Help me choose a truck

[lee82gx]

preamble -
1. I am now 41, have 2 young but uninterested kids. between that and my wife and a 1:1 job and upcoming Rheumatoid arthritis, I no longer have the time and energy to wrench. Back in the days I literally slept in nitro infused clothes.

2. I bought a used kraton 6s as an intro that has smacked me into reality, there is a lot of maintenance required....to achieve this kind of speed, kinetic energy and tumbling about. I was really attracted by Kevin Talbot who ensured all of us that we can whack the 6s system to the moon and back and repeat this without necessary wrenching. Silly me.
2.1 Much as I like, I do not envision re-building 80 diffs so that I can do it by muscle memory - Mad respects to those in this passion. [I can say I have about 5 more diffs in my passion bank left, the longer the time I can stretch this the more I can bash]
example is here: I am a lousy mechanic
3. I already have a typhon 3s which appears so much more friendly everytime you look at it, save for the fact that I can barely move it around on 2 inch or higher grass.

Is there another model that I can enjoy, with much lower maintenance even at lower speeds? As long as it can move around on sites like these:

I have given up on doing mad jumps and backflips and what not. But I do not want to "crawl" at 5km/h. How about 40km/h top speeds?

I don't mind spending on a new kit. Here are the options in my country:
1. Tamiya - I know - the horror of ABS plastics
2. Another Arrma. This brand seem to be the best supported off road vehicles in my country. Even so, it will be via internet shops. I am a bit dismayed by the failing diffs and worn drive cups.
3. Traxxas. Second best support.
4. Losi (isnt this the same as Arrma?)
5. Corally (only 1 dealer in the whole country, yikes)
6. Serpent (same as Corally above)
7. Chinese XYZ/ABX/MJX/HBX etc brands, buy 2 kits and keep them as spares.
8. Repair my kraton and take it easy, go 4s etc.

 

[remote uncontrol]

I have a 2wd traxxas slash but it’s not a crazy basher welcome to the forum. I also have a 6s basher and I love it even on 4s

 

[Tunedfrog]

Welcome in @lee82gx , for that kind of terrain, I recommend a monster truck or truggy "truck/buggy of some kind.
Traxxas Stampede 4x4 or 2wd, both are fun to run, I have both.
The Arrma Granite can also be a ton of fun.
As far as finding one that don't break then you are getting into a never ending search.
RCs break and more often than we would like. One of the things that you should learn to enjoy is the wrenching part of RC.
I honestly enjoy wrenching more than I do driving them so when they do break I tell my self OH GOODIE GOODIE GOODIE shop time.
Buggies are not really the best choice for the terrain you posted because of the bigger rocks but they can be fun and fast.
Wrenching quickly because easy and it don't take long at all to learn the inside and out of any rig.
Most importantly, have fun with it.

 

[Chubaka]

Honestly a crawler may be the best bet as they are tough. I have mine at 22mph, about 2mph under your 40kmh.

I say crawler as they are least likely to need wrenching. The above listed are good options but may require wrenching here and there.

 

[lee82gx]

Honestly a crawler may be the best bet as they are tough. I have mine at 22mph, about 2mph under your 40kmh.

I say crawler as they are least likely to need wrenching. The above listed are good options but may require wrenching here and there.

Hi, I actually just googled and I found out that the Traxxas TR-4 has 2 mechanical speeds with a max speed of 10mph........
Can I get another example of a faster crawler?

 

[ahr43]

Associated MT10 on 2S works for me. Solid platform. My driving style is very similar to yours and I've had no issues with the MT10. Does grass well the factory tires too. Good luck on making a choice.

The RPM blower, hood rails and side exhausts add a bit of bling.

Oh! And welcome to the forum Lee. Cheers. 'AC'

 

[Chubaka]

Hi, I actually just googled and I found out that the Traxxas TR-4 has 2 mechanical speeds with a max speed of 10mph........
Can I get another example of a faster crawler?

Swap motors and change pinion gears. High kv is more rpm per volt.

On my scx10ii I am running a single speed ax10 tranny with a 22 tooth pinion on a 2080kv motor.

 

[bill_delong]

There is no such thing as a "maintenance free" car, though I know many people will buy a RTR and bash it till it breaks, take it to their local hobby shop and have them make necessary repairs , rinse and repeat.

The risk with this philosophy is that you'll never know when a bearing has seized up which can cook your electronics making the repairs more expensive than is necessary.

If I had RA, I would probably go with VRC instead:
https://vrcworld.com/

 

[F.R.S. Ninja_007]

I agree with @ahr43; an AE MT10 is a great affordable option, but upgrade the radio system.
If you like crawlers and monster trucks but can’t decide, look at the Traxxas Summit; it’s gonna be my next truck for sure. It crawls better than some scale crawlers, is based off the E-Revo platform, and has 2-speed transmission and locking diffs (just like the TRX-4)
https://traxxas.com/products/models/electric/summit

 

[Diesel Powered]

preamble -
1. I am now 41, have 2 young but uninterested kids. between that and my wife and a 1:1 job and upcoming Rheumatoid arthritis, I no longer have the time and energy to wrench. Back in the days I literally slept in nitro infused clothes.

2. I bought a used kraton 6s as an intro that has smacked me into reality, there is a lot of maintenance required....to achieve this kind of speed, kinetic energy and tumbling about. I was really attracted by Kevin Talbot who ensured all of us that we can whack the 6s system to the moon and back and repeat this without necessary wrenching. Silly me.
2.1 Much as I like, I do not envision re-building 80 diffs so that I can do it by muscle memory - Mad respects to those in this passion. [I can say I have about 5 more diffs in my passion bank left, the longer the time I can stretch this the more I can bash]
example is here: I am a lousy mechanic
3. I already have a typhon 3s which appears so much more friendly everytime you look at it, save for the fact that I can barely move it around on 2 inch or higher grass.

Is there another model that I can enjoy, with much lower maintenance even at lower speeds? As long as it can move around on sites like these:

I have given up on doing mad jumps and backflips and what not. But I do not want to "crawl" at 5km/h. How about 40km/h top speeds?

I don't mind spending on a new kit. Here are the options in my country:
1. Tamiya - I know - the horror of ABS plastics
2. Another Arrma. This brand seem to be the best supported off road vehicles in my country. Even so, it will be via internet shops. I am a bit dismayed by the failing diffs and worn drive cups.
3. Traxxas. Second best support.
4. Losi (isnt this the same as Arrma?)
5. Corally (only 1 dealer in the whole country, yikes)
6. Serpent (same as Corally above)
7. Chinese XYZ/ABX/MJX/HBX etc brands, buy 2 kits and keep them as spares.
8. Repair my kraton and take it easy, go 4s etc.

Kraton=Awesome. Shim the diffs. Buy a strong chassis and rpm control arms. Figure it out from there. Imho

 

[lee82gx]

I forgot to add that as of recently, in my country Associated Electrics are not sold widely. I'd have a nightmare getting parts. Otherwise I'd be happy to be reunited with team AE (I used to drive a Factory team TC3).

Same as Tekno (well there is 1 dealer who can order from the US, with 4 weeks lead time), Hobao, etc.

There is no such thing as a "maintenance free" car, though I know many people will buy a RTR and bash it till it breaks, take it to their local hobby shop and have them make necessary repairs , rinse and repeat.

The risk with this philosophy is that you'll never know when a bearing has seized up which can cook your electronics making the repairs more expensive than is necessary.

If I had RA, I would probably go with VRC instead:
https://vrcworld.com/

View attachment 172589

Interesting, although I don't want to give in to RA just yet. If we are into Virtual stuff I'd really rather drive an F1

I am fine with changing a bearing, I am not fine with having to shim the sh!t out of every single diff to a few tenths of a mm every few 10 packs of run. Similarly a worn drive cup that also conveniently requires a full diff rebuild. Is this really a norm? My 20 year old experience with "vintage RC" : 1/10, 6cell on road EP and also 1/8 on road GP does not require such messy work. Now its like changing the lube out of my 1:1 car if you consider there are 3 diffs per car, and 4 shocks also. And I specifically gave up GP early on so as not needing to tune and service the little engine / piston / sleeve crankcase compression etc after every few liters of nitro.

Its a rant, yes, but please, tell me soon so that I don't go too deep into a hole.

 

[Diesel Powered]

Each diff is only like 4 bolts... what version is the kraton? Do u wanna sell it?

 

[lee82gx]

Each diff is only like 4 bolts... what version is the kraton? Do u wanna sell it?

I’m pretty sure you’re not in my country but I am seriously thinking of selling haha.

The thing with this 4 bolt story is the plastic bulkheads stripping due to the repeated opening, and the necessary shimming to the bulkhead again once you built the “correctly shimmed” diff. Any 0.15mm off and here we go again. And while waiting a few weeks for the parts to arrive, the open heart surgery patient is on the operating table, with all the hardware loose.

 

[Jamr]

My 2 cents.
If you want lesser maintenance, I would go with a 2wd with a brushless drive system and some decent rear tires, batteries and a charger. If you roll it alot, you are going to need body repairs.
That terrain looks pretty rocky. I would guess you are going to break a few things.

 

[bill_delong]

I am fine with changing a bearing, I am not fine with having to shim the sh!t out of every single diff to a few tenths of a mm every few 10 packs of run. Similarly a worn drive cup that also conveniently requires a full diff rebuild. Is this really a norm?

Not so much anymore, modern race grade brands like TEKNO don't require much shimming of their diffs, but it's good practice to check the shim on initial build just to be sure. Generally I rebuild a car after every 2-3 hours of combined run time, more info here:

• Maintenance Tips

HoBao will require about the same maintenance interval, but I would only recommend their 1/8 cars and stay away from their 1/10 stuff.

 

[Diesel Powered]

I’m pretty sure you’re not in my country but I am seriously thinking of selling haha.

The thing with this 4 bolt story is the plastic bulkheads stripping due to the repeated opening, and the necessary shimming to the bulkhead again once you built the “correctly shimmed” diff. Any 0.15mm off and here we go again. And while waiting a few weeks for the parts to arrive, the open heart surgery patient is on the operating table, with all the hardware loose.

Yeah sounds a little rough. I haven't had one so not familiar with the problems. Wishing you the best though. I will say this. The 1/12 scale buggy's I have are cheap and amazing. U do have to work on them though

 

[Ramp addict]

Tekno MT410 with a 4s truggy power system. It can do everything on 4s an Outcast can do on 6s, and it's tougher. I own both.

 

[lee82gx]

Tekno MT410 with a 4s truggy power system. It can do everything on 4s an Outcast can do on 6s, and it's tougher. I own both.

View attachment 172669

How often do you do diff rebuilds ? What are the parts that are easily or quickly worn? How quickly do the outdrives wear out quickly like this :

 

[Chubaka]

How often do you do diff rebuilds ? What are the parts that are easily or quickly worn? How quickly do the outdrives wear out quickly like this :

View attachment 172670

View attachment 172671

If mine did that I would look at heat treating the drive cups. Heat it up red then dip in oil or water. That's just me though.

 

[Ramp addict]

Cup notching happens to all dogbone drivetrains and I wouldn't worry about it till it gets really bad.

The weak spot on a Tekno MT410 is the front input gear bearings, 5x11x4. My MT runs issue free for the most part. I understand your Arrma issues. If you're looking for a 6s truggy I would recommend a Sledge. My Kraton is a parts order per battery pack, my Sledge, I've broken a shock cap so far. With a Sledge you need to make two changes. You need to replace the plastic chassis braces with aluminum (I run Integy on mine) and a fixed motor mount screw set like what Hot Racing makes. After that you just put a battery in it and go for a drive, I really like my Sledge a lot. My second favorite truck is the MT410.