OSRC
I wanna be Dave
Built this to have something to run over the winter...turns out there was not much winter anyway. 
But at least I'm ready if we actually get snow.
Used a pile of old traxxas parts. Figured if I broke something, it was cheap to replace. Slash chassis, Bandit rear, wide 'pede front with a set of Integy skis bolted on. The wide pede front and bandit rear gives almost a snowmobile effect in that the skis are outboarded and the rear wheels are closer together and not running in the ski's track. VXL power and a JB welded diff locks up the rear, and HPI wheels are hanging on the back.
The body is a JConcepts overtray to keep all the electronics nice and dry. I hacked up an old Grasshopper body to at least make it look buggy-ish. An old Tamiya wing is bolted to the back to balance out the look.
All assembled, painted, and a couple poser pics in its element. We got a dusting of snow, and it was just enough to get out and try it all out.
IT LIVES!
Has stampede gearing and 4" tires, so there's not a ton of top speed but it has a loads of torque. Basically, when you pin the throttle it just digs in, throws out some roostertails and takes off.
It really glided over the deck where the snow and surface was smooth, but on the grass it struggled a bit. The ground is not frozen and there was only a coating of snow, so it would sink down a bit into the soft yard if I let off the throttle. If i kept it pinned though, it just dug in, ripped out some grass and kept going. the higher ground clearance of the Slash chassis really came in handy - even with 4" tires, I rarely got hung up. Hopefully we get some deeper snow before the end of the season
The skis did great - i was worried that their size would be a lot of drag, and that the stock TRX servo would not be able to turn them at speed - no issues here. The steering wasn't exactly crisp, but never had any trouble pointing it somewhere and their larger size allowed them to float over the soft coating. They also glided well over the occasional sidewalk and river rock walkway. Only issue is they tend to pack up with snow due to the webbing on top.
Towards the end of the last pack, I started beating on it a bit to "torture test" the skis. No issues at all, and the bottoms look good after all the running. Some people were concerned aout the durability of the skis, but they took several jumps off the deck in 29 degree weather with no problem at all.
Was all that trouble making the custom body worth it? Did it keep out the snow as an overtray should? I even forgot to velcro the sides, and it still did perfect.
Very happy with the whole thing - dried it off, oiled it down and going back on the shelf until the next round of snow comes around. "thumbsup" Got a RF to build before spring gets here in the meantime.
But at least I'm ready if we actually get snow. Used a pile of old traxxas parts. Figured if I broke something, it was cheap to replace. Slash chassis, Bandit rear, wide 'pede front with a set of Integy skis bolted on. The wide pede front and bandit rear gives almost a snowmobile effect in that the skis are outboarded and the rear wheels are closer together and not running in the ski's track. VXL power and a JB welded diff locks up the rear, and HPI wheels are hanging on the back.
The body is a JConcepts overtray to keep all the electronics nice and dry. I hacked up an old Grasshopper body to at least make it look buggy-ish. An old Tamiya wing is bolted to the back to balance out the look.
All assembled, painted, and a couple poser pics in its element. We got a dusting of snow, and it was just enough to get out and try it all out.
IT LIVES!
Has stampede gearing and 4" tires, so there's not a ton of top speed but it has a loads of torque. Basically, when you pin the throttle it just digs in, throws out some roostertails and takes off.
It really glided over the deck where the snow and surface was smooth, but on the grass it struggled a bit. The ground is not frozen and there was only a coating of snow, so it would sink down a bit into the soft yard if I let off the throttle. If i kept it pinned though, it just dug in, ripped out some grass and kept going. the higher ground clearance of the Slash chassis really came in handy - even with 4" tires, I rarely got hung up. Hopefully we get some deeper snow before the end of the season
The skis did great - i was worried that their size would be a lot of drag, and that the stock TRX servo would not be able to turn them at speed - no issues here. The steering wasn't exactly crisp, but never had any trouble pointing it somewhere and their larger size allowed them to float over the soft coating. They also glided well over the occasional sidewalk and river rock walkway. Only issue is they tend to pack up with snow due to the webbing on top.
Towards the end of the last pack, I started beating on it a bit to "torture test" the skis. No issues at all, and the bottoms look good after all the running. Some people were concerned aout the durability of the skis, but they took several jumps off the deck in 29 degree weather with no problem at all.
Was all that trouble making the custom body worth it? Did it keep out the snow as an overtray should? I even forgot to velcro the sides, and it still did perfect.
Very happy with the whole thing - dried it off, oiled it down and going back on the shelf until the next round of snow comes around. "thumbsup" Got a RF to build before spring gets here in the meantime.
