Anybody Run A Capo JkMax?

[cloudswimmer]

Hey Guys,

So I’ve been away several years now from the hobby, and still have a couple 2.2 rigs that need finishing (Bully II and Wraith/Vanquish/BGR), but I’ve been watching these Capo JkMax videos and am pretty blown away from what I see, these guys are picking lines and crawling just like I do my real 1:1 rigs, and they look pretty dawg on scale to me (minus the grill which I’d replace) Any of you guys run one .. and if so what are the niggles? There is an eBay vendor with a 100% rating in China that will build it for me and add the air shocks, winch, light bars, motor pulley belt, swap the grill for a Jeep one, etc., it’s expensive yeah .. but due to health issues I just don’t have the dexterity anymore for little screws, soldering, etc., so it’s worth to me to have it built and painted, only thing I would do is swap on my Locked Up RC 2.2 bead locks that I bought for the wraith build that still isn’t built 🙄 So if you have one how do you like it, and can you offer any tips. Thanks!

Chris in So.Cal.

[cloudswimmer]

So nobody? Are these things just too dang expensive .. or are they just complete junk? Perhaps this is the wrong forum .. or is this website not THE place anymore for all things RC Crawler related? I’ve searched all over the internet for ‘Capo JkMax’ and there is just hardley anything out there on em good or bad .. just a few negative comments on the old 4 door versions, but watching the Chinese Capo team videos these things look Uber scale, and look like they handle more realistically like a built 1:1 JK does. It’s a lot of dough to shell out and I was hoping to get some feedback from here argh

[k goodrich]

Do you have a picture of a rig ?? Are you talking about putting capera axles under a JK ??

[Timmahh]

1800-2400. Ya, that's pretty dang expensive.
Not seen one in person. are a nice looking unit. Unsure if they are worth that kind f coin, even looking as good as they do.

RC Gold dude in Canada has one of the Capo's he does a few vids on. May be worth a watch.

It's a nice-looking piece no doubt. What I have seen some say that did have or have acquaintance with them is they are pretty nice, but not that $ nice.

https://www.enginediy.com/products/c...gaAvz2EALw_wcB

[Timmahh]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhClovZ9Xk0

[themountain]

CAPOs are top notch 1/8scale trucks ....look at this thread from a german crawler site---> https://www.rockcrawler.de/thread/38...kmax/?pageNo=1

[Druxus]

I have one for a year now.

The good

-They look great going down the trail and because of the weight they move in a very realistic way.
- gears in the axles, transfer case, and transmission have heald up great for being a 15lbs rig.
- no one else will have one.

The bad.

- parts support is almost none existent
-It's 15lbs.
- it's top heavy and rolls over allot
- because of the previous 2 it breaks allot.

-Driveshafts are to complicated and come apart allot even when built with loctite.

-Pinion and spur gear are this helicut pieces of crap. Because the spur gear is also the same gear that drives the transmission it requires a order from over seas and you won't see it for several months. I ended up pressing the spur gear off and machining up a plate to mount a traxxas trx4 spur gear.

- main shaft in the transmission uses c clips to keep the gears in place, which also creates a weak spot and will snap it. It's just to heavy and the shaft is too small. I welded all the c clip spots, then turned it on a lathe to true it up and make it smooth. Then use metal sleeves to keep the gears in place. No breaks since.

- steering cable setup looks cool but it's also crap. I fabricated a servo on the axle plate and ditched the cable setup.

-the front axle joint is a cvd style and is not strong enough for the weight and don't have a good steering angle. Im on my 3rd pair.

Make sure you bring a tow strap when you go out because it will break on the trail. Carrying that thing back when you are a mile from your starting point sucks.

Unless you like to wrench and have access to machining tools i cannot recommend getting one. If you want it really reliable I would put some VP axles and replace the transmission with one that you can get parts for.

[cloudswimmer]

Originally Posted by Druxus

I have one for a year now.

The good

-They look great going down the trail and because of the weight they move in a very realistic way.
- gears in the axles, transfer case, and transmission have heald up great for being a 15lbs rig.
- no one else will have one.

The bad.

- parts support is almost none existent
-It's 15lbs.
- it's top heavy and rolls over allot
- because of the previous 2 it breaks allot.

-Driveshafts are to complicated and come apart allot even when built with loctite.

-Pinion and spur gear are this helicut pieces of crap. Because the spur gear is also the same gear that drives the transmission it requires a order from over seas and you won't see it for several months. I ended up pressing the spur gear off and machining up a plate to mount a traxxas trx4 spur gear.

- main shaft in the transmission uses c clips to keep the gears in place, which also creates a weak spot and will snap it. It's just to heavy and the shaft is too small. I welded all the c clip spots, then turned it on a lathe to true it up and make it smooth. Then use metal sleeves to keep the gears in place. No breaks since.

- steering cable setup looks cool but it's also crap. I fabricated a servo on the axle plate and ditched the cable setup.

-the front axle joint is a cvd style and is not strong enough for the weight and don't have a good steering angle. Im on my 3rd pair.

Make sure you bring a tow strap when you go out because it will break on the trail. Carrying that thing back when you are a mile from your starting point sucks.

Unless you like to wrench and have access to machining tools i cannot recommend getting one. If you want it really reliable I would put some VP axles and replace the transmission with one that you can get parts for.

Thanks for posting the issues, sounds like my 1:1 Jeeps ..... top heavy and always breaking something ..... always upgrading something ..... always making my wallet lighter, sounds like real world with the JkMax lol.

Yeah real Wranglers are top heavy too, this is the same warning that’s under my TJ visor


I’m sure the JkMax is top heavy compared to our Lexan bodied scale rigs, but I’ve watched a ton of JkMax videos by now, and the thing that hits me watching these guys is they start rolling on lines just about where my real TJ does on similar type lines, and they get hung up very similar to where I get hung up with my real TJ which I think is pretty cool. I know a lot of RC guys are also real world crawlers, do you happen to own a 1:1 Wrangler of any flavor, and if so could you comment on your opinion of the handling of your JkMax vs. your 1:1? That would be interesting. Also are your drive shafts coming apart from screws backing out .. or are you actually breaking? Could MIP’s or Incisions be swapped in instead with a little machining? Also on your cable steering where was it failing? Cable stretch? The 2020 models come with the axle mounted servo’s .. but like you said that cable setup gives a killer full hydro look I like a lot, its still available at Kaioz as an option part, and I’d like to use it if at all remotely possible.

I have 2 SCX10 and a Wraith all fully Vanquish’d out, and I can do lines with all of them that would be impossible with my 1:1, and now I’m into comp crawling with my upgraded Bully II and doing even more impossible stuff, so it’d be nice to have a scale rig that presents more real world challenges. Thanks for pointing out the good too.

[CyberFox]

Hi,


Did you look at the Traction Hobby Cragsman ?

[smog]

Checked out themountain’s link. Not surprised it led to a German forum, the thing looks well over-built and gorgeous.

[Druxus]

Sorry for the late reply, one of my boys came home on leave from the army and I haven't seen him in a year. So I had been spending most of my time with him, but as all vacations it comes to a end and he flew back to Texas yesterday.

Yeah I wheel a 2009 wrangler that iv had for a bit over 7 years with 302,000 miles. Never left me stranded, not the biggest but works for my area with 3 inch lift with 35's.

My pinion gear came loose on me so when I had it apart I took some pics of the transmission. Yeah I ditched the stock driveshft and put on some mip's, those have been fine ever since.

Didnt know the new ones came with axle mounted servo, guessing there was a lot of other people that was having a problem with the cable setup. The cable setup also made your really strong servo seem not so good. Alott of resistance in that setup.

They are a really cool rig and if you understand that they are fragile and parts can be hard to come by and you may have to fab up your own stuff sometimes, and your fine with that get one.

[Druxus]

So I took out the jkmax today and it started hopping a bit in the snow and broke the secondary shaft in the transmission at one of the cross pins and bent the main shaft as well. Ordered a new part, looking to arrive mid march!! This is what I'm talking about being fragile and crap parts support.

Maybe I should start a thread just keeping track of my headaches with this thing.

[RCforfun]

Hello and nice to find this thread! Not much about the JKMAX out yet

I am getting one, hope to arrive tomorrow!

Just the Kit for now. I need to find out what motor to get and ESC

any Idea's what others have used or what are you using if you have one!

[Druxus]

I've been through quite a few motors on mine. I started with a tekin 540 35t HD, which burned up in around 5 runs. Replaced it with a tekin 540 45t HD, that lasted a bit longer... maybe 8-10 runs? Next I put a Holmes hobbies 1400kv revolver motor in paired with a mamba x. Ran great with this combo for well up to a year, following the Holmes video to set it up it had nice slow crawl and great speed. But I have been feeling like all of my problems with snaping the shafts in the transmission are due to this motor being to powerful. So I went back to a brushed setup, now it has a Holmes hobbies 550 can 21t motor in it paired with a 1080 esc. I have passed the 5 run threshold with it so we will see if that's the trick to keeping my transmission together and not smoking a motor.

[RCforfun]

good to know!! makes sense.

I am going to try the
"Xerun Xr8 1/8 Esc 2s-6s & G2 4268sd 1900kv Sensored Motor"

I am thinking the lower kv will be the trick


Also, I am working with a person on getting parts for these
so to have them in the US for faster shipping!
Lets see if I can work that out!

[Druxus]

I doubt a 4268 motor is going to fit. The 550 can motor just barely made it and that one is 57mm long. There is no way a 68mm one will fit. The lower kv motor just has less speed, but still way more torque then a brushed. If that has been my problem I'm sure you will have the same results. The main shafts in the transmission are to small for the weight of the jkMax to put any kind of power to it and have it survive.

[RCforfun]

really? Crap. No info so its very hard to know what to get.




I dont need a bunch of power/speed. I just want to do light crawling and 4x4
is all Im looking for.


I have my Bully for the extreme rock crawls and am not into the speedy rc cars!

[Druxus]

The transmission has been my biggest issue with it, not the only but the biggest for sure.

Make sure you have allot of loctite on hand as well.

I'll see if I can get a pic of the motor when I get home from work tonight

[RCforfun]

OK, Yes, I know all about the LOCTITE!!

[RCforfun]

Are there any Sensored Motors that will fit in this thing?
I cant find one yet