Servo saver or not

[willyrocket]

How many run savers and how many dont. Seems like every other person you hear from, either do or dont. Personally I dont, I run 645s and have had no problems at all.

[Grizzly4x4]

I dont run em either. I just stripped the gears on my first 5645MG last weekend, I think the LST's had sumpin to do with it. I had the servo in there for about 4 months.

[EeePee]

I shouldn't reply, because if I do, and I mention that I don't use one, the servo is gonna crap out on me.

[AdamF]

lol...I JB welded my servo saver....and stripped out the splines on the saver where it connects to the servo. Gotta get an aluminum one now.

[TwistedCreations]

I shouldn't reply, because if I do, and I mention that I don't use one, the servo is gonna crap out on me.

yeah and you have been lucky so far with this servo :D :D


i run them on mine and i don't like them..but on my other one, i dont run them :D

[DUDE]

I don't like them for crawlers, good for high speed impacts but we don't go fast. Metal geared, ball bearing high torq servo. It works if you buy a quality servo.

[willyrocket]

I shouldn't reply, because if I do, and I mention that I don't use one, the servo is gonna crap out on me.

Funny, you say that, because my rear 645, just crapped on me. dont know what happened to it, havent had time to pull it apart.

[Monster572]

I run a saver on my truck... but i'd never know it was there cuz mine dosnt seem to work (factory fault or something) even if i try to move it by hand it does nothing.

In the long run though i think it depends on where you run and how heavy your rig is, i'd run one on a heavy rig, but either way you're going to have to replace the servo eventually.

[JasonInAugusta]

Gecko runs an Airtronics 359 and a Kimbrough 124 on each end.

The truck I'm working on will use a single micro servo for both axles.

That one won't use a servo saver. 8)

[raphy777]

What dose a servo saver do eny way?

[rm25x]

What dose a servo saver do eny way?

Its a spring loaded servo horn designed to absorb shock and protect the servo.

I probably won't run any on the new truck.

[MattH]

I don't run servo savers on my Hitec TG and MG servos. And while I don't plan to ever run servo savers, my trucks have taken some nasty tumbles from a few feet up where I could see a servo saver being beneficial.

[microgoat]

Depends on how well your steering is designed, and how good a servo you're using. I've burned up a couple JR Sport ST125MG's within minutes by not using a saver, and having a crappy linkage in a heavy truck.

On my TLT's I don't use a saver and haven't had a problem.

[Automan]

I don't use those stinkin servo-savers. I use very strong servos instead, digital servos standard size and the huge size. Those digital servos have a very nice holdingpower.. and that is a plus when crawling, although they use more amps.

For now i use Rhino digi4 on one truck and xxx-5998TG on the other one. They both work great, those rhino's are big but bullitproof.

[SVEN]

This is a servo saver:
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b230/rc10sven/kimc0131.jpg

BTW, I don't use them. I lose too much steering ability to justify the protection. And I have never killed a servo in 1 1/2 years of crawling.

[jderreks]

Even though I've just jumped into crawling, I noticed that my moabs with cut foams were too much resistance for the servo savers and my steering sucked. I've removed them and can now steer (using hitec 645 and jr 590m).

[kevinlongisland]

Have always run servo savers and swear by them. The majority of people I have seen that don't run servo savers eventually strip servo gears. I've never stripped a set of servo gears.

[CSR]

I've never used servo savers on my comp rigs. You lose too much steering control. Run them if you don't want to replace servos and gears. I've killed two Hitec 645's and stripped 10 sets of gears. :shock: At the Portland, IN UROC event last year my rig took some nasty tumbles down the man-made mountains of concrete.... stripped 4 gears, in one weekend! :twisted:

[Tzi]

I just snapped the mounting tabs off a towerpro metal gear servo (MG995), and cracked the top casing because i didnt have a servo saver, and drove my crawler into the ground from a 1ft drop.
probably thinking a servo saver could be beneficial... but a REALLY stiff one.

[Shorty40]

I run the AE servo savers on my 645s and have no probs with stripping gears or turning my cut Moabs 8)

[axelnut1]

This happened today when we(my son and I) took our trucks out. I had put Aluminum Servo horns on the 645mg servos and the servo stripped the splines in the horn!:x That was my truck and about 2 hrs. later the same thing happened to my sons truck.:x . I got the horns off of eBay, the brand was racers edge. Anyway, just thought I would pass this along. Brian

[Crawlerdude75]

Personally, I like to use the servo savers. I am only 16, so I do have a bit of a limited budget, so the servo savers are basically my ticket to saving money. I have actually messed up the servo saver before I messed up the servo. But my recommendation...find either an aluminum servo arm, with a stiff built in servo saver. This way, you have the advantage of aluminum and a servo saver, but no (or not as much) steering loss.

[Z-Rider]

I run an aluminum arm, no saver for me.

[MafiaxB]

I havent decided either way, ive done both - but i prefer to run a saver (budget dictates it) and the saver is triple sprung (the tlt saver has two cicular "springs" )
all i did was add a third so that it reacts the way i want, but can absort falling directly on a steering wheel full weight and not make me spend more money...

[hunter306]

I run the Ofna CNC top saver on my Airtronics Rock Crusher.

Seems to work pretty well, I'm cautious though because servo's are pricey and I'm not in the game to buy another after this one.

[DaViolentOne]

Gecko II, 645MG servo up front, nothin' in the rear with an Ofna LX Pro 8th scale steering horn I had left over... Been usin' that for a while now and haven't had any problems with it other than the axle strut comin' loose from the servo swingin' around... I have another mount to fix that problem, too... Just no link for it yet... But I'm still gonna run with the Ofna horn... No servo saver...

[RYY]

If no servo saver then are most running aluminum or plastic horns?
RYY

[DaViolentOne]

Plastic... Aluminum would be too rigid I'd think... I think someone in our group blew a servo 'cos of that, actually...

[nitromtcrawler]

i run a hi torq cirus with no saver and works great

[Spiftacu1ar]

Are there any servo savers that are good for super high torque servos (like the 400+oz/in ones)? I have these great servo;'s, but I don't want to waste the torque by putting some weak save ron there that gives with only a couple hundred ounces of torque. That would defeat the point of a good servo. If there are really stiff servo savers, i would use those.

At some point, a LONG ass time ago, I read about some type of servo saver that used a single bearing ball and spring, and could be adjsuted with a set screw. Instead of giving gradually, like most servo savers, when a certain torque is reached, the servo saver would jsut give, allowing the servo horn to move freely, and saving the servo. Then, when the servo output reallighned with the horn, it would snap back togther.

For example, if the servo is holding center, and then your crash or tumbnle or something, and more than the set torque is expereinced, the servo saver would snap open and servo movement would do nothing at all. Suppose the fall forced the wheels to full right lock, then when you move turn the servo to full right with the controller, everything would realign and the servo saver would fucntion like a solid horn again.

I can't seem to find that thread anymore (it was on rcu, i think, but im not sure). Anybody know what i'm talking about?

EDIT: foudn this on wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ball_detent
That is the mechanism I am talking about, but i read somewhere that a company makes servo savers with those. That would be the best type of servo saver for a crawler, b/c you don't lose senstivity, but if you set it right, it would disconnect jsut before the gears strip, or the motor is overloaded. So basically, the best of both worlds.

[Crimson Feight]

I find servo savers to be a royal pain, they never allow enough steering, I've also broken the internal clip a few times.

I do strip plastic horns for fun. I stipped one within 12 seconds of fitting it :mrgreen:
Currently using an alloy horn on my 645mg. Hopefully I don't kill the servo

[oldhippie]

I have broken metal horns and destroyed 300/400 oz servos (ya don't have to take a fall to do either) but can't bring myself to use a servo saver but I can almost afford to replace stuff. If ya are just bashing around on a budget they are smart insurance. Crawling is death to servos.

[Terranaut]

I agree that crawling is death to servos.

I don't use savers, I don't like what I've seen because of the progressive 'give' in the springs and the resulting loss of steering accuracy. But if there was a strong aluminium, adjustable detent type servo saver available in the market I would be be very tempted.

Cheers.

[SVEN]

Are there any servo savers that are good for super high torque servos (like the 400+oz/in ones)? I have these great servo;'s, but I don't want to waste the torque by putting some weak save ron there that gives with only a couple hundred ounces of torque. That would defeat the point of a good servo. If there are really stiff servo savers, i would use those.

At some point, a LONG ass time ago, I read about some type of servo saver that used a single bearing ball and spring, and could be adjsuted with a set screw. Instead of giving gradually, like most servo savers, when a certain torque is reached, the servo saver would jsut give, allowing the servo horn to move freely, and saving the servo. Then, when the servo output reallighned with the horn, it would snap back togther.

For example, if the servo is holding center, and then your crash or tumbnle or something, and more than the set torque is expereinced, the servo saver would snap open and servo movement would do nothing at all. Suppose the fall forced the wheels to full right lock, then when you move turn the servo to full right with the controller, everything would realign and the servo saver would fucntion like a solid horn again.

I can't seem to find that thread anymore (it was on rcu, i think, but im not sure). Anybody know what i'm talking about?




If you are running high dollar, metal geared servos, you really shouldn't have any issues with stripping gears with aluminum servo horns. I use JR 8711's and I've gone through a lot of aluminum horns (they can bend too).

But if you want a 'servo saver' just use heavy duty plastic horns. They will strip out or break before the servo even comes close to destruction.