jebster's creeper

[venomcrawlerdud]

i've been playing with the weight distribution myself. i've found 5.25oz in each front wheel is working pretty good. for the rear i have a saddle pack battery that adds about 9oz total to the rear axle. so, i'm pretty balanced right now and it feels stable. i was able to crawl up a 60 degree slant. when i put a small lipo on the front axle (no saddle in the back) i get a more forward weight bias and can get up to 65 degrees. i happy with the way it is running right now. i need more time on the rocks to check things out. that and a new 4VP chassis!

i've raised my steering and rear axle links to help on clearance. i'm working on a BTA steering mod now. still working on bulletproofing the front diff lock system but no news on that yet.

i did have time yesterday to get out on the rock pile and got some pics.

hey jebster how do u build one of those degree testing boerds that u have in the picture

 

[jebster]

hey jebster how do u build one of those degree testing boerds that u have in the picture

i had a 2x4 sheet of 3/4" plywood laying around. i also had some 18"x18" carpet squares (the kind they use in office buildings). so, i just stapled the carpet squares onto the plywood. went to the local hardware store and picked up the angle gauge (about $10). it has a magnetic base so i put a small metal angle bracket on the wood. took all of 15 minutes to put it together but i did have most of the stuff already.

 

[jebster]

some people build fancy frames to hold their traction boards up. i use the nearest wall! "thumbsup"

 

[venomcrawlerdud]

ok but do u have to use carpet or can u use like 60 grite sandpaper or something like that

 

[rmdesignworks]

you can use sandpaper,,I used chicken wire on mine. Getting ready to do another traction board and Ill use a Lightweight concrete for realistic traction...similar to sandstone

 

[venomcrawlerdud]

whats chicken wire and if i do use sandpaper what is the ideal stuff to use

 

[rmdesignworks]

google chicken wire,,you already said you were asking about 60 grit paper...its fine.

 

[jebster]

i had considered some coarse grit sandpaper but the carpet was laying around. you could also pick up some traction strip (used on stairs, semi steps, ladders, etc). it has an adhesive back on it.

rmdesignworks, the concrete surface is a good idea. i was also thinking about some old ceramic ties glued upside down.

 

[jebster]

got a few things in the mail today. decided to put an flm locker in the rear axle (still using lockable diff on the front axle), put in a new large inner hub bearing to replace the blown one and best of all a hitec 7950. that servo is awesome!!! its pouring rain outside right now so i just ran it around the basement. hard to believe how quick the servo responds and the power it has. i held a front wheel on the ground with my foot and the servo was able to slide the rest of the rig around.

a couple pics.

 

[SledRig]

you can use sandpaper,,I used chicken wire on mine. Getting ready to do another traction board and Ill use a Lightweight concrete for realistic traction...similar to sandstone

I'm not trying to threadjack, but while we're on the traction board topic, I can offer another medium.
I have used a traction paint on a practice rock climbing wall in my garage. It is Quikrete Anti-Skid Textured Coating. It comes in a base that you have tinted to one of their colors. It has resin and silica in it, and is very weather resistant. This stuff is used on a lot of wheelchair ramps. You can also just buy their additive (3 oz. pouch) and mix it in your own paint.
At least I know what to do with leftover 1/2 gallon that I have....

 

[SpeedyG]

All I did was go down to Canadian Tire and buy some cheap 60 grit and a bottle of Elmer's... Glued the sheets to a scrap of chipboard I had lying around... Works like it should...

Now all you gotta do is get an anglefinder and post some pics of your rig as your suspension improves... "thumbsup"

We could start a new thread, sort of a friendly "Max Climb Angle" comp just for us Creeper folks, with pics and a brief description of mods...

 

[jebster]

how much are other people's creepers weighing in at?

i'm just curious. mine is currently at 6lb 9oz. i'm betting that is pretty heavy. i have the large saddle pack on the rear axle (~9oz), the front diff lock servo, 5.25oz in each front wheel, dig, etc.

 

[CREEPERBOB]

Mine weighs 6lb 2oz , with 2 2s lipos, 4WS, 12 oz comes from my chassis alone.

 

[jebster]

Mine weighs 6lb 2oz , with 2 2s lipos, 4WS, 12 oz comes from my chassis alone.

looks like i need to put mine on a diet! i've been keeping an eye on your build thread (nice rig) and if yours is lighter than mine given your chassis i need to think about trimming things down. eliminating the front diff lock setup would drop some. i also have extra weight from a wantAsummit 2-3 position adaptor and a servo stretcher.

 

[Rolly]

i'm just curious. mine is currently at 6lb 9oz. i'm betting that is pretty heavy. i have the large saddle pack on the rear axle (~9oz), the front diff lock servo, 5.25oz in each front wheel, dig, etc.

dont feel too bad jebster... mine weighs about the same as yours and im using a 7.4 1300 lipo. i have 8oz on both front tires and 4oz on both rear, venom dig, stock chassis and FLM aluminum lockers.

 

[jebster]

dont feel too bad jebster... mine weighs about the same as yours and im using a 7.4 1300 lipo. i have 8oz on both front tires and 4oz on both rear, venom dig, stock chassis and FLM aluminum lockers.

good to hear mine isn't all that bad. by the way, what is your clearance at the center of the belly?

 

[Rolly]

good to hear mine isn't all that bad. by the way, what is your clearance at the center of the belly?

my clearance fully compressed(i run a full droop setup) is at 2 1/4 inches.

 

[C*H*U*D]

We could start a new thread, sort of a friendly "Max Climb Angle" comp just for us Creeper folks, with pics and a brief description of mods...

Not trying to hijack (I know I'm not the first to say that here....very sorry ), but that's not a bad idea. The only thing is everyone needs to get on the same page as far as what they are using.

My board is a simple piece of pine with 80 grit stapled to it. Since I use it to test just my setups, it works great....I just needed a starting point and I go from there just like everyone else does. To do a thread like Speedy says would require everyone to use a similar board. Carpet and sandpaper both work differently.

.

 

[jebster]

it would be an interesting thread to see what setups get the most inclines, assuming everyone was using the same traction board. i know the carpet gives pretty good traction but at very steep angles (>60deg) my creeper starts loosing a little traction.
on a related note i've lost a little on how steep i can get. i was getting around 62deg but i've raised the belly clearance and now i'm barely at 55deg. i don't do a lot of steep inclines, more open terrain with lots of small boulders. i guess you can't have it all (super low COG for steep climbs and lots of clearance) unless you have a winching system.

 

[Rolly]

maybe a side hilling comp to go with it too...it would be very interesting what setup works on incline and side hilling.