I have about 18 feet of track on an incline of approximately 1 1/2%. If I let a car go on that grade it is going fast enough to knock the coupler off for sure and maybe do even more damage. Of course, having the track end at a solid wall may contribute to the damage.
My point really is that a 1 1/2% grade is way too steep for any meanful test unless there was a really long - 100 feet? - level track for the car to coast to a stop.
Another party to this discussion made the point that testing the truck alone and testing trucks with a car might yield different results.
Gene,
I can't speak for Tim, but I use both the roll tester and an inclined track for my cars. As Denny Anspach has said, the roll tester is a very good indicator for determining how trucks roll. His criteria is similar to my experience. One additional comment, cleaning the track with isopropyl alcohol can have a positive effect on how a truck rolls. Once I have trucks that I consider "tuned," i apply the trucks to a properly weighted car and put it on my incline. My test track is six feet long (on a plank) with a short incline about one inch high at one end so that about five feet of track is flat. The other end has a piece of foam rubber to act as a stop (no damaged couplers yet). I am satisfied if the car reaches the end, but a good rolling car will rebound about a foot or so. A lightly weighted car does not perform as well. When not in use, my incline sits in a corner taking up very little room.
