i need help with scale crawling

[minnesotamudder]

ok so iv been on the forums for a while, iv talked to people about crawling(thanks billy and chad for geting me interested), iv looked at crawlers(mainly the scx honcho). I tried to go to a comp but couldnt make it, and now im trying to figure out what i need for scale crawling.
Im thinking of geting a scx honcho kit, and making a cage for it, but i would like to know more about the electronics that i would need,(i race sct on an off road track but iknow these are different), like batteris, esc, motor,and radio. also any other info would be nice.
i plan on using it for just messing around, lots of mud, rocks, and other stuff u would find on a 1:1 trail. i have a traxxas tq 2.4 radio but dont know if that will work.
i know how to weld and fabricate(with my dads help), we have been working on offroad vehicals and old cars and trucks for years, and we can sodder.
i wont be able to get until mid to late spring becuse i need to get stuff for the offroad racing seson at teas hobby shop.
thanks for the help and sorry if this got long but i have a lot of questions.

[djjiz]

Here's what's cool about scalers.. There aren't any rules to the fun you can have.

Your tq radio will work great, ANY motor with a little go-nads is good, and don't get too far ahead of yourself with tube work. It seems to spiral out of control quickly and your rig might be down when you "need" it.

I suggest a stick pack lipo of your choice and don't fall for any hype.. They are all waterproof!
Honcho kit. The rtr comes with too much junk you will want to replace right away.
35 turn motor on 2s is a good balance of torque and speed but I like 3s myself. Might not be very scale when you can do rolling wheelies but the chicks don't notice that.
Any servo that's metal geared will do for now. If you up the tire size to 2.2" I recomend a minimum of 260oz servo but that's just me. You can NEVER buy to big of a servo IMO.
2.4ghz radios aren't the greatest to get wet but we can cross that bridge when we get there. (my grandma has a great recepe for baked electronics.)

Other then that, I suggest you clear your calander.. A 5000mah lipo can get you around 3-4 hours of runtime.

[djjiz]

Oops .. Forgot speedo.

I would look at a waterproof traxxas speedcontrol. They say they can only run 2s but alot of board members have had little issues running 3s on these. They are pretty tough for the money.

Until then you can run anything with reverse. I ran a gtb with a 13.5 in mine with a 26t pinion and it was pretty fun, but anything will do to get you started.

My biggest tips?
Avoid anything in aluminum by Intigy, ckrc (service sucks), rc3wd, and novak speed controls. You will save yourself time, money, and frustration when not going with these brands.. But then again.. That's just me.


My for real tip this time? HAVE FUN! I can't stress that enuf. If your not smiling while fixing or operating your truck, the hobby can burn out.. Fast.

[minnesotamudder]

would a xl5 work for a speed controler, i have acouple lying around, or would it not work with lipos becuse it has no cut off?

[freetimecrawler]

Originally Posted by minnesotamudder

would a xl5 work for a speed controler, i have acouple lying around, or would it not work with lipos becuse it has no cut off?

You can always add an external lipo cut off.

[djjiz]

Hell yea. That will work mint. Only thing different is water proofing.

Lipo cut offs look cool when you get wires dangling all over but I'd skip it if you have a pack that you can risk hurting. You should, as a racer, know when voltage drops and charge right away if/ when this happens.

I almost forgot the most important electronic piece.. A BEC! There's tons of info out there but basically it takes direct battery power and regulates/ handles servo and winch duty. It can really make your whole setup run cooler, longer.

Since you have some extra speedos try one on 3s and get back to us.

[djjiz]

P.S. I don't mind melting things so please do your own research on 11.1 with the xl5 before mailing me a repair bill lol.


freetimecrawler knows his shit so any fabricating questions and home made ideas I'm sure he don't mind if you ask anything that comes up.

[minnesotamudder]

so lets say i get a scx honcho kit, i put in an xl5 esc and throw in a 12t brushed motor(stock traxxas) untill i can get a 30-35t motor, put in a waterproof reciver box with the tq 2.4 reciver and a traxxas waterproof servo. i paint the body and put a 500omah 2s lipo would i be ready to drive?

[djjiz]

Sounds good to me.

One thing to expect with any 2.4 system that I know of is when it's completely underwater it will lose range. Not a big deal but worth noting.

[minnesotamudder]

Originally Posted by djjiz

Sounds good to me.

One thing to expect with any 2.4 system that I know of is when it's completely underwater it will lose range. Not a big deal but worth noting.

ya i think by the time that hapens it will be down river aways if it got that deep. there is some really bigmud holes that will be fun to play in with it. also how much run time could i expect with the 12t? once i get a 30-35t motor ill get 3-4 hours?

[djjiz]

Out of a 5000mah? Yea. As long as you don't go crazy with lead in the wheels your drivetrain is efficient as it gets.

I used to get 45-1hr with my 13.5 and I was using a 1500mah but that was pegging the cut off.

[minnesotamudder]

ok great, so if i ever wanted to go to a comp could i enter it, just to have fun and see what its like, or would i have to go to a scaler gtg?

[Etype R]

If you are going to run the 12t motor, make sure you gear down as much as you can. Stock honcho gearing is 47.8:1, you can gear it down to 73.85:1 if you can find a 10t pinion and 96t spur gear.

[djjiz]

I would love to see a honcho compete but without a sportsman class you could have a very tough time trying to keep up.

Gtgs will be your bread and butter but there's always a handfull of scalers at the comps.

Etype nailed the gearing issue. I didn't think about it but you will need a pinion anyways so get the lowest tooth in a 48 pitch and a spur is cheap.

I've always treated the traxxas 12t like a stock 27t but then again I've never tried them in a crawler.



Wow.. After reading this I hope I'm helping lol. I'm going on an hour sleep.

[minnesotamudder]

so what should i change the gearing to once i get a 35t motor?
this has been very helpfull thanks to everyone

[Etype R]

stock gearing would be a good start.

[djjiz]

Does the kit come with a pinion? I bought mine used so I have no idea.

[Etype R]

14t pinion, 87t spur gear.

But the stock pinion is aluminum, so it should be replaced.

[irok22s]

As long as you dont drive like etype you can get by with the stock pinion for a while. Good new is hobby store price for a rrp is only like $3

[minnesotamudder]

if i wanted to get a winch what radio should i get? i know that my tq 2.4 wont work becuse its only a 2 channel, so what radio would be good for this and also be able to use for racing?