Connecticut crawl!!!!

[fullmodtxt]

Connecticut crawl happened today! Should have called it the mosquito crawl!!! A good time was had by all, and we'll surely do it again!
Myself, KonaJoe, and Trac95ker joined up for some bashing. KonaJoe and myself ran TXTs, while Trac95ker ran with an in-progress Mad Force. That in-progress Mad Force was very impressive, even bieng only 1/2 done and with open diffs! It crawled thru some spots that we just had to video! Nobody would believe it if we took stills and said he drove those lines with open diffs! Pics/video will come soon.
All 3 of the trucks are set somewhat differently, and each displayed it's own strengths. We basically ran around finding spots and then did follow the leader style or took turns attempting to find lines.
The forest was a great place, with camping and all. We'll go there again for sure. Anybody else up for some CT crawling? Heck, we can even camp there and do a pre-crwal party ,or just about anything! Bring bug spray and lots of battery packs!!! Thanx for a great time, Rich and Joe! Vince

[Trac95ker]

I had a wonderful time, my first time out!. You to were alot of fun to hang out with! It was definitely worth the drive and the rain and the mosquitos!

I learned alot from you guys and I woulld be up for a weekend bash! Thats a great spot Kona Joe.

Image shack is down at the moment. When thats up, i'll post some pics and video! Stay tuned, Rich

[CustomCrawler]

I'm in connecticut. When/where would the next event be? I'm in South Windsor.

I have a TLT converted to 1/10 scale. It'll be about 2 weeks before its ready to crawl though.

[fullmodtxt]

CustomCrawler, we'd be happy to have you come along. Don't know exactly when/where the next one will be; but I do know that we will go back to that forest in Voluntown that KonaJoe found. There is plenty of other places in the CT/MA/RI area, we'll surely get to seeing some of them! The more people the better! Vince

[kona_joe]

Hey Guys!

I had a great time! That last area we crawled was the best. It had everything from truck swallowing holes, to Shin bashing slimy rocks and lots of cool lines, what more could a Crawler ask for.

Rich,
That truck was amazing to watch and hear, it’s only going to get better once it’s locked on both ends.

Vince,
That independent 4ws setup is sweet. It definitely gives you more choices on the lines you can pick when attacking an obstacle.

Thanks Guys, it was great to meet you both and I can’t wait for the next meet. I’m going to study the map of Pachaug Forest so next time we should be able to find the “Good Stuff” a little easier.


Joe

[fullmodtxt]

Joe, how is that leg/shin anyhow? Looked like you only got scraped up. Hope it isn't worse than that! Take a good look around on that map, Joe. Some of those truck-swallowing holes should be on the darn map!!! I'm working on making my TXT a little less wide so that I can get over that bridge, or stuff like it. I can't recall any places where the width of my truck was an advantage over your narrower truck! It sure was a blast, thanx again Joe and Rich! Vince

[kona_joe]

Vince,
I just scraped up my shin, its fine. I was checking out a different map online last night and it appears that we were pretty close to the summit/overlook of Mount Misery. I would like to find the trails that are in the pics I emailed you for a future run.

I'm working on making my TXT a little less wide so that I can get over that bridge, or stuff like it. I can't recall any places where the width of my truck was an advantage over your narrower truck!

I swear I placed those logs over that hole with no specific width in mind. The obstacles are so varied that there is really no “Perfect Combination” for our trucks just lots of trial and error. I think that's half the fun of it.

Joe

[fullmodtxt]

Hi Joe! Happy to hear that you didn't get injured badly! Those spots in the pics were very interesting looking, sure would be nice to find them! Maybe we can print them up, and see if anybody in the forest office knows about where they are?
I was happy with the way that my truck worked all day long, except for that bridge thing!!! My TXT just wouldn't do it, and Rich's open-diff MF and your TXT just sailed right over! Just goes to show, different setups and different drivers makes for lots of fun. I want to go narrower and see if I notice any benefits/drawbacks compared to the wider stance.
I'm still amazed at how well Rich's MF kept up and crawled! That 1/4 scale servo is INSANE!!!!! Just watching Rich's MF was about as much fun as the crawling! Get those BFT tires cut yet, Joe? See ya next time! VInce

[Trac95ker]

Thanks for the compliments. I am getting ready to order lockers. I have the front end off the MF and I'm making longer links plus working on the cable steering.

Those pics of the area are cool and it would be fun to try it and go there.

Still working on the video. I need my wifes help. We didnt seem to connect on that this weekend , if you no what I mean She said she would help me tonight.

Thanks again for the good time guys! Rich

[Trac95ker]

Me and the woman tried to upload video onto RCpics from the weekend and it didnt work. I put a post in the video section asking for help.

[beetlebz]

im from new milford, about 30 mins from danbury and about an hour west of hardford.

i plan on getting a clod buster or somthing this month (depending on finances, if i can afford a TXT 1 then ill get one) and once its built i would consider it an honor to go crawlin with you guys. hell, even if its not built ill take my rc10gt and jump over the rocks while yall crawl over them

let me know guys!
beetlebz@charter.net

[kona_joe]

beetlebz,

I hope we get to have another meet in July. It would be nice to have something once or twice a month on a regular basis if it fits people’s schedules. You’re more than welcome to join us, the more the merrier.

Joe

[fullmodtxt]

Beetle, we'd be happy to have you join us! As Joe said, the more the merrier. CT, Mass, LI, whatever! Everybody and anybody is welcome! The location of the park is really very centralized for everybody. It is almost on the CT/LI border. There is enough terrain to keep us occupied for days at a time, and there is camping too.
The once a month thing is a good idea. Maybe we could do 1 big bash each year where we would get together the day before we crawl for camping, area scouting, and just plain fun! We'll get our own thing going and give the Aussies a run for thier money!!!!!! Vince

PS: Hey Joe, ever get to look at that lazy servo to find out what happened?

[kona_joe]

Originally Posted by fullmodtxt

The once a month thing is a good idea. Maybe we could do 1 big bash each year where we would get together the day before we crawl for camping, area scouting, and just plain fun! We'll get our own thing going and give the Aussies a run for thier money!!!!!! Vince

That sounds good to me, We should starting looking at dates for July.

Originally Posted by fullmodtxt

PS: Hey Joe, ever get to look at that lazy servo to find out what happened?

It's dead... I took it apart and it had water in it. I wonder where that came from , so now I'm shopping for a new servo.

Joe

[firstumustcrawl]

i like that 2 day idea man i cant wait next time you guys do it let me know so i can work it out in my schedule i live in NY but ill come and mes around with you guys im psyched but kinda pissed i missed the first one

[fullmodtxt]

Joe, about the water thing: good ol' Mother Nature said " crawlers! This is my turf!" Can ya drop another motor in the servo? Maybe you can get replacement parts? If you were running an Airtronics, I've heard that they are very good about repairing servos if ya send 'em back in.
Just a note for anybody who comes along for the next time: Bring spare parts and whatever tools you have!!! We had no serious carnage, but a few little things went wrong. There is some serious terrain in this place, and it is bound to be tougher than our trucks at some point!!! I figure that we'd all be happy to help eachother out in whatever ways possible, too. Vince

[kona_joe]

Originally Posted by fullmodtxt

Joe, about the water thing: good ol' Mother Nature said " crawlers! This is my turf!"

No Kidding,

Now my spare is making some strange noises, so I'm not sure what I'll do with the servos. Perhaps try a different brand, go 1/4 scale (don't really want the size or weight). It's a toss up, spend more money and hope they last or spend less and just keep extras on hand. :?

Joe

[Trac95ker]

If you have a hitec servo, send it back. They should replace it for free. Several people I know have done that.

[fullmodtxt]

Joe, I have never had any trouble at all with the Airtronics servos. They have seen puddles, snow, and mud so deep it swallowed the tires. They just kept going! They never made any noises, stripped gears, or lost motors. With your truck bieng as narrow as it is, the 133ounce servos should steer your truck with authority. They were expensive when I got them a while back, but they might be under $100 each now. Vince