Diary of a Stock Bronco...

[Metalhed2434]

I have been looking at the ascender for a long time now, they have always appealed to me but I couldn't ever really justify the purchase. With an SCX10, Wraith, Yeti, Slickrock, Micro Trekker, and too many others to count who could right? But then they came out with the Bronco RTR and my fate was sealed...

One of the few things keeping me from purchasing in the past was the super huge Blazer body. I am a bit burned out on my SCX10 (long story, but it's not functional at the moment), so the idea of starting fresh on a brand new 1.9 scaler/trail rig seemed like a good time.

I typically do a lot of research on Rc's before purchasing, and everyone seems to love the ascender. Everyone that I talked to raved about it outperforming a stock SCX10 right out of the box, etc. etc. But the one thing that I had trouble finding was long term reviews. No doubt everyone is going to love it straight out of the box...but how did they feel 6 months or so after the purchase?

Then RPP posted on Facebook that they were doing 15% off orders for Halloween and I took the plunge...I decided that this time I will do my own research!

Largely inspired by NaZ-T's "Dudley Deadbolt's Adventure Thread" I decided that I wanted to do something similar. I plan to leave her pretty much dead stock, and keep the modifications (if any) to a minimum. I probably won't be logging mileage via GPS as NaZ-T did in his thread, but at the very least I will log "battery packs." I have a bunch of extra smaller sized venom 2000mah 2s lipos, and I intend to run them through the rig, and log any breakages/hiccups along the way. The idea behind this experiment is to see how good the ascender performs stock, and how durable she is after seeing pack after pack of normal use.

I don't plan on being abusive to the rig, the goal is not to "stress test" the rig, but just to see how she holds up to normal use (don't worry, it certainly won't be babied...) It will probably see some use as a back up rig for friends who don't have RC's, and I will probably do a fair amount of trailing/crawling with her depending on who I am with at the time.

Well, that's all for now, she should be delivered tomorrow. I will post some pics once she arrives, and will log my first impressions after her maiden run!

[OSRC]

Originally Posted by Metalhed2434

But the one thing that I had trouble finding was long term reviews. No doubt everyone is going to love it straight out of the box...but how did they feel 6 months or so after the purchase?

In the Ascender section there are guys chronicling their adventures, both after purchase and as they go. Not hard to find....not sure what else you are looking for?

I backordered mine the day they were announced, and have been running it on and off since. Got lucky, no gear problems, no problems at all actually. Made a few slight mods as I built it and have been wheeling it since. Zero problems. Picked up a second roller to experiment with. It's a great chassis.

Only feedback I have is I wish there was a little more aftermarket for it, though GCM, SSD, and GPM have recently really stepped up.

[Metalhed2434]

Originally Posted by OSRC

In the Ascender section there are guys chronicling their adventures, both after purchase and as they go. Not hard to find....not sure what else you are looking for?

Forgive me if I sounded vague, I haven't read through ALL the threads on the Ascender...

I didn't mean to discredit or seem non-appreciative of anyone else's adventure logs whatsoever, I have read many, and found the information quite useful! However it seems like most of the threads that I have read through, include people making lots of modifications and upgrades. This is great, this is why we do this stuff! However I have other projects that I feel like I want to dump some money into first, so I don't plan to modify or upgrade this model unless it becomes totally necessary.

I really loved reading through NaZ-T's "Dudley's Deadbolt Adventure's" thread, and that is what inspired me to make this one. The goal is to keep the rig "stock" and see how far you can drive it, while only making minor modifications/repairs. He has now logged over 100 miles on his rig, and has spent very little in modifying/repairing it.

I guess I just want to see how Axial's new competitor compares on a "stock/out of the box" level, long term, without dumping a ton of money into upgrades. You are correct, there is a lot of information out there, I guess I just want to publish some of my own findings :P

[Metalhed2434]

She just arrived!

I unboxed her here at work, and took a couple of photo's. Upon inspection everything looked great. I fired her up for a little test drive around my desk, and noticed some pretty extreme binding while steering at full throw (which I guess is somewhat normal/common?) I also noticed that both of the passenger side wheels/tires seemed to have a fair amount of wobble, more so on the front wheel. I put it on it's back and spun the wheels, and all four seemed a bit wobbly, however I imagine that the foams have settled a bit and it will sort itself out soon. The right front wheel however definitely has a bad wobble to it, and using the allen key supplied, I took off the wheel and checked the inside to see if the hex or the hex(hole?) were milled crooked, and both seemed fine. I tightened up the chubs, and it still wobbles. There is a considerable amount of play with the universals and bearings inside the chubs on the right side, and I suppose that is where the wobble is coming from. Nothing I am stressing about just yet, only reporting my findings!

The weather here in Utah is starting to get pretty cold/wet, and by the time I get off work it is usually getting dark. I will report back, once I have shown the Bronco some terrain! At worst I have my backyard, and some decorative rocks in the parking lot here at work.

[Big Bill]

Nas-Ts Deadbolt project was what my Deadbolt was "supposed" to be. But you know how that goes but the Blazer I have now is going that route except for a few upgrades I feel are necessary to keep a rig running while on trail. We have a event this weekend that I hope to run the Blazer in, but I keep waffling back and forth between the Deadbolt and the Blazer. I like the direction your going to go with yours, I hope to do the same.

[BoilerUp]

Looking forward to following the thread and seeing it in action! I was debating purchasing one of these but I'm not sure of the short wheelbase just yet; reason being I like steep climbs. So I'm not sure if it's for me...but I really like the classic Bronco body! Have fun!

[Metalhed2434]

Thank you all for reading my thread!!! It feels good to actually contribute some content to a forum instead of lurking about and strictly looking for information....

Originally Posted by Big Bill

Nas-Ts Deadbolt project was what my Deadbolt was "supposed" to be. But you know how that goes but the Blazer I have now is going that route except for a few upgrades I feel are necessary to keep a rig running while on trail. We have a event this weekend that I hope to run the Blazer in, but I keep waffling back and forth between the Deadbolt and the Blazer. I like the direction your going to go with yours, I hope to do the same.

I most definitely know what you mean!!! I thoroughly enjoyed running the bronco today, but found myself constantly thinking about what I thought "needed" to be upgraded, and how I better get some parts on order... I had to keep telling myself no!

Originally Posted by BoilerUp

Looking forward to following the thread and seeing it in action! I was debating purchasing one of these but I'm not sure of the short wheelbase just yet; reason being I like steep climbs. So I'm not sure if it's for me...but I really like the classic Bronco body! Have fun!

It is definitely a fun truck, and the short wheelbase was also a big concern for me before purchasing. After running it today it performed about how I expected it to...you will most definitely notice the shorter wheelbase if you are used to the 12"+ platforms! Let's just say I probably wouldn't have bought it if it was to be my only rig



As for the "after run update"...

First impressions are good! I toned down the steering D/R a bit and didn't have any further problems with the binding. I strapped in both of my 2000mah 2s batteries (as seen in the photo below) just to add a bit of weight, these batteries are really light! I messed around on my lunchbreak in my back yard, and did a bit of crawling on my WIP "rock crawling garden" it's really nothing special, but decent to test out your rigs and whatnot.

After work (with only 45 or so minutes of daylight left) I went to a local park with a creek running through it, and messed around for another 30-40 minutes. It's not the greatest spot...but there are a few weird tree-type obstacles, and some larger rocks to mess around on. That spot is definitely more suited to 2.2 sized crawlers, but even then isn't that great. With the recent time change, and working until 5pm my options during the week are quite limited!

Compared to the near 14" Wheelbase far from stock wraith I have been driving, this thing was quite different! The transmission is really quiet, the throttle felt quite "soft" if that makes any sense... My wraith has a roc412, and MMP powering it, so in comparison "soft" is the only way I can really describe it ha ha. She seems like a very capable and fun rig, but as I mentioned, you DEFINITELY notice the short wheelbase! It seemed at times like I was driving around a square! Ha ha, I think a heavier battery, or some more weight in the front would help, but all in all for what it is I thought it performed pretty well.

After it was all said and done, the one battery I used was volt checked at 3.4v which means I put almost a full 2000mah pack through it. The manual didn't say anything about a lipo cut-off, and I typically don't run mine below 3.5v per cell, so I will be sure to put an external volt reader on my batteries for future runs.

Upon returning home, I checked and tightened most of the screws, and decreased the pre-load in all the shocks (they were cranked down pretty good) hopefully that helps to make the suspension a bit more soft. I am hoping I can get her out on some sort of trail this weekend!

I didn't think I wanted to log "Mileage" because half the time I am just screwing around in a small area...but when trailing it seems like it would be fun. Any recommendations for a GPS unit? I have an old android phone, I may look into using that for the time being if I can find a decent app for GPS tracking, ha ha.




Gotta have the classic flex shot!

[svt923]

The ESC it comes with is a Hobbywing rebadge. The voltage cutoff is 3.25V/cell for the first stage (power is cut in half) and completely cuts off at 3V/cell.

Hobbywing does their voltage cutoff a little differently so 3.25V/cell under load will leave the resting voltage around 3.3-3.4V/cell which is perfectly fine.

[Metalhed2434]

Originally Posted by svt923

The ESC it comes with is a Hobbywing rebadge. The voltage cutoff is 3.25V/cell for the first stage (power is cut in half) and completely cuts off at 3V/cell.

Hobbywing does their voltage cutoff a little differently so 3.25V/cell under load will leave the resting voltage around 3.3-3.4V/cell which is perfectly fine.

That is good to know, thank You! They are cheap batteries anyways, I won't sweat it too much, thanks for the info!

[Natedog]

Welcome to the Ascender club and looking forward to your adventures...I'm still loving mine and it has taken lots of abuse by me and newb buddies. It's been very durable and I enjoy crawling with it more than my other crawlers.

[kournikova462]

Hey man, good read. Where in Utah are you? I also live in Utah and just got me a bronco as well. Only issue with mine is a bit of squeaking bing from the rotating parts? Have you had any


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[BrotherAndySLB]

I know how you feel about the 5PM work time and the recent DST change... I work almost 45 minutes away from home and when you leave work at 5PM the daylight is non-existent. Enjoyed the read! Keep it up!

[Metalhed2434]

Originally Posted by Natedog

Welcome to the Ascender club and looking forward to your adventures...I'm still loving mine and it has taken lots of abuse by me and newb buddies. It's been very durable and I enjoy crawling with it more than my other crawlers.

Thanks man! I have read through your thread and am truly jealous of some of the rocks you have out there in California! You mentioned in your first post something about the CV's in the front being "out of phase", does that just mean that out of the 4 positions that they could be inserted into the locker one side is off 90 or 180 degrees? I didn't even think to check mine, but if that is the case I will look at it when I get home.

Originally Posted by kournikova462

Hey man, good read. Where in Utah are you? I also live in Utah and just got me a bronco as well. Only issue with mine is a bit of squeaking bing from the rotating parts? Have you had any

I haven't noticed any squeaking yet, just the odd wobble that the front right wheel seems to have. I live in Lehi, we should hit some trails sometime!

Originally Posted by BrotherAndySLB

I know how you feel about the 5PM work time and the recent DST change... I work almost 45 minutes away from home and when you leave work at 5PM the daylight is non-existent. Enjoyed the read! Keep it up!

It sucks!!! It makes the winter so long and depressing. I am fortunate enough to work fairly close to home, so that helps a bit... I guess it is kind of an odd time for me to start this "project" with winter coming, but this is the first rig that I haven't dumped a bunch of money into, and at the very least I won't be afraid to get it wet I will just plan on replacing all the bearings in spring!

Does anyone have any other suggestions to further "waterproof" this thing? Or any tips/tricks to make water less painful and destructive for her? Ha ha, I don't intend on doing anything crazy, or totally soaking the damn thing...but water is rough on everything RC, and even if a rig says it is waterproof I typically do my best to avoid it :P But, I gotta have something to run this winter right!?!?!

[Col_Sanders]

I enjoyed the Dudley thread so I'm curious to see how you keep this updated. I don't have anywhere scenic to drive so doing a thread like that in my case would be boring. Just the same old rock piles in my back yard.

I think I will be buying myself an Ascender kit soon. I don't plan on much as far as mods. They seem to already have great steering, lower center of gravity, metal trans gears, and links that don't flex like a rubber band so I don't think I will "need" to do much to it.

[Natedog]

Thanks, the cvds can only be off by 90 degrees if at all, easy fix just check that the pins line up same way on both axles.

Col.Sanders do it you'll like it! "Thumbsup"

[OSRC]

Meant to edit above, but the site went down - Welcome to the Ascender family! REALLY like that body, though some sliders and rear bumper would be nice.

Keep the updates coming, loved the Dudley thread as well.

[Metalhed2434]

I am really glad there is some interest, thank you all for reading my lengthy posts!

There isn't a whole lot to report today, I didn't really have any time/daylight after work or during lunch. I did however come home and tear apart one of the Chubs to get to one of the universals. Just as I suspected after reading Natedog's post, the CVD's were definitely out of phase! I pulled it apart and made sure they were both facing the same way. To be honest, I don't really understand why this would be necessary, I can't really wrap my mind around how it would cause an issue, but sure enough I can now fully steer both ways without any binding! I tested out the turn radius in my basement, and with the D/R cranked to max I noticed only a slight "bump" in the axle, which I am sure is only caused by the locked diff. I will probably keep the D/R set at about 75-80% anyways just to help prolong the life of the servo.

I believe I also figured out what is causing the wheel wobble...it's the wheel lol. One on the rear, and one on the front. I swapped them when re-installing, and know notice the wobble on the opposite side. It must just be the cheap RTR glued wheels. The hex socket that the hub goes into is either warped, or just uneven. Doesn't really affect performance, just looks goofy when driving on flat ground (but seriously...when am I going to be doing that :P), I have other tires/beadlocks that I will install once I am sick of these. Though I might as well use these until they are ripped up or bald!

I must say, I really like these hex hubs!!! Seems silly, but the axial grub screws always end up stripped or lost, and the traxxas hubs on my slash are damn near impossible to remove without some serious prying, and they always seem to get gnarled up. These are nice and simple, and easy to use.

I will probably try to go somewhere close tomorrow right after work, and enjoy what little bit of daylight I have to work with! Unfortunately that doesn't leave me with great options, but it's better than nothing! I will definitely go somewhere more suited to crawling/trailing on Saturday, and try to put down some mileage. Hopefully I can find someone to go with me, it's not as fun alone, and my brother (my main crawling buddy) works all day on Saturdays. Regardless, I won't be able to resist going out...so check back after the weekend, and hopefully I will have some good photo's and updates!

[Metalhed2434]

I actually got in a fair amount of trail time today with “Buck” (yes, I decided for the purpose of this thread it will be easier to give the truck a nickname…) I ducked out of work just after noon today, to try and take advantage of some daylight! I know it’s now the weekend…but I couldn’t wait.

Now that winter is upon us, it has gotten really cold, and we actually got a wee bit of snow/rain today. I didn’t want to venture too far from home just to get stuck in the rain, so I decided to go to Kiwanis Park in Pleasant Grove. I have spent far too much time there the past few weeks, but couldn’t think of a better spot, and I knew that even if it rained I would have some decent coverage with all the trees. For those not familiar, Kiwanis is a great little park/hiking spot with tons of diverse terrain. You can hang out in the canal/riverbed area right outside of the parking lot, and that alone could keep you entertained for days. It is the perfect spot to see what your rig is capable of!

This is the steep part, you start at the bottom (which is actually a dried out concrete canal/riverbed) and work your way up


Almost there!


This is what it looks like once you get to the top, it’s like the perfect crawler “half-pipe” there are infinite lines going up and out of this riverbed, and the rocks are super grippy like sandpaper!


If you continue up the path you can follow the empty riverbed full of rocks (which runs parallel to the main trail that takes you to Battle Creek Falls)


The empty riverbed has water in it! There was water flowing, first time I have seen water here!


Typically this is bone dry.


This pic is quite a bit further up the trail. You can only follow the creek bed up so far, even without water in it, it gets too overgrown with trees and whatnot. Right after the previous photo is when I bailed out of the creek bed, and hopped onto the mail trail. It’s pretty boring, you could probably drive a car on it lol. But it isn’t long, 1/4 mile or less and you are back to some fun terrain, and going right along with the main creek (the one that always has water running through it.)


I didn’t plan on going all the way to the falls…but the cold kept everyone off the otherwise busy trail, and I found myself at the falls before I knew it! It was awesome being there alone without the typical hordes of people.


Lastly we have the “aftermath” picture….Buck doesn’t look so new anymore!


It was an awesome day! I got to see what buck is made of in the proving grounds, and went on a nice trail ride, with some water! I went through all 3 of my fully charged 2000mah 2s packs, which brings us to the 4 pack mark. 4 packs so far without any breakage, or problems. Rest assured, I did not go easy on buck at all today! There were more than a few tumbles, cartwheels, and hard falls. I was surprised at some of the steep climbs I was able to do with the wheelbase being so short. I didn’t think there would be any pro’s to the short wheelbase…but I found that with it’s “square” type figure, I was able to right myself upon rolling over most of the time! Unless buck was totally flipped upside down, I could usually crank the wheels, hit the throttle and he’d flip right back over. So I definitely abused the servo quite a bit doing this over and over. Another pro, is that I didn’t get high centered as often when climbing up and over certain rocks. Almost as if the front tires came down quicker to “grab” the other side of the rock rather than get high centered on the skid.

But there were most definitely cons…once buck rolled over once, he typically did so multiple times, until he hit flat ground. Very impressed with the durability! He took a lot of rollovers and tumbles today, and other than scratching up the body a bit I found nothing wrong once I came home and did a minor inspection other than a couple of screws that backed out just a hair…very minor. No complaints. As for comparing the performance to a stock scx10 (provided that the battery is relocated to the front) I would say they are both pretty close, with the exception being the steering…the Vaterra definitely kills the scx10’s steering radius by a LOT, and it was very helpful in navigating through the rocks. Not sure if I will be able to get out tomorrow, but at the very least I hope I have more to report on Sunday. Thanks for reading!

[scaled]

Another Utard here, run with Dudley on occasion and Was inspired by Dudley to buy a Deadbolt last winter. Always wanted to try an Ascender and almost went that way twice but Daughter wanted a Komodo so building that instead right now (also a 15% off RPP Special). Am interested to see how yours holds up. If you are on 801RCC post your adventures and will try to connect there.

[Natedog]

Nice close by crawl spot! Ascender steering and several other things just kill Axial!