Ninja Maxx (build thread)

[Ninja]

I bought an E-Maxx from a friend for $60 and a couple trades. First thing I did was go to a 10/72 Pinion and Spur setup and spools in the axles. Now that it was slowed down quite a bit I tossed on some Imex Red Rock Krawler tires. These are much better on the rocks than the stock, but still leave a little to be wanted. Next I tossed in 2 HS-645MG servos for the steering. I tried one at first, but it wasnt strong enough, so a second soon followed.




Now that I had enough steering to turn those big soft tires on the rocks, there was only one problem.........The stock EVX only puts out 1A of current to the BEC. This caused the truck to stall if you were using the steering and throttle at the same time. The solution was to drop down to one pack, one Integy Matrix 55T Lathe motor, and run a 5-cell Sub-C reciever pack. Simple mod, just pull the red wire out of the plug for the EVX. All steering and throttle problems were solved,,,,,,for now.




Next I wanted to extend the chassis. I figured that if I extended the rear and left the front as it were I could shift the weight forward on the front tires much like a 60/40 chassis does. So I stretched the rear of the truck about 3". Yeah, now we have close to 15" wheelbase, and a very capable crawler.



I left it like this for a while, then decided that with this greatly increased turning radius, I NEED 4-wheel-steer. I looked around for a while and decided to go with 1/4 scale servos. They have an a$$ load of power and speed, but at a fraction of the cost of a standard size unit. I bought 2 Hobbico CS-80 servos yesterday. I was up all night working on the truck. The rear is now completed and works great. The tranny is now locked into first gear and no more slop. These Hobbico servos put out 334oz/in of torque on 6V with a transit of .14. Enough balls to drag the ground, and enough speed to keep 'em flappin' in the wind. I am working on the servo mounting for the front right now, But here are some pics of the rear.

[theshimonator]

is this meant too crawl? cos' if so it wont very well because you need to make both axles solid and then get a new chassis with links for flex or get a torsion style chassis. but that was a pretty good deal.

[MaXX_CrAWlER7]

Originally Posted by theshimonator

is this meant too crawl? cos' if so it wont very well because you need to make both axles solid and then get a new chassis with links for flex or get a torsion style chassis. but that was a pretty good deal.

no not really mine crawled great

instead of using whatever you are yousing to extend the back that is like a 1/4 inch thick just use a peice of plexi glass it works great and you dont need to make it a solid axle crawler to be good I left mine indy and it was great it kept up with my friends roc maxx and went everywhere it went with no hesitation

pics
http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/showt...882#post415882
its the 5th post down

[theshimonator]

it's just if you have seen the revo rocks project i think some people will agree with me...

[Ninja]

I am going to build a linked 2.2 later down the road. I love this Maxx, and linking a Maxx is blasphemy. IMO everyone who converts their Maxx to a solid axle is defeating the purpose. If I wanted a solid axle truck I would buy a Clod or TXT. I am going to build a 2.2 with TLT axles though. I think it crawls great, and if I had a video camera I would get some video and prove you wrong. The challenge with an Indy is to get your weight distribution right so that it will hold the rocks. Flex isnt as important as alot of people think. So post me a link to your truck and I'll go tell you how to build yours.

[TwistedCreations]

Originally Posted by Ninja

IMO everyone who converts their Maxx to a solid axle is defeating the purpose.

There are alot of pros to making your maxx a solid axle and it making it more capable than what you have, but as you stated, that's your opinion..the EVX has 1.5amps of BEC and with a wiring mess like that, I wouldn't be telling anyone to post up their build thread to show them how to build it

[Ninja]

oh yeah, I'm sorry. I didnt realise that neat wiring makes your truck crawl better. Just like that NOS sticker you probably got on the back windhield of your Honda gives it 20 more hp. My bad.

[Robb]

Originally Posted by Ninja

oh yeah, I'm sorry. I didnt realise that neat wiring makes your truck crawl better. Just like that NOS sticker you probably got on the back windhield of your Honda gives it 20 more hp. My bad.

Yea, you are going to have a long life here.

[jwcustomwurks]

Originally Posted by Robb

Yea, you are going to have a long life here.

[ian48065]

Originally Posted by Robb

Yea, you are going to have a long life here.

LOL couldn't have said it better

[4link4eva]

So, before you get yourself banned, what do you think of the servos? 'Nuff torque? 'Nuff speed? Any glitching issues?

[TwistedCreations]

Originally Posted by Ninja

oh yeah, I'm sorry. I didnt realise that neat wiring makes your truck crawl better. Just like that NOS sticker you probably got on the back windhield of your Honda gives it 20 more hp. My bad.

Well if neat wiring will help a truck crawl better, I suggest you start re-wiring the truck then cause it looks like you need all the help you can get

[Highmark]

Originally Posted by Ninja

I am going to build a linked 2.2 later down the road. I love this Maxx, and linking a Maxx is blasphemy. IMO everyone who converts their Maxx to a solid axle is defeating the purpose. If I wanted a solid axle truck I would buy a Clod or TXT. I am going to build a 2.2 with TLT axles though. I think it crawls great, and if I had a video camera I would get some video and prove you wrong. The challenge with an Indy is to get your weight distribution right so that it will hold the rocks. Flex isnt as important as alot of people think. So post me a link to your truck and I'll go tell you how to build yours.

If you think your truck crawls very well with K-Rock's you have a lot to learn. Come up to Green River one weekend or to one of the Tennessee events and you'll be amazed.

And yes, a clean wiring job does improve performance by decreasing the amount of resistance. It also makes the truck easier to work on and less likely to have electrical failures.

Not a bad start though.

[Ninja]

Originally Posted by 4link4eva

'Nuff torque? 'Nuff speed? Any glitching issues?

We need more posts like this, and less clutter.
I was just doing a build up thread and get insulted, by several people. The pics showing the wiring clutter were taken while the truck was being worked on. No sense in strapping and tucking if they will be removed again shortly afterwards. I havent opened up the EVX and removed any of the extra wires just yet (in case I wanted to go back to stock) but plan to do it soon. I havent clipped down any of the servo leads b/c of warranty purposes. In a couple of the pics you can see that the wiring is routed and zip-tied. I am not going to clip and solder anything to length untill I am sure I got the truck the way I want it.

As for the tires go, I know they arent the best, but in the areas I use them they work fine. I have been looking at some Mashers, and will probably get them this week. I also want a set of Moab XL's but dont want the high price for tires AND wheels. 40 series wheels arent cheap :-(

These servos are great for the most part. They turn great, and fast. The only problem is that the one in the rear doesnt hold center very well. Soon I plan to change my rear steering link to a different position so that it is still parallel to the rear arms, but closer to the center of the servo horn so that the leverage is killed and the torque from the servo will hold better.

[dezfan]

Originally Posted by Ninja

We need more posts like this, and less clutter.
I was just doing a build up thread and get insulted, by several people. The pics showing the wiring clutter were taken while the truck was being worked on. No sense in strapping and tucking if they will be removed again shortly afterwards. I havent opened up the EVX and removed any of the extra wires just yet (in case I wanted to go back to stock) but plan to do it soon. I havent clipped down any of the servo leads b/c of warranty purposes. In a couple of the pics you can see that the wiring is routed and zip-tied. I am not going to clip and solder anything to length untill I am sure I got the truck the way I want it.

As for the tires go, I know they arent the best, but in the areas I use them they work fine. I have been looking at some Mashers, and will probably get them this week. I also want a set of Moab XL's but dont want the high price for tires AND wheels. 40 series wheels arent cheap :-(

These servos are great for the most part. They turn great, and fast. The only problem is that the one in the rear doesnt hold center very well. Soon I plan to change my rear steering link to a different position so that it is still parallel to the rear arms, but closer to the center of the servo horn so that the leverage is killed and the torque from the servo will hold better.

They were not insults, it was advise from experienced crawlers that you basically told didn't know what they were talking about.

Time to talk (type) less and listen (read) more. You just might learn a little about setting up a Maxx based crawler.

Good luck.

[Ninja]

another critic. I have seen a few indy builds on here where everyone that posted in them were all asking "How well does it go" and "that looks good, whats next" and constructive things like that. But I dont get the same treatment. The only person who didnt give me crap was MaXX_CrAWlER7. I never told anybody that they didnt know what they were doing. People saying things like "is this meant too crawl? cos' if so it wont very well" is crap b/c they havent driven my truck, nor seen the places I crawl.
like the electrician that posted "with a wiring mess like that, I wouldn't be telling anyone to post up their build thread to show them how to build it " How many crawlers have you built where the wiring length and position was the first priority? Here is how I built my truck by priority

1) Slow it down. Spinning wheels dont grip rocks
2) Lock axles. Same concept as above ^^^
3) Tires. Now that im slow, and all tires pulling, Stock tires suck. I got the tires local from a Shop Owner who mounted them and ran them once. I only paid $30 and couldnt pass it up. They sure beat the hell out of stock.
4) Steering. Bigger and softer tires make the steering difficult.

That was basically it, then as problems arose, I fixed the problems. If you actually read the build post instead of just looking at the photos, you will see that I already stated most of the things I got slapped for. (such as tires)

[dezfan]

Originally Posted by Ninja

another critic. I have seen a few indy builds on here where everyone that posted in them were all asking "How well does it go" and "that looks good, whats next" and constructive things like that. But I dont get the same treatment. The only person who didnt give me crap was MaXX_CrAWlER7. I never told anybody that they didnt know what they were doing. People saying things like "is this meant too crawl? cos' if so it wont very well" is crap b/c they havent driven my truck, nor seen the places I crawl.
like the electrician that posted "with a wiring mess like that, I wouldn't be telling anyone to post up their build thread to show them how to build it " How many crawlers have you built where the wiring length and position was the first priority? Here is how I built my truck by priority

1) Slow it down. Spinning wheels dont grip rocks
2) Lock axles. Same concept as above ^^^
3) Tires. Now that im slow, and all tires pulling, Stock tires suck. I got the tires local from a Shop Owner who mounted them and ran them once. I only paid $30 and couldnt pass it up. They sure beat the hell out of stock.
4) Steering. Bigger and softer tires make the steering difficult.

That was basically it, then as problems arose, I fixed the problems. If you actually read the build post instead of just looking at the photos, you will see that I already stated most of the things I got slapped for. (such as tires)

I read the entire post.

Have you done any reasearch on Maxx based crawlers?

Have you had experience w/ crawlers before?

Lose the attitude and try to listen to what they are saying. Like I said, they were trying to help.

After your responses, good luck getting any help or insight in the future.

[Ninja]

yes I have done alot of research on Maxx based crawlers. I almost did the solid axle and linked it. I even thought about building one of the Aluminum angle torsion chassis for it. I built the truck the way I wanted it. I am not trying to win any comps or anything, I'm just building one to bash around with. If I wanted a comp crawler I would buy a kit, b/c I know **** about making links, and all that stuff.

[dezfan]

Originally Posted by Ninja

yes I have done alot of research on Maxx based crawlers. I almost did the solid axle and linked it. I even thought about building one of the Aluminum angle torsion chassis for it. I built the truck the way I wanted it. I am not trying to win any comps or anything, I'm just building one to bash around with. If I wanted a comp crawler I would buy a kit, b/c I know **** about making links, and all that stuff.

Again not to bash, but on this web sites home page there is a tech section that has two write ups on how to easily make your own links and other helpful how to's.

http://www.rccrawler.com/tech.htm

Also, there is a sticky at the top of this section w/ lots of great info on building a Maxx crawler.

Building a Maxx crawler

If you think your rig works well now, try a few of these mods and set ups!

You'll be amazed!

[Highmark]

Originally Posted by dezfan

Lose the attitude and try to listen to what they are saying. Like I said, they were trying to help.

After your responses, good luck getting any help or insight in the future.

Word, you've already pissed off half the remaining maxx guys.

So post me a link to your truck and I'll go tell you how to build yours.

You want to know why you're getting 'bashed'? Because that's an arrogant comment and you're a newbie.

Such is the lay of the land.

You may want to look up KevinInLongIsland's old maxx build he did a few years ago. It got pretty crazy and he kept the indy suspension. Might garner some ideas.