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-   -   Natedog's Vaterra ASCENDER (http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/vaterra-ascender/538944-natedogs-vaterra-ascender.html)

Natedog 06-25-2015 10:46 AM

Natedog's Vaterra ASCENDER
 
As my two runners sit currently! :)

http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/membe...4446-65412.jpg


http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/membe...4446-65413.jpg



It was about time for me to post my Ascender, still mostly stock but lots of fun. "thumbsup" I love kits, but bought the RTR for several reasons:
Short on time these days
I like the stock red with white roof paint job (I need new airbrush too and can't decide which one to buy :lmao:)
Wanted to try out the Vaterra waterproof esc (all my other crawlers use Tekin FXR)
RTR tires can be baked off to install beadlocks

RIght out of the box, this truck is 100 times better than any Axial! It's got all the options that I've spent tons of money on for my Axials already incorporated! The fit and finish is way better, no sloppy rod ends, plastic links, wobbly knuckles and c-chubs, loose sloppy transmission input shaft that floats up and down and walks in and out on the topshaft bearings, shocks that don't leak, tires and foams that don't fold over to the rim on sidehills....I could go on but you get the idea. Plastic is much sturdier and more precisely molded too. There were a few screws little bit loose (better than stripped), that was easily fixed during my initial pre-run once over. The front end had a little kinda wobbliness to it during sharp turning that others have mentioned, I found the front axles (CVDs) were out of phase with each other. If you turn the wheels all the way to either side and look at the CVD pins and barrels they were 90* off from each other. Simple and quick fix, pulled a steering knuckle off, pulled axle (CVD) out slightly to disengage it from the spool (ring gear), rotated 90*, pushed the CVD back into the spool, and reinstalled the knuckle with C-hub attached. Torque twist is not really noticeable until I put the big tall Blazer body on, but it doesn't hinder performance much. I lowered the ride height by loosening spring pre-load adjusters (with suspension un-loaded, wheels off the ground) until the springs just touch the adjusters.

This thing crawls great! "thumbsup"8)

Mine came with HD driveshafts and pinion gears already installed, need to take a peak inside the diffs and see if the heavy duty pinions are there too, but I bought spares when I bought the truck just in case.

Installed the HR aluminum diff covers, nice pieces. As soon as the SSD Diff Covers were released, I replaced the Hot Racing with SSD Diff Covers, which are much stronger, thicker and nicer looking little machined aluminum works of art.
Black:
http://www.ssd-rc.com/rock-shield-di...-ascender.html

Silver anodized:
http://www.ssd-rc.com/rock-shield-di...-(silver).html

Spools, Axle Gears and Shimming:
I've been beating mine hard too and so far everything's holding up just fine. Even did some forward reverse full throttle the other day, just to see if the diffs would blow and it's still on original set of HD pinion gears and drive-shafts. Also been letting everybody drive it, hopping and bouncing at full throttle on steep climbs, steering full lock in both directions, lots of tumbles mostly on 2S, but some 3S.

Shimming the diffs (spools), my Blazer came with both shims on the wrong side in the front diff and the rear had one on each side, so I swapped both factory shims to the side to push the ring gear closer to the pinion. I read on here somewhere that somebody added a third shim to the same side. The stock shims are about 0.004" thick or just under, the CRC (Calandra Racing Concepts) 8mm shims I bought are about 0.006" thick, I added one to the stack for total of three shims about 0.014" total thickness. The diff still spun smoothly, but it barely had any backlash so I took one of the stock thinner shims and moved it to the opposite side (away from the ring gear) which gave me just the right amount of backlash. This ended up being 0.010" thick on the ring gear side and 0.004" on the side opposite the ring gear. Added a little extra grease to the gears too.

CRC (Calandra Racing Concepts) shims, IIRC I bought shims at LHS RC Country in Sacramento, but I see A-Main Hobbies has them online and they are good source. Shims for ring gear (spool) and pinion, I bought steel Calandra Racing 6mm shims for the pinion and 8mm for the ring gear...just in case they needed tightened up a little (only the spool needed shimmed).
https://www.teamcrc.com/crc/modules....category_id=79


Shock Springs:
Vaterra Ascender Upper Shock Spring Set Soft,Med,Hard(2ea.) PART NUMBER: VTR233029. According to Horizon, "The RTR and Kit come with the "medium" rate springs. These can be identified by the Silver mark on the spring itself. The firm springs are identified with a green mark, while the soft spring is identified with a Yellow mark." I want to soften the short upper springs to get ride height down little more while still maintaining spring contact with the adjuster and bottom spring cup at full droop, the soft springs should do the trick!

Lower Shock Spring Set Soft, Medium, Hard (2): ASN VTR233030, these are color coded same as the upper springs.

RTR Ascenders come with silver (medium) upper and lower springs on all four shocks.


Batteries:
I usied Turnigy 1300 and 2200 3S smaller packs in it to start with, because it's what I was using in my SCX10 Honcho and Wraith, but have since bought several good hardcase shorty packs that fit the stock battery tray very nicely.

Turnigy 1300mAh 3S 20C Lipo Pack
Turnigy 1300mAh 3S 20C Lipo Pack

Turnigy Heavy Duty 2200mAh 3S 60C Lipo Pack
Turnigy Heavy Duty 2200mAh 3S 60C Lipo Pack (US Warehouse)

Switched to Team Orion Carbon Pro 4500 100C 7.4V Shorty Pack, I like the low speed control of 2S without swapping pinion.

I bought several SMC Batteries Factory Spec 7.4V Shorty 4400mAh 60C Inboard (Product Code: 4460-2S2P)
http://www.smc-racing.net/index.php?...product_id=121

Current LIHV batteries run for 3-4 hours
https://www.amainhobbies.com/protek-...116-19/p846216

Transmission and 2-Speed (Two-Speed) Option:
Will install two-speed tranny later so 2S should be fine, may go hotter motor later too.
Batteries :: Lipo :: Competition :: Carbon Pro 4500 100C 7.4V Shorty Pack - Team Orion


Body Height and Mounting:
I lowered the body two post holes front and rear, trimmed 1/4" off front and rear of body, the sides still have about another 1/4" between them and nerf bars. Looks better and can go down one more hole front and rear on the mounts, I've already trimmed the front and rear of the wheel openings to clear the stock tires with the body lowered. Only trimmed off about 1/8" at front and rear edges of wheel wells to clear with lowered body, I think the body looks pretty good at this height, but am tempted to go one hole lower front and rear...leaving as is for now. It's easy to cut more, difficult to put it back. Might trim the front wheel openings at the tops to clear during full flex travel and turning as it still has very minor occasion rubbing there and I like the look of the body.


Tires:
Vaterra TSL listed as 4.5" tall, but I haven't measured them, the size is perfect for the Blazer body. They are pretty sticky once cleaned with Simple Green and water, driving them more helps too but not as quickly. They work very well on all terrain, including mud, loose dirt, sand and rock and clean out all except the stickiest clay mud. With more horsepower, they should clean out even sticky clay mud.


Foams:
Vaterra Swampers on RC4WD 6-lug White Steel Wagon Wheel beadlocks are using Crawler Innovations Deuce's Wild Single Stage 1.9 Pitbull Rock Beast Foam
https://www.rpphobby.com/product_p/cwr-3001.htm

http://crawlerinnovations.com/deuces...ast-foam-pair/


RTR Steering Servo:
Spektrum SPMS605, 9KG Servo, WP, Metal, 23T
Gear Type: Metal
Servo Type: Digital
Speed: .24 sec/60 degrees @ 6.0V
Torque: 161 oz-in @ 6.0V

Current servo in all my Ascenders, HS-7955TG High Torque, Titanium Gear, Coreless Ultra Premium Servo
Part No: 37955S
https://hitecrcd.com/products/servos...7955tg/product

Stock plastic servo horn and servo are hanging in there for months, but I have replaced it with Hitec HS7950-TH servo, second RTR gets the Hitec HS7955-TG which survived my Wraith, but wanted more power there. Dynamite aluminum servo horns are on both trucks, they fit very snugly on the servo output splines, are perfect length using the outermost linkage hole, have survived on my SCX10 through Axialfest, and are inexpensive. These are available in black, blue and red. They are nice and compact, the lower arm profile allows me to get full suspension up-travel of the shocks and just touch the arm at full compression (stock plastic arm and many clamping horns do not). Clamping horns are unecessary on most RC, a good quality metal arm with Loctited screw and washer is all that is required.


Part Number: DYN2561
1/2 Machined Aluminum Servo Arm: HRC Black
http://www.dynamiterc.com/Products/D...ProdID=DYN2561



Body looks sweet on my Wraith but probably have to cut too much to clear the tires. 8):ror: Ascender front end peaking out of right side of pic on workbench, need to get some of my trail pics.

http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/membe...4446-65414.jpg


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Good links!
------------
How to convert Ascender transmission to two-speed (2-speed)
http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/vater...two-speed.html

Things to know before you start building your Ascender
http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/vater...-ascender.html

Ascender photo archive
http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/vater...o-archive.html

OSRC 06-25-2015 11:55 AM

Re: Natedog's Vaterra ASCENDER
 
I think they are great trucks, Mine is proving very capable. I just bought a second one for a shorter WB build.

Natedog 06-25-2015 11:58 AM

Re: Natedog's Vaterra ASCENDER
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by OSRC (Post 5250921)
I think they are great trucks, Mine is proving very capable. I just bought a second one for a shorter WB build.

Yes, me too, I love mine! My SCX sits on the workbench with a bent and twisted frame at the moment and I'm having very little desire to fix my Axial because I'm enjoying my Ascender! "thumbsup" My Wraith is boring me with it's too wide track too and I even considered parting out or selling my Wraith, but may do a 1.9 with some Ascender axles.

Update: Sold my Wraith axles! :)

kcbeatty 06-25-2015 02:42 PM

Re: Natedog's Vaterra ASCENDER
 
I agree with you Natedog. While I was looking at the Ascender I weighed the cost of the kit verses the RTR and it just made since to go ahead and get the RTR. It came with a lot of stuff I had to buy as upgrades for my SCX10.

My TF2 is going to hit the auction block. I just can't get into the 1.55 scale.

Natedog 06-25-2015 02:53 PM

Re: Natedog's Vaterra ASCENDER
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by kcbeatty (Post 5251049)
I agree with you Natedog. While I was looking at the Ascender I weighed the cost of the kit verses the RTR and it just made since to go ahead and get the RTR. It came with a lot of stuff I had to buy as upgrades for my SCX10.

My TF2 is going to hit the auction block. I just can't get into the 1.55 scale.

Yes, RTR had stuff I wanted and can always use a spare radio so buddies without scalers can crawl with us and get a taste of the fun too! Although I'm more apt to drive this and let them use one of my other crawlers.

I really love the look of the TF2 and D90, but they are fragile and hard to get parts for imo. Heck most any body can be mounted on the Ascender chassis, but so far I love the old Blazer look and the detail of the grill with lexan body...I know I would destroy a hardbody, but they look nice. :lmao: 1.55 is also a little small for me too. "thumbsup"

SilmarilS 06-26-2015 01:11 AM

Re: Natedog's Vaterra ASCENDER
 
Look for the TRA2820 on Hobbyking... 2200mAh packs, 2s.

You can mount 2 of theses in parallel on the tray for a 4400mAh pack.

This is what I run.

Natedog 06-26-2015 10:57 AM

Re: Natedog's Vaterra ASCENDER
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by SilmarilS (Post 5251410)
Look for the TRA2820 on Hobbyking... 2200mAh packs, 2s.

You can mount 2 of theses in parallel on the tray for a 4400mAh pack.

This is what I run.

Thanks, those are nice and compact, I've used many of their lipos, but haven't tried the Nano-Tech. "thumbsup"

Turnigy nano-tech 2200mah 2S 40~80C Lipo Pack (TRA2820 Traxxas compatible 1/16 models), PRODUCT ID: 9210000008
Specs:
Capacity: 2200mAh
Voltage: 2S1P / 2 Cell / 7.4V
Discharge: 40C Constant / 80C Burst
Weight: 119.6g (including plug & case)
Dimensions: 87 x 19 x 34mm
Discharge Plug: Traxxas compatible plug




I've been running these in my Honcho, nice packs but little bit longer.

Turnigy Heavy Duty 2200mAh 3S 60C Lipo Pack, PRODUCT ID: T2200.3S.60
Features:
• Wide tabs with copper coating for superior power transfer
• Super high 60C discharge rate
• Perfect for high performance models
• Heavy duty silicone wire leads
Specs:
Capacity: 2200mAh
Configuration: 3S1P / 11.1v / 3Cell
Constant Discharge: 60C / 120C (Burst)
Weight: 198g
Dimension: 107 x 27 x 34mm
Charge Plug: JST-XH
Discharge plug: XT60
Wire Gauge: 12AWG
Turnigy Heavy Duty 2200mAh 3S 60C Lipo Pack

Last night I opened the diffs and found that mine came with HD pinions already installed. The front diff had both shims on the wrong side and the rear had one on each side, so I swapped them both to the side to push the ring gear closer to the pinion. I read on here somewhere that somebody added a third shim to the same side. The stock shims are about 0.004" thick or just under, the CRC 8mm shims I bought are about 0.006" thick, I added one to the stack for total of three shims about 0.014" thick. The diff still spun smoothly, but it barely had any backlash so I took one of the stock thinner shims and moved it to the opposite side (away from the ring gear) which gave me just the right amount of backlash imo. Added a little extra grease and installed Hot Racing aluminum diff covers, the driveline is now super smooth and should be a little stronger. "thumbsup"

It was late and I forgot to check that both front CVDs are in phase with each other when I reassembled it. :ror:

Natedog 06-26-2015 11:09 AM

Re: Natedog's Vaterra ASCENDER
 
Bought a 2S Orion shorty pack last night to try out, I like the stock battery tray and am going to use it.

Team Orion 2S "Carbon Pro" 100C Li-Poly Shorty Pack Battery w/4mm Tubes (7.4V/4500mAh)
http://www.amain.com/rc-cars/team-or...i14066/p276944

kcbeatty 06-26-2015 03:50 PM

Re: Natedog's Vaterra ASCENDER
 
I'm using the Dynamite Reaction 4000 mah 50c single battery.

I have had less than stellar success with the Turnigy 5200mah in my other trucks. The first issue was with the soldering of the wires. These bat's, had 2 of them, had problems with the aluminum lead wires breaking at the connector. I have a problem with electronic components making a copper connection to aluminum wire. One of my 2 failed open and I sold the other one.

Natedog 06-26-2015 06:24 PM

Re: Natedog's Vaterra ASCENDER
 
Thanks for the input and yes aluminum used for any electrical connection is cheap xxxx, although I've had pretty good experience with Turnigy soft pack lipos. :)

truckbob 06-27-2015 05:21 AM

Re: Natedog's Vaterra ASCENDER
 
Lets see some more pics Natedog"thumbsup"You brought up my old Ascender kit thread from last sept last week I Ran it some but in December bought a RTR and find I prefer it for that cool scale factor and great performance.

radendafox 06-27-2015 04:40 PM

Re: Natedog's Vaterra ASCENDER
 
Hello everybody, this is my first post. If you get those SSD beadlocks Natedog, could you tell me if they work with the stock ascender tires and such? Thank you.

Natedog 06-27-2015 08:15 PM

Re: Natedog's Vaterra ASCENDER
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by truckbob (Post 5252068)
Lets see some more pics Natedog"thumbsup"You brought up my old Ascender kit thread from last sept last week I Ran it some but in December bought a RTR and find I prefer it for that cool scale factor and great performance.

Will do, thanks. I liked your thread, did you add your RTR to that thread, new thread or? You just liked the pre-painted body or?

EDIT: The SSD wheels work with the stock Vaterra tires.

Quote:

Originally Posted by radendafox (Post 5252393)
Hello everybody, this is my first post. If you get those SSD beadlocks Natedog, could you tell me if they work with the stock ascender tires and such? Thank you.

Hi and welcome to the board! According to Harley's build thread a a couple other peeps on here they work. I will post up if I get them. "thumbsup"

Went crawling at the lake yesterday after work, lots of blasting around on 3S and 2S, nohting broken yet lol. Love this truck looks great and crawls great especially for box stock RTR! I'm preferring it on 2S because that first startup step is smoother, slower and more controllable for realistic scale driving. Stock esc and radio don't have concave throttle profile like high end stuff, but works very well.

looneybin 06-27-2015 08:34 PM

Re: Natedog's Vaterra ASCENDER
 
Not gonna lie i am liking the look of the wraith axles under the truck. Makes the body look normal size for once.

Natedog 06-28-2015 03:19 AM

Re: Natedog's Vaterra ASCENDER
 
HD pinions!

http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/membe...4446-65415.jpg

http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/membe...4446-65416.jpg

http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/membe...4446-65417.jpg

http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/membe...4446-65418.jpg

http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/membe...4446-65419.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...pslmppuntp.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...psmegcmqh9.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...psshjat1uj.jpg

http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/membe...4446-65420.jpg

http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/membe...4446-65422.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...ps7zlj6b3b.jpg

http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/membe...4446-65423.jpg

joe122 06-28-2015 10:08 AM

Re: Natedog's Vaterra ASCENDER
 
Killing me! I'm out here working (CA), the scenery and terrain is killer, your photos are awesome! Didn't dare pack one of my rigs given the crap I went through once bringing one to TX. No place that matches your crawl spot at home in southern MI!

Natedog 06-28-2015 01:16 PM

Re: Natedog's Vaterra ASCENDER
 
@Joe122, pm'ed you.

Natedog 06-28-2015 05:02 PM

Re: Natedog's Vaterra ASCENDER
 
I'm deciding on new lower links for my Blazer, stockers are not bent yet but I know that's just matter of time...even my Wraith bent some VP ti lower links lol. The Ascender stock links are aluminum and even thinner than SCX stock links, which I bent....they turned into self made high clearance links after awhile.

I've seen the Hot Racing and Vaterra aluminum knuckles, c-hubs and rear lockouts at my LHS, they are both pretty nice. Vaterrra are definitely nicer looking and beefier, but HR is about half the cost. I'll go with the Vaterra when it's time due to the quality.

I'm thinking about lowering Blazer body on mine too. Looks like most peeps are cutting the sides about 1/16" above the bottom of the doors or?

Any problems with the larger Axial clamping servo horn hitting links on supsension compression?

stillsmokin875 06-28-2015 05:37 PM

Re: Natedog's Vaterra ASCENDER
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Natedog (Post 5252905)
Any problems with the larger Axial clamping servo horn hitting links on supsension compression?

I've seen a few guys running the axial horn on the Ascender, but it was too close for comfort when I tried mounting mine. Basically rubbing on the panhard bar, so I went with the stock plastic one for now. I'm sure I will have to replace it eventually.

Natedog 06-28-2015 06:27 PM

Re: Natedog's Vaterra ASCENDER
 
That's what it looked like was going to do, LHS was temporarily out of the Vaterra aluminum clamping servo horn that has more clearance. I'll wait for it to come back in stock or hit up RPP Hobby. So far knock on wood my stock plastic horn is holding up lol.

Natedog 07-01-2015 10:30 AM

Re: Natedog's Vaterra ASCENDER
 
Need to get some more pics up, love this Blazer body with the molded grill and lights, it looks even better now that I took the time to put the little black decals in the grill. I was going to do a wash with some flat black model paint, but I didn't have any and the sticker sheet was sitting on my bench.

I lowered the body two body post holes front and rear, trimmed 1/4" off front and rear of body, the sides still have about another 1/4" between them and nerf bars. It looks way better and I could go down one more hole front and rear on the mounts, I've already trimmed the front and rear of the wheel openings to clear the stock tires with the body lowered. Only trimmed off about 1/8" at front and rear edges of wheel wells to clear with lowered body, I think the body looks pretty good at this height, but am tempted to go one hole lower front and rear...leaving as is for now and we'll see. It's easy to cut more, difficult to put it back. I might trim the front wheel openings at the tops to clear during full flex travel and turning as it still has very minor occasion rubbing there and I like the look of the body. Vaterra TSL listed as 4.5" tall, but I haven't measured them.

Stock plastic servo horn and servo are hanging in there, but I have spare Hitec HS7955-TG servo (survived my Wraith, but wanted more power there) left over and it's now my official Ascender backup for if stocker dies. Crawled again the other night, need to get some headlights and rock lights on this.

I've been beating mine hard too and so far everything has been fine. Even did some forward reverse throttle the other day, just to see if the diffs would blow and it's still on original set of HD gears and driveshafts. Also been letting it hop and bounce on steep climbs, steering full lock in both directions, some tumbles mostly on 2S, but some 3S too, mine is all stock still. I checked diffs and had to re-shim them properly and added one shim of my own per diff. Two shims on ring gear side of spool and one shim on the other end of the spool, extra little spot of grease and that's it.

Natedog 07-02-2015 11:36 AM

Re: Natedog's Vaterra ASCENDER
 
Loaded up the Nashbar SS 29er and moved to a better crawl spot! Radio stayed put all the way out on dirt fire roads and single track...even the rocky rooty spots didn't shake it loose. Then the return trip mostly on paved path was no problem at all.

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/807/4...e30b2f85_b.jpgIMG_0516


Put some flat pedals back on, I wanted to hike around easily while crawling, not with carbon soled bike shoes lol.

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/789/2...831eef07_b.jpgIMG_0157



Ascender fastened to Camelbak with velcro straps (like battery strap, but longer and wider). I used 8" length Black Hook and Loop (Frys.com #3358942, Manufacturer: THE, UPC #050286806056, Model #20-8-0), but Fry's Electronics has them in 6" and 12" too. It took three of the 8" put together to hold transmitter to the stem and bars.
http://www.frys.com/product/3358942;...H:MAIN_RSLT_PG

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4781/...dcf7fb34_b.jpgIMG_0518



It was dusk and the nearly full moon was rising early

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/810/2...63ddeec8_b.jpgIMG_0519

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4785/...7cb60ea6_b.jpgIMG_0520


Star of Bethlehem?
“Star Of Bethlehem” Visible on June 30th for the First Time in 2,000 Years. | elephant journal

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/806/4...924ef8e8_b.jpgIMG_0521

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4795/...2973b407_b.jpgIMG_0522



Need to get headlights and rocklights, I was wearing small LED headlamp for light

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/791/3...6bc22d46_b.jpgIMG_0523


The moon

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...pszks4qovu.jpg

motakitty 07-02-2015 02:15 PM

Re: Natedog's Vaterra ASCENDER
 
If you got a rack over the rear tire you could strap the truck to that and maybe a drink holder in the middle of the frame to hold the remote. Looks like a fun day though

Natedog 07-03-2015 11:25 AM

Re: Natedog's Vaterra ASCENDER
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by motakitty (Post 5255030)
If you got a rack over the rear tire you could strap the truck to that and maybe a drink holder in the middle of the frame to hold the remote. Looks like a fun day though

That's a good idea on the rear rack, but I ride aggressively out on single track and for that the rack would have to come off. Might buy a rack anyways, it's not that hard to un-bolt as needed. I have a water bottle holder on the downtube, which comes in really handy, but for longer more remote trail rides and on hot days (was over 100F even in the evening that day) I wear my Camelbak with 3 liters of water, sometimes carry one or two water bottles depending on which bike I ride and carry Salt Stick capsules, snacks, etc in my pack. I drank all 3liters plus a bottle full during the ride and the last several miles was without water. I spent the rest of the evening after dinner and the next day trying to re-hydrate.

I tried mounting the transmitter in the water bottle cage, but it didn't really fit in properly so that it could be securely fastened down and I was worried about something hitting it down there and breaking the steering wheel off. Thanks, was great fun riding and the crawl session was a big bonus...actually the main point of the trip. 8)

looneybin 07-03-2015 01:33 PM

Re: Natedog's Vaterra ASCENDER
 
Cool...riding to go crawling. Fun all around

JOETRUCKER80 07-04-2015 07:06 AM

Re: Natedog's Vaterra ASCENDER
 
I use a turnigy 959 servo, huge horn on it, so for clearance I grind the Panhard bar down a bit, then grind the servo horn down a bit. This gives me a lil' rub at full compression, not bad at all!
and if u dont know about these servo's....well look em up! They use a HiTec 79xx board to drive it inside n have a ton of power with a full alum case!

Knuckles n hubs, run the Vaterra ones, they will allow u to run the disc brakes/ wheel weights! They look cool and can only bolt up to the Vaterra hubs.

How do u like the HR diff cover? I am thinkin I may get those next!

Natedog 07-05-2015 06:03 PM

Re: Natedog's Vaterra ASCENDER
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by looneybin (Post 5255493)
Cool...riding to go crawling. Fun all around

Thanks, that's what I was thinking and no parking fee to enter the park either if you're on a bike. "thumbsup"

Quote:

Originally Posted by JOETRUCKER80 (Post 5255823)
I use a turnigy 959 servo, huge horn on it, so for clearance I grind the Panhard bar down a bit, then grind the servo horn down a bit. This gives me a lil' rub at full compression, not bad at all!
and if u dont know about these servo's....well look em up! They use a HiTec 79xx board to drive it inside n have a ton of power with a full alum case!

Knuckles n hubs, run the Vaterra ones, they will allow u to run the disc brakes/ wheel weights! They look cool and can only bolt up to the Vaterra hubs.

How do u like the HR diff cover? I am thinkin I may get those next!

Nice, I've looked at those before but haven't tried them. How many splines on output shaft?

Yes, the Vaterra aluminum knuckles, c-hubs and rear axle retainers are the only ones with drilled and tapped holes for the disk brake knuckle weights and they are beefier than the other brands I've seen. "thumbsup"

JOETRUCKER80 07-05-2015 06:31 PM

Re: Natedog's Vaterra ASCENDER
 
25t, futaba i think. Comes with a nice alum arm included.

joe122 07-05-2015 08:15 PM

Re: Natedog's Vaterra ASCENDER
 
Man can it get any cooler? Bike to a spot like that, photos are awesome. Looked like you had a blast.

Exocaged 07-06-2015 06:49 AM

Re: Natedog's Vaterra ASCENDER
 
Within our club we must have 30 of the turnigy 959v2 servos in use in everything from crawlers to big monster trucks and even some racers and they are simply awesome. I have one in my Ascender too with no issues.

Natedog 07-06-2015 11:41 AM

Re: Natedog's Vaterra ASCENDER
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by JOETRUCKER80 (Post 5255823)
...How do u like the HR diff cover? I am thinkin I may get those next!

Realized I didn't answer this part of your question, the HR diff covers are excellent, highly recommended mod, look great and imo may help hold the diff gears in better alignment under high load situations. "thumbsup" Buy them, I'm very happy with them and the quality is very good!

EDIT: I now highly recommend the SSD diff covers over the HR covers!
http://www.ssd-rc.com/rock-shield-di...-ascender.html


Quote:

Originally Posted by JOETRUCKER80 (Post 5256608)
25t, futaba i think. Comes with a nice alum arm included.

Thanks, yes 25T is Futaba. That is a nice arm included, but always good to know splines for spares and interchange with my current parts.

Quote:

Originally Posted by joe122 (Post 5256653)
Man can it get any cooler? Bike to a spot like that, photos are awesome. Looked like you had a blast.

Thanks, yes I had a blast! 8) "thumbsup"

Quote:

Originally Posted by Exocaged (Post 5256813)
Within our club we must have 30 of the turnigy 959v2 servos in use in everything from crawlers to big monster trucks and even some racers and they are simply awesome. I have one in my Ascender too with no issues.

Cool, good to know, they look like a worthy servo especially for the price. Does it get enough travel using stock radio or do you use differnt radio and adjust travel and endpoints?

JOETRUCKER80 07-06-2015 11:43 AM

Re: Natedog's Vaterra ASCENDER
 
Most of us run hacked flysky radios, but it works fine with stock radios too.

Natedog 07-06-2015 11:45 AM

Re: Natedog's Vaterra ASCENDER
 
Cool I have a couple radios.

JOETRUCKER80 07-06-2015 12:26 PM

Re: Natedog's Vaterra ASCENDER
 
They r the best crawler radio IMO. talk with exocaged, Joe, he does the hacking for our local guys.

kcbeatty 07-07-2015 11:22 AM

Re: Natedog's Vaterra ASCENDER
 
Nice work Natedog, I really wish I had some great places to do trail runs. Down here is southwest Louisiana everything is flat. Anything that even looks like a hill is probably a salt dome.

derb 07-07-2015 08:23 PM

Re: Natedog's Vaterra ASCENDER
 
how did you work out the pinions were already HD?

Alexander_0_1 07-07-2015 08:53 PM

Re: Natedog's Vaterra ASCENDER
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by derb (Post 5257992)
how did you work out the pinions were already HD?

Standard pinions have a gap in the teeth that runs from the front face of the pinion straight through to the back, where as HD pinions look like they have a washer at the back of the pinion.....it's one piece, but it looks like a washer that supports the pinion teeth.

derb 07-07-2015 09:27 PM

Re: Natedog's Vaterra ASCENDER
 
Thanks, I'll check mine when I get home.

Natedog 07-08-2015 01:18 PM

Re: Natedog's Vaterra ASCENDER
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by kcbeatty (Post 5257647)
Nice work Natedog, I really wish I had some great places to do trail runs. Down here is southwest Louisiana everything is flat. Anything that even looks like a hill is probably a salt dome.

Thanks! It's difficult to find good crawl spots...some places harder than others. I also enjoy just trailing around when there aren't as many rocks. Just googled "Louisiana salt dome"....wow...

Quote:

Originally Posted by derb (Post 5257992)
how did you work out the pinions were already HD?

See my pic in post #15 of this thread, like Alexander_0_1 says right down here.... VVV

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alexander_0_1 (Post 5258014)
Standard pinions have a gap in the teeth that runs from the front face of the pinion straight through to the back, where as HD pinions look like they have a washer at the back of the pinion.....it's one piece, but it looks like a washer that supports the pinion teeth.

Yes!

Quote:

Originally Posted by derb (Post 5258031)
Thanks, I'll check mine when I get home.

"thumbsup" Cool and good luck, I bought pack of HD pinions just in case when I bought my Ascender RTR, they come two in a pack for about $12, also bought pack of steel shims for the diff (spoo) just in case too. Check for proper diff shimming while you're checking your pinions.

From my post #1:
Somebody mentioned shims for ring gear (spool) and pinion, I bought steel Calandra Racing 6mm shims for the pinion and 8mm for the ring gear...just in case they needed tightened up a little.
https://www.teamcrc.com/crc/modules....category_id=79

From post #7:
I opened the diffs and found that mine came with HD pinions already installed. The front diff had both shims on the wrong side and the rear had one on each side, so I swapped them both to the side to push the ring gear closer to the pinion. I read on here somewhere that somebody added a third shim to the same side. The stock shims are about 0.004" thick or just under, the CRC 8mm shims I bought are about 0.006" thick, I added one to the stack for total of three shims about 0.014" thick. The diff still spun smoothly, but it barely had any backlash so I took one of the stock thinner shims and moved it to the opposite side (away from the ring gear) which gave me just the right amount of backlash imo. Added a little extra grease and installed Hot Racing aluminum diff covers, the driveline is now super smooth and should be a little stronger.

It was late and I forgot to check that both front CVDs are in phase with each other when I reassembled it.

"thumbsup""thumbsup""thumbsup"

I had this truck severly bound up last weekend on the rocks to the point of tires flattened out on undercut climbs, the tires trying to stretch and wrap up around the wheels, slipper is tight and not slipping and nothing broke. I did let off the throttle in this situation, just as I do with my SCX Honcho and Wraith, I've not broken any diff gears on any of my crawlers even running without a slipper, but when the tires are bound up and stretching around the wheels with zero forward progress it's just time to let off the throttle and re-assess my line. :lmao:

Natedog 07-14-2015 05:23 PM

Re: Natedog's Vaterra ASCENDER
 
Mo crawlin updates! Lots of rock and very little rock rash on these sweet scale little axle pumpkins. 8)"thumbsup" Lots of sweet lines here, following mostly granite slab "trail" this time, I crawled up the other side, through the slot in the background, onto this little shelf trail and down the crack.

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/822/4...2f00c6c1_b.jpgIMG_0524

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/801/2...d4bfb58f_b.jpgIMG_0525

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4779/...2ceecdf4_b.jpgIMG_0526

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4777/...5816f296_b.jpgIMG_0527

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/807/3...653654b8_b.jpgIMG_0528


KInda time lapse as I climbed a nice steep granite slab, hard to take pics while driving with iPhone in hand. One pic came out little darker, sun was going down quickly. :ror:

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/791/4...d5b2d6ca_b.jpgIMG_0529

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/798/4...b042c9d0_b.jpgIMG_0530


This last one in the sequence I had climbed up the rock a bit to get better camera angle and lighting, you can track trucks upward progress by looking at the cracks in the rocks. I took it all the way to the top, turned left and drove back down too but couldn't take pics and not front flip on the way down. :lmao:

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/797/3...36a1725d_b.jpgIMG_0531


Obligatory beautiful sunset, the truck is in the middle top of rock. 8) As usual, thanks for looking. 8)"thumbsup"

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4780/...5de81eb4_b.jpgIMG_0532

EDIT: Had to fix a couple pics were linked to same pic more than once. :) Also finally cleaned the grill and applied all the little black stickers using a pair of tweezers and it looks much better to me.


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