Thloftus’ TF2 build

[Thloftus]

We finished most of the frame today; definitely goes together much faster than the Axial kits I’ve built in the past.

I’ve been really impressed with the quality so far. All of the frame parts slid together perfectly with essentially no slop. The aluminum frame rails are beautiful, as are the cross-members, etc! I’m also liking the RC4WD plastic; looks awesome and seems decently strong. Less certain now that I’ll need a metal bumper before adding a winch.

I used a body reamer to open up the holes on the sliders (fairly certain I saw this idea on someone else’s thread) - big help with getting the screws started. Otherwise, it all went together with no trouble at all.

I installed the transmission “early” just to see it installed. Looking forward to adding the leaf springs and axles next!



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[Thloftus]

We attached the leaf springs and mounted the axles on the frame. I tried one of the standard setups: middle leaf mounted on top to improve flex while avoiding axle wrap, smallest leaf skipped completely. The flex seemed nice, but I didn’t like the look of the middle leaf “pealing away” from the main one


The springs felt too stiff with the middle leaf in the stock position. I ended mounting the smallest leaf in the stock position and skipping the middle leaf. Flex feels better, hopefully still avoids axle wrap, better looks. Have any of you tried this setup? How about the super soft red leafs?

Also mounted up the JunFac drive shafts. Slight mod to the input shafts for the axles, more on the output shafts for the transfer case. Pretty fast with a sanding wheel on the Dremel; thank you for the tip! Sanded until I could slip the 3 mm pins from the kit all the way in place. You might be able to mount the drive shafts with the included hardware (two opposed set screws) without grinding, but my guess is this doesn’t work well and probably dings the axle/transfer case shafts.


The JunFacs are beautiful. I initially tried greasing the assembled shafts and then attaching the snap rings and got a lot of internal binding (dill weed blunder). Then I followed the included directions (what!?): disassemble the ends, grease the innards, reassemble, attach snap rings, tighten set screw on inner pin. Super smooth. I used green slime rather than the included grease, which looked hard to dispense, but probably either is fine.

Mounted up the axles and shocks. I still need to pull the internal springs from the shocks and add oil, probably 5k diff fluid, based on suggestions elsewhere. Substantial joy building this kit!


I’ve been looking into revolver shackles / z-boxes to improve the articulation; impressive results in a few videos, although the parts cost is a bit steep. Do any of you know the point of best return, meaning only revolver shackles on the rear, shackles + z-boxes, etc?




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[Thloftus]

Installed the shift servo with a TLR servo horn. I’m using a Traxxas 2055. The drag link is a 20 mm set screw with rod ends; I added heat shrink to cover the exposed threads. I wish the kit included a solid link - would look much better IMO.




Installed the mounted tires, the bumpers, and the motor. I also added a RC4WD Warn winch. The winch is mostly for looks at this point since it needs a new motor and I don’t have a winch controller yet. Exciting to have a roller!



I also picked up a Hobbywing 1080 ESC. Looking forward to trying it out once I have a receiver, etc. Thanks for the suggestion!


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[RattleKan]

Originally Posted by Thloftus

Installed the shift servo with a TLR servo horn. I’m using a Traxxas 2055. The drag link is a 20 mm set screw with rod ends; I added heat shrink to cover the exposed threads. I wish the kit included a solid link - would look much better IMO.




Installed the mounted tires, the bumpers, and the motor. I also added a RC4WD Warn winch. The winch is mostly for looks at this point since it needs a new motor and I don’t have a winch controller yet. Exciting to have a roller!



I also picked up a Hobbywing 1080 ESC. Looking forward to trying it out once I have a receiver, etc. Thanks for the suggestion!


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I bought one of those ESC’s and I really like it. I’ve been racing with Hobbywing ESC’s for the last 5 years and I have yet to have one fail. They are always very well priced and last long. That ESC also has a nice low profile. Good choice.


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[Thloftus]

Originally Posted by RattleKan

I bought one of those ESC’s and I really like it. I’ve been racing with Hobbywing ESC’s for the last 5 years and I have yet to have one fail. They are always very well priced and last long. That ESC also has a nice low profile. Good choice.

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That’s great to hear! I’m looking forward to pairing it with the HH motor. The programming card seems pretty sweet too!


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[RattleKan]

Originally Posted by Thloftus

That’s great to hear! I’m looking forward to pairing it with the HH motor. The programming card seems pretty sweet too!


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The programming card makes it very user friendly. I had always just went through the process of counting beeps and with the card it is quick and painless. I was always skeptical about running cheap equipment. As stated previously I have yet to have an issue with HobbyWing products. Not trying to promote them nor do I have any affiliation or sponsorship from them. Just been a very good and affordable product for me. I have 4 of their ESC’s from blinky mode to full blown ole ESC and now a WP Crawler ESC.


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[Thloftus]

Originally Posted by RattleKan

The programming card makes it very user friendly. I had always just went through the process of counting beeps and with the card it is quick and painless. I was always skeptical about running cheap equipment. As stated previously I have yet to have an issue with HobbyWing products. Not trying to promote them nor do I have any affiliation or sponsorship from them. Just been a very good and affordable product for me. I have 4 of their ESC’s from blinky mode to full blown ole ESC and now a WP Crawler ESC.

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It’s great to hear about your positive experiences with HobbyWing! I’ve had the same questions about cheaper electronics, but this ESC looks pretty solid. I’ve read positive reviews of their higher end ESCs too. Will be fun to try out this one, especially all the tuning options. I also like that the card doesn’t require a computer or a bunch of other electronics ...

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[GR8 PMKN]

I have a question about your motor choice, "I'm planning to use a HH Crawlmaster 13T for the motor". Isn't that too big of a motor, or is it because of the 2 speed transmission that you have both speed and trail/crawl? I was going to go with a 35t. What size pinion gear are you going to use?

Thanks,
Leigh

[RattleKan]

Originally Posted by Thloftus

It’s great to hear about your positive experiences with HobbyWing! I’ve had the same questions about cheaper electronics, but this ESC looks pretty solid. I’ve read positive reviews of their higher end ESCs too. Will be fun to try out this one, especially all the tuning options. I also like that the card doesn’t require a computer or a bunch of other electronics ...

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I just ordered another one for my Marlin. So both TF2’s will have it installed. I have discovered how Amazon has a ton of rc stuff for an even cheaper price and much faster delivery. I have also been using eBay again. Now I need to go to my LHS and throw him a bone so he does not close his doors. Don’t know how the LHS competes with all the have it now, get tomorrow online stores.


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[Thloftus]

Originally Posted by GR8 PMKN

I have a question about your motor choice, "I'm planning to use a HH Crawlmaster 13T for the motor". Isn't that too big of a motor, or is it because of the 2 speed transmission that you have both speed and trail/crawl? I was going to go with a 35t. What size pinion gear are you going to use?

Thanks,
Leigh

No problem. The Crawlmaster has a 5 slot armature rather than the 3 slot design used for many (maybe most?) RC motors; so it’s slower for the same turn count. Holmes Hobbies has a speed comparison chart here, along with suggestions for various kits:
https://holmeshobbies.com/motor-recommendations

The Crawlmaster 13T is somewhere between a standard 27T and a 35T. It’s a little on the fast side, but there’s the two-speed transmission. Can also gear down if necessary later. The recommendations I’ve seen are to use faster motors and then gear down the drivetrain; the motor will run cooler, more torque at the tires, etc. I followed this approach with my SCX10 and was very happy with the results. John Holmes covers this idea in a few places on RCCrawler. One is here, post No 6. He’s talking about brushless motors, but the concept is the same:
What has more torque? lower or higher kv?

I’m planning to start with the stock pinion and go from there.

Hopefully that helps!


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[Thloftus]

Originally Posted by RattleKan

I just ordered another one for my Marlin. So both TF2’s will have it installed. I have discovered how Amazon has a ton of rc stuff for an even cheaper price and much faster delivery. I have also been using eBay again. Now I need to go to my LHS and throw him a bone so he does not close his doors. Don’t know how the LHS competes with all the have it now, get tomorrow online stores.


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Have fun with the Marlin! The bobbed bed and high clearance skid are pretty neat. I’m not sure if I have the courage to bob my TF2, Lol! But it’s definitely a nice setup.

I’ve also bought parts from a variety of places. Watch out for sales this week. RPP and Amain usually have one around Thanksgiving, maybe Tower also. I’ve saved quite a bit that way. It’s a good question about how LHS compete. I also try to use mine whenever possible.


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[Thloftus]

Installed most of the electronics today: radio / receiver, ESC and motor, and the shift servo. For the shift servo, I disconnected the linkage at the transmission and then set the end points; I turned down the end points some more once it was working for more buffer against stressing the servo & also made sure the servo wasn’t whining at either end point. It seems to work well and it’s fun to finally see the high/low shifting.

The HW ESC is easy to setup and use; impressed so far. I added a JST plug to the battery wires for a HH SHV500v2. I don’t have this servo now, but may add it as an upgrade in the future.




For the steering servo, I’m probably going to start with a waterproof Power HD 20 kg. I have one on an inexpensive MOA and it’s worked well - not the fastest, but decent torque, it’s quiet, and I already have a matching 25T aluminum servo horn. Plus hard to beat $25 shipped. I considered a Solar D772 which has more torque, is faster, and is basically the same price. So far as I can tell, though, Solar servos use 23T splines (please correct me if I’m wrong), meaning I’d have to buy another servo horn ...



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[Thloftus]

Installed the steering servo and started painting the body. Few coats of Rust-Oleum primer + Tayima TS4 gray for most of the body. I’m going to paint the hood flat black, Tayima TS6. Many thanks to others who originated this paint scheme, lol! The bed is also going to be black, either TS6 truck bed liner. There’s blue masking tape on the hood in the picture ...



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[Thloftus]

Finished some more painting: black hood and grill, Rust-Oleum bed liner in the bed. I like the way it turned out, especially the bed liner, which has a nice texture and rubber-like feel. The gray might be a little light.

If you use this spray-on bed liner, be sure to hold the can at least 12” from the part while spraying; I’d also recommend using light coats. I mistakenly got too close and ended up with a “blob” that I had to sand off - and then re-do. It turned out ok, but the sanding was a pain since it doesn’t want to come off. Hard to see any evidence of my mistake after multiple coats, which was a bonus ...





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[Thloftus]

Tried out some upgrades to the suspension today. Here’s the front and rear flex with the upgrades I installed early in the build: Gelande II shock hoops and 90 mm shocks up front. I also removed the springs from the shocks.

Roughly 2.5 cm in the front, if I account for flattening of the tire on the bottom.


Around 3.5 cm in the rear


I next installed rubber o-rings above and below the leafs where they attach to the axles; got this idea from another thread. The o-rings are cheap at $7 for qty 50. Here’s the o-rings I used


Here’s the o-rings installed on the leafs. For each screw, there’s one between the leaf and the axle and another between the nut and the leaf. I tightened the nuts to just before the point where the o-rings started to bulge out.


This improved the articulation quite a bit. Roughly 4.5 cm in the front


And 5 cm in the rear


Next upgrade was the RC4WD revolver shackles. Easy to install and they look sweet.


I found that I needed to add washers between the top of the rear shocks and the rear cross bar. Without the washers, the shocks bind and prevent the full travel allowed by the shackles. The washers in my case are 1.5 mm thick.


The revolver shackles improved the articulation some more, but less than I was expecting based on results I’ve seen in videos and elsewhere. It’s possible the o-ring upgrade stole some of the revolver’s glory, lol!

After the revolvers, I’m getting around 5.5 cm in the front


And roughly 6.5 cm in the rear


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[Rickleo]

Glad to see those o-rings helped improve your articulation.

[Thloftus]

Originally Posted by Rickleo

Glad to see those o-rings helped improve your articulation.

I was pretty surprised it made that much difference ...

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[Thloftus]

Finished assembling the body. Pretty happy with the way it turned out; fun to mount up all the detailed parts. Might look nice with some larger tires ...




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[Digital]

That hood looks great!

[Thloftus]

Originally Posted by Digital

That hood looks great!

Thank you! It’s been fun to build - although far from finished, lol!


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