Perkolator
Rock Crawler
As a newbie to hobby-grade RC I've been very happy with the performance I've been getting with my RTR Honcho. When I first got it, I kept it stock and used it mostly for running trails. Now that I've changed a few things on the truck, I find myself doing more low-speed crawling and have noticed a significant difference in how the drivetrain handles this vs trails - so hoping for some input.
Perkolator's Honcho:
Axial AX-2/AR-2 trans/receiver
Axial AE-2 ESC
Axial 27t motor
stock 87-tooth spur gear w/slipper cranked down tight
14-tooth pinion (current) and stock 21-tooth pinion
Robinson Racing gears/solid output.
MIP drive lines
Over/Under Drive axle R/P gears
Hitec 5645 steering servo
Axial CVDs and aftermarket rear axles
Axial Aluminum C-hubs and steering knuckles
Beef tubes
Tires: 1.9 Baja Claws with LOTS of weight inside, 1.9 Boggers, 1.9 Flat Irons
Ran the rig stock for a couple months and it was great. Then I decided to up the tire size, do a bunch of fab work, and then start crawling more. After all the metal work it was time to get the rig out and test it. I've got a wood pile that I like to crawl in the backyard, and noticed a lack of power or motor binding issue when the wheels get bound up in the crevices between the wood. Not really thinking about it, I just kept going until I saw a slight hint of smoke inside the cab and electronics smell - not good.
Motor was fairly hot, but I thought the problem had more to do with all the metal filings I saw clung to the outside of the motor and also partially clogging the vent holes. All the metal filings were from me not covering over the motor when I was doing all the metal work. I then air-hosed the motor as best I could externally and ran the rig to make sure I didn't fry my motor - seemed ok.
Fast forward to the next time I took it out to some rocks - got the truck bound up again in a crevice and noticed some smoke again and a whiff of electronics. Luckily I was around a couple local RCC guys that day that have MUCH more experience with RC than I do -- we determined the motor was getting stressed too much with the "high gear ratio" of large tires and the 21t pinion, so we swapped it out for a 14t pinion to get the RPMs up into the power band at low speed. This made a HUGE improvement with the low-speed stuff and has helped keep my motor cool with no smoking anymore at the sacrifice of top speed.
Now...I was crawling the rig again on my wood pile and again got the rig into a situation where the tires were kinda bound up and I wasn't getting any power - pretty much like it did before I swapped pinions. Felt the motor and it didn't seem too hot, no burnt electronics smell. Slipper clutch is cranked tight and I'm not hearing the motor spin like I did in the past before tightening the slipper. This is power issue is what I'd like to fix.
I'm looking for input/suggestions on what to start tinkering with next. I was thinking of just swapping the motor for something else because of the earlier issue with metal filings possibly compromising the motor - either another cheap axial 27t or a 35t if it'll help. Perhaps it's just an issue with crawling on loose wood pile that can shift and bind up the tires? Also thinking perhaps I have too much weight in the tires to keep them spinning - is this possible? I am planning to build another rig in the future - should I just throw down now and buy a new motor/esc combo?
Basically I want this rig to keep spinning the tires when I get close to being bound up, instead of crapping out. Everyone else's badass rigs seem to do this and will keep going in a bind or break parts, but mine doesn't. I left the stock plastic spur gear in the drivetrain to keep it as the weak link and strip out before I break other parts. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Because everyone likes pics:
Perkolator's Honcho:
Axial AX-2/AR-2 trans/receiver
Axial AE-2 ESC
Axial 27t motor
stock 87-tooth spur gear w/slipper cranked down tight
14-tooth pinion (current) and stock 21-tooth pinion
Robinson Racing gears/solid output.
MIP drive lines
Over/Under Drive axle R/P gears
Hitec 5645 steering servo
Axial CVDs and aftermarket rear axles
Axial Aluminum C-hubs and steering knuckles
Beef tubes
Tires: 1.9 Baja Claws with LOTS of weight inside, 1.9 Boggers, 1.9 Flat Irons
Ran the rig stock for a couple months and it was great. Then I decided to up the tire size, do a bunch of fab work, and then start crawling more. After all the metal work it was time to get the rig out and test it. I've got a wood pile that I like to crawl in the backyard, and noticed a lack of power or motor binding issue when the wheels get bound up in the crevices between the wood. Not really thinking about it, I just kept going until I saw a slight hint of smoke inside the cab and electronics smell - not good.
Motor was fairly hot, but I thought the problem had more to do with all the metal filings I saw clung to the outside of the motor and also partially clogging the vent holes. All the metal filings were from me not covering over the motor when I was doing all the metal work. I then air-hosed the motor as best I could externally and ran the rig to make sure I didn't fry my motor - seemed ok.
Fast forward to the next time I took it out to some rocks - got the truck bound up again in a crevice and noticed some smoke again and a whiff of electronics. Luckily I was around a couple local RCC guys that day that have MUCH more experience with RC than I do -- we determined the motor was getting stressed too much with the "high gear ratio" of large tires and the 21t pinion, so we swapped it out for a 14t pinion to get the RPMs up into the power band at low speed. This made a HUGE improvement with the low-speed stuff and has helped keep my motor cool with no smoking anymore at the sacrifice of top speed.
Now...I was crawling the rig again on my wood pile and again got the rig into a situation where the tires were kinda bound up and I wasn't getting any power - pretty much like it did before I swapped pinions. Felt the motor and it didn't seem too hot, no burnt electronics smell. Slipper clutch is cranked tight and I'm not hearing the motor spin like I did in the past before tightening the slipper. This is power issue is what I'd like to fix.
I'm looking for input/suggestions on what to start tinkering with next. I was thinking of just swapping the motor for something else because of the earlier issue with metal filings possibly compromising the motor - either another cheap axial 27t or a 35t if it'll help. Perhaps it's just an issue with crawling on loose wood pile that can shift and bind up the tires? Also thinking perhaps I have too much weight in the tires to keep them spinning - is this possible? I am planning to build another rig in the future - should I just throw down now and buy a new motor/esc combo?
Basically I want this rig to keep spinning the tires when I get close to being bound up, instead of crapping out. Everyone else's badass rigs seem to do this and will keep going in a bind or break parts, but mine doesn't. I left the stock plastic spur gear in the drivetrain to keep it as the weak link and strip out before I break other parts. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Because everyone likes pics:
