Jeep Hurricane Axle?

[DKNguyen]

Okay. I've decided to just suck it up and get something customed and have this zero radius turning thing done right (following the Jeep Hurricane's lead) to go from a Clod to a shafty.

I was thinking of asking RC4WD to modify their T-Rex 90 Front axle to be a split-solid axle like the following:


The axle housing would have to be vertically symmetrical since I want to have two transmissions (left/right) spinning the shafts in counter rotation to eliminate torque twist and to also allow zero-radius steering. To reduce the number of parts (mainly for cost), I want to use the same axle-housing for both front and rear. This means that the the axle housing would have to be vertically symmetrical so that you could just flip the rear axle upside down so that it would rotate in the proper direction with the front axle housing, given the direction the driveshaft is rotating in (if it wasn't upside down and you spun the driveshaft then the front and rear would try to move away from each other). I'm pretty sure The T-Rex axle housing is vertically symmetric already though.

With the problem of separating left/right rotation direction for zero radius turning, I also need an axle-mounted servo mount for each wheel so each wheel can steer on it's own. So I was taking RC4WD's lead, maybe asking them to make a servo bracket similar to this:

Except for two servos instead of just oen (maybe vertical servos to save width?)

Does anyone have opinions? I was thinking maybe just two vertically mounted R2 transmission side by side (one facing front, one facing rear) would be wide enough to fit on most of the chassis out there.

Thanks.
Also, is it just me, or does The RC4WD's T-Rex-90 actually come with an open differential rather than the spool? That photo of the spider gears...if it was a spool, those shouldn't be? There's also the problem that the T-Rex-90 axles have an 8mm driveshaft while the R2 has a different size shaft (5mm or 6mm...something like that), though I suppose if it's being customed based off a T-rex 90 I suppose that could be changed fairly easily.

[ROSS]

this sounds like a cool idea...but do you actually relize how much this is going to cost you..unless you can mill it yourself...but if you got the money and can find someone to do it...go for it...

[Double J]

Save your money and time and first test it out by using Maxx differentials.

I've been thinking of this for over a year now.
I'd use 4 differentials and make a custome tube solid axle (you can see pics in the max section) But just leave one side not connected. following still..
You'll get the same affect as what your saying at a fraction of the cost.

You can use two trannies of any sort. I'd go for 2 axial trannies or stagger a couple larger emaxx or TXT type trannies.

You can also make the axles as wide or short as you'd like and make them angled for better clearance.


The only thing is finding a body. I've been looking specifacly for a hurrican body in the 1/6 scale size, I figured it'd have to come out sooner or later.

[DKNguyen]

What do you consider too much to be too much? I was thinking it would be a total of $1500 (but heopfully under, obviously)for the axles. Is that the price range you were considering to be too much? Or do you think it would cost even more than that?

For me, this is a robot in whcih I must absolutely have zero radius turning (as well as the ability to control a lot of things like a bunch of servos, etc). And where I do not need a body. Maxx differntials you say? As in E-Maxx differentials? That's independent suspension right? If so, it has been done by others and it works (but no solid axle suspension since it was bolted to a flat platform). Maybe those were done with Stampede or Savage parts, I forget.

I've actually previously priced how much it would cost to do this with as many all-metal (HPI-savage) parts as possible (6x6 and bolted to a flat platform so it was not solid axle), and it came to +$2000 just for the parts.

What's so special about the Maxx axle tubes anyways? (I have a class now, I'll check the other section later).

[Double J]

You could get 4 tmaxx diffs cheap and the rest of the hardware like knuckles and CVD's or just stock parts for under $60-80.
Making it a solid axle is cheap but time consuming the last set I made was around $70. So your looking at around $150 for a set of axles that will work the same or better, just not look as "cool".

It all depends on what you would like it to look like when it's done. If your looking for functional and maybe more reliable than a 1 off set of axles that have parts that haven't been tested in the set up you're looking at. Id go with the maxx diffs as it'd be less to fix if something does brake.
edit.
Maxx solid axles. I can fab them to however I'd like. I just haven't had the time to make my hurican and I'm looking for a body. I found a 1/12 scale hurrican but that wouldn't work.

[DKNguyen]

Yeah, that niceness thing is pretty important to me. I'm just not sure how important (that is actually the primary reason I am look at rock crawler stuff rather than building everything myself). I got enough stuff for it already that needs to be homebuilt.