New OCM 2.2 Crawler Review

[Robb]

Off the bat, I don't have the electronics (motors, escs, etc) to truly test this rig right now, or for awhile, so to start, this is a "first impressions" review until the rig is completely built and performance tested.

This post will be updated as info becomes available. I am starting this build late on a Wednesday night, which in my world is "poker night," so not much time was spent on this so far. I will edit as progress proceeds. I apologize for the "odd" pics that will show up in this thread.:-( My camera gets confused by the fluorescent lighting in my shop..................sometimes it flashes, and sometimes it doesn't under the same conditions. I don't claim to be a photographer.


- The packaging:
Does the actual packaging have anything to do with the rig inside, or the performance of said rig? Nope, of course not. But, as all of us that had/have TLTs know, having a box dedicated to the truck, with a handy handle, is a nice convenience. This portable storage case is just a bonus.



Then opening of the box is just a great thing. What is thrown in front of you is the heart-n-soul of the kit..............the axles and wheels! Notice that the axles come fully assembled out of the box.



-What is inside:

Outside of the wheels and axles, what lies underneath is this. Notice that all items are nicely separated into specific bags for their purpose. The package comes with a manual, which in it's weird, crude way, is very reminiscent of a Gold Tub RC10 manual in it's "homebuilt" appearance............but also backed by CAD drawings. The manual also comes in digital PDF form via a CD. A nice bonus!!



Open up a few of the bags, and this is what you have.



The Wheels:
- The stock aluminum 2.2 beadlocks are NICELY made. I can't find a manufacturing flaw on any of them!! I slapped some Claws on them with very little fuss, and the rings grabbed nicely. The wheels themselves weigh in at 3.9oz a piece, with a Claw+Stock Foam total weight of 7.3oz a piece. Two little gripes on the beadlock install; 1) the button-head screws are tiny (not sure of size right now), and I broke off the head of one of the screws while tightening. Probably more operator-error moreso than mechanical failure. 2) there are no extra screws provided, which I had one hit the floor and then proceed into "screw heaven." Even $40/set Junfac beadlocks come with a couple of extra screws...........something OCM should have also considered. Big deals on the overall review of the rig? Nope, just extra screws would have been a bonus.



The axles:
Simply put............BEEFY!!! The only real comparable axle out there is the Raptor2, but these are just a tad less wide and purposely built for 2.2s. To be honest, to put a plastic 2.2 axle next to these things is just unfair. Nicely powder coated in black, the outer diameter of the aluminum axle tubes is about 5/8" (haven't broken out the calipers). Full bearings throughout. Full 48P steel gears inside the pumpkin. The motor mounting comes fully adjustable for multiple pinion gears. The kit comes with two 12T, 48P pinion gears. Internal gear ratio comes out at 11.43:1, with a stock [12/42 P/S] final gear ratio of 40:1. Driveshafts are steel, and are .195" in diameter. Shaft "locking" is created through steel gear spool. There is no plastic or aluminum inside the axles.

The axles come with pre-installed link/shock mounts, which are fastened to the axle with truly threaded 3mm fasteners. There is a single 3mm threaded hole on the top and bottom of the axle along the lines of the link/shock mounts for whatever you want. The kit includes an axle mounted brush guard, which of course, is not needed on a crawler. For now, I have rearranged the brush guard and servo plate in a way that creates a battery plate on the front axle. This modification with require a custom draglink to be built.

The steering hubs are "one piece" with the axle tubes................and are THICK!!!! The steering knuckles are also THICK aluminum, and supported by bearings. Included 12mm wheel hexes are also aluminum. The shafts have outer "dogbones" installed and are not CVDs.

With Claws installed with stock foams, center "pumpkin" ground clearance is 1 5/8". With sitting level, the bottom line of the pumpkin sits at the same plane as the bottom of the knuckle screws. Also with Claws installed, overall wheel track lies at 11 1/4"












Four-link Links:
-Threaded powder coated aluminum rods with steel ends and metal (???) ball inserts (3mm holes). Nicely done by OCM!! Rubber o-rings are included for installing the ball ends for cushioning. At the end of the day, the link appear to be too long for a 2.2 rig, but they really aren't. As installed as recommended (with included shocks), the "belly" ground clearance is about 4 1/4", with a wheelbase of 11" with the links mounted at the center most holes. To articulate the shocks at this position leaves some travel. I removed the springs to lower the chassis belly to about 2.5", with about a 11 7/8" wheelbase, and this lowered the rig COG obviously.

In the modern 2.2 shafty rigs, somewhere around 2.5" of belly clearance is the norm for a good clearance/CG relationship...................but is this low needed for rig without a motor/tranny sitting in the chassis? The stock 4 1/4" center clearance may work just fine with such little weight sitting above the centerline. Who knows? What is the best set up for this truck? WAY to early to predict!!!! A 2.2 with such heavy axle weight and light chassis is kinda new to the arena, outside of the few 2.2 Clods, so weight/height distribution will be experimental for awhile.






The Shocks:

Nicely made units!! But maybe too long for practical purposes. Shock body is [threaded] aluminum, and is standard "maxx sized" diameter. Rod end mount is steel (just like the link mounts). Springs to be of good softness for crawling. Extended [eye to eye] = 5", collapsed = 3 1/4". (The pics don't look like those are the measurements due to angle, but they are accurate)





The chassis:

IMO, not a terrific design. Unless the high clearance belly with low CG is proven, the chassis is not going to work since it can't be adapted farther than it sits in reference to shock mounting angle, which is on the verge of being two low of an angle as it sits in stock form. I will update this as I experiment.


That is enough typing for one late night. I will update as needed.

So far, my only real large complaint against OCM is not advertising this thing properly!!! There is so much to offer in this kit, but details are lacking in the little bit of info found on the internet. I have noticed a couple of small things that should have been done, and a couple of things that I would have done differently (chassis, clockable pumpkin, etc), but overall.......................


HOLY CRAP RCRC WORLD!!!!!

[run2jeepn]

Do you have a set of Pede Wheels with a better off set for a Narrower Track width laying around. I'd like to see if you can get the Track width under 10.5in.

The axles look pretty BEEFY... Can we get a Shot of the axles opened up?

[wingnutcrawler]

great job on the review , keep it coming. who is the distributor for it?

[sloppy]

the axles look sweet I cant wait to you break into them and get some info on the internals. looks like a good canidate for a stick chassis

[Mad4Rnr]

those axles look nice! abit too wide for 2.2 but for a 14'r or super they look perfect. The gears look plastic.

the beadlocks kind of look like steering wheels or toilet seats

[grapegoat]

I liked that other guys review better . Seriously though, this looks awesome. Talk about some BEEFY axles!!! Looking forward to the full review man.

[chrisjlittle]

Dang, that thing's looking pretty good! I swear this style of axle will be the future of the 2.2 class, whether or not these axles are going to be "it" should be seen soon. I want it! Thanks for being the one to drop a wad on an unknown, and of course for the review.

[frdtrkguy]

Originally Posted by run2jeepn

Do you have a set of Pede Wheels with a better off set for a Narrower Track width laying around. I'd like to see if you can get the Track width under 10.5in.

X2 on the narrower width. They went through alot of trouble designing those axles then made em too wide for a 2.2 comp rig??? Where is this rig advertised?

[666]

WOW, I am very interested!!! Everything about it seems beefacake!!

Could you please measure the width of the axles, outside of hex?

[Robb]

The pics don't show an accurate measure of how deep the offset is. It is deeper than it shows.

Outer of hub to outer of hub is +/- 8.0"
Outer of hex to outer of hex is +/- 8 9/16"

[Dirby]

ok i'll bite.
who sells theese how much do they cost and where can they be bought?
thx Dirby

[Robb]

Originally Posted by wingnutcrawler

who is the distributor for it?

Right now, OCM is redoing their website, so it is down. www.amainhobbies.com is the only distributor selling them at the moment.

At the end of the day, this "kit" can be shipped to your door (via amain coupon and free shipping deal) for about $255. This would be just about in the ballpark of what an AX10 shipped to your door would require. I love the AX10, but to be honest, after seeing this bastard, I wouldn't begin to order one.

The secret to this rig lies in the product support, or lack thereof. The owner/president of OCM seems like a REALLY good guy and is focusing on the future, but the future of this rig lies in the future of OCM. After a thorough review of this truck, I plan to email the president/owner of ocmracing and inform him of this thread, and proclaim our need for future support.

If Alan can make this thing work like I have faith that he will, in regards to support................this axle setup will be the future of 2.2 RCRC.

[4stAir]

do you think these axels would work out as super rig? i saw them the other week in a preview shot and imediatly thought of a new super comp axel if they can handle the tire weight.

[666]

I am ordering one-this is by far the best looking kit put out in my eyes. Thank you Robb for giving a accurate description.

BTW, could you figure the gear ratio?

[Racer4Life]

$255.00 for Aluminum Beadlocks, and axles! That's a great deal.

Nice job on the write up. I am with others when I say this...show us the insides of those axles.

[jagg]

Any idea if they will offer the axles seperate like Axial did? I like the axles, but don't care much for the chassis.

[frdtrkguy]

Man for that price you could buy it just for the axles and wheels. I paid 290ish shipped for Raptor 2 axles only. The Axle "C"'s look compact enough to get the track width very narrow just using offset wheels.

[JUSTGOINGSLOW]

That is a awesome kit. And for that price you can't beat it with a stick.

[rckjeep]

with that width have fun squeezing thru gates. Nice pair of sticks for sure.

[NickRummy]

Originally Posted by frdtrkguy

The Axle "C"'s look compact enough to get the track width very narrow just using offset wheels.

That is exactly what I was thinking. Same setup as the AX10.