Yeti.Stealths Ascenders

[Yeti.stealth]

With comp day looming, I thought I better give them the once over. To my horror they were both locked up solid, it wasn’t the wheel bearings or diffs, couldn’t tell for sure if it was the trans or motors on both. I managed to get the Bronco freed up just by forcefully turning the wheels by hand but not the K10!

The Bronco was running free and smoothly now after a bit of lube.

I’m not sure what happened to them, but the K10 was locked up solid, seemed to be spurgear/pinion/motor. There was the slightest endplay in the spurgear/ pinion/motor but zero rotation, none, nothing, I used a screwdriver to pry on the spurgear teeth and it all let go suddenly and was totally free now, but I did lose a spurgear tooth!

I think the alloy motor pinion somehow corroded and siezed onto the plastic spurgear after being put away wet. The only movement I could get was the slightest endplay of the pinion/ spur but zero rotation? Wierd!

Even the radios got put away muddy! But we had fun!

[Yeti.stealth]

I have only a few pics from Sunday’s comp, my poor old Ascender with a clicking spurgear and grinding wheel bearing made if through 2/3 courses before a motor wire snapped off, DNF on the last course and the walk of shame. No one had a soldering iron that day...

[Yeti.stealth]

Giving my Ascender the once over, worlds apart from Natedogs tidy machines!

The skid is worn down, starting to wear down trans mount screws, rod ends worn down, they must be close to wearing thru to the steel ball! Rear diff housing wearing down, pinion bearing starting to show, sloppy drive train and worn driveshaft splines and steel ends.

[touch racing]

WOW! Definitely getting your dollars worth out of that truck.

[mgputer]

Originally Posted by Yeti.stealth

Giving my Ascender the once over, worlds apart from Natedogs tidy machines!

The skid is worn down, starting to wear down trans mount screws, rod ends worn down, they must be close to wearing thru to the steel ball! Rear diff housing wearing down, pinion bearing starting to show, sloppy drive train and worn driveshaft splines and steel ends.

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I don't think I have ever seen a skid get that rounded and worn. Fantastic! I think companies should send you product for durability testing.

Sent from my ZTE A2017U using Tapatalk

[Itali83]

Awesome to see them used and worn, not broken. For sure should be poster child for durability of these trucks. You have stock links I see, why aren’t they bent like everyone says they do!? I never bent any of mine either and had worn the bottom of them completely flat. I love the custom high clearance skid too lol. Keep enjoying them!

Ben

[Natedog]

Holy crap Dean, that's some durability testing! Dunno if the alloy pinion was part of the problem, but I always use hard steel pinions, Vaterra, Losi, Axial. As Ben mentioned, your links looks straight still, my stocker did not bent either. Thanks for the updates, it's about how much fun we have with our tiny trucks!

[Yeti.stealth]

Wish I knew how to do the multiple quote thing...

Touch racing, yes it’s been great value, started life as a first release K5 Blazer with the weaker driveshafts and diff pinion gears. Most of the chassis is still made up from those original parts.

Mgputer, that would be cool if they sent me stuff, they could advertise as ‘torture tested in tough Australian conditions’

Itali83, yes stock links from rtr K5 Blazer, yes I bend them from time to time, not often, and just straighten em back out!

Nate, yes your right, the stock Vaterra pinions are steel, not alloy, my bad!

[Natedog]

Click the "+" button next to quote button on every post that you want to quote. Once all selected including the last post that you want to quote, you must also click the quote button on the last and then it will do the multi-quote.



Edit, forgot to say delete portion of each quote that you don’t want or need so as not to clutter the thread.

[Yeti.stealth]

Got a parcel in the mail today! A HH 21T 550 motor for my K10, The Bronco will get the 35T 540 that I will pull from the K10 and a new HW 1080 ESC.

Took inspiration from Natedogs K10, after driving and experiencing it first hand on 3S I was hooked. Hope to have it fitted and battery tray mods done over the weekend.

Finally washed both crawlers after I took this pic, Cooper wanted his Bronco body left muddy cause he likes it to look like it’s been on adventure.




Also got some proline TSL XL tyres in G8 and deuces wild foams as a gift for my good friends SCX10.2 CRC Jeep, they will go nicely with the beadlock wheels I got for him too. Looking forward to many trail runs with him over the Xmas break.

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[durok]

Your post showing all the wear to your Ascender really surprised me, as just yesterday I was thinking about your rig - I seriously was going to ask you to post pics of all your parts!

What a strange coincidence...I then came here this morning to see them already up.

You'll love the HH 550 21t and HW 1080 ESC combo on 3S, that's what's in my K10 - an absolutely perfect setup in my opinion!

Enjoy...

[smog]

your truck(s) looks awesome! Out of curiosity, have you broken any parts on your Ascender?

My kids love it when we leave the trucks full of mud

[Natedog]

Hi Dean, that 550 motor on 3S is fun! Nice to see all the new parts! I remember that you're on WB3 and then lengthened your rear links to WB4 links plus two 3mm spacers each rear link or?

Maybe stretch truck wheelbase to WB4 while you're upgrading motor and ESC?

[Yeti.stealth]

Originally Posted by durok

Your post showing all the wear to your Ascender really surprised me, as just yesterday I was thinking about your rig - I seriously was going to ask you to post pics of all your parts!

What a strange coincidence...I then came here this morning to see them already up.

You'll love the HH 550 21t and HW 1080 ESC combo on 3S, that's what's in my K10 - an absolutely perfect setup in my opinion!

Enjoy...

That's freaky Durok! How's your K10 going? How are you liking the Goodyear MT/R,s?

Originally Posted by smog

your truck(s) looks awesome! Out of curiosity, have you broken any parts on your Ascender?

My kids love it when we leave the trucks full of mud

Yes Smog, I have broken the odd part here and there. Busted maybe 3 front CVD's trying to reverse out of a bind at full steering, all 3 were the original type and had a bit of wear on them and had replacement home made pins in them, haven't broken the newer Vaterra ones yet.
Ruined a set of steel trans gears after a trans rebuild and lube, I think a shim fell out on assembly and was chewed up by the gears.
Snapped one plastic link end on the Bronco when it was new, it snapped like a carrot, never had one fail ever since.
I have wore out many driveshaft pins, some to the point of failure, and snapped a couple rear axle upper link mount screws, but have the old '3rd screw mod' now so that won't happen anymore. That's it! All the plastic parts, shocks etc are still good!

Originally Posted by Natedog

Hi Dean, that 550 motor on 3S is fun! Nice to see all the new parts! I remember that you're on WB3 and then lengthened your rear links to WB4 links plus two 3mm spacers each rear link or?

Maybe stretch truck wheelbase to WB4 while you're upgrading motor and ESC?

Yes that's correct Nate, or they might be 2 X 2.5mm spacers, it has crossed my mind to go to WB4 but it will stay as is for now.

[Yeti.stealth]

I’m enjoying my Friday off, tinkering with my K10, out with the 540 motor, rear battery tray mount and battery tray and in with the 550 motor! plenty of room with a shorty pack hard up against sideways steering servo, just got to make new battery tray now, it will be a fixed tray, not floating on front axle. I’m fine with a fixed tray.







Lotsa room for the 3 S soft packs I use too.

[durok]

Originally Posted by Yeti.stealth

That's freaky Durok! How's your K10 going? How are you liking the Goodyear MT/R,s?

I really like them, tho' even with the admittedly limited number of times I've been able to run the ol' K10 there's some visible tire wear - down the road I have plans for another wheel and tire set, going more budget-oriented and longer life rubber...

[Yeti.stealth]

Looking good Durok!

Chopped the front of the battery tray off level with a shorty pack.






With the chopped tray hard up against the steering servo, the rear tray hinge mount almost lines up with existing chassis holes, just moved it forward 1 hole.

[Yeti.stealth]

Chopped off the rear battery mount and installed it 1 hole forward from stock location. It didn’t line up exactly so I removed the steel hinge sleeves, that gave me enough room to get the screws into the tray holes, it’s not gunna float anymore so it does not need the sleeves anymore.



Takes a 2S shorty pack nicely, now I just have to screw the front side plates to the front shock hoops and it will be good to go!

[Yeti.stealth]

Takes the 3S soft packs I use too, some day I will get myself the pro tek 3S graphene packs too, they will fit a lot better.

[durok]

Might want to check with other members on those ProTek 3S Graphene shorties... I kinda remember a few people havin' them puff after a while.

Might have been Natedog, IIRC...

Nate, ya got yer ears on ol' buddy?

Breaker-breaker One-niner...

(dunno why I all the sudden had old trucker CB radio crap runnin' around in my head?)