My Basher RS10

[Swerve]

So a buddy of mine bought a Wraith about a month ago and got me hooked on getting a crawler. However, I didn't want to drop $600 yet on one so after some research I decided on the RS10. I looked at the Exceed Maxstone and the venom creeper. Seemed like they all needed some work done to them to have a decent crawler but the RS10 came with the most features with the best price. 4WS, ESC fan, high clearance axles, adjustable suspension, 4 CH receiver, 3 CH 2.4 GHz remote, bead lock wheels, moa setup, and right at $155 shipped. Also, from the videos I watched on youtube it seemed the most capable.





I have now ran it through about 5 battery charges and I really like this thing. It is totally different from the Wraith and hard to compare but I like it about the same or better. The Wraith broke twice while on our first run together but he is pretty rough on it.







Also, after reading the "I just bought an RS10" thread in this section, I bought hardened drive pins, metal gear servo, and metal servo arm from crawford engineering. I actually bought my RS10 from RAM-Tech and it came with an LED system. However, the Tx/Rx that were originally shipped were FM but RAM-Tech quickly sent me a new 2.4 GHz Tx/Rx. So, this weekend I put all the upgrades in and judging by the drive pin, it was a good thing I did.















Now I have a questions. After I got the new Tx/Rx dropped in I turned everything on just to see if it still worked and the crawler kind of went nuts. This was somewhat expected so I went and wrote down all the setting out of the old FM controller and put them in the new 2.4 GHz contoller. This only helped slightly but I was able to trim everything back to normal. However, at full throttle in rev. or forward, the servo turns the wheels to the right without me moving the steering wheel. I'm not really sure what would cause this. I'm hoping that it was just because the batteries in the controller and the crawler were low. They are on the charger now but could that have caused this or do I have some setting jacked up in the controller?

Another question (maybe related to the first) I was trying to adjust the steering because it turns further to the right than the left. It actually binds on the stops pretty bad when turning full right. I thought the manual indicated that there is an adjustment for how far right and an adjustment for how far left but when I lowered the percent right, nothing changed. Also, the servo arm would not go on straight vertical so I did have to adjust the overall trim to center the wheels. Is this why my steering is binding when I turn right?

Any help or ideas would be appreciated. Thanks to everyone that has posted information in this section so far. Sorry for the looong post.

More pictures here: RC Crawler pictures by SwerveXJ - Photobucket

[Swerve]

Ok well charging the batteries must have worked because there is no more mysterious issues with the throttle operating the steering. I was also able to trim out the issue with the steering binding up. I guess it was just binding more than I thought and I didn't adjust it out enough.

[Dezzy]

i also just started and i got a dingo. nice basher

[Swerve]

Thanks! The Dingo should be a lot of fun.

[The Jackalope]

Thats awesome. Ram tech upgraded your tx/rx for you? Good on them.

You got a perfect example of why I'm trying to warn everyone about the drive pin BEFORE it breaks. Cuz when it does, it's going to SHRED that plate real fast.

As for the servo going nuts, Make sure your antenna wire is as far as possible from the motor wires and the other wires. 2.4 is pretty safe from interference, but this is a good practice none the less. Recievers are really good "listeners".

[Swerve]

My kit was suppose to come with an upgraded 2.4 GHz Tx/Rx but when I got it, it had the old FM style. I called RAMTech and he confirmed that it should have come with a 2.4GHz so he got me a new Tx/Rx in the mail the next day. He did good by me.

I can definitely see now how if that pin broke it would tear up that plastic piece fast. Thanks for that write up.

That may have been part of the problem. I don't think I really paid attention to what I did with that antenna because it was so short compared to the old one. It could have been laid right across the motor wires.

[Haverchad]

check out zno-rc for an aluminum plate that replaces the plastic plate that the drive pins are nestled in between. I have a couple RS10's and I must say, zno-rc has the most aftermarket support, knowledge and understanding of crossing parts with these RS10's. You probably wont need steel gears with the stock motors, but hardened pins, and the aluminum plate are a must! (servo's too, $20 for decent metal geared from Crawford Performance Engineering) Have fun fellas! Enjoy!

[ZNO-RC]

It's definitely a good idea to keep those drive pins from breaking. We have a number of items to strengthen up the RS10 axles. Most customers run the stock RS10 till it breaks, then go on a fixing spree. At least that helps you find the weak points. If your trippy servo issue arises again, you may consider wiring in a BEC.

[Swerve]

I agree, that drive pin was one thing I didn't want to break. I also plan on upgrading as things break but it seemed to me that those drive plates didn't have a chance if the pin broke. I will look into the BEC idea. I'm not really sure I understand yet how they work or what they do.

Since I last posted I've broken one of the link ends on the rear falling off of a 4 ft retaining wall. I replaced it with the traxxas style link ends. I also lost one of the screws holding an upper link to the chassis. I have since put lock-tite on all the upper link screws. I'm not sure that was a great idea because I tore up one of the link end balls trying to get one back off.









I also bought a new body for my rs10. I knew from before I bought the truck that I didn't like the small 1/16 scale hummer body. I ended up buying a truck body for a 1/8 Redcat Avalanche, Landslide, or Earthquake. The wheelbase was perfect and it was a truck body that looked more "off-road" style then most scalar bodies. Then on the way home after I bought it, I screwed up and left it in the back window of the car. I looked in the back window and it was pretty much flat except for the bumpers. I did what I could to give it back some shape but it is still pretty rough. Now that it has been that way for a few weeks though it is starting to grow on me. Looks more like a rock crawler since there isn't a straight panel on it anywhere.









With the original articulation of the RS10 I was going to need to hack most of the body up for tire clearance so I decided to limit the flex and align the shocks more vertical. I was hoping this would also reduce the loose feeling in the suspension as well. It still required some minor trimming on the front fenders but overall turned out great.











Last week I also started to sipe the tires and star cut the foam. They definitely grip much better but you also lose some ground clearance as the tires squat. I'll probably be keeping my eye out for a good deal on some rovers, sedonas, or losi's.

[Daft Gadgets]

Nice Obstacle for the RS10. How about a video of it on the terrain?

[Swerve]

Thanks. If you click on the picture above it will take you to the video or you can go to this like where I have a lot of pictures and videos.

RC Crawler pictures by SwerveXJ - Photobucket

[Swerve]

Wow, it has been a while since I updated this thread. Not a lot has changed until recently though. I have just been running it alot with few troubles or modifications. Stock tires with some siping and cut foams seem to do just fine for me. I did smoke the esc but Redcat promptly replaced it. The body, however, has been taking a beating.





Of course I got some gift cards and money for Christmas about the time that I was really wanting to do some cosmetic work. So some of it turned out to be more of a want than a need. For example, I would not have shelled out what I spent on tires except I had a gift card and I thought the mud slingers where cool. If I change my mind later I will look for some HB Rovers.



And since I was getting new tires and the old ones we still usable and possibly better for the rocks, I decided that I wanted new wheels for the new tires.



Lastly, the old body was barely hanging together so before I could put fancy new wheels and tires on it had to get a new body. Now that I have it though, I'm a little on the fence about how much I like it. Turns out some of them are slightly bigger than others. Wheelbase was about right but it is wider and longer than the old body. It may grow on me but I'm not as excited about it as I hoped.









Also, for some reason the beadlock on the outside of the tire seems to stick out more than the beadlock on the inside. This could cause problems in some off camber situation where all the weight is on the side of the tire and it folds under. I guess we'll see.

[david37370]

your modifications are great. i think you should have changed the shocks positions, but not as you did 90 degrees to the ground, but more like 75-80, cause it will crawl better, with a little wider articulation, but still be able to go a little faster on some little rocks. unless you really want it to look as a scaler. im waiting for my rs10 to come in a week... i have a question- what's a drivepin? i know it sounds a little stupid, but i didnt see anywhere it was explained.
and the mud slingers look so good XD

[pajey]

The drive pin also known as the diff pin is found in both front and rear diff. It is made out of a soft metal and is easily bent under the torque of the cat and will need to be replaced. Someone may have photos to show the exact location as that would be simpler but it's in the spur gear assemble in the diff.

[david37370]

ok thank you! by the way, this truck- it has a way of locking diffs, or i have to glue it myself or something?

[Docwolf]

there are no "diffs", they are 7 piece spools, the drive pins are used to key the shafts to the spur gear assemblies. what we truly need is 2 piece spool assembly with CVDs at all 4 ends of the axle shafts. but that won't happen now, not from me anyways.

[Swerve]

Thanks. I am going for a more scalar look and I didn't like the floppy feel of the suspension that it came with. With the shocks straight up and down, it looks more scale, limits the flex for less body trimming, and keeps the axle from walking up under the chassis in certain situations. I like the mud slingers too. I don't think they are any better than the original tires on the rocks but they look cool. Here are some pictures of the drive pins. Not the best at illustrating where they are but when you get your truck you won't have any trouble finding them when you tear the axles appart.

[Swerve]

Haha I just realized that these pictures are already at the top of the thread.

[KR15]

love the way it looks with that 1/8 truck body on it. might have to rethink my body idea. want a 94-01 dodge ram quad cab style body for mine (yes, i want it to look like my diesel). wasnt quite sure how a 1/10 scale body would look on it, but seeing a 1/8 scale body on it gives me an idea now. thanks for the pics.

[Swerve]

Thanks. I'm starting to like it more now. If you find a 94-01 body for it, let me know. I would love to have one for the same reason.