Technical Trail... Honcho

[lonleycreeper]

Originally Posted by zane!

Anybody left around here? Not sure if I should post updates if they're not being viewed...

Problem is, Scx10II is old news. Capra and Senduro, Trx4 are getting all the posts. There are diehards like myself here.

[johnnyluv]

Nice practical updates. You’re right about having to drive to get to decent crawling terrain, although I don’t have to go as far, now, as from where I lived previously. I haven’t gotten to do much of anything the past 2 years, due to still having young children. Maybe next year.

I don’t think the SCX10 II is so much “old news” but that the market is saturated with scale trucks to the point that everyone has fallen into a tribe of their favorites. It was a lot more fun around here when the SCX10 was the most utilized platform, because everyone could relate to each other’s interests, for the most part.

[PERCY]

Keep posting Zane

[zane!]

Thanks for the kind words! While Axials aren't the newest thing, I think this chassis is so proven and has so much aftermarket support it will never fully go away. The Senduro is the closest competitor, and definitely a good option. I like the TRX4 as well but it's more of a scaler as opposed to a dedicated crawler. But they're all cool!

I'll keep up the updates now that I know they're appreciated, I like this build because I'm trying to keep it as functional as possible while still looking cool. 90% function/10% fashion, on a budget.

In good old PNW fashion the nice fall weather has turned to 100% rain for the rest of the year. Luckily I made some time to get out to our main spot while it was only partially wet instead of completely soaked. The new amount of instant wheelspeed on demand made some very tough lines much easier! The drivetrain crawled so well at low speed, but then a quick blip of the throttle made the truck pop over spots that I could never make before. Even with wet and muddy tires.

Speaking of new trucks, I ran into another guy at the spot crawling his new Senduro. Very smooth truck, though set up more for scale as opposed to technical crawling. His brushless setup on the new truck was so quiet compared to my new drivetrain, but mine had a ton more power and put it down better. Always fun to BS while driving the RC.

[zane!]

Originally Posted by LincolnofDeath

Yeah, this banana plug idea rocks. And how about that 12T 550? Just started using that in an Enduro and it’s just sooo good. Not sure if cause of the size of the can over 540 I was using but it’s in a total sweet spot for tractable power. Still stock gearing for me and it’s so manageable.
Fun pics you have there, too.

Thanks, the 12T 550 is definitely a great crawler motor on 3S. The larger magnets seem to add a whole different feel to the torque delivery, just smooth all the way through the revs. It reminds me of a Ford V10 engine.

I know that @JohnRobHolmes prefers 550 brushed motors on his rigs as well, and his opinion is what convinced me to go with this setup.

[Natedog]

Originally Posted by OSRC

Beautiful terrain you've got there!

Welcome back to the addiction...

X2

Originally Posted by LincolnofDeath

Yeah, this banana plug idea rocks. And how about that 12T 550? ....it’s just sooo good. Not sure if cause of the size of the can over 540 I was using but it’s in a total sweet spot for tractable power. Still stock gearing for me and it’s so manageable.

Agreed, 550 brushed on 3s is my go to crawling combo with stock gearing, crawls great and can still spin the tires and bump over obstacles!

Originally Posted by PERCY

Keep posting Zane

Yes!

[zane!]

Hi everyone!

Winter was very wet this year and mostly cold, with some decent snow, so the crawler sat in hibernation for a few months. With the current crazy Corona situation I wanted to pull it out and play at home. I convinced my 4yo daughter to help me gather rocks from our yard so I could build a decent rock pile, with the promise of driving one of my trucks on it. So I geared the little ECX Barrage basher back down to crawler speed, limited the throttle dual rate to ~40%, and let her have at it. She's definitely more of a rock bouncer than a crawler though! She got pretty good at lining up through the rocks, giving it all the throttle, and going full send over the pile.

The Axial was great as usual. I ordered some SSD overdrive gears and locker for the front axle so that's the next upgrade. Besides that, the plan is to drive it more and see what breaks.

[zane!]

Received the SSD 10% overdrive gears and locker yesterday (thanks AMAIN for shipping parts during this madness). Instead of working on the sunroof of my daily driver like I should have been doing, I installed the RC parts.

They were coated in machine oil which is nice for rust prevention, but needed a thorough cleaning. I just used WD-40, and then alcohol on the screws. Assembled and loctited the screws with Loctite 243 (the good commercial stuff, not the crap 242 you get at the department store). I played around with shimming to get the backlash as decent as possible and the gears were still notchy. So they got a nice break-in procedure by hooking my brushless drill to the driveshaft and spinning the gears either direction for ~15sec at a time until they smoothed out.

Performance is just as expected. I ran a similar setup in my old AX-10 so no surprises - better grab from the front tires over ledges, better turning while going forward, worse turning in reverse. There are always tradeoffs.

The goods:

[zane!]

I was putting the Crawler away yesterday and noticed that the spur gear shaft has a TON of play. I think my new gearing/motor combo killed the bearings. Teardown to commence soon to see what parts I need, luckily Axial parts are cheap and easy to find!

[JatoTheRipper]

You have some awesome crawling spots and incredible scenery! Thanks for the great photos.

[zane!]

Originally Posted by JatoTheRipper

You have some awesome crawling spots and incredible scenery! Thanks for the great photos.

Thanks! The PNW is amazing during the 30% of the time that it's not raining. We make do during the other 70%.

[WallyRC]

Zane,
Kept the post coming. I’m enjoying it.

[doc.hamilton]

Originally Posted by zane!

I was putting the Crawler away yesterday and noticed that the spur gear shaft has a TON of play. I think my new gearing/motor combo killed the bearings. Teardown to commence soon to see what parts I need, luckily Axial parts are cheap and easy to find!

It’s partly why I enjoy this hobby! I go out and something breaks. I go home and fix it. Wear, wash, rinse, repeat...

You’ve got a great rig and an awesome place to drive it!

Cheers
Doc

[zane!]

We're still trying to be good citizens and staying home as much as possible. The rock pile is still fun for 15min at a time, and is more challenging when wet (though it's under a tree so it takes some serious rain to make it through).

Random dry shot of the side ledge. OD gears up front make this
little climb nice once you get a front tire over the top.

[surfishjoe]

Hello from east coast! I just installed the same Over Drive gears in my Honcho and they do work good! What I realized is how noisy and rough my rear gears are compared to the fresh front so I ordered a SSD gear set for the rear axle as well. Keep the posts coming.

[adizon]

Just curious, why you chose the SSD overdrive gear set over the Hot Racing. Now that they are in, was it worth it overall? It's been fun watching your build!

[ebeowulf17]

Originally Posted by zane!

Got some crawling in today at the usual spot. I like testing changes in the same location as I know how the truck has performed on certain lines recently.

These changes were... Awesome. The rear end is a lot more stable under flex while climbing, resulting in more traction. One side effect: more torque twist than the truck has ever had before. I did notice the lower belly and sliders as I was sliding on them more than usual. Still worth it!

Great terrain and great pics. Thanks for sharing your build info!

I'm brand new to this hobby (got my SCX10II RTR Ford F100 a few weeks ago.) I see that you're in the PNW - I'm in Tacoma and looking for places to crawl (beyond my yard and neighborhood.) Any recommendations for crawling spots within striking distance of Tacoma?

[zane!]

Hey everyone! Sorry for the delayed posts, I started a new job a couple months ago so life has been busy. As life returns to more normal-ish I'm itching to take the truck out to a real spot instead of my yard pile.

I ended up replacing the spur gear shaft and both bearings. They were sloppy and causing excess backlash. I think it was a $12 fix.

Originally Posted by adizon

Just curious, why you chose the SSD overdrive gear set over the Hot Racing. Now that they are in, was it worth it overall? It's been fun watching your build!

I looked at both options, but I like SSD much better as a brand and I've ran across some Hot Racing parts in the past that were terrible. For more technical driving, they're absolutely worth it.

Originally Posted by ebeowulf17

Great terrain and great pics. Thanks for sharing your build info!

I'm brand new to this hobby (got my SCX10II RTR Ford F100 a few weeks ago.) I see that you're in the PNW - I'm in Tacoma and looking for places to crawl (beyond my yard and neighborhood.) Any recommendations for crawling spots within striking distance of Tacoma?

While I'm familiar with your area, I've never been up there with the crawler...

BUT, you're in luck: maps.pnwtrc.com

[TK421]

Great pics bro!

Lou

[johnnyluv]

Originally Posted by zane!

Hey everyone! Sorry for the delayed posts, I started a new job a couple months ago so life has been busy. As life returns to more normal-ish I'm itching to take the truck out to a real spot instead of my yard pile.

Considering the excessively wet extended spring we've had, you haven't missed many opportunities to get out and crawl. I'm fortunate to have room to build a decent crawl area, but am still looking forward to getting out on some technical trails this summer.



My Honcho build has been mostly neglected for the past 8 months(which is what brought me back to this good thread), so it's time to get back to it!