Wheelbase adjustment question

[Blakesrc]

Hi guys,

Long time racer first time crawler and I'm about to pull the trigger on my first one. The ascender is one of the two I have it narrowed down too. I seem to have missed out on the 250.00 k5 kits, I can't locate one anywhere currently. Price wise the BND 68 Ford seems to be the next best deal. I have read that the k5 has the longest wheel base, 314mm and the Ford is at 290. My question is, if i get the 68 Ford and slide the frame rails out to 314mm, do I have to buy any parts like driveshafts etc?

Thanks

[Natedog]

Welcome to RCC, you’ll have to buy or make suspension links. It’s been awhile since I stretched my K10 (wb2) out to wb3, iirc I had to buy one longer driveshaft for the rear.

[Natedog]

Just measured and I may have shortened front male half of driveshaft but should be good otherwise and easy to shorten if needed. To get to wb4 you’ll need some spacers in the rear cage or longer cab. My wb3 crawls quite well.

AscendernMN84 or someone here stretched it to WB4.

[Shinchu]

Yup.
Frame length does not equal wheelbase.
All that will really change is your shock angle.
Natedog is right for true wheelbase adjustment, length from skid to axle is determined by length of links.

Welcome to the ascender family!
Dont hesitate to ask us if you have questions. That's why we are here!

[Blakesrc]

Thanks for the responses guys. My plan is to put on a different body, protoform hilux or perhaps a 4runner since i prefer that style and I want to paint something myself. Plus from what I am reading if I ever did some sort of comp, class 1 doesn't appear to allow the rear cage that the 68 ford comes with?

So just to be clear, I don't need any parts to move out to wb3 or wb4 but It will change the shock angles? Will that make handling less than ideal? OR do I need longer links as well? Just trying to get it right the first time!

[Shinchu]

I think you misread what natedog and I said.
Wheelbase is adjusted by replacing links with longer or shorter links.
Links are the small bars going from the center skid out to the axles.

Unrelated but helpful is adjusting the length of the frame because shock mount location is not adjustable, so you lengthen or shorten the frame to adjust shock angle after you jave changed the length of your links.

Think of a square.
The bottom line is your wheelbase.
The two vertical lines are your shocks.
The top line is your frame.

Lengthen either the top or bottom line and the vertical lines will be at an angle. Adjust your top amd bottom to get your desired wheelbase and shock angle.

I think I broke it down far enough. Yes? Let us know if you still need help ok?

* Also please read this
Ascender Wheel Base & Link Reference Guide
Mods wasnt this stickied at one point? Can we get this up there again?

[Blakesrc]

Thanks for the explanation Shin, I get it now! So does that mean the k5 ascender comes with longer links than the Bronco and 68 ford?

[Natedog]

Great explanation Chris! K5 comes with longer links and frame set at wb4, longest setup. The wheelbase thread Shinchu linked is a great read and thoroughly explains it all.

[Blakesrc]

Since the links and wheel base are longer on the k5 kit, is it worth waiting to track one down as it is nearly an inch longer than the 68 ford BND?

[Damatheus]

Originally Posted by Blakesrc

Since the links and wheel base are longer on the k5 kit, is it worth waiting to track one down as it is nearly an inch longer than the 68 ford BND?

You can easily stretch the wheelbase by using the vaterra link extensions, which should be available on their site. I stretched my BnD ford f100 to wheelbase 4 in order to fit my power wagon body. Easy easy.

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

[Shinchu]

Read the link about links!!!

[Blakesrc]

All squared away, I guess what i was looking to hear was why the longer wheel base would be better. I think on page 2 or 3 of the link someone clarified that. I managed to track down a k5 kit and bought it. Looking forward to the build.

Thanks again guys.

[durok]

Originally Posted by Blakesrc

All squared away, I guess what i was looking to hear was why the longer wheel base would be better. I think on page 2 or 3 of the link someone clarified that. I managed to track down a k5 kit and bought it. Looking forward to the build.

Thanks again guys.

SCORE!

Great to have been able to get exactly what you wanted from the start, and the price on those is unbeatable!

Now, all ya need is a HobbyWing 1080 ESC, A Holmes TrailMaster Sport motor, a DS3218 servo, and a FlySky GT3C radio - can be found for roughly $120-$135 TOTAL, if you search a little bit.

(just "suggested" gear that will amaze for the money!)

[Blakesrc]

Ordered up all my electronics the same day, should be all set!

Originally Posted by durok

SCORE!

Great to have been able to get exactly what you wanted from the start, and the price on those is unbeatable!

Now, all ya need is a HobbyWing 1080 ESC, A Holmes TrailMaster Sport motor, a DS3218 servo, and a FlySky GT3C radio - can be found for roughly $120-$135 TOTAL, if you search a little bit.

(just "suggested" gear that will amaze for the money!)

[Browneye]

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I have a WB2, 3, and 4 now. Subtle differenced, but various bodies fit various wheelbases.
A short WB turns in a smaller circle, but a longer WB doesn't flip over backwards on climbs as easily as a short one does. Weighted axles helps a lot.


All my rigs have HW1080's and 35T brushed motors. I've tried a variety of cheap servos - Savox 231, ARRMA ADS-15M, and the DS3218 - the latter being the best of them and by far the cheapest if you order direct from china.
Here's WB2 (top) and WB3 (bottom):




Left to right - WB4, WB2, WB3:



Oh...and WB4: