RCCrawler Forums

92GreenYJ · 09-15-2006, 01:05 PM

NOW WITH PICS!!!!

So I solved my dilema of wanting a crawler and a truck to bash with. I went and got a new T-MAXX 3.3 on Monday for a bashing truck.

So now its time to start turning my E-MAXX 2.5 into a crawler. I've been kicking some ideas around and would like a little input.

1st my plan is to build a custom chasis. but I can't decide whether or not to use steel or Aluminum. I have a Miller 175 and I'm no stranger to metal fab. Aluminum is light, but I don't have the capability to weld it. would it matter that much if i went a little heavier and used steel? I was thinking something relatively thin would work fine as long as i gusset and brace it right. If i use steel, I can weld it and do a hybrid plate and tube chasis which is what i think I want ideally.

For diffs I plan to build some steel tube straight axles using spooled E-MAXX diffs, then use REVO (or T-MAXX 3.3 since they are the same now) shafts and knuckles with the pillow balls.

for axle locating I was thinking triangulated 4 links front and rear. maybe using REVO turnbuckles and ends for the links?

tires and wheels: Moab 40s on Proline beadlocks

Now the next questions:
Steering servo?? I want something strong that will work with the E-MAXX electronics.
Motor(s)? single or dual? 55t Lathe motors? or is there something else out there that will make more torque for about the same price. (found Integy 55t for about 19 bucks a piece at tower) Is it the higher the turn number the lower the gear (more torque?) they have Integy 65T Lathe motors for about the same price too
Gear ratios? Pinoin and spur? whats the best combo?

what else have I overlooked?

ON THE FARM · 09-15-2006, 07:59 PM

you can get aluminum wire for your welder if you are running a mig set up.

EastCoastCrawlers · 09-15-2006, 08:30 PM

the higher the turn, the less wheel speed you have. try and go with a 35t or 45t integy, or a Kyosho magnetic mayhem

92GreenYJ · 09-16-2006, 02:32 AM

I have a spool of AL wire. problem is its way too soft and it just bunches and binds in the wire. If I had a spool gun for my Miller it would work, but I don't really work with AL enough on the Jeep to justify dropping 250 bucks+ on one.

East coast, why do i need alot of wheel speed? I'm not planning to run mud with it so i don't need the wheel spin. IMHO the more torque the better

EastCoastCrawlers · 09-16-2006, 08:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 92GreenYJ

I have a spool of AL wire. problem is its way too soft and it just bunches and binds in the wire. If I had a spool gun for my Miller it would work, but I don't really work with AL enough on the Jeep to justify dropping 250 bucks+ on one.

East coast, why do i need alot of wheel speed? I'm not planning to run mud with it so i don't need the wheel spin. IMHO the more torque the better

well, my 55 didnt have enough to get me over the rocks

BrandonW · 09-16-2006, 09:06 AM

i was happy with 45t lathes until i got 65 turn lathes. now that ive tasted the long run times and super torque of the 65t motor i wont run anything but.:-P

Dan-Mel · 09-16-2006, 01:09 PM

Yea i use 75t lathes and 9t pinions on my clod and nothing stops it but it is realy slow but you dont need much speed for crawling, it just about walking pace. If you catch a rock with the axle it doesnt stall it just pushes it along lol.

92GreenYJ · 09-20-2006, 12:42 PM

So I'm just about finished with my R&D stage at this point. My Tower Hobbies wishlist is getting huge with parts for this. I just have a few more things I would like clarification on.

And yes, I searched. actually, I went all the way back to page 39 of this forum and read through every post of interest on the board.

First, when builidng a rear steer kit. How do you wire the second servo? I obviously can't just splice it in with the front servo wires or the rear will turn in the opposite direction and it won't work. what if i reverse the wires for the rear? will that work? then just try to set it up so when I hit the switch on the TQ3 (for what would normally be second gear) it turns on the rear steer servo?

Also, if I go with a single motor, where can I get a single motor mount plate? or should I just cut the stock one down to size?

TwistedCreations · 09-20-2006, 02:10 PM

You sure didn't search very hard. Searching is more than just searching each page. The pages only go back so far anyway. There is a button that says "Search" you can enter keywords there.

Anyway- this is straight from the "how to build a maxx crawler" stickied right at the very top of this page

Rear steering - http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/showt...ght=rear+steer

To do the rear steer- you can either get a Y harness with a reverser or get ahold of Kevin at http://www.thecrawlerstore.com/ and get your TQ3 radio modded for independant steering

axelsnapr · 09-20-2006, 10:35 PM

I've got a thread in "general crawlers" you may be interested in. It's under F-100 NITRO TUF TRCK. It's a T-MAXX 3.3/ TLT hybrid, Ckeck it out , maybe it"ll help on your build !

92GreenYJ · 09-21-2006, 07:32 PM

Well I just got back from IMS (Industrial Metal Supply) with the steel I needed for this project. I'm going with 3/8"x.40 wall mild steel tube for the chasis. I got some 1"x16 gauge mild steel tube for the axles. Picked up some 3/16" Aluminum tube and some all thread that slides through it to make my links out of. And got a piece of 16 gauge flat plate out of the scrap pile to make the flat bottom for the chasis and make my diff couplers out of. I started bending tube for the chasis already. I'm building this around a Proline TJ body, so I'm bending the tube according to that.

92GreenYJ · 09-22-2006, 01:38 PM

Got started on the chasis last night and did a little work this morning. Heres what I have so far.
Initial mock up of the main hoops

welded the basic structure together. Still have alot to add yet.

test fitting back in the Proline TJ body to make sure it didn't warp during welding

and fabbed the battery tray. I used a cheap POS battery so I could tack weld the battery braces in place and not have to worry about melting the battery

92GreenYJ · 09-25-2006, 06:02 PM

Got some more work done on the chasis today

Added some bracing and the lower tray areas where I will mount the EVX, receiver, etc. Still need to add more bracing

then I started screwing around with the motor and trans mounting plate. this took some time and some doing.
test placement of the motor/trans to figure out how i want it mounted

Got the mount plate fabbed up, cut the hole for the tranny to drop through, then used the stock chasis braces as a guide to drill the tranny mount holes. then welded the mount plate to the chasis.

Questions? comments? thoughts?

sleek6mt · 09-26-2006, 09:22 AM

what size tubing is that? weight?

its comin' along tho

92GreenYJ · 09-26-2006, 06:25 PM

It's 3/8".40 wall tubeing. itsa suprisingly light for steel.

Made some more progress today. I did start the axles, but I was not happy with the direction they were taking so I decided to stop for the day and re-think my diffs. I did manage to get the mounting plates welded in and the EVX, receiver, and shift servo mounted and mocked into place.

Double J · 09-27-2006, 02:26 PM

Looks good so far. Clean welds really nice.

Why not just lock your tranny into 1st or 2nd and free up the 3rd channel for a rear steer set up?

maybe try mounting the battery lower for better COG.

Just my 2 cents.

I like it so far though

92GreenYJ · 09-27-2006, 03:48 PM

I had originally planned to lock out the tranny, but the more i thought about it, the more i realized it would be nice to have two gearing choices. Keep in mind I am a 1:1 guy first, and I would love a 2,3,or 4 speed transfer case in my Jeep. multiple gearing options are a good thing. I haven't decided for sure if i want to do rear steer yet or not. my YJ does fine without it, so i think for now i'm gonna leave it with the standard two wheel front steering set up.

as for the battery, part of my idea behind placing it where i did was to simulate the weight distribution of a 1:1 rig. right up front where the engine is and a bit high. I think my axles are gonna be heavy enough to help keep the COG down as it is.

EastCoastCrawlers · 09-27-2006, 04:03 PM

it looks good, i like the chassis especially

92GreenYJ · 09-27-2006, 07:21 PM

Another progress report. Got some more work done today. Didn't do too much with the chasis today, I focused on getting the axles started. They are by no means finished yet. I still need to add some more bolts to the two side plates to sandwich the diff, link and shock mounts, knuckle mounts, etc. So heres the progress from today.

the front axle. rear is going to be identical

slung it under some zip tied on shocks trying to get a feel for ride height

chucked some stock T-MAXX tires and wheels on to again get a feel for ride height, link placement and so on. Got tired of trying to wrap my brain around it for the day so I decided to knock off there for the day.

Cloak · 09-27-2006, 08:24 PM

That looks like a whole lot of weight up high with the battery where it is and those metal plates holding the electronics where they are. That being said, that looks like some great work. I really like the simplicity of the axles. One of my projects for this year is going to be to make me a solid axle maxx when I get some time.

What are you planning on doing for the skid on the bottom? I see those bars sticking out, but I assume they will be cut down as close as you can to the bottom of the tranny?

Good work so far.

09-15-2006, 01:05 PM	#1
92GreenYJ Rock Stacker Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Ocean beach, San Diego, CA Posts: 64	I think its finally time to build it NOW WITH PICS!!!! So I solved my dilema of wanting a crawler and a truck to bash with. I went and got a new T-MAXX 3.3 on Monday for a bashing truck. So now its time to start turning my E-MAXX 2.5 into a crawler. I've been kicking some ideas around and would like a little input. 1st my plan is to build a custom chasis. but I can't decide whether or not to use steel or Aluminum. I have a Miller 175 and I'm no stranger to metal fab. Aluminum is light, but I don't have the capability to weld it. would it matter that much if i went a little heavier and used steel? I was thinking something relatively thin would work fine as long as i gusset and brace it right. If i use steel, I can weld it and do a hybrid plate and tube chasis which is what i think I want ideally. For diffs I plan to build some steel tube straight axles using spooled E-MAXX diffs, then use REVO (or T-MAXX 3.3 since they are the same now) shafts and knuckles with the pillow balls. for axle locating I was thinking triangulated 4 links front and rear. maybe using REVO turnbuckles and ends for the links? tires and wheels: Moab 40s on Proline beadlocks Now the next questions: Steering servo?? I want something strong that will work with the E-MAXX electronics. Motor(s)? single or dual? 55t Lathe motors? or is there something else out there that will make more torque for about the same price. (found Integy 55t for about 19 bucks a piece at tower) Is it the higher the turn number the lower the gear (more torque?) they have Integy 65T Lathe motors for about the same price too Gear ratios? Pinoin and spur? whats the best combo? what else have I overlooked? Last edited by 92GreenYJ; 09-22-2006 at 02:27 PM.

09-20-2006, 10:35 PM	#10
axelsnapr Quarry Creeper Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Apple Valley, CA Posts: 409	F-100 Nitro Tuf Truk I've got a thread in "general crawlers" you may be interested in. It's under F-100 NITRO TUF TRCK. It's a T-MAXX 3.3/ TLT hybrid, Ckeck it out , maybe it"ll help on your build !

09-15-2006, 07:59 PM	#2
ON THE FARM Quarry Creeper Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: NORTH TEXAS Posts: 202	you can get aluminum wire for your welder if you are running a mig set up.

09-15-2006, 08:30 PM	#3
EastCoastCrawlers Pebble Pounder Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 115	the higher the turn, the less wheel speed you have. try and go with a 35t or 45t integy, or a Kyosho magnetic mayhem

09-16-2006, 02:32 AM	#4
92GreenYJ Rock Stacker Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Ocean beach, San Diego, CA Posts: 64	I have a spool of AL wire. problem is its way too soft and it just bunches and binds in the wire. If I had a spool gun for my Miller it would work, but I don't really work with AL enough on the Jeep to justify dropping 250 bucks+ on one. East coast, why do i need alot of wheel speed? I'm not planning to run mud with it so i don't need the wheel spin. IMHO the more torque the better

09-16-2006, 09:06 AM	#6
BrandonW RCC Addict Join Date: May 2006 Location: USA Posts: 1,043	i was happy with 45t lathes until i got 65 turn lathes. now that ive tasted the long run times and super torque of the 65t motor i wont run anything but.:-P

09-16-2006, 01:09 PM	#7
Dan-Mel Rock Stacker Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Co. Durham U.K Posts: 55	Yea i use 75t lathes and 9t pinions on my clod and nothing stops it but it is realy slow but you dont need much speed for crawling, it just about walking pace. If you catch a rock with the axle it doesnt stall it just pushes it along lol.

09-20-2006, 12:42 PM	#8
92GreenYJ Rock Stacker Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Ocean beach, San Diego, CA Posts: 64	So I'm just about finished with my R&D stage at this point. My Tower Hobbies wishlist is getting huge with parts for this. I just have a few more things I would like clarification on. And yes, I searched. actually, I went all the way back to page 39 of this forum and read through every post of interest on the board. First, when builidng a rear steer kit. How do you wire the second servo? I obviously can't just splice it in with the front servo wires or the rear will turn in the opposite direction and it won't work. what if i reverse the wires for the rear? will that work? then just try to set it up so when I hit the switch on the TQ3 (for what would normally be second gear) it turns on the rear steer servo? Also, if I go with a single motor, where can I get a single motor mount plate? or should I just cut the stock one down to size?

09-20-2006, 02:10 PM	#9
TwistedCreations Colt Python/SR9c Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: out in the shop, reloading ammo! Posts: 8,626	You sure didn't search very hard. Searching is more than just searching each page. The pages only go back so far anyway. There is a button that says "Search" you can enter keywords there. Anyway- this is straight from the "how to build a maxx crawler" stickied right at the very top of this page Rear steering - http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/showt...ght=rear+steer To do the rear steer- you can either get a Y harness with a reverser or get ahold of Kevin at http://www.thecrawlerstore.com/ and get your TQ3 radio modded for independant steering

09-21-2006, 07:32 PM	#11
92GreenYJ Rock Stacker Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Ocean beach, San Diego, CA Posts: 64	Well I just got back from IMS (Industrial Metal Supply) with the steel I needed for this project. I'm going with 3/8"x.40 wall mild steel tube for the chasis. I got some 1"x16 gauge mild steel tube for the axles. Picked up some 3/16" Aluminum tube and some all thread that slides through it to make my links out of. And got a piece of 16 gauge flat plate out of the scrap pile to make the flat bottom for the chasis and make my diff couplers out of. I started bending tube for the chasis already. I'm building this around a Proline TJ body, so I'm bending the tube according to that.

09-22-2006, 01:38 PM	#12
92GreenYJ Rock Stacker Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Ocean beach, San Diego, CA Posts: 64	Got started on the chasis last night and did a little work this morning. Heres what I have so far. Initial mock up of the main hoops welded the basic structure together. Still have alot to add yet. test fitting back in the Proline TJ body to make sure it didn't warp during welding and fabbed the battery tray. I used a cheap POS battery so I could tack weld the battery braces in place and not have to worry about melting the battery

09-25-2006, 06:02 PM	#13
92GreenYJ Rock Stacker Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Ocean beach, San Diego, CA Posts: 64	Got some more work done on the chasis today Added some bracing and the lower tray areas where I will mount the EVX, receiver, etc. Still need to add more bracing then I started screwing around with the motor and trans mounting plate. this took some time and some doing. test placement of the motor/trans to figure out how i want it mounted Got the mount plate fabbed up, cut the hole for the tranny to drop through, then used the stock chasis braces as a guide to drill the tranny mount holes. then welded the mount plate to the chasis. Questions? comments? thoughts?

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09-26-2006, 09:22 AM	#14
sleek6mt RCC Addict Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: UrAnUs Posts: 1,109	what size tubing is that? weight? its comin' along tho

09-26-2006, 06:25 PM	#15
92GreenYJ Rock Stacker Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Ocean beach, San Diego, CA Posts: 64	It's 3/8".40 wall tubeing. itsa suprisingly light for steel. Made some more progress today. I did start the axles, but I was not happy with the direction they were taking so I decided to stop for the day and re-think my diffs. I did manage to get the mounting plates welded in and the EVX, receiver, and shift servo mounted and mocked into place.

09-27-2006, 02:26 PM	#16
Double J I wanna be Dave Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: between heaven and hell. Posts: 3,367	Looks good so far. Clean welds really nice. Why not just lock your tranny into 1st or 2nd and free up the 3rd channel for a rear steer set up? maybe try mounting the battery lower for better COG. Just my 2 cents. I like it so far though

09-27-2006, 03:48 PM	#17
92GreenYJ Rock Stacker Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Ocean beach, San Diego, CA Posts: 64	I had originally planned to lock out the tranny, but the more i thought about it, the more i realized it would be nice to have two gearing choices. Keep in mind I am a 1:1 guy first, and I would love a 2,3,or 4 speed transfer case in my Jeep. multiple gearing options are a good thing. I haven't decided for sure if i want to do rear steer yet or not. my YJ does fine without it, so i think for now i'm gonna leave it with the standard two wheel front steering set up. as for the battery, part of my idea behind placing it where i did was to simulate the weight distribution of a 1:1 rig. right up front where the engine is and a bit high. I think my axles are gonna be heavy enough to help keep the COG down as it is.

09-27-2006, 04:03 PM	#18
EastCoastCrawlers Pebble Pounder Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 115	it looks good, i like the chassis especially

09-27-2006, 07:21 PM	#19
92GreenYJ Rock Stacker Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Ocean beach, San Diego, CA Posts: 64	Another progress report. Got some more work done today. Didn't do too much with the chasis today, I focused on getting the axles started. They are by no means finished yet. I still need to add some more bolts to the two side plates to sandwich the diff, link and shock mounts, knuckle mounts, etc. So heres the progress from today. the front axle. rear is going to be identical slung it under some zip tied on shocks trying to get a feel for ride height chucked some stock T-MAXX tires and wheels on to again get a feel for ride height, link placement and so on. Got tired of trying to wrap my brain around it for the day so I decided to knock off there for the day.

09-27-2006, 08:24 PM	#20
Cloak I wanna be Dave Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Albuquerque Posts: 2,206	That looks like a whole lot of weight up high with the battery where it is and those metal plates holding the electronics where they are. That being said, that looks like some great work. I really like the simplicity of the axles. One of my projects for this year is going to be to make me a solid axle maxx when I get some time. What are you planning on doing for the skid on the bottom? I see those bars sticking out, but I assume they will be cut down as close as you can to the bottom of the tranny? Good work so far.

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