Capra build advice

[Mrgoodwrench35]

Been playing with RC's for a long time but I'm new to crawlers. I recently purchased a TRX4 for the wife. She likes to play but doesn't really seem into bashing and high speed stuff so I figured a crawler would be more suited for her. She loves it and turns out, so do I so now I must have one of my own. I decided on the axial capra. The LHS had a great deal on a build kit and I couldn't resist.

I was hoping for some advice on what electronics to run. I've read that I'm limited to a 540 can motor and most of the info I've found is suggesting brushed? I thought that was old school tech?? All the bashers and such that I play with are running brushless systems and they seem to far out perform the brushed predecessors (I can almost hear you hardcore crawler guys laughing as you read this). Why brushed?

 

[Kimmie28]

More throttle control and torque. you can set the esc to an extreme hill brake for holding power on off camber climbs or decents. In rock crawling its about control not speed. You can easily upgrade to the many brushless systems for crawlers. I have a trx4 defender I put a velenion system in just for kicks and giggles. However the trade off is that it now likes to roll over constantly. I'll be going back to a brushed system in it soon.

 

[Mtbmatty]

Hoping to get a Capra myself, was looking at the Holmes Hobbies brushed motors for a build or future upgrade. Here is a great video that John at HH did on the Capra build kit. Make sure you start a build thread, once you get rolling on the kit, I’d like to see it….

 

[Mrgoodwrench35]

I'll start a build thread and post lots of pics once I get started as I'm sure I'll have a lot more questions. I watched the video and I think I'll try the 16t HH motor but I see a lot of options for the series of motor and dont really understand the differences. Crawl master sport, pro, and expert are the 3 options i see in 16 turn. I'm concerned more with quality than cost. That was a very informative video. Thank you for the suggestion.

 

[Mtbmatty]

As a layman, I’m not exactly sure what the differences are either.
I’m leaning towards the Capra in a 4wheel steer which comes as an rtr. The build would be preferable but more than I’ll be able to spend off the bat.
Here is another resource where John answers questions. You could also contact Holmes hobbies directly through their Website
Looking forward to seeing your progress

 

[ground_zero298]

550 will fit with some small modifications and a pan hard mount from a vanquish. I run a tekin setup in mine. One of the best crawlers I have. Just a little wide for our lhs comps so I use my trx4 for that. And like any good crawler, don’t skimp on the servos. 500oz min imo with aluminum horn and no saver. Be surprised how you can manipulate a crawler with good servos.

The 4 wheel steering for crawling comps is a whole nother can of worms to use. I prefer the 2 wheel steer with a dig. But thats per our local course. Sometimes the 4ws is just a pain in the ass for gates.

Now if you’re just climbing things and don’t care about running comps, 4ws is way better than the standard. Easy to catch side grip just flipping the wheels. It will find a lot more traction.

Then grab some dessert lizard shocks. 90’s or 100’s. 35-37.5 oil weight. Can use them as they come set up spring wise, or take the long top springs out and put the softest short ones in the kit back in if looking for more droop.

The Capra will also support running 2.2’s instead of 1.9’s if you like that look.

I run 4s in all mine. Lower top speed but crazy smooth torque. 2s in my comp rig per the rules.

 

[The_RC_Dude]

Been playing with RC's for a long time but I'm new to crawlers. I recently purchased a TRX4 for the wife. She likes to play but doesn't really seem into bashing and high speed stuff so I figured a crawler would be more suited for her. She loves it and turns out, so do I so now I must have one of my own. I decided on the axial capra. The LHS had a great deal on a build kit and I couldn't resist.

I was hoping for some advice on what electronics to run. I've read that I'm limited to a 540 can motor and most of the info I've found is suggesting brushed? I thought that was old school tech?? All the bashers and such that I play with are running brushless systems and they seem to far out perform the brushed predecessors (I can almost hear you hardcore crawler guys laughing as you read this). Why brushed?

In crawling, you don't need crazy speed, as most of the time your crawler will be going <5mph. As such, even with the low gearing, the motor won't be churning out tons of RPMs, which also means that efficiency is still pretty good, and the motor won't get hot.

Brushed motors don't suffer from cogging from high gearing and high load, unlike BL motors sometimes. As such, brushed motors are a little more smooth on the startup, and you just have a little more control over the RPM range. Now, don't get me wrong, sensored BL systems like HobbyWing's (HW) crawler sensored systems are really good, and have cruise control and all that fancy stuff, but in some situations, brushed is still better, and a lot cheaper! So brushless or brushed, your crawler ain't gonna go faster than walking pace, or a jog if you have a 2 speed tranny. Does this make sense?

 

[tntpoof]

I looked at 5 vids and seen 3 complete tear downs of chassis and dont see how a 550 would fit in that chassis. Id just go with a higher turn brushed not a crawler but have a few trail rc and have a blast 2 have dual steer.great hop ups but looks like a giant money cave.

 

[The_RC_Dude]

I looked at 5 vids and seen 3 complete tear downs of chassis and dont see how a 550 would fit in that chassis. Id just go with a higher turn brushed not a crawler but have a few trail rc and have a blast 2 have dual steer.great hop ups but looks like a giant money cave.

A 1/10 scale crawler that CAN'T take a 550 or 540? That ain't very good, in fact, my 1/14 scale buggy comes with a 550 brushed motor (yes, the stock power to weight is pretty good)! What kind of motor are you supposed to use, a 390 (brushed) or 28__ (brushless) size motor then?

 

[ground_zero298]

I looked at 5 vids and seen 3 complete tear downs of chassis and dont see how a 550 would fit in that chassis. Id just go with a higher turn brushed not a crawler but have a few trail rc and have a blast 2 have dual steer.great hop ups but looks like a giant money cave.

It fits. Everyone need their hand held now. No one tries anything different. Got them in my vs4’s too. I specialize in “out side the box”. One of the many benefits of being autistic.

 

[cdstatz]

You can get a Fusion 1800 kv in the Capra with a little bit of trimming the rear upper link with the stock skid or no trimming with most flat skids. That's what I'm running in mine. Check you YouTube for Fusion/Capra builds

 

[The_RC_Dude]

It fits. Everyone need their hand held now. No one tries anything different. Got them in my vs4’s too. I specialize in “out side the box”. One of the many benefits of being autistic.

Looks you could shoehorn a 3670 in there too! What hand held?

 

[ground_zero298]

It’s not the shoving it in. It’s mounting it that’s the issue. Have to shorten a link and mount a pan hard mount to the motor itself.

 

[Mrgoodwrench35]

As a layman, I’m not exactly sure what the differences are either.
I’m leaning towards the Capra in a 4wheel steer which comes as an rtr. The build would be preferable but more than I’ll be able to spend off the bat.
Here is another resource where John answers questions. You could also contact Holmes hobbies directly through their Website
Looking forward to seeing your progress

I had a hard time deciding between the 4WS and the dig options. Never used either but the dig seemed like less complicated operation. Thanks again for the links.

In crawling, you don't need crazy speed, as most of the time your crawler will be going <5mph. As such, even with the low gearing, the motor won't be churning out tons of RPMs, which also means that efficiency is still pretty good, and the motor won't get hot.

Brushed motors don't suffer from cogging from high gearing and high load, unlike BL motors sometimes. As such, brushed motors are a little more smooth on the startup, and you just have a little more control over the RPM range. Now, don't get me wrong, sensored BL systems like HobbyWing's (HW) crawler sensored systems are really good, and have cruise control and all that fancy stuff, but in some situations, brushed is still better, and a lot cheaper! So brushless or brushed, your crawler ain't gonna go faster than walking pace, or a jog if you have a 2 speed tranny. Does this make sense?

Definately makes sense. I just thought that with the new sensored systems, the performance would surpass that of the brushed stuff. I recently put a HW axe 540 FOC in a TRX4 and the low end torque seems great. Very smooth. The cruise control part is pretty cool for one handed driving. I do think I'll go with a brushed system, at least at first, on the Capra just so I can make some comparisons.

You can get a Fusion 1800 kv in the Capra with a little bit of trimming the rear upper link with the stock skid or no trimming with most flat skids. That's what I'm running in mine. Check you YouTube for Fusion/Capra builds View attachment 142106

Nice rig. Love the color scheme. I saw a few videos where guys were trimming the lower plate by the link mounts but it seemed like that would weaken the structure.

It fits. Everyone need their hand held now. No one tries anything different. Got them in my vs4’s too. I specialize in “out side the box”. One of the many benefits of being autistic.

No hand holding needed here. Just like to get input from people with experience. If I dont think the 540 system is enough, I'll find a way to get a bigger can in there but I have to start somewhere and I'd rather not chop up the chassis just yet. The crawler aspect of RC is pretty new to me. Going slow never seemed appealing to me until now. Getting old I guess.....
I really appreciate eveyone's input. Thanks for taking the time to reply.

 

[ground_zero298]

The hand holding comment is for the YouTube creators, not you guys. All the same cookie cutter videos.

Let me know if you need pics and the pan hard part number for the tekin 550 install. I’ll post them up. You have to cut one of the rear link holder off of the chassis then mount the pan hard bracket on the back of the motor, then trim that link a 1/2”. Mines been like this for 2 years. Multiple 10’ falls and lots of abuse. Not a single issue. Even the drive train has held up. Then I split the gas tank and put the rx4 esc in that.

I will say the tekin 550 is a awesome Capra upgrade for control and torque.

I’m not scared to ruin a rc over a mod.

Also you don’t need to run 4ws all the time. So you could use it in normal mode to cut out the extra turn radius. Will be a real fun truck either way.

I know when ever I run my Capra or vs4 people always ask what motors are in them. Just from the sound and torque. They don’t perform like anyone else. My vs4 does 5mph at 20k+ rpm. So you can imagine how that sounds. Plus the dead launches it’s capable of.

 

[Mrgoodwrench35]

I'd be interested in seeing some pics of that tekin mod if you wouldn't mind posting.

For a guy who's just playing, not competing, is it worth it?

 

[Mrgoodwrench35]

Do any of the aftermarket skids out there correct the clearance issue?

 

[ground_zero298]

I tend to stay away from the skids. They usually cause a lot of hang ups with the edges and screw heads. Best is just bare belly. Not sure if anyone found anything decent for the pumpkins.

 

[Mrgoodwrench35]

I think I'll start out building it with a 540 can and see how it goes. If it lacks for power, then I'll consider modification. Too bad they dont make a skid thats just a little bit longer....