Novak Goat or Rooster Crawler?

[landcruuzer]

I'm close to ordering an AX10 kit, but I'm trying to decide on the power plant. Which would you choose the Goat setup or the Rooster Crawler/55T combo?

Any other suggestions? I'm not trying to go super budget or anything. I just want a good setup that I won't need to upgrade anytime soon.

Thanks!

[mysharona]

I am currently using the novak crawler and and Integy V11 crawler motor and I love it. plenty of torque and a good amount of wheel speed on 7 cells. plus it only carries a $110 dollar price tag!

[landcruuzer]

The more I think about it a standard ESC sounds better. That way I have more motor options to play with.

How about the Castle Creations stuff? Anything I should check out?

[cheesefart]

Get a mamba max. I freaking love mine. It is also great to be able to configure it with software

[gadge]

rooster crawler and integy 55t motor is best bet id say...it works just fine
ive got 5 of them..not 1 prob..less wires....save your money for "fixing"all the other design flaws with ax...lockers/knuckles(alum)/3rd link mount/trans output/shocks etc..

[SaVaGe MaN SS]

Originally Posted by gadge

rooster crawler and integy 55t motor is best bet id say...it works just fine
ive got 5 of them..not 1 prob..less wires....save your money for "fixing"all the other design flaws with ax...lockers/knuckles(alum)/3rd link mount/trans output/shocks etc..

i second that i really dont like running with brushless motors they can be quite glitchy at slow speeds and take offs, im running a goat with an pro 65s

[jedsled]

i'll be getting the goat set-up next week, so i should have an opinion by then... i'm making the switch to brushless and lipo on all my rc.

[rdtshaw]

I love my mamba max with a Cobalt Puller 7T motor. silky smooth and brushless like wheel speed. The programability of the mamba is fantastic and it'll power brushed or brushless.

Cheers,

Rob

[Scottmisfits]

I was going to go with either the Mamba Max or the Sidewinder until I heard that they didn't have a very strong BEC in them either and you had to run an external regulator. So now I was stuck, not liking Novak at all, choosing between the Goat or the Rooster Crawler.

I went with the Goat for the sole purpose that it's brushed and brushless. It's an easy swap between the two, which can't be said of their other systems. And for the extra few bucks, I have the choice of motors I want to run.

[rdtshaw]

Which ever esc you go with, a crawler should have an external BEC/regulator. Like 20 bucks. Alot less overhead for the esc and far more/cleaner power to the servo. The Castle Creations is a 10A model and no ESC is going to touch the efficiency of an external BEC. I run one in my emaxx with a Novak HV-Maxx as well. the overall performance difference is big. I'm not pushing the Castle products, there are a few choices for the BEC that are all good. I run a hobbywing BEC in my crawler. The mamba and the goat are identical in the fact that they both run brushed or brushless just as easily. BUT, the novak ESC is sensored, which is going to be smoother on a crawler if you prefer brushless.

Cheers,

Rob

Also, just putting it out there simply because I didn't know before, a BEC is really easy to install. Just solder it to the battery connector (or to the battery connector pads on the esc like I did). You can also get an inline deans plug with a pigtail to hook up to the BEC, and then plug the other side of the BEC into your RX. Depending on your ESC you have to clip or remove the red wire (+) from the signal cable from the ESC to the RX. Thats it. ready to rock and roll, no pun intended. The BEC is tiny and easy to mount. I tucked mine in right next to the ESC.

[crawlbe4youwalk]

What do you guys think about using the novak 17.5 turn motor in a crawler? Too much?

[crawlbe4youwalk]

I use a dynamite 12T with a 55T and 65T integy motors.

[solomon7]

Mamba Max, 55t v10, 3s Lipo. great torque and wheelspeed on demand

[jedsled]

Originally Posted by rdtshaw

Which ever esc you go with, a crawler should have an external BEC/regulator. Like 20 bucks. Alot less overhead for the esc and far more/cleaner power to the servo. The Castle Creations is a 10A model and no ESC is going to touch the efficiency of an external BEC. I run one in my emaxx with a Novak HV-Maxx as well. the overall performance difference is big. I'm not pushing the Castle products, there are a few choices for the BEC that are all good. I run a hobbywing BEC in my crawler. The mamba and the goat are identical in the fact that they both run brushed or brushless just as easily. BUT, the novak ESC is sensored, which is going to be smoother on a crawler if you prefer brushless.

Cheers,

Rob

Also, just putting it out there simply because I didn't know before, a BEC is really easy to install. Just solder it to the battery connector (or to the battery connector pads on the esc like I did). You can also get an inline deans plug with a pigtail to hook up to the BEC, and then plug the other side of the BEC into your RX. Depending on your ESC you have to clip or remove the red wire (+) from the signal cable from the ESC to the RX. Thats it. ready to rock and roll, no pun intended. The BEC is tiny and easy to mount. I tucked mine in right next to the ESC.

is the bec the same thing as a cut-off like novak makes?

[Hit_The_Dirt!]

Originally Posted by landcruuzer

The more I think about it a standard ESC sounds better. That way I have more motor options to play with.
How about the Castle Creations stuff? Anything I should check out?

Don't do it!

The Novak Crawler...which I am running in my AX10 along with a Integy 75T motor, is the way to go.

It has 512 steps in speed......means you can control speed down to a minimal.....and it brakes when throttle is let go. Use a normal ESC and when you are on a hill and let go, you will drift back!

You can get the Novak Rooster Carwler for $90 at Tower Hobbies and you can get the Integy Motor for $25.

Don't cheap out on the ESC. The Rooster Crawler handles up to 27T and if you go any faster, than you don't need to buy a crawler!

[Pooflinger1006]

Personally my favorite is the sidewinder, I've always been a novak fan but I think they just fell short on the crawler stuff. As for the BEC I haven't seen anybody at a comp that wasn't running one and still had worth a crap power for their servos.

[xtremecrawler]

I got a Novak goat crawling system. No glitchage, no problems whatsoever. The goat ESC is compatible with brushed and brushless motors. You can get amazing battery life with it. I get 3-4 hours battery life with a 3500 milliamp stick pack

[fnmods]

i run a full goat system and love it

[dleigh007]

You guys with the Goat ESC's...

Does the Goat ESC break when you release the throttle, like the Rooster ESC? Does it break with Brushless motors?

[xtremecrawler]

Yes it does if you want it too. From the factory settings 1&2 are programmed to brake a certain amount when you let off the throttle. However you can change how much braking is applied from none to a lot (let off trigger and wheels lock up).

Nice Signature dleigh007