Helios RC - Yeti XL Solid Axle Steering Conversion

[Helios RC]

EDIT: this is the official production announcement. For more pictures and discussion please check out the other thread.

Yeti XL Aficionados,



After much testing we're releasing the solid axle steering conversion kit.



http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/new-...lid-axle-steering-conversion.html#post5278882



We're really proud that we're the first to release these and get them done. A few aftermarket companies have approached us about these so expect to see them in aluminum in the near future as well.

 

[Silverblazer50]

Do you have a picture of one installed?

 

[cmbscx10]

Do you have a picture of one installed?

X2 or a running video

 

[cmbscx10]

X2 or a running video

I guess nobody has or is running this. I can't even find a testing run video. Too bad cause it sound like a good idea.

 

[cmbscx10]

Yup, basically a wraith xl.

Exactly. I was planning on doing a custom 1/6 scale Wraith but it looks like that won't happen.

 

[redsawacs]

This product should be sold as a kit not individual parts. Ashamed he has not promoted it in any way other than the initial post. Would love to see some feedback from "the beta testers"...

 

[svt923]

Check out Helios on Facebook, there are some pics of his mega truck with the prototype front axle parts.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.894865030570584.1073741834.568535553203535&type=3

Nick is a buddy of mine so I know he is a busy guy but he was out at Axialfest with the mega truck and I believe he is going to ECSC this weekend as well. He told me that there are several of these in the hands of people but everyone is keeping their builds under wraps for whatever reason.

 

[redsawacs]

If he wants to sell this product, it needs advertisements. Busy or not, nothing will sell if no one knows it exists or no one has any idea how it works.

 

[cmbscx10]

Check out Helios on Facebook, there are some pics of his mega truck with the prototype front axle parts.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.894865030570584.1073741834.568535553203535&type=3

Nick is a buddy of mine so I know he is a busy guy but he was out at Axialfest with the mega truck and I believe he is going to ECSC this weekend as well. He told me that there are several of these in the hands of people but everyone is keeping their builds under wraps for whatever reason.

I don't/won't do FB so thanks for the link.

Weird new business model i guess. There is nothing like keeping stuff top secret when you are trying to pitch something to sell.

If he is your buddy smack him in the head for me. It seems like a lot of people are blowing front diffs like their noses so i would think this would be an opportune time to get people to switch to solid axle. Call me silly.

 

[cmbscx10]

If he wants to sell this product, it needs advertisements. Busy or not, nothing will sell if no one knows it exists or no one has any idea how it works.

Agreed X1000

 

[tonyfalkon]

This product should be sold as a kit not individual parts. Ashamed he has not promoted it in any way other than the initial post. Would love to see some feedback from "the beta testers"...

It's sold as parts to recoup some of the initial investments and from a business standpoint it is a sound practice, but the buyers will be shouldering the cost. Looking at the materials its tougher than injected molded plastic it won't flex as much which is the intended purpose I think. If it gathers more traction in the near future maybe a year it maybe sold as a kit but by then the public will be asking where is the aluminum version.

Right now just mounting it on a build I already see some lines could be just by product of the 3D printing process, worst case hairline fractures. I'd have to look at it under a microscope, which I don't have, to be sure but for now I choose to believe that they are just by product of the 3D printing. I'll know more once I get it running in 2 weeks.

From a design perspective the servo mount could have been incorporated on the truss and not as a separate piece. I would prefer a trailing arm mount like the original, the design not the position but I'm not a designer or an engineer I'm just throwing ideas out there for version 2???.

 

[ChucksSummit]

I've been following this for a bit and waiting for some more info myself.

If he wants sell these things he should follow up with his post and maybe provide feedback to the people.....

With that being said count me in!

 

[ChucksSummit]

Just seeing if Helios was going to follow up on this thread at all?

 

[redsawacs]

I don't think so, he hasn't logged on in nearly a month. I think it is safe to say you're ordering at your own risk with this one....oh well!

 

[cmbscx10]

I think it is safe to say you're ordering at your own risk with this one....oh well!

Agreed. I am now thinking if using a Losi 8T IFS front end and YXL rear axle for my custom build. Too bad as i would have liked to build a Solid Axle crawler using YXL axles F/R.

 

[Helios RC]

Hey guys, Helios RC is alive and well. AxialFest and ECSC created a ton of action for us and we've been catching up with that. Personally I've been on the road 6 weeks in a row and only home for the weekends. So, it's pretty wild.

 

[Helios RC]

Here's the other thread with pictures and discussion:
http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/axial-yeti-xl/523453-yeti-xl-solid-front-axle-helios-rc.html

 

[Helios RC]

I don't think so, he hasn't logged on in nearly a month. I think it is safe to say you're ordering at your own risk with this one....oh well!

Sorry, that's definitely not the case. We have been catching up on AxialFest and ECSC as well as designing some new products. I'd say that there are about 8 sets out there that people have built (or at least ordered). They are in different stages of their build.

RCC is an awesome source of information, but sometimes the old fashioned forums get a little overlooked :|

 

[Helios RC]

It's sold as parts to recoup some of the initial investments and from a business standpoint it is a sound practice, but the buyers will be shouldering the cost. Looking at the materials its tougher than injected molded plastic it won't flex as much which is the intended purpose I think. If it gathers more traction in the near future maybe a year it maybe sold as a kit but by then the public will be asking where is the aluminum version.

Right now just mounting it on a build I already see some lines could be just by product of the 3D printing process, worst case hairline fractures. I'd have to look at it under a microscope, which I don't have, to be sure but for now I choose to believe that they are just by product of the 3D printing. I'll know more once I get it running in 2 weeks.

From a design perspective the servo mount could have been incorporated on the truss and not as a separate piece. I would prefer a trailing arm mount like the original, the design not the position but I'm not a designer or an engineer I'm just throwing ideas out there for version 2???.

@Tony, thanks for the understanding feedback.

For everyone else. From a design standpoint you need to take into consideration that commercial rates for design like this are $150-$250/hr. We get this for all of our commercial work. There are countless hours in design and testing of this stuff so when people order the parts from Shapeways we're still not making any money on these.

The whole point for creating the conversion kit is to give people ideas for what they can do with the Yeti XL axle. Nobody else has come close to anything like this (even Axial was impressed with the idea). Based on the reactions from AxialFest, I expect that Vanquish and Axial will be releasing something of their own to copy these.

Anyway, without ranting too much, thanks for the feedback. We appreciate people being open and will be the same with you guys.

***Now, off to get some running footage of the Mega Truck for all of you guys. "thumbsup"

 

[ChucksSummit]

Any pictures of this "conversion" installed on a YETI XL????