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Old 12-09-2004, 03:01 PM   #1
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Arrow Awesome Q & A - FAQ

Newbie's please read and enjoy the fruits of our resident experts knowledge.

If you feel you have a roadmad entry worthy of posting here please PM a moderator to have them unlock this thread or post it for you.

Last edited by badger; 10-31-2005 at 04:28 PM.
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Old 12-10-2004, 11:05 AM   #2
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Question: What are some easy ways to mount my servos to
the Clod axle?

Answer: There are 3 main ways to mount a servo to a clod axle.

1. "MudCow" style. on the side of your gearcase itself using a mounting plate. A few Manufacturers also Make kits for doing this.
They can be found at the following sites:
www.rcguy.com
www.defianceracing.com

here is a Photo of this style to help you understand the idea:




2. "Over the axle-brace" method. This is slowly becoming the more popular method because it offers several benifits that the "mudcow" style does not. First of all it moves the servo back and out of the way. Thus increasing your approach angle and saving those expensive digital servos. It also gives the servo the ability to "push" AND "pull" to its full extension without binding on the ballend and limiting your throw (either left or right). you can do away with bumpers and bash gaurds with this setup.

Several Compainies support this style, you can find them from Monster Truck Parts Australlia via
www.RcRockGear.com via ToyoFast on here.

here's a shot of that setup on Clod axles.




3. "In Front of the Axle" style
This option gives you a bumper/servo mount all in one. Not perfect for crawling because it destroys your approach angle. BUT for general bashing this setup will save your axles and links if you like the high-speed stuff.

Thunder Tech racing, JPS, and Inet RC all make these style of "bumper mounted steering" setups.

Here is a picture of TTR's and INET's products.
They can be found at
www.Thundertechracing.com
www.InetRC.com

Thunder tech's


JPS's bumper


There are other ways, but these methods are tried and true. Work well for Crawling/bashing/racing and will be easy to setup and keep working. Good luck.

-ML
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Old 12-10-2004, 03:28 PM   #3
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Question: How can I CHEAPLY and EASILY setup a 4 wheel steering radio system?

Answer: Follow these easy steps

Step one: Buy a Traxxas TQ3 radio and receiver. They can be purchased online at many places, I found the cheapest place was Ebay. Click here to search Ebay.

Step two: Purchase a DPDT mini toggle switch from RadioShack. There are several to choose from, but I found this specific one fit the best.

http://www.radioshack.com/product.as...5Fid=275%2D664

Step three: Open the case of the radio, and de-solder the existing switch. This will leave you with three wires. A grey, black, and white.

Step four: Install the new switch as pictured:




Step five: Wire up the switch as pictured: (note, the 2 capacitors are optional. I've run it with and without them and didn't notice a difference. They are the same capacitors you run on your motors. Supposedly they help shield radio frequency interference from the switch.)





Now you have a 3rd channel that you can control your rear servo to turn left or right and lock and centered and locked. You could also install a momentary switch so that the switch would not lock your steering either way.
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Old 12-10-2004, 10:10 PM   #4
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Default Re: Win Badger's Raffle Tickets

OK, here's two more...............they are basic, but I think they are handy for the thrifty (cheap) crawler!

How do I adapt T/E Maxx wheels on my clod axle?

Answer: Well, there are 2 ways. First, you can buy ready made adapters from several retailers, for example from Thundertech Racing

http://www.thundertechracing.com/adapters.htm


Or, you can do it yourself with just 5 screws and a thread tapper. Basically, you line up the stock clod hub with the front or back of the maxx wheel, drill some small pilot holes, and then tap new threads in those holes to accept your new screws. Then run the screws through the clod hubs and into the maxx wheel. You will also have to drill out the center of the maxx wheel in order to get a lug wrench on the nut. Just be careful not to take off too much. If you take your time and line everything up right, it will spin pretty true. This may not be the best idea for racing, but it works great for low speed crawling. Here's a picture of how I did it.


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Old 12-10-2004, 10:17 PM   #5
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Up next.................



Question: How do I keep my link mounted shocks from slipping on my 4 link bars?


Answer: Two ways. First you can buy a set of aluminum link clamps from several retailers, for example from www.inetrc.com

Or, you can do it the cheap way, which works just as well. You need two things. Nylon cable clamps from RadioShack

http://www.radioshack.com/product.as...t%5Fid=64-3028

You also need some 3mm screws, and a thread tapper. Oh, and a drill. Drill press would make it easier.


Now, drill a hole dead center on your link, tap the hole out with your 3mm tap, drill a hole in your cable clamp to match the link, and run a screw through the cable clamp and link, and attach your shock to the cable clamp. Here's an example of how this works:



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Old 12-17-2004, 03:48 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by badger

Best method to lock diffs?

What's the best method to lock diffs?

Answer? You have a few choices. There's a few cheap and easy alternatives, and there are a few costly alternatives.

If you are cheap like me, you can simply hot glue or epoxy lock (JB weld) your diffs. Epoxy locking will be permanent, while you should still be able to remove the hot glue from your diffs with a little work if you ever decide to go back to stock. Basically, you take apart the main gear that has all the spider gears inside it, and fill it with hot glue or epoxy. Put it back together making sure you keep the 2 spiders gears lined up straight. Then shoot some more glue around the outsides like you see in this picture:



The other alternative is to buy a new steel differential that eliminates all the spider gears altogether, that way you will not have to worry about stripping out the hex's in the diff. You can get them from Toyofast at www.rcrockgear.com . Here is a picture

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Old 12-20-2004, 02:47 PM   #7
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TLT..... Wow, this thing has so much potential, so let's get started.

With a stock TLT chassis/gearbox, you can run the 4tec diff as mentioned and keep belt drive, or vertigo performance has just released a locker for the TLT, and there is a thread further down about it. When all is said and done, they come out about the same price, and they accept sliders as well. From there you can attach some tmaxx links, 96mm and 106mm, you'll need two sets of each. That'll get your wheelbase out in the 11.5" range. You don't have to buy links though. If you're crafty, you can make your own.

For the axles, first ditch the bumpers, they ruin your approach angle, and take away from under axle clearance. Then move the steering links above the steering arms. Next move the upper links to the back of the axle, and the lower links to the top to remove clutter under the axle. You will need to buy some longer screws and do some shaving or some shimming. I didn't have a dremel at the time, so I shimmed:


Any HPI rear wheels, Traxxas F/R stampede wheels, Kyosho 2.2" wheels will fit, pretty much, if it has the standard 12mm hex in the back. For 2.2" tires, the tallest ones out there are the Proline Masher 2k's, Imex Swamp Dawgs, Imex Pullers, and the traxxas stampede tires. Most run the swamp dawgs because they are uber soft and provide stellar traction. You can run maxx wheels, and while I don't have it confirmed, it has been mentioned that Maxx adapters for the Wild Dagger will fit on the TLT yokes.

Now, having said you can slap a new diff in for the belt drive, let me say this. To do so is in the $30ish range. That's what you'd also pay for a pede tranny. And after running the belt drive for a while, I can tell you I like the pede tranny alot more. Under extreme conditions, its hard to keep the belt from popping off the pulleys. So in my mind, the cost to go to a pede tranny is well worth it.

Here's a no brainer, but locking the diffs is a good thing. If its going to be a crawler only, lock them with your preferred method right away. Either JB Weld, Quicksteel (I prefer this since it sets up in 15 minutes and fully cures in an hour), silly putty (not permanent, but also not as effective over a long period of time). Its not hard to get the axle cases apart, but it does take a bit of time, which I'd rather be driving then wrenching.

Shocks, the TLT shocks are kind of junk. They work alright with the cantilever setup, but for whatever reason when you mount them where they need to flex a little, the motion is inconsistent, sometimes jerky. Plus, there are only like two springs available, and the second one is at a home depot, and I haven't yet found it. Upgrade to a maxx size shock. There are tons of them out there, and tons of spring rates. You can go overkill and mount a shock that is longer than 4" but have fun trying to make everything work without rubbing. It also might kill the scale look. I've found most TLT's do well with 4" shocks, but maybe savage shocks and pushing the envelope is your thing, don't let me squash your creativity.

One thing I did was I took off all the traxxas ball ends (the plastic pieces) and attached the stock tamiya ones in their place, then I placed the traxxas metal balls into the cups. They are alot free'er in their rotation, I think it adds a bit of slop, but for how smooth the truck's suspension is, I'll take the slop.

Motors, or first off, ESC's. Get reverse. I don't care what you say, you will need reverse at one point in time or another. Sometimes you'll just approach something wrongly and you'll have to back out, or if you have 2WS (two wheel steering) you just can't turn that tightly, so you'll probably have to reverse atleast once to get through a tight turn. I drove without reverse for a while, and its no fun having to pick up your truck everytime you can't get through an obstacle going forward when you could've simply reversed and changed the line slightly to get past it. So get a reversing ESC. Now, motors. I am using a Great Planes T600 ferrite motor. Plenty of torque and it stays cool. Its also a 550 size can, so its a bit longer than 540 motors (think of an emaxx motor). Another popular motor is the integy lathe motor. This is a 540 size motor and has insane amounts of torque and low RPM's. If you need to gear even lower, you can get a GD600 (look it up on tower). The is a gear reduction, but it also changes the direction of rotation, so you'll need to flip the tranny around. There is also some shaft or pinion modification necessary to run these. I say, run the truck as is and then get a GD600 if you find your truck doesn't have the torque it needs.

And speaking of gearing. Get the largest spur you can and the smallest pinion you can. This creates a low, torquey gearing. If you need more wheelspin, get a larger pinon, but only by about 2 teeth, experiment.

How about articulation? Articulation is how much flex is in the suspension. It used to be the top stuff, people would articulate an axle so that one was upside down and the other was planted. Not a good idea. If your suspension flexes too much, you can twist your truck up in a rock hole and never drive it out of there. About 60-75* of max articulation is all that is necessary. Link mounted shocks give tons of flex, but remember, they also make the shocks feel softer because the moment arm is longer and therefore more torque is exerted on the shock (thats a basic idea of levers and work).

Instead of trying to get tons of flex, try to get your CG (center of gravity) down low. This helps prevent roll overs and keeps your truck stable. To do this, figure out ways to keep the motor and battery down low. These two components are the heaviest pieces in your chassis, and its up to you to be creative and deal with them.

Here's a question I've seen before, "what kind of body is a good crawler body?"

And here's my answer: ANY BODY! Now, granted a mitsubishi eclipse just doesn't look right with huge monster tires under it, but just get a body you think will look good or that you like. Make sure your wheelbase is the same as the body's wheelbase (wheelbase is a measure from the center of one axle to the center of the other). Once you get the body, you will probably have to do some height adjustment and some fender trimming so your tires don't rub. Some people don't like to trim lines on bodies that aren't there, personally I think its just another way to make your truck unique and your own.

Now one last tip that comes from the Dirkmeister, BB's. Some people put weights in the tires of their crawlers, there is a range of options, and BB's are one of them. By placing a weight of BB's in a set of tires (front or rear) you can create stability and traction. Because the weight is not on the chassis, its not going to make the truck roll any quicker than before. Because there is more weight on the tires though, they press into the ground more and you get more traction. This also helps with climbing, and keeping your truck planted to the ground. I suggest you do equal amounts of weight in the fronts and an equal set of weight in the rears, but the front doesn't have to be the same as the rear, but you don't really want a really heavy left tire and light right tire, it doesn't make sense. Play around with different weights in there until you get your truck hooked on the rocks. Now, it might be hard to get the BB's in once you get them glued to your wheels, so either slit a hole in the tire and place the BB's in there, then reseal it with some IC-2000 super glue (the black rubberized super glue, they should have a generic version at your LHS), or figure some other way to open a hole between the tire/wheel to slip them in and out. Remember, the weights in the tires should be able to move around freely, so that they always roll to the bottom of the tires. Its also added weight on the driveline, so available power may go down.

Crawling is an art of balance. You have to figure out what to maximize and what to minimize and create a truck that while not perfect, has a nice balance to it so that you can take on many varied obstacles.

I hope this helps you with your TLT crawling endeavors.
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Old 12-20-2004, 03:54 PM   #8
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Default Re: Win Badger's Raffle Tickets

These are the ones I have come up with so far I hope to get some more but we'll see.

Question: What are the best tires for crawling?
Answer: The main tire used for crawling on TXT-1’s and Clod buster’s is the proline giant trac’s however they are discontinued and very hard to find but they can be had if you look hard enough. A more easily obtainable tire choice would the tires for a Associated MGT or Losi LST these tires are both 7 inches tall and add an extra .5 inches under the lowest point of the axels this is very helpful in almost all situations.

Question: why should I narrow my rims?
Answer: The main reason to narrow your rims is that it pull the sides of the tire in farther making the tread pull down onto the sides a little bit this aids in making the tire softer as well as pulling lugs down onto the side so that when the truck articulates going over a rock the sides of the tire have something to grab with and move the truck forward.

Question: Why should I narrow my tires?
Answer: Narrowing tires is somewhat of a controversial thing and differs greatly from cutting tires (see below) narrowing tires makes it much easier to turn by reducing the amount of tire touching the ground it also lowers the center of gravity which you might experience when using super large tires like the jumbo Kong’s.

Question: What is the difference between cutting my tires and narrowing them?
Answer: The difference is that narrowing may take a four-inch wide tire and make it three inches wide. Cutting tires just changes the tread design. There are many methods for doing either project.
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