Weight on the axles, or the wheels?

[y2kgtp]

Was thinking about this, what would be better? My last crawlers have always been in the wheels, but not easy to adjust or tinker with, and more rotating mass that way....

[hoghead5150]

i've thought of this to. it would be better to have the weight on the axle instead of the wheels. the rolling mass in the wheels should be hell on axle/lockers. it doesn't seem to hurt much in these little things tho. it seems that the best thing is to have as much weight as you can as low as possible. the axle is the best choice. knuckle weights are becoming more and more popular for this reason.

the biggest problem i have is finding a way to add weight to the axle and make it look good AND keep it out of the way of the steering and rocks. it would be best if the weight could be below the axle centerline, and this is where knuckle weights shine.

just remember that with weight in the wheels it puts it out at the ends of the axle and can help articulation and help keep a wheel on the ground.

[y2kgtp]

I think when I eventually get a creeper again, I might try a mix of both, as never was a big fan of alot of weight in the wheels.

[hoghead5150]

i'm not either, i'm getting ready to assemble my ax10 fastback if parts show up today!! i lucked into a set of egressor knuckles and knuckle weights (thanks to my brother!!). they are only 2.2 oz weights, but that means removing 4 oz out of my front tires. i have heard of people saying that either run no weight in the wheels or run 4 oz in the wheels. any less than that causes problems with axle breakage. i can understand that when a tire is spinning and comes to a stop (wheel in air spinning and coming down on a rock) that this creates a shock load on the axle. more weight in the wheel causes inertia and tries to keep the wheel spinning maybe helping with the climb and reducing shock loads. less weight can cause the wheel to not fully stop but slow down faster than the axle and cause breakage. no weight causes the wheel to slow at the same pace as the axle since no weight doesn't allow the tire to have enough traction to stop suddenly.

this is all guesses really, but going off what i have read and seen it is plausible.

[FlexJohnson]

both... weights in the wheel and then try to put the battery over top the axle

[strato54]

Maybe I'm missing something, but I haven't found the need for fast crawling yet. The rotating mass is an advantage when breaking over an obstacle. It can be used to throw the front end a little when stuck on edges. I use 45T motors and even at full speed to full stop on carpet, rock or pavement, it doesn't seem to create enough inertia to cause damage. I have never been at full speed while I am actually crawling. Only while playing somewhere off the rocks. I have heard that only faster than 45T motors cause damage of this type. Just my $.02.

[y2kgtp]

It was not really my desire for 'fast' crawling. I was merely thinking of durability of the crawler itself.

Too much wheel weight, and I'm looking at numerous broken parts, if I don't upgrade all the steering components to aluminum.

This is reference to a Venom creeper, which is my intended project. I plan on building it with as few aftermarket parts as possible to keep it a challenge, as well as a lower cost.

[Charlie-III]

Originally Posted by y2kgtp

I might try a mix of both, as never was a big fan of alot of weight in the wheels.

+1,

I use a mix of both. Several reasons (for no/limited weight in wheels).

1-Reduces the loads on the drivetrain when flipping back over (fast forward/reverse).
2-Easier to tune.
3-Easy to swap mounted tires since there is no "front" or "rear" wheels.
4-Axle weights can be made to sit totally below the axle centerline, thus lower CG.

[Turn and burn mike]

You all should check out cut throat 4x4 they sell
knucle weights at a good price plus able to add more weight on them

[new2it]

Do you know if the cut throat knuckle weights work with Berg axles? They have them for Bully and XR10

Originally Posted by Turn and burn mike

You all should check out cut throat 4x4 they sell
knucle weights at a good price plus able to add more weight on them

[mud_life_19]

here is what ive done to avoid wheel wieght

[AX10wannabe]

here's my .02 on the subject..

i run wheel weights and lots of it.. i got 7oz in each front tire and 4oz in each rear tire. plus i tossed 4-AA batteries zip tied to the axle for static weight, servo in the center and 2 batts on each side, i also wrapped the batts in black electrical tape, comes in around the 3.5oz mark it helps too. guys thinks that they are saddle packs but really they have nothing to do with running the truck.

there are a few climbs at a friends rock pile that are nasty and there have been times that we've put a finger very lightly pushing down on the front end (maybe 1oz of weight) and the truck climbs it with no problems..

of course batt placement is a important too.. i have my lipo's velcro'd to the back of my servo for 2 reasons, 1) its easy to change out a battery 2) it gets the weight off the top of the crawler and down low and forward..

gotta remember that too much tire weight will kill you too. try setting your crawler on the sidewalls of the tires and see if it will stay there without you holding it. if it does then your truck is equally balanced front and rear, if it doesnt then you have too much weight up top.. my ax10 will sit there all day long and all night no problem..

a friend of mine has been playing with wheel weight and static weight for a while now and he used to have like 9oz in each front wheel but discovered it was a little too much so he took some out and it performs much better now you can even see the difference and his truck is modded to the tits and spent years tweaking it to get it where it is now.

i think the wheel weight and static (weights over the axle) is a personal preference thing. i like a lot of weight in the tires, i used to run the 2.2 hammers and going up a climb they would spin for days but if i could get the tire to wrinkle it wont climb it no problem.

and about broken parts.. i've never broken a part, no twisted driveshafts, no broken knuckles, c-hubs... nothing.. i run my ax10 on 2s lipo and my honcho on 1500-2000mah nicad both with a 55t motor and no problems.

oh and wheel weights are a good thing because they put the weights at the widest part of the crawler. if your flexing trying to get over a rock one tire is in the air wiggle your steering and it will bring the tire down creep forward wiggle steering again and it will prevent you from rolling.

[Turn and burn mike]

Im not sure but you can call themup and ask them to check
on that and to requst them to think about it
cant hurt to ask they are asking for ideals

[Sandmann120]

In my micro crawler, I just lost the foams, and put BBs in the tires. The BBs roll independently of the actual tire and wheel, which should cut down on some inertia-caused damage that could occur. My question is, if I should do the same to my Scorpion. I can't imagine the tires will retain their shape in this situation. Anyone else done this?

[Tbone25]

This debate has been going on for a long time. I go for both, but I like a lot of weight in the wheels because of inertia and I have never broken drive line parts on my crawlers due to wheel weight. I run a 55t motor on my AX10 and SCX10. I have found that the extra weight assists in keeping forward momentum when climbing and getting over/through an obstacle.