Crawler questions.

[Greywolf74]

So, Im not a noob on RC in general but Ive never had a crawler so I have crawler specific questions. I have no intentions of comping but I want a comp quality crawler but I also want something that has really good after market support. Im thinking about picking up a Bully 2 kit because my understanding is that MOA with a dig is superior to solid axle set ups.


So the first couple of questions I can think of right off the bat are:


1) Whats the after market support like for the Bully 2?
2) How exactly do you set up a 2 motor design using two ESCs? I mean how do you tie both ESCs into the RX?
3) What are some high quality ESCs and Motors that I should consider using? Something along the lines of Tekin or Castle quality.
4) my understanding of a dig is where you are able to shut down the rear and drag it along using only the front tires. How do you set up the dig exactly?
5) How to know when you should be using the dig?


Thanks in advance!

[Greatscott]

Yes, MOAs can crawl circles around a scale rig, that is what they are made to do.

1. Hardly any at all.
2. You can get a dual motor ESC, like the Novak M2. You can run dual ESCs like the FXRs, tie each one to its own channel on the TX/RX, then use the radio's mixing for dig and burn control, most aftermarket radios have built in modes for this.
3. FXR is really the gold standard for MOA.
4. Dual ESCs, that will be in the radio. "Exactly" depends on the radio system you run.
5. Experience.

[ferp420]

there also the sporty/shafty class crawler not quit as capable as a moa but close and its alot simpler and cheaper to build with more aftermarket suport also comp worthy but in a different class

[Greywolf74]

Are there better MOAs out there than the Bully 2 that have better after market support? Or are there other MOAs close to as good as the Bully 2 with good after market support?

[nathanotis]

I was where you are not long ago. No one is really making an MOA kit besides RC4WD that I am aware of. It tends to be pretty specialized. Guys will *typically* start with a couple axles and custom build around them. These days it's really the path less traveled. But if you're into it, nothing else will do. ;)

That said, I find "Good aftermarket support" is kinda relative. What do you imagine you might need? I've not had issues finding what I need, even with production issues attributed to global craziness. Motors and electronics are basically the same as everyone else uses... wheels and tires are out there... paint is paint. There are still a couple people building chassis, RC4WD stocks parts and upgrades...

In my limited experience, most people running serious MOA rigs end up doing custom work on their own and/or finding vendors that are a bit off the radar of the *regular* RC crowd. Dlux Fab over on Facebook for example.

It's also kinda tough to know what you want (or might want) if this is your first MOA. Build it and run it. On the flip side of that coin, if this IS your first MOA crawler, the bully 2 will blow you away, even bone stock.

[Greywolf74]

Originally Posted by nathanotis

I was where you are not long ago. No one is really making an MOA kit besides RC4WD that I am aware of. It tends to be pretty specialized. Guys will *typically* start with a couple axles and custom build around them. These days it's really the path less traveled. But if you're into it, nothing else will do. ;)

That said, I find "Good aftermarket support" is kinda relative. What do you imagine you might need? I've not had issues finding what I need, even with production issues attributed to global craziness. Motors and electronics are basically the same as everyone else uses... wheels and tires are out there... paint is paint. There are still a couple people building chassis, RC4WD stocks parts and upgrades...

In my limited experience, most people running serious MOA rigs end up doing custom work on their own and/or finding vendors that are a bit off the radar of the *regular* RC crowd. Dlux Fab over on Facebook for example.

It's also kinda tough to know what you want (or might want) if this is your first MOA. Build it and run it. On the flip side of that coin, if this IS your first MOA crawler, the bully 2 will blow you away, even bone stock.

Thanks man, this helps a lot. Yeah IDK what kind of after market support I might need I just know on my regular kits I dont like buying kits that have little to no after market parts cuz I like to upgrade weak parts and a lot of times I just want some bling.

Got any links on how to set up dual ESCs and dig radio mixing? I need to learn how to do that.

[nathanotis]

Originally Posted by Greywolf74

Got any links on how to set up dual ESCs and dig radio mixing? I need to learn how to do that.

Like Greatscott said, that's dependent on your radio... I can show you how I did it with my set up... Other than that, Google, Youtube and the radio's manual are your friend.

4PM Set up for Dual ESC & MOA

[wander]

dig is usually most useful controlling downhill movement. the higher end spektrum transmitters have moa controls built in, look into if it is something that may help you.
are you planning on competing? if so, you may want to forget about upgrades and get to know the vehicle, then upgrade what you feel you need.
a person running a $500 moa everyday will beat a person running a $3000 moa once or twice a week- skill wins out over parts most of the time.

[Greywolf74]

Originally Posted by nathanotis

Like Greatscott said, that's dependent on your radio... I can show you how I did it with my set up... Other than that, Google, Youtube and the radio's manual are your friend.

4PM Set up for Dual ESC & MOA

Thanks for the link. I just need to see how its done in general and then Im sure I can figure out how to set up my MT4S. If not I'll google specifics.

Originally Posted by wander

dig is usually most useful controlling downhill movement. the higher end spektrum transmitters have moa controls built in, look into if it is something that may help you.
are you planning on competing? if so, you may want to forget about upgrades and get to know the vehicle, then upgrade what you feel you need.
a person running a $500 moa everyday will beat a person running a $3000 moa once or twice a week- skill wins out over parts most of the time.

Good to know. I dont plan on competing I just want to be better at it than my friends.As for the upgrades thats what I do with all my other ground kits too is just upgrade them when it needs it. I never had a crawler before but when I buy other ground kits I like to try and find kits that have good decent after market support so i can fix the weak links so to speak. Thanks for the heads up on using dig going downhill

[nathanotis]

Originally Posted by Greywolf74

.. how to set up my MT4S.

I think that's the radio Samu uses. I found the Bully because of his videos on youtube. Dude's a serious driver and uses dig (both up and down, and sometimes sideways) as well as motor speed (front and rear biasing) so fluidly it can be hard to see: https://www.youtube.com/user/samusarka

... As for the upgrades thats what I do with all my other ground kits too is just upgrade them when it needs it. I never had a crawler before but when I buy other ground kits I like to try and find kits that have good decent after market support so i can fix the weak links so to speak.

If you aren't seriously comping (even if you are), the Bully is a monster. I followed some recommendations to get the upgraded XVD axles (I'm not interested in the 8* stuff) from RC4WD. And I bought Dlux Fab shocks (huge improvement) and aside from some wheels, that's about all I'm planning to swap out.

ymmv.

[Greatscott]

MOA running two ESCs allows for two things, dig, and burn...

Dig: Locking the back axle and using the front for power
Burn: Locking the front axle and using the back for power

Both have lots of uses in crawling, and the more you use them, the more situations you'll find to use them.

Dig...
-The main reason for dig is to have a really tight turning radius. You lock the back, turn the front wheels in the direction you want to move, and stab the throttle. The front wheels will pull the front of the crawler around, pivoting on the back axle. In most cases using dig will allow you to turn around in within the wheelbase of the crawler. Dig is very good for getting around obstacles where you don't have enough room for the back wheels to follow the front around.
- As stated above, dig is also good for controlling the crawler when going down hill. On a steep slope you lock the back axle and have the front wheels pull the truck down, the back tires act like an anchor, keeping the crawler from flipping over when you stop.
- Having two ESCs properly set up you can adjust power so that your front is pulling more than the back is pushing. This is very helpful when going up hill to keep the rig from flipping over backwards.

Burn...
- Not as useful as dig, but it still has its place. With no directionality for the back wheels, the burn will allow the crawler to slide its back axle towards the direction of gravity (think side-hilling). Or, you can put the front right tire on an obstacle, burn with the back axle and have the crawler pivot.

These are just general examples, but like I said, the more experience you get with this functionality, the more you'll use it.

Shafties have dig as well, but I haven't seen one with burn. My Capra is set up for a 3-position dig allowing for 4WD, FWD with the back axle freewheeling, and dig with the back axle locked. This is ran off of my DX5R.