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Harley's Complete XR10 Guide This thread will detail out what you need to get your XR10 running, different options to do so as well as upgrade parts you can get along the way. This thread will assume you are starting with the XR10 Kit. There are a huge number of options available and this thread will not list them all. This will just help to give you direction so you can pick and choose what fits your budget, style, and preferences. Electronics Radio: Choosing your radio first is an important step. Depending on the radio you plan to use your setup can change drastically. If you get a radio with dual ESC mixing you will get the most out of your XR10. If you get a radio with only 3 channels and a 3 position switch you may be more limited in your setup. If you only have a 2 channel radio then dig will not be an option for you. Recommended
Motors: You will need 2 standard 540 sized motors. Brushed motors are most common and cost efficient. Recommended
ESC(s): Now depending on the radio you chose your options for ESCs will vary. Your ESC choice is critical, an ESC without proper features and programming will make your XR10 much less capable and competitive. For setups that will only use 1 ESC please see the Dig section. Avoid the Novak M2 Dig ESC at this time, it has experienced massive problems and old drag brake technology makes it a bad buy. Recommended
Servo: High torque servos are essential to a competitive crawler. It is rare to hear anyone say they have too much steering power. At least 300 oz/in is a good place to start. Weaker servos will work but for competition they are not recommended. Recommended
Servo Horn: Often overlooked when ordering what it takes to put together a truck. The plastic servo horns included with your servo just wont cut it. Recommended
BEC: Yes you need a BEC. Most ESCs internal BEC will not supply enough amperage for a high torque servo. There are exceptions to every rule, the Holmes BR-XL has a large BEC that is capable of supplying enough power to many of the high torque servos. Recommended
Dig: If you are using a dual ESC setup you can skip this section. An electronic dig on a MOA crawler takes the signal from your radio to control electronic switches to cut power to the motor you chose. Recommended
Check this thread for some of the cleanest wiring jobs you've ever seen. http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/showthread.php?t=295889 |
Harley's Complete XR10 Guide Video breaking down a dual ESC setup This setup video goes through the programming of a 4PK aswell but the rest applys to all dual ESC setups. <EMBED height=385 type=application/x-shockwave-flash width=480 src=http://www.youtube.com/v/P0TC0V5nVPQ?fs=1&hl=en_US allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></EMBED> Video for programming a 4PL http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYR6jJznnPs Wiring Diagrams 4PL Diagram: http://www.harleydesigns.com/images/...%20(Large).jpg 4PK Diagram: http://www.harleydesigns.com/images/...%20(Large).jpg |
Wheels, Tires and Foams Tires: Your XR10 kit does not include tires as you may have already noticed. There is rarely a “best” tire choice for all terrain. Find local crawlers in your area and find what seems to be working for them. The following recommendations are what I have found works best for me at the various places I have traveled to around the US. Recommended
Options
Foams: Even more diverse than tire choices, the options in foam tuning have exploded. Each tire choice will perform differently and selecting foam based on that is important. The “king” of foam tuning is Crawler Innovations. The foams included with a set of tires will likely work fairly well but to get the most out of your XR10, look at upgrading. Recommended
Wheel Weights: The XR10 wheels included in the kit were designed to work with Vanquish Products wheel weights. These machined slugs allow you to quickly add or remove weight without removing a single screw. The kit also includes an internal weight system that you can adjust using optional Axial weight sets. Recommended
Upgraded Wheels: The wheels that come with the XR10 are molded plastic and can take a lot of abuse. However there are many reasons people choose to upgrade wheels. New wheels allow you to chose things like track width, wheel width, appearance, weight and tuning ability. There are many wheel manufacturers each with many options. Find one that fits all of your needs. This is a list of what I prefer. Recommended
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Chassis and Suspension Chassis The stock chassis included in your XR10 kit is a versatile design. It has incorporated things to help keep your truck looking clean and organized. The electronics tray and radio box in the kit allow you to setup all of your electronics outside of the truck and then install the whole tray as a package. The adjustable shock mounts allow for use of different ride heights without limiting your suspension travel options. If you plan to stay with the stock chassis the following upgrades are a good choice: Side Plates
Upgraded Links: The XR10 kit uses aluminum lower links and plastic upper links both using 3mm hardware. The plastic stock upper links were found to be an immediate weak point by many. They do not break but are flexible making it tough to predict the crawler’s reactions when in a tough bind. Replacing these links is a must in my opinion. When selecting links, you have many options but I am just going to suggest a couple different routes. You can also fabricate your own custom links which is another topic. Recommended – Bolt-on links Axial Stage 3 Aluminum Hi-Clearance Links Kit – AX30434 – This kit will replace your upper and lower links with new high clearance machined lowers and aluminum bent pipe uppers. These still utilize 3mm hardware and all your stock rod ends. For more strength, you can drill and tap each of these links to use 4mm hardware which I highly recommend if you have the tools. Options – Bolt-on links
Aftermarket Chassis: The chassis is generally half of what identifies a crawler. A chassis is a mix of performance and style, some lean more to one direction than the other. A chassis needs to be designed with the axles it is going to be used with in mind so make sure you choose your chassis carefully. If you would like to change your chassis it helps to make a few choices first of all.
Recommended – Bodiless
Option – Bodiless
Recommended – Bodied
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Axles The XR10 uses a familiar MOA design while introducing several new concepts. The design lends itself to many possible changes and upgrades to make the XR10 suit your needs. If you are building your XR10 for hard crawling or competition there are several upgrades that I highly recommend, each of which will be covered in the following sections. Transmission Bearings: The upper portion of the transmission uses 5x8x2.5mm bearings. Issues with the stock bearings used in the transmission have been apparent since the release of the XR10. The included bearings are not very high quality they are also fairly small due to tight clearances and manufacturing processes used to create other parts of the transmission. Since these bearings are small a high quality bearing needs to be used to hold up, however there is another option. Bushings can be used in place of bearings. This may seem contrary to popular thought but while they may have more drag than a bearing they will not fail on you. IMPORTANT NOTE If you plan on changing your transmission housing and motor plate to units with oversized bearing this upgrade is NOT NEEEDED. Recommended
Gear Train: The gears in the XR10 are made by a process called sintering. In the case of the XR10 gears, sintering is the process of heating a metallic powder until the molecules adhere to one another. This process is efficient and inexpensive. However this process doesnt produce a gear that is as strong as a machined gear. If you want an axle that is capable of taking some extreme loads then I recommend upgrading. Recommended
Options
Important note: It is strongly recommended that you replace your pinion gears. The stock aluminum pinions wear very quickly. Robinson Racing or Axial Racing both offer steel pinions, Axials are sintered but hold up well, Robinsons are machined and will last longer but may be a little more noisey. Transmission Housing: Transmission housing refers to the piece of molded plastic that bolts to the motor plate and supports one side of the upper gear train. For those people that are looking to build the strongest axle they can I recommend replacing this piece for a more rigid piece that also uses larger bearings. Recommended
Motor Plate: The motor plate is the other supporting half of the transmission housing. The factory plate is a 3mm thick piece of stamped aluminum. Like the transmission housing, for those looking to build the strongest axle they can I recommend replacing this piece for a unit that can hold a larger bearing capable of handling larger loads. For those interested in a DIY solution, research the 9mm Mod. Recommended
Steering Knuckles The design of the steering knuckles on the XR10 brought new features into crawling. The tilted kingpin design makes for nearly zero scrub steer. This means that the power from the servo is being used more efficiently to turn the tire. The steering arm on the front of the knuckle that the servo attaches to however is very short. The when distance from the kingpin to the drag link attachment point is shorter it requires more power from the servo to move a certain distance. This puts more stress on even high torque servos, increasing heat and increasing the chance of servo shutdown or failure. The strength of the stock knuckles has not seemed to be an issue thus far. If you do not want to replace your knuckles, at a minimum find a new longer front steering arm. Recommended
The stock lockouts on the XR10 have not shown any strength issues as far as I have witnessed. However they do allow the rear straight axles to have more side to side play then I am interested in having. Recommended
The slide bar design used for steering was something never used before on a RC crawler axle. The design does its job but do to the amount of connection point in the system it can make the left wheel feel somewhat detached from the right wheel. A very simple modification to make is to replace this setup with a more traditional solid tie-rod. You will have to use some tools to remove the material that the stock slide bar was housed in but this is very simple and doesnt need to be very precise. After you have removed the material you can purchase a new tie-rod or make one yourself. Recommended
Axle Top Halfs The stock axle cases are going to be more than good enough for 95% of people running an XR10. However they can be improved on. Being that we put so much stress on these axles the plastic can strip, deform, deflect, etc. I am not putting a "Recommended" section on this one because I don't find it completely needed but I am going to list a couple options for the competitors out there. Options
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Tools Harley |
Miscellaneous Battery Mounts: The stock battery mount located in the chassis is handy when first building the kit. However it does place the battery higher up and further back then some other available options. Recommended
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Awesome <--just in case |
Will Brood motors work in a XR10? Will a Spektrum radio work with a XR10? There are other options available for people to use other your sponsors....:roll: |
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Thank you Harley. Good work doin all the foot work for us!!! Much obliged man, and add some info on 4mm link hardware. |
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If'n I were doing this, I would try to ensure there is sufficient representation of other vendors. I think this thread is a great idea....I'm just not sure that it has started as unbiased as it could/should be. A suggestion on something to add to each section might be a "Budget" option. Something that isn't top of the hill, but can get the job done for someone with limited funds to invest. I look forward to seeing the rest!8) |
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I represent companies that I feel are the top of the industry, I don't want to try and defend a company making parts that don't perform at the top. When I feel there are options worthy of being listed that may even be in direct competition to my sponsors I will post them up if I have personal experience with them. For instance the Hitec servo is listed because I feel it is a fantastic servo for the money. |
Haters!!!! Good start Harley! cant please them all!! gotta get the sponsors mentioned!! come on guys!!! |
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