JimK's TC8 Marksman EDTT

[xwaz]

That looks absolutely killer on the Hyrax. How has the Durability been on the Marksman?

[Jjay]

looks great, awsome combo and wheels

nice places also

[JimK]

Originally Posted by xwaz

That looks absolutely killer on the Hyrax. How has the Durability been on the Marksman?

Thanks! I haven't had it very long but so far I haven't had any problems. I'll be sure to post up here if I have any issues.

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[JimK]

Originally Posted by Jjay

looks great, awsome combo and wheels

nice places also

Thanks for the kind words.

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[cartronicshn]

Looks really nice, i am tempted at getting one.

[JimK]

Originally Posted by cartronicshn

Looks really nice, i am tempted at getting one.

Thanks. So far it's been a great rig and I'm having a lot of fun with it.

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[JimK]

I haven't been out with the Marksman since I put the new tires on but I'm hoping to get out for a rip one morning this week. I did however have the time to mount a light bar to the front bumper. I took this off my TRX4M Defender a while back and decided to put it to good use on this vehicle.



I marked the mounting location with a silver sharpie and used a body reamer to make four small holes.



I also made a small notch at the back of the bumper so the wire would pass down under the front of the body.



Turns out the rear holes are right above the steel frame so I was only able to use the front two screws. It's still mounted quite sturdily so I'm not too concerned with only having two screws. If I'd does become an issue in the future I'll drill and tap the rear holes and add two more screws.



All back together and ready to go.



All lit up and ready for the night trails. Don't tell my wife I was using the new counter top as my work bench, she'd not likely be too impressed....lol.



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[Gula]

Light bar looks a bit small imho. Have you tested the Headlights yet?

[JimK]

Originally Posted by Gula

Light bar looks a bit small imho. Have you tested the Headlights yet?

Thanks for the comment. I like the size of the light bar and how it fits between the headlights. I haven't been out yet at night to test the headlights. I'm on afternoons the next few weeks so I should be able to get out after work to see how bright these lights are. I'll post up a picture of how bright they are....or aren't!?

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[JimK]

Took the EDTT out to Malden Park early last week for a little rip around. Finally got to test the new tires and steering servo. The servo works great...very strong and returns to center every time. The new tires worked just fine too. They did rub some on the inner fenders but not enough to cause any performance issues. Overall I'm happy with the new tires and steering servo.

I found a fun pile of rocks near the parking lot and spent a few minutes playing around here before heading into the trails.







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[JimK]

I made my way along the dirt path, over some roots here and there and across a little foot bridge. I was weaving my way back to the rocky drainage area that I took my Gladiator to the week before. I was very curious to see how this big beast would handle the rocky climb. I must say it did not disappoint.





Dropping into the bottom of the rocky ravine.



I did manage to roll it on it's side twice on the way up but luckily it didn't tumble back down the ravine.



Almost to the top. I did have to reverse a few times and select a better line but it made it all the way to the top with only one "hand of god" needed for assistance.



Stopping on the way back to the Jeep to smell the wild flowers. A fun solo adventure with the Marksman.



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[JimK]

I made a few minor changes to the Marksman today out at the trailer. First I moved the front links to the forward most position for a slightly better approach angle, even though the stock position was pretty good already. I also lowered all four shocks by one hole in the shock towers to raise the body slightly for a little better tire clearance for the slightly larger Hyrax tires. Lastly I fiddled with the steering a bit to try and improve the turning radius. It is a bit better now but not much.

Here's a lovely view from my bar which doubled as a work bench today.




A couple pieces of scrap wood and a couple chunks of firewood made a quick test area around the deck.





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[JimK]

I decided to go for a wander around the campground to see what I could find to play on.

Here's a poser shot on the rocks down by the point.



I found a small gravel pile and a couple big dirt piles in the maintenance area that were fun to play on for a little bit.







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[OSRC]

That's a nice location you've got there!

I used to take a truck or two camping, but sometimes there's just not much to wheel on. I started taking 1/18 rigs now, keeps things interesting.

[JimK]

Originally Posted by OSRC

That's a nice location you've got there!

I used to take a truck or two camping, but sometimes there's just not much to wheel on. I started taking 1/18 rigs now, keeps things interesting.

Ya, the 1/18 rigs are fun just about anywhere. I've been keeping the Marksman and my TRX4M Bronco in my Jeep so they're always there if I see a good spot to stop and play.

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[JimK]

There's a rail trail that runs right behind my shop. I ride my bike to work using this trail once in awhile. Last night on my lunch break I decided to take the Marksman for a little stroll down the trail. It's pretty flat but I did find a couple spots along the side of the trail to have a little bit of fun.

I've been keeping this rig and a few accessories in my Jeep so I just had to pop a battery pack in and we were good to go.



Here's a long narrow rock garden beside the area where the park the shop trucks.



Ripping through the big beach stone landscaped area beside the shop.



Another poser shot in a little rock garden.



Down the trail we go....did I mention how flat it is??



Playing in a ditch along side the trail.



I did find a couple of spots along the trail to stop and play and had fun doing a few donuts in the loose gravel. I wasn't super exciting but it was fun to go for a stroll with the Marksman and get a bit of fresh air.

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[JimK]

I woke up to a light dusting of snow this morning.....good conditions for a little trail run I said to myself. It was the Marksman that got the call to crawl today.



I headed back to the Greenway where I took the Cherokee the other day.



I love tiny truck tracks in the snow.



I headed down the trail off into the woods. It was a couple degrees above the freezing mark and actually pretty comfortable out. This snow isn't going to be around for long.



We got quite a bit of rain the other day but thankfully this was the only spot on the trail that was really wet.



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[JimK]

I tore a pallet apart at work and brought a few pieces with me to make a bridge of sorts over this fallen tree.



Seems to work just fine.



I was able to drive under a fallen tree a little further up the trail.....



.....and this one we simply rolled over.



Last time here I took the right fork in the trail. Today I went left to see what I could see and I'm glad I did. This part of the trail has some really nice terrain and some interesting "features" along the path.



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[JimK]

I made my way along an old fence. It may not show up well in the photos but this part of the trail was very twisty and had lots of rolling hills and steep elevation changes.





I came across what appears to be an old shelter of some sort made mostly of old pallets. The pallets were rotted and crumbling so it's been here for a while.



I did find a few half decent 2 x 3 boards in the rubble that I used to do this.....



.....so I could do this.



This is a fun little hill climb. The truck is actually coming up a sharp incline that's about eight feet or so high. This will definitely a great spot to build some tiny truck trails in the spring!!



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[JimK]

I started making my way down the twisty trail. I had a pretty good feeling it was going to take me back to the Greenway and eventually it did.



I tossed a couple branches down and was able to bump up over this log.



As predicted we ended up back at the Greenway.





I figured it would be a challenge to get over this log so I decided to go around it. Going around it was a much more fun line anyway.





This line led to some old railways ties that I was able to get up on and cross over them.





Not a lot of wiggle room here.



A few more shots I took on my way back to the car. A fun little trail run for sure. I can see some trail development happening in the spring for sure.







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