraging 'fix' for lots of engines in my 'shelf queen' fleet.
It's available on eBay and Amazon.com now. The product has only been available for a week, but it's been in test for quite a while. We'll have www.bullfrogsnot.com up soon. And distribution to retailers has not even started. There is no economy in a smaller size, and no need to go bigger. So it comes in one size. One ounce. You get a nice grippy tire wherever you want it, when applied correctly. Results are loco and location dependent and do vary. Overdo it and you cripple electrical pick-up. Have fun expirementing. So .... what is is worth to see your expensive shelf queens and roundhouse scenery actually doing some work? Bill
As stated before, it is worth it to me and I will be ordering tonight through Amazon since I haven't used Paypal in years and have no intention of doing so in the future.
No economy in a smaller size? So are you saying you're paying 24 bucks a piece for bottles? I won't be buying any...
I am with you . Until I hear the results of grueling tests from people known by me on various forums , I will keep a sticky bullfrog grip on my 3 sawbucks . If the reports from those people are as good as the claims I will hop right on it . My guess is within 2 months we will all know what we want , and hopefully this will be a hit . Might be just what the manufacturers want as well . They would have a field day just applying this instead of weight and charging us the same , or just adding a note that there is a product out there to increase tractive effort if one desires , and still charge us the same for no TT , weight , or the engineering to do that . As far as half filled jar or less shelf life , it may help if some Stainless Steel nuts or some other filler to decrease the amount of air in the jar were added .
If you were to use this on a LL 2-8-4 Berkshire (fourth driver) for example, wouldn't the electrical conductivity be further compromised by covering this driver with whatever this product is made of. The same thing can be said for the LL 2-8-8-4 if both rear drivers were covered with this material. The only solution would be to activate the rear tender truck on the first run LL 2-8-4 model by hard wiring both tender trucks to the locomotive frame. In later runs both tender trucks receive power from the track. This might be challenging for the average modeler to accomplish. (hard wiring the tender trucks to the loco frame).
I have three more reasons not to buy. 1. The seller appears from nowhere..... 2. The seller is the only tester...... 3. If it sounds too good to be true...... rdgnut/Bill If you are serious, I suggest that you submit samples to Model Railroader, N Scale Magazine and N Scale Railroading magazines and allow them to test it as well as check the safety of your magic/secret recipe. If it tests out you will sell a ton more than you will sell the way you are trying to sell it. I also have a problem with you applying this stuff to locos you have sold on eBay without telling the purchaser. In your own words "I've sold engines on eBay with Beta test versions of BULLFROG SNOT applied. They never knew it was there". Does this bother anyone else.
I know of one person who has a sample . He will try it this weekend hopefully . Others have said they ordered some . We all will know how good it is soon enough . There is no rush , if its good we will all use it , if not we will know that too . I will give him the respect he deserves by not doing a public hanging . He offers a product that if good we want . Nobody is forcing you to spend a dime . Let time and testing prove its worth .
OK guys, the seller/developer of BULLFROG SNOT is an N-scaler back to 1970. Remember sewer pipe sized handrails? 0-8-0s that would not run in reverse? And worse. I've been a longtime reader, but an infrequent commenter in chat areas. My custom bash engines have been on the cover of MR (on a friend's Donner Pass layout) and I've had an article in N-Scale mag about period vehicles. I have a two deck duckunder layout in a dedicated room, model transition era eastern PA anthracite country (RDGNUT get it?) along with my fictional SHORTBUCK steam shortline. Yes, with scenery, mines, turntable, Y's, yard ladders, even pneumatic switch machines. I custom paint, repower, bash, weather my brass, cast parts, scratchbuild, all the things that you'd want for N credentials. Yep, it's new stuff. I've tested many flavors and brews to get to this point. Sacrificed a few patients along the way. I know the criteria for what we wanted and needed and now you have it. Want to test some? I've set aside sample stock for that purpose. I want other users to wring it out. Try it yourself. Maybe it's SNOT for you. Too good to be true? Yep, sounds that way, don't it? I giggle as I watch my LL 2-8-8-2 hauling 80 cars. On pulse power DC. Creeping. OK, I did hard-wire the tender to the engine for pick-up. (Why didn't LL do that? Duh!) Rubber O-ring TTs have always been a lame fix for an inherent problem. They rot, slip, wobble, and pitch themselfs when it's work time. Replacements? Ha ha! It's the scrap track jack. How are your surgical skills? Product life for SNOT? It goes and goes. I've replaced tires, it's easy. It will wear out I expect, but I haven't determined that point yet. Testing has been only me so far, as you all know. Residue? Haven't found it. Maybe someone will. Most of us run some form of track wiper anyhow. eBay sales were stated as 'with the secret traction trick', I just would not state what the secret was. These were my locos that I was thinning the herd (I'm down to 80 or so from 100's), so there was no deception. The buyers could not determine what the trick was. 300+ sales global 100% feedback rating. Magazines? So far they've blown me off. No replies from them. (An article authorship opportunity for somebody?). I'm content with peer reviews for now. If the community sez it's OK, I'll be happy. I really feel BULLFROG SNOT opens new horizons for N, and HO and Z too. It provides an easy, grippy traction tire, and at a bargain price (consider the alternatives). Results vary with engines and location/placement, so experiment! It can be undone! Resist the temptation to overdo things. One drop or so of BULLFROG SNOT per wheel is all you'll need. Yes, you'll sacrifice some pick-up for traction, but I've found most split frame diesels have no issue, and steamers with good tender pick-up have no problems either. Resist the temptation to overdo things. The trade-off is worth it! You'll also find all the dips and lumps in your trackwork. Pull a max length test train and you notice wheel slips here and there. That's where the wheels don't bite your track. And different brands and makes of locos have 'suspension' differences. Things we've not really been concerned about, because we never knew it. Where did the goofy name come from? That's another story. More questions / comments? Regards, Bill
Folks, I suggest that those with nothing nice to say please refrain from posting. The original poster is simply discussing a product he has developed and is offering free samples to those who'd like to try it, and discussing what he sees as the strengths of the product. A bit of skepticism in a case with a new product that doesn't yet have wide acceptance is natural, but that doesn't necessarily mean the person trying to sell it is some sort of huckster or snake oil salesman. For those interested but skeptical, why not take Bill up on his offer of a free sample? If you don't like it you don't have to buy any of the product, and you can just move on. If you do like it, you might find it worthwhile to get some so that you can stop trying to chase down hard-to-find traction tire replacements. Cheers, Adam
I took Bill up on his offer and he immediately replied with a PM and is sending me a sample and I can't wait to try it. I have a little 0-6-0 that desperately needs something like this. In about twenty hours of running, I have gone through five sets of traction tires. It only has a three car consists and can barley make it up a 2% grade. I suspect this is why the traction tires wear out so quickly. I think Bill deserves a break since he has made a generous offer. I will try his product and if it works as stated, I will report it as so. If it does not, I will report it as well.
Joe on the Atlas forum is getting promising results so far . Very early in test phase , but he is enthused .
All the what if's aside, it can be tough to get a new product accepted. this Snot sounds like something I'll be intrested in when the TTires on my Kato Mikes go south. I'll replace the original drivers and give this stuff a shot, by that time you all will have tested it! I'd voulinteer but my new layout is currently under const. RDGNUT hang in there a while, I hope it's better than you say and sells like the proverbial hotcakes! Happy modeling 282mike:tb-cool:
Hi, This gentleman has also kindly offered a sample to me. I will try it out on my MP Pacific and Bachman Light Mountain if there is enough. I have told him that I will report my results here, I hope it's great. Is it the name or something else that puts people off?
