Best Crawler on the Market

[baris41]

Hey guys, just registered the forum. I've been a rc guy for over 5 years, this time i want to get into crawlers.
I'm planning to take this rc to extreme climbing, so i dont need it to be too fast. The aim is to buy an obstacle monster.I have watched lots of youtube videos and read articles on the forum, still not sure which one to get.
After some research i discovered most popular shaft driven crawlers are Capra and Night Crawler. There are also Crawler King and TRX in the picture. They all have pros and cons on each other, but as an inexperience eye they look similar At first glance Night Crawler and Capra looks more athletic than TRX and Crawler King. Considering my main usage;

Do i need to eliminate TRX and Crawler King?

TRX has 2 speed transmission, is that an advantage over others?

To upgrade and finding spare parts, does them all have sufficient options?


Would you suggest to scratch over shaft driven rc's and go for Bully II ?


Thanks all in advance.

[Panther6834]

First, NOT all TRX4s have 2-spd trans. Some, instead, have the locking front/rear diffs. I don't own either, but I've read/heard outstanding things about the TRX4...plus, there's a super-huge aftermarket parts selection, Traxxas parts can be found almost anywhere, and Traxxas has excellent customer support.

The Capra is also fantastic (I own two...one built for "fun", the other built as a Class 3 comp rig)...equipped with the proper tires, wheels, and properly-placed weights (the same applies to the TRX4), and it can climb almost anything you put in its path. "Capra", after all, translates to "goat". It all depends on what motor you install, how your driving skills are, and, again, what wheels (for LCG weight) & tires (for grip) you select.

Two other options to consider are the SSD Trail King Pro, and the Vanquish VS4-10 (there are two 'variants' of this - one with portals, the other without). I've got the Trail King, and it's also excellent (great for Class 2, and maybe (I'm uncertain) even Class 1). The only major "downside" to the Vanquish products is price...they're crazy-expensive...but, at the same time, you could also say they're 'fully upgraded', as you really wouldn't need to but anything else to "upgrade" it.

From one fairly-new (to crawling) newb, to another, welcome...and enjoy.


~ More peace, love, laughter, & kindness would make the world a MUCH better place

[baris41]

Thank you to your detailed answer. For now i'm only into RTR's. According to your experience i should choose Capra over TRX, which i assume better at rock climbing. Btw do you think the 35t motor hasn't enough power in the RTR?

You also didn't mention about the Night Crawler and Bully II, do you have any knowledge about them?

[lonleycreeper]

For pure rock crawling, a 2.2 Bully 2 is going to be far superior to anything that try's to be scale. However, that can make less challenging terrain too easy and boring.

The Losi night crawler is considered a Shafty comp crawler. andd only slightly less capable than a Motor on axle (MOA) rig, like the Bully.

Scale rigs are very popular, because they look like something you could drive, the Capra being the least scale out of the "scale" rigs. The Trx4, Axial Scx10III are near the top for rtr rigs for both performance, reliability, and aftermarket support.

All rtr's struggle in the electronics department, as not being very reliable.

[HumboldtEF]

If you want all out performance over scale looks you can skip the scale trucks entirely, you'll want to focus on comp shafties and MOA's.

The Bully 2 is about the only mainstream MOA thats readily available but its not the best out there. There are many lesser known options out there, typically not full kits though.

People are taking the Capra and transforming it into more comp orientied shafties, it looks like a great platform and its getting lots of support. Have a look a Pneuma and Alcista from Krazed builds capra
those will require you peice everything together but should be more performance oriented than a stock Capra.

Dlux Fab has some great options too, they arent cheap but you can peice the whole kit together if you select the right options. https://dluxfab.com/#!/Dlux-kit-cars...0&sort=nameAsc

The Crawler King is pretty old, I'm sure it could be made to perform but its not something I would consider.

[Panther6834]

Originally Posted by baris41

Thank you to your detailed answer. For now i'm only into RTR's. According to your experience i should choose Capra over TRX, which i assume better at rock climbing. Btw do you think the 35t motor hasn't enough power in the RTR?



You also didn't mention about the Night Crawler and Bully II, do you have any knowledge about them?

I get that you want an RTR, and there are quite a few to choose from. Regarding the Night Crawler, and Bully UI, I have no experience with either, thus the reason I didn't mention them.

One thing you'll need to decide, as 'hinted at' by lonelycreeper, is where "scale" appearance is important to you...and, if so, to what degree. If you want something 'extremely' scale, then the Capra wouldn't be among the top picks. If you care less about 'scale appearance', and now about 'performance/crawling capabilities', again, the TRX4 & Capra are both excellent options.


~ More peace, love, laughter, & kindness would make the world a MUCH better place

[89lxmorepower]

I have personally had a scx10.2 and currently have a trx4. They are both good. I have my trx4 setup.as scale rig. Its sport model and has single speed trans. It will climb just about anything. There alot of factors to what let's a rig before. Tires, weight electronics ect so if your looking to go scale that's a plac3 to start if just a comp rig kinda do what ever
Bomber Capra ect

[baris41]

Thank you all to being so helpful, you guys are all great!

I'm actually not much into scale rigs, i might get a 6x6 in future though. For know i want to get the Night Crawler or Capra? Would you guys compare their pros and cons of em. Which do you think has a better package? They also have a huge price difference, does Capra worth $150 more than Night Crawler?

[lonleycreeper]

Losi night Crawler is a worm gear axle,built for 2.2's and slow crawling. Aftermarket is almost non existent.

Axial Capra is much newer, Portal axles built for 1.9's. It is over geared from the factory, with no real options to lower it much. It also comes with a dig and small battery space.

[Panther6834]

Originally Posted by lonleycreeper

Losi night Crawler is a worm gear axle,built for 2.2's and slow crawling. Aftermarket is almost non existent.



Axial Capra is much newer, Portal axles built for 1.9's. It is over geared from the factory, with no real options to lower it much. It also comes with a dig and small battery space.

Plenty option to lower the overall gearing...install smaller pinion. Plus, installing the front OD portal gears, you can change the front-to-rear ratio.


~ More peace, love, laughter, & kindness would make the world a MUCH better place

[rob5059]

Originally Posted by lonleycreeper

Losi night Crawler is a worm gear axle,built for 2.2's and slow crawling. Aftermarket is almost non existent.

I agree with lonleycreeper that there is not a lot of aftermarket support, but the LNC is one of the products that does not need a lot of support. The LNC is one of those products you either love it or hate it. It is slow, chews through batteries, and requires maintenance.

BWD makes a chassis and front axle battery plate
DLux makes links
HR makes metal gears and transmission housing


My personal must have upgrades for the LNC are a set of 21T axle gears to overdrive the front, a set of 20 degree chubs, and a 13.5T brushless motor with a 14T pinion on a 3 cell.

[baris41]

According to your experiences, buying a scale truck make more sense. I might buy a Bully II in the future, which seems one of the best crawler out there. For now, i think TRX-4 would be a great choice for a noob like me. So if you help me choose a TRX4, i'll be really appreciated. There are five different TRX4's on Traxxas page. They all have little differences. Sport, Data G500, Defender, Blazer and Bronco.Which one is better as crawler? And whats your opinion on TRX6, should i skip TRX4 and get TRX6?

[Inspector86]

First, Welcome to RCC!
The guys have pretty well covered your question but I will just add my recommendation for a TRX4. Once the electronics are sorted out the rest of the truck is very reliable.

[baris41]

Originally Posted by Inspector86

First, Welcome to RCC!
The guys have pretty well covered your question but I will just add my recommendation for a TRX4. Once the electronics are sorted out the rest of the truck is very reliable.

Thanks mate, i want a slow crawler couldn't choose the right one though. Originally i wanted a Capra but disadvantages are the battery pack is really small and has high gear.

I just disvored the brand G-Made and really like the R1 and GOM, any idea about them?

[lonleycreeper]

Baris, the reality is any of the scale rigs will work for what you want. In fact, as mentioned, the Traxxas Trx4 sport would my first choice for you. The thing that limits scale trucks as compared to the others is the body and bumpers. You could cut down the body to make it very minimal and remove the bumpers, making your approach and departure angles better if not better than 90*.

[baris41]

Originally Posted by lonleycreeper

Baris, the reality is any of the scale rigs will work for what you want. In fact, as mentioned, the Traxxas Trx4 sport would my first choice for you. The thing that limits scale trucks as compared to the others is the body and bumpers. You could cut down the body to make it very minimal and remove the bumpers, making your approach and departure angles better if not better than 90*.

Thank you very much, you ve been really helpful, which TRX do you suggest me to have? From the looks of them, sport model made to trail more than crawling, defender weights to much. Bronco and Blazer might be a bit superior than other packages, what do you think about that?

[lonleycreeper]

Originally Posted by baris41

Thank you very much, you ve been really helpful, which TRX do you suggest me to have? From the looks of them, sport model made to trail more than crawling, defender weights to much. Bronco and Blazer might be a bit superior than other packages, what do you think about that?

i would go with the simplest. The Sport.
For pure crawling, you do not need the complexities of the other rigs. It has a single speed gearbox, and the diffs do not unlock, perfect imo for a beginner crawler.

[Mudsplat79]

For crawling performance, durability and scale looks I would go with a TRX4 Bronco/Blazer/Defender. If you want just performance without the licensed body get the TRX4 Sport.

[Jeff6x6]

Do lots of research on YouTube also. The Bronco,Blazer,Sport are 12.3 (312) which is a short wheel base. Most aftermarket bodies come in this size. The defender and rapid response vehicle are 12.58. I prefer the longer wheelbase for the steep climbs I look for. I also use second gear to get over a spot I would bottom out at slow speeds. Try to find other rc crawlers in your area to get an idea of all the rigs available and how they perform. Keep asking questions here.

[JatoTheRipper]

There is no best.

If you want a moon buggy I really can't help you as I have no experience with those.

But for scale crawlers and extreme terrain you really don't want portal axles. That rules out the SCX10 III and TRX-4 among others. Look to straight axle rigs like the SCX10 II or Element Enduro.