Towing and motor size?

[HumboldtEF]

So I just built a trailer to tow my other RC rigs. The tow vehicle I've got setup is a Ascender K10 with a 540 Sized brushed Holmes motor (13T Crawlmaster Pro). The trailer is maybe 7-9 lbs and it will be carrying 8-10 lb rigs.
I did do some searching and haven't seen any posts about motor sizing and towing.

So far I've only towed it around the yard.

Now I'm guessing that 540 sized motor wont last long If I tow for a good distance, and that I should probably just upgrade to a 550 sized if not go brushless. So if anyone has experience or an opinion on the subject I love to hear it.

[Greatscott]

Heat will really be the key to telling you if you are overtaxing your motor or not. Check temps every couple of minutes, if they get up around 160*/f (72*/c), then you need to change gearing or go with a different motor.

[HumboldtEF]

Good point, I guess theres not gonna be a set rule for this kind of thing.
I've been looking for a reason to get a temp gun anyway.

I'll keep this updated as I figure things out.

[Greatscott]

Originally Posted by HumboldtEF

Good point, and I've been looking for a reason to get a temp gun anyway.

I'll keep this updated as I figure things out.

Let us know what you come up with, it is great information for the next guy that wants to do a project like yours.

What part of Humboldt are you in?
(Assuming Humboldt County, CA)

[HumboldtEF]

Yeah, I'm in Humboldt county in the Arcata area.

I know what its like to find a thread with no conclusion, so I will try to revisit this later on.

[Greatscott]

Originally Posted by HumboldtEF

Yeah, I'm in Humboldt county in the Arcata area.

I know what its like to find a thread with no conclusion, so I will try to revisit this later on.

Cool, know the area well, grew up in the Garberville area.

[HumboldtEF]

Well after a 15 minute drive I'm fairly confident that temps wont be an issue for the little 540 motor. I ran the truck mostly at full throttle with a heavy Wraith on the trailer, stopping a few times. When I checked the motor temps it was so cool to the touch I didn't bother to get out my temp gun, my guess was 80-90 degrees though It was only 65-70 degrees outside. I need to setup my Wraith with a hitch because the Ascender K10 was struggling with slight hills and medium sized roots. A smaller truck towing a big truck did not work well which I expected but maybe if I reverse the roles I can get a bit farther. Maybe the TRX-4 would do better, it sure is heavy and has a slightly longer wheelbase and a stiff suspension.

I also didn't like how much I had to wind down the pre-load on the rear springs of the K10 to combat how much it sagged with the trailer loaded down (which you can see in the picture up top).

[ColdFox]

I have the same motor on my 6x6 which weights about 12lbs, and it doesn't heat pulling about 7lbs
Plus I ran a 2 speed gearbox, so in high it's geared quite high

But yeah you'll have to modify your towing truck to tow that much weight

[I.D.10.T]

The TorqueMaster motor would pull much better than the CrawlMaster motor. You'll just have to change the battery more frequently.

[the Jeffro]

Hey Humbolt

Nice set up you have there, you could take a little bit of weight off of the tow vehicle by re-positioning the trailer axles a little closer to the front of the trailer.

Hard to tell from the pics but you may have already considered that