My first attempt at fabbing a servo mount

[schlabinski]

Here are a few pics of the new servo mounts that I made this weekend. It was my first attempt at working with aluminum--way easier than I anticipated. One goal was to make them such that it wouldn't require any modification to the top of the gear case. I am quite pleased with the results.

I have new 1/4 inch steering links cut to the right length, but I don't have a steady enough hand to drill straight enough holes in the end. I think I need to find someone with a drill press...

[jordanator62]

looks good!

[kona_joe]

Nice Looking Servo Mount...

Does it stick out much?

Joe

[toyofast]

Very very nice Jeff. I'm quite amazed... after chatting with you, you seemed a bit nervous about fabbing mounts. I really like them.

What are you going to do about your upper link mounts now?

[DirkDigler]

Wow! really nice. Much better looking than mine....for sure!

[schlabinski]

Wow, thanks for the nice comments everyone. I am a little be worried about how far it sticks out (see pics)...especially since I am not running a very tall tire at the moment (Giant Tracs). I don't find myself approaching obstacles head on very often, so maybe it will be okay. But then there are rollovers to think about...

Thanks Brett! I was indeed nervous about it when we talked, and I think my perfectionism was partly to blame. The upper link mounts on the axle are not affected.

Joe, the two pics I have seen of your TXT have peaked my curiousity. Is it safe to assume that we will see more pics when you are finished? How is your steering working out?

[toyofast]

So now that you have fabbed your own mounts what are your plans for those MTPA servo mounts you had/have?

[bigdangerous]

i'll buy one....please.

[DirkDigler]

Your approach angle is fine. Don't worry about it. Ditch the servo saver though!

[schlabinski]

I still have the MTPA Mighty Mounts on my bench. I don't want to be too hasty about selling them, but that is probably what I will end up doing. I'll let folks know on this board if I decide to sell. They are in perfect condition and would make a great bolt on mod for a TXT owner looking to upgrade their stock steering setup.

No servo saver, eh? Rockraider told me that he fried one of those Airtonics servos while running with a Futaba receiver and no saver. I think he menioned something about the frequency of the signal from the Futaba receiver being different than what the servo is used to. I didn't understand that part, but I did understand his strong recommendation to always use a servo saver with that setup. That's why I packed it with RTV silicone to stiffen in up a bit. I'm not sure what to think about all that, but I thought I would play it safe with a $100 servo.

[toyofast]

Originally Posted by schlabinski

Rockraider told me that he fried one of those Airtonics servos while running with a Futaba receiver and no saver.

HAHA... I think it's more than just a radio/signal frequency thing, have you seen the way he drives?


His servos, for some reason tend to get filled with water

Just 2 examples.....






Sorry Dan

[DirkDigler]

Well,
I guess it all depends on how worried about money you are.
However, I have used my Hitec 645's for hours of usage without a servo saver and I have only done damage to one of them. I stripped a metal gear and replaced it with a $12 gear set. I have 5 of these servos and they work perfectly without the saver. Everyone will have different experiences with different servos. I just wonder why anyone would get a servo that could turn a tank and then put a servo saver that will not allow the steering to work. It's like putting a huge skid plate on the diffs to protect them. You'll never scratch the diff but you'll lose your ground cleanrance. I say put it all on the line for performance sake. You break it.........just buy another one! :P

[rckjeep]

I'm with the Digler.

So what servo's are people using for crawler steering?

metal geared, ball bearing, 1/4 scale,etc.? a model # would be great. I'm running a futaba radio.

[schlabinski]

Yeah, yeah...I knew I would get some grief for that excuse. I inherited one of those Airtonics servos when I bought my TXT used, and I decided to get a matching servo for the rear. I have always been kinda bummed by how much of the torque the saver soaks up. Someday I'll take it off, but at this point there are other things that I would rather spend my money on for the truck. I have a 645 in my Savage and it does the trick just fine.

Heh, yes I have seen how Dan drives! It kills me every time... 8O

[AFJ]

looks great, and seems as its not very difficult to make, maybe you have some plans, drawings about dimensions, i would love to make one or two.

[DCLXVI]

Hmmm...the skid plates I have on now shreds about 1,5 - 2,0 mm of the ground clerance, I'd hardly call that much considering that the smoother surface of the plate make it easier for the diffs to slide over the obstacle...

[BARK]

Originally Posted by DirkDigler

Well,
I guess it all depends on how worried about money you are.
However, I have used my Hitec 645's for hours of usage without a servo saver and I have only done damage to one of them. I stripped a metal gear and replaced it with a $12 gear set. I say put it all on the line for performance sake. You break it.........just buy another one! :P

Where can I get replacement gears for the Hitec 645 for $12. I have been spending SO MUCH MONEY on my 1:1 (D44s, 36 SXs, 4:1 D300) that I have put the TXT on the back burner. If I can get some replacement gears that would be TITS.

[toyofast]

Originally Posted by BARK

Where can I get replacement gears for the Hitec 645 for $12.

I found parts for my Hitec HS-5645MG on Tower's website... and $12 sounds about right.

[schlabinski]

Originally Posted by AFJ

looks great, and seems as its not very difficult to make, maybe you have some plans, drawings about dimensions, i would love to make one or two.

AFJ, I didn't really take any measurements, per se. I started by making a template out of cardboard from a cereal box. Once I was pleased with that, I traced the outline of the template onto 1/16 inch aluminum sheet. I did a rough cut with a hacksaw, drill and dremel. Then a lot of filing and test fitting to the gear case until I was satisfied. I used the first finished aluminum mount as the new template to create the second so that they would be as identical as possible. It's not too difficult, but it is what I would consider a "patience project." Let me know if you are interested in some more pictures...I took some at various steps along the way.

[AFJ]

well im working on similar mount, im cutting it from old CD driver, its 1mm steel, so its pretty strong, but its some hard to cut with my dremel, ive spent about 2H yesterday measuring the diff mount ( where it will go) drawing it and cutting