Must watch video hd gear mod

[BarHarborBasher]

No problem!!
First things first you have to identify which pinion you have.. A couple of months ago Axial started including the HD Pinions in the RTR & KIT models after I presented them the issues with the defective design months prior...
So you may have the gears already...


Right now The DHAWK V2 bulkhead is the only housing that works with the Factory HD gears.. not even the Axial housing work with the gears without the mod..
And yes you will need to sets..

Limiting straps help keeping everything together!!
Rear traction bar is a must
And a aluminum front clip (batwing) or my BHB basher bar..
Aluminum steering rack
Front shock retainers.... oversized washers or a horizontal bar like mine and shock tower supports ..
Good bearings and a rear driveshaft boot to boot...

I've modified my transmission which has held up great!!!
I installed tight fitting pins that eliminates the SLOP in the (pin to shaft) fitment as well as the slop in the ( pin to gear pocket ) fitment.. I working on a mod one transmission conversion..
If you want me to mod you up send them my way if you're not in a rush..

 

[Axial Rose]

. . .
So you may have the gears already...


Right now The DHAWK V2 bulkhead is the only housing that works with the Factory HD gears.. not even the Axial housing work with the gears without the mod..
And yes you will need to sets..

Limiting straps help keeping everything together!!
Rear traction bar is a must
And a aluminum front clip (batwing) or my BHB basher bar..
Aluminum steering rack
Front shock retainers.... oversized washers or a horizontal bar like mine and shock tower supports ..
Good bearings and a rear driveshaft boot to boot...

I've modified my transmission which has held up great!!!
I installed tight fitting pins that eliminates the SLOP in the (pin to shaft) fitment as well as the slop in the ( pin to gear pocket ) fitment.. I working on a mod one transmission conversion..
If you want me to mod you up send them my way if you're not in a rush..

The kit I received came with the new gears

Bottom line, I'm not going to purchase hundreds of dollars of "better parts" only to end up with a truck that still has major problems

This seems like a perfect example of amateurs trying to make it in the real world. In my line of work, we design, engineer, test, evaluate and then continue this process until we have a great solution. It seems like the folks at Axial think they can cut corners and throw out stuff on the market that's not ready, it's not reliable. At best, this kit is definitely in need of engineering and manufacturing improvements. That's the bottom line and that's why I feel ripped off by Axial and I will never buy another one of their products ever again. There are far better sources to obtain the vehicles I most enjoy. I had great expectations for the Yeti XL - I think everyone agrees it's a great looking truck and the size is awesome but the amount of reliability defects and the expense of resolving them makes this a no brainer - I'm tossing in the cards, face down.

I'm selling the damn thing and probably getting a Kraton - not that because that vehicle is perfect - I realize nothing is - but it doesn't arrive flawed with the plethora of serious issues the Yeti XL is plagued with.

​

 

[BarHarborBasher]

Completely understandable man... I just got too far in to turn back...
I'd probably go with a kraton /Nero or a losi XL ve ...tho the new red cat coming out this fall looks promising as well...

You know that it's a shame that Axial let this happen to YETI XL... and it's CUSTOMERS ... Honestly the XL is a completely different rig from all of the other choices...and
I'm sure soon enough the Yeti will join the list of extinction...
I wouldn't be surprised to see Axial take the XL parts and either make a 1/8 grave digger or a XLX IFS/IRS...

So does anyone know if this guy works for Axial... he built a m/t with what looks to be the same parts ..even has the vintage body....
He mentions. " If Axial doesn't produce one of these they would be crazy" ..... did they take him up on it ? Who would've thought that they listen to customers lol..
It looks like they added a fancy plastic roll cage..and called it a day...

THIS IS THE VIDEO OF THE 1/10 M/T by a YouTube builder which appears to be prior to the grave digger release.. April 26

https://youtu.be/f26ltccPp2I

 

[BarHarborBasher]

The kit I received came with the new gears

Bottom line, I'm not going to purchase hundreds of dollars of "better parts" only to end up with a truck that still has major problems

This seems like a perfect example of amateurs trying to make it in the real world. In my line of work, we design, engineer, test, evaluate and then continue this process until we have a great solution. It seems like the folks at Axial think they can cut corners and throw out stuff on the market that's not ready, it's not reliable. At best, this kit is definitely in need of engineering and manufacturing improvements. That's the bottom line and that's why I feel ripped off by Axial and I will never buy another one of their products ever again. There are far better sources to obtain the vehicles I most enjoy. I had great expectations for the Yeti XL - I think everyone agrees it's a great looking truck and the size is awesome but the amount of reliability defects and the expense of resolving them makes this a no brainer - I'm tossing in the cards, face down.

I'm selling the damn thing and probably getting a Kraton - not that because that vehicle is perfect - I realize nothing is - but it doesn't arrive flawed with the plethora of serious issues the Yeti XL is plagued with.

​

In my line of work engineering leads to grossly overpriced,oversized over specked items to COA and make % over the total cost...they would create such a monstrosity that anyone could look at it and say ... ya no shit it's gonna perform... they oversized everything...

But on the other end of the spectrum.. I'm sure Axial pressures them to undersize experience parts and over build cheep ones so the machine gets passed down to someone else... between the fitment of the HD gears and the deliberate obsolence in the transmission... what is one to think..
What usually happens in a case like this is the engineer will be humiliated for about two weeks for (their) failure and will either move on or "sorry but we gotta let you go"
Corporate punching bags ...


Honestly working with both sides of the work field I'd usually aggree with the guy doing the job instead of the guy invision the job... usually a GOOD "worker" can do both...yet the guy with the pen hasn't worked in the field..
I think it should be mandatory for any engineer to work in the field for 2- 3 years...

AXIAL needs knowledgeable, honest beta testers that are employed by Axial... that way they can have expectations of the beta tester...and get real world results in stead of Scott K. From Axial driving them around in the parking lot telling me that they are FINE...

 

[BarHarborBasher]

Not to kiss anyone's ass but a perfect example of this is Harley...
He's educated and has real world experience... but most importantly!!! He has a passion for RC's...
Just not 1/8 scale yet lol.. He did contact me and let me know that they intend on re milling the XL axle soon !! Possibly with a boot as well!


Axial needs to take business lessons from Vanquish

 

[SvdV]

My two cents.

Axial Rose (ironic name considering what you wrote), I completely understand and appreciate your point of view. I have read similar stories, it appears to be a wide-carried consent about the Yeti XL.

Being new to the RC world, and about to finish my YXL, I have no other experience than this. So far it has been an expensive venture, having spent roughly $1500 to get this build done (including tools, I had nothing to start from). There must be similar stories of people spending hard earned cash, only to have their machine broken within minutes. If you don't expect it, it is a terrible experience that is easy targeted towards Axial. Totally understandable.

What I think is their main issue, is the fact they communicate this machine to handle 6s. Technically it can, but in practice it will increase the chances of failure significantly. If they changed their communication to "4s advised, 6s for experts", or something like that, they might be better of.

It goes for any other RC and brand out there; put more power in it, and the chances of breaking increases.

My personal experience with Axial hasn't been perfect either. The reason for my build to be delayed is due to missing and faulty parts. I have to say however that their customer care has been absolutely splendid. Having worked for LEGO, I know for a fact that their products sometimes miss parts too, and that company is large and experienced. For Axial to be this precise with the amount of parts, I think it's not bad at all. On top of that, Axial fixed my issues in a heartbeat. I'm already eyeballing the Wraith kit as my next project, but secretly hope for a future release of an Exo 1/8 kit.

Having said this all, I do understand your and other's opinion. I sincerely hope it doesn't do too much damage to Axial.

 

[BarHarborBasher]

I love my XL and appreciate Axial's dedication towards the scale world... but when a issue is risen with no action taken ... how bad should we feel? I found it insulting towards every XL owner that Axial denies any issue towards the HD gears ..
... forums are for the people to collaborate knowledge about issues... where are the Axial spokesman to clarify these issues? Surely if they can pay for advertisement on RCC you'd think they'd have a Axial guru maintaining the issue & concerns...

Honestly I think the XL is a amazing machine and I've had nothing but great luck after my mods... Axial may hate me but I will continue to make the XL a top performer platform...

 

[SvdV]

From a legal point of view, admitting to have shipped a faulty product could lead to being forced to repair it for all buyers. That's something that could ruin the entire company. Not trying to justify their decisions, but I'm not too surprised by their silence.

I think Axial is happy about your efforts, BHB. They may not say it out loud, but your actions to inform and pro-actively help the community sure did some damage control for them.

 

[BarHarborBasher]

Its all for and about the community... and far as admitting to wrong doing.. they had the chance before they installed them in the RTR & KIT... They knew about the issue 2-3 months before they equipped them with HD Gears...

 

[pro mod steve]

The BHB mod was a game changer for me. After getting the other issues lined out then the BHB mod I LOVE THIS TRUCK. It's my go to basher 6S only.

 

[Skyman]

Took the YXL out for a spin yesterday for the first time *ever*... What a beast guys!! We have an amazing vehicle!
Thank you so much BHB for the pinion mods and support!! I really appreciate it. Axial just throws parts at me, whereas BHB *fixes*the parts
On a side note, how the hell are you guys running 6S? I ran 4S and WOT was uncontrollable. Maybe I should run it on dirt. Me and my boys ran it on the street yesterday couldn't wait to try it

 

[pro mod steve]

Welcome to the fun. I rarely ever get to full throttle on 6S except for little full throttle shots here and there. Ton of 1/2 trigger power already with 6S. Remember get it rolling before you squeeze the trigger hard. Your truck and wallet will thank you for it.

 

[BarHarborBasher]

"thumbsup"Or full 6s throttle on lose sand defying gravity"thumbsup"

Cheep upgrades
Limiting straps
Rear traction bar
and some serious throttle response

I know that you battled with the transmission mod ..but how did it come out? Tight ??"thumbsup"

 

[BarHarborBasher]

Ed I appreciate our friendship and our mutual passion for RC's "thumbsup"
Also thanks for listening to my call out to ALL of the XL OWNERS and taking the time to sheed light on the situation "thumbsup"
As well as Pro Mod Steve "thumbsup"
Thanks guys

Took the YXL out for a spin yesterday for the first time *ever*... What a beast guys!! We have an amazing vehicle!
Thank you so much BHB for the pinion mods and support!! I really appreciate it. Axial just throws parts at me, whereas BHB *fixes*the parts
On a side note, how the hell are you guys running 6S? I ran 4S and WOT was uncontrollable. Maybe I should run it on dirt. Me and my boys ran it on the street yesterday couldn't wait to try it

 

[Skyman]

"thumbsup"Or full 6s throttle on lose sand defying gravity"thumbsup"

Cheep upgrades
Limiting straps
Rear traction bar
and some serious throttle response

I know that you battled with the transmission mod ..but how did it come out? Tight ??"thumbsup"

Transmission came out great! Absolutely no slack! I'm sure it will hold up better than the stock parts. I have some cobalt in there now. Finally found an easier way to shave down that cobalt bit > used a drill with the drill bit in one hand & dremel with sanding wheel in the other, both rotating against each other "thumbsup"
Second pin came out great but I felt like I should have redone the first (smaller) pin after perfecting my craft, just got lazy. It's in there pretty tight nothing to worry about, just not as pretty ;-)

 

[Adamgllc]

My BHB Pinions came today, they look great, Thanks!!!!

 

[BarHarborBasher]

My BHB Pinions came today, they look great, Thanks!!!!

Dude thanks for your patience & understanding "thumbsup" Sorry for the 2 week delay !!

Remember ... Bearing first... shims, spacer,shims bearing,clip ..

And DON'T make the pinion pack TOO tight ....01 mm of slack is fine..

Because of the extra removal of the (Haunch) the pinion pack becomes LONGER than the pinion housing lobe..
Meaning the dimensions from the inside of the pinion retaining screws > to the inside of the housing lip is shorter than the (Tight pinion assembly)

Its only happened on a few occasions ... Its evident when the pinion is installed retained by the screws... it becomes hard to turn in the housing because of the compacting pressure of the housing tolerances .. take out a shim and your good to go !!"thumbsup"

 

[Axial Rose]

Not to get the thread off topic but I want everyone to know I'm back on the plan - mostly because of BHB's incredibly useful help - THANK YOU!!!

Soon I will post information on the thread I started with my build and then include a SUCCESSFUL bashing report with this beast

 

[BarHarborBasher]

Glad to hear"thumbsup" after the labor pains go away you'll have yourself a healthy reliable basher. I think it's a phase that we all go through...lol ...at times I hated mine !!:twisted: but it's grown into a love affair..
The XL is in a class of its own. It has the scaled realism that no other manufacturer can compete with...
The XL's power to weight ratio separates it far from an
XMAXX.. and competes with the fastest bashers on the block...
And to top it all off it's one of the only 8th scale rigs that can be set up for scaled crawling...
It's a versatile machine guys....

So here's a small list of what it takes to make this a reliable basher

1 - if you have a ready to run or kit version that was issued with a HD gear have it modified !!

The Dhawk (version 2) bulkhead is the only housing that will accept an HD gear WITHOUT A MOD (BTW in not yelling lol)

If you purchased an HD gear as an upgrade it needs modification as well...

2- 140mm limiting straps !!! This is one of the best upgrades you can do for your XL... limiting straps prevent over extension of your drivetrain components that caused a domino effect of broken parts.
I experienced this the hard way over extending my shock which in turn broke my lower arm which led to destroying a CVD and output... ya ... they work and they cost about 6$ a set...

3- doing the drive shaft mod... this modification includes tapping the inside of the drive shaft with a 5/16 x 2" threaded setscrew... the stock driveshaft is tuff as hell after this mod !! Thanks Capwn"thumbsup"

4- Replacement of the batwing (front clip) AX31048...
This is a horrible design... Two reasons... the alignment of the holes is off and the 4 screws that hold the bottom skid plate (front end assembly) exert too much force and cause the screws to strip out of the plastic studs... I've designed a bar that attaches to the skid plate into the tub assembly so the top clip isn't needed during assembly of the front end... no more clam shell assembly because that's a pain in the ass!!!
I haven't had the opportunity to try out a aluminum front clip but I'm sure it's a complete Game Changer but it still has that pain-in-the-ass design...lol

5- eliminating the 8 mm RTR wheel nuts and hub assemblies.... I've used version 1 and version 2 and they both fail regardless of blue Loctite... the best alternative for swapping over to the kit is by purchasing my competitors HR hub adapter kit.. (beware because they have two versions one for the RTR and one for the KIT)
The design has a interlocking wheel web plate that prevents wheel stripping, converts to a 17 mm. wheel nut and uses a pin instead of a AX31232 screw shaft... !!! Trust me they break on 6s...
Unfortunately I bought RTR replacements before I figured out the difference between the kit and the RTR design..
Hindsight I would have sold my RTR hubs/hexes and Axle shafts and purchase the KIT assembly...then bought the HR KIT hub adapters...
The HR adapters also increase the width of the XL
RTR + 10mm total. The kit version 16mm wider.. helps for 40series wheel clearance as well..

6- venting your differential cup during assembly.. think of the diff cup as a hydraulic cylinder. After the fluid is in the cup in the ring gear is screwed down it causes internal pleasure.. enough to break two screws on separate occasions... also causing the diff fluid to get forced out of my differential by the pressure breaking the seal... so whenever you're tightening the screws up on your ring gear turn your differential so you're set screw (AXA291) is facing up and releases the pressure...
I suggest fingertight on the ring gear screws then open port and let the air/fluid escape..then tighten set screw.."thumbsup"

7- reinforcing your Shock Tower.... I used random steering links to connect the top of my tower to the base of the front clip.... do the work ??? Enough so I broke a metal turnbuckle rod... better than a explosion form loosing a shock tower and the aftermath...

8- adding washers or a horizontal bar to retain your front shocks !! I use a bar... but a adjustable link works as well..I feel like it serves 2 purposes... retaining the shock and structural integrity to the plastic shock tower..

9- IF you have a RTR replace the upper arm and steering links with adjustable links...AFTER you wear out the stock ones...

10- check to see how smoothly your transmission operates I've noticed the screw under the slipper shaft causes binding when it's snug... I turn my slipper shaft while I'm tightening my transmission bolts looking for any kind of drag...and if your interested in modifications check out my YouTube page..

11- l do not use grease anywhere i come in contact with dirt !!! A little finger grease during assembly is about far as I go !!! Grease attracts and captures dirt... within no time you'll have a ultimate abrasive!!! Good bye bearings /CVDs/WB joints... The spinning of the drivetrain repells dirt..don't attract it...

12- the plastic center link/control link / steering rack (AX31025) Is a complete joke...this part is a must upgrade!!! I'm not totally convinced that the aluminum Bell crank is necessary but the link is!!

13- Rear Traction Bar... how could this be so far down on the list maybe cuz it's not in order LOL this also is a must!!!
The torque twist experience gets old after the third day"thumbsup"

14- replacing your crappy stock bearings... if you're going to spend your money on the bearings start with what component spins the fastest.... transmission first, pinions, differential bearings... I tend to use cheep ones on the hubs because they are visible...and easily replaceable..

15- 200 oz plus steering servo

16- make a boot to protect your rear axle pinion bearings... they will thank-you!! Check out Pro Mod Steve's boot thread !

And guys... You don't have to buy expensive parts to get to perform...I've had pretty good luck with the motor mount...for how much I change pinions.. and the stock axle and bulkhead are suitable for 6s after the HD mod..


So... hopefully this helps... it's my 3 try ... my computer erasers my work after I tried to load it... frustrating to say the least!!! But with all of the support from the community I feel like it's my brotherley duty "thumbsup"

Thanks again for the kind words!

 

[BarHarborBasher]

I'd like to know how this thread went from 5 stars to 3 ??? And to never be worthy of a STICKY? 14,000 views , 100+ free mods and this is the 400 post....this thread alone has saved countless bashers money...