future of rock crawling?

[spookyseven]

what do you think the future of comp crawling with bigger trucks (clod, txt, maxx) will be? do you think we will push the conventional 4 link and make better chassis or come up with different designs like the stick. why?

[Mad Scientist]

Who knows?

Really, the beauty of the 4-link is it's simplicity. If done correctly, there is no real need to improve upon it or re-invent it.

And I am sure there are other designs like the Stick out there just waiting to be developed. But then you must ask - When does a truck stop being a truck, and become something else? The Stick works very well, there is no debating that. But it can hardly be called a truck anymore. How much further can we deviate? When will merely slapping a truck body on a purpose-built climbing robot be good enough to pass as a scale vehicle? Even the bodies that are put on crawlers today could barely pass for what they are intended to emulate.

[rockcrawler304]

Your poll needs more options. I think that the future will be in the suspensions. We already have people thinking outside the box with some great prototypes. While the stick is different, it is still based on the 4 link idea.


I have an idea I am working on that I won't say too much about except if you know Walker Evans rockcrawler from about 2-3 years ago and how his front was set up, that is what I am looking into to trying.

[raytard]

I think the Stick-Maxx will be a big hit..!..

[Reflection]

You definitly need more options.

Develope the 4 link??????

It's already developed,it has been for many decades. The problem is.....is that you have a million monkeys out there that can't set one up properly. It's not neccessary to make a round wheel round again.....what you need to do is teach people to how to build round wheels instead of square ones. A properly set up 4 link is hard to beat.

The whole stick thing and stuff "outside the box".....well,the stick works great no questions asked. I'll give props to Kevin for his ideas and time invested. For some though(including me),it takes away the "realism" and scale look. The stick and other ideas out there are great and they work good and all,but they do take some of the fun out of it. For some(including me),it's fun to build a rig and have to actually think about how your setting it up. Some of these "out there" designs make alot of near impossible obsticles a cakewalk. Wheres the fun in that? If you have a rig that'll climb anything...no sweat...it does get boring. Having a challenge in front of me is what keeps the spark of interest going. If theres no challenge,I'll get bored and go elsewhere for a challenge.

What I'd like to see is more PEOPLE in RC crawling.

[toylxl2]

Originally Posted by raptorman57

You definitly need more options.

Develope the 4 link??????

It's already developed,it has been for many decades. The problem is.....is that you have a million monkeys out there that can't set one up properly. It's not neccessary to make a round wheel round again.....what you need to do is teach people to how to build round wheels instead of square ones. A properly set up 4 link is hard to beat.

The whole stick thing and stuff "outside the box".....well,the stick works great no questions asked. I'll give props to Kevin for his ideas and time invested. For some though(including me),it takes away the "realism" and scale look. The stick and other ideas out there are great and they work good and all,but they do take some of the fun out of it. For some(including me),it's fun to build a rig and have to actually think about how your setting it up. Some of these "out there" designs make alot of near impossible obsticles a cakewalk. Wheres the fun in that? If you have a rig that'll climb anything...no sweat...it does get boring. Having a challenge in front of me is what keeps the spark of interest going. If theres no challenge,I'll get bored and go elsewhere for a challenge.

What I'd like to see is more PEOPLE in RC crawling.

I completely agree.I'm the type of person who HAS to have a challange or I wont be doing it.its deffinitly no fun when its easy.I think the stick is a good idiea but its in a class of its own I mean once you keep beatin and beating everyone with that stick (lol) it wont be no fun after a while (beating them with a stick lol ) anyways I think that suspension will become the future
of rock crawling., I myself have devoloped a new chassis and it lets you go from 12 to 16" w/b.. it depends on how long your links are ofcourse.My intentions of this chassis was for the persone who cant afford to have 3 rigs..so you would be able to use the same chassis in 3 different classes if you can change all the parts in that time frame or if your wanting to go to a comp with it one way then the next time go with it another way..I like the look of it but not many have seen it yet

[spannerboy]

Its possible that if you have a complete boob sumwhere trying to make a crawler and he ***** it up, he may actually make something pretty good that nobody else thought of before. the whol point in having something that isnt very good is so that you can improve it your way, but if you have something already good (a stick for example) then what can you do to that to make it any better? if youve got a sock tuber crawler you are free to fo whatever you want to it and you have more options. i saw in the forum the other day a piccy of a crawler with indy susp and 4 link. this wouldnt hav happend if we had stuck with clod and txt alxels that are the easy way out.i may 4 link my savage sometime, depending on my funds at the time but you never know i may accidentally stumble upon something to revolutionise crawling. i think new ideas and techniques are the way to go.

[skipstr71]

I belive that five years from now RC crawling will be huge.. I think that the 1:1 crawling world is getting bigger everyday.. From what I and the guys at the local hobby shop have seen, The hobby of RC is on the rise.. and just look at the nylint.. Its only a year or so away from the big manufacures coming out with a RTR crawler of some time..

A year ago I didnt see any "crawler" areas on non specific forums.. Now its on about every forum that is not specific to one make or model...

I have a few things that I think will be turing points in the capability of these little machines.. First off is a production of high clearence axles.. Next would be a clod style version axle... I can see someone producing these along with a low CG tranny.. Not that these havent been done but more of a few companies offereing their designs produced in mass for the huge demand there is for crawler parts..

Not having any type of pre built crawler on the market (with big name maufacturing quality), prevents the "average joe" from entering into the sport/hobby... When those "kits" hit the market, this server better be ready to take on twice the load it sees now.. IMHO...

[FrankyRizzo]

I am developing wireless power with an imaginary GC below the surface mount. You wait and see.