OS's World of TRX thread

[OSRC]

So then this happened... went a little crazy on Bullhead bodies off Ebay. Without even fully mounting it, it's an 100% improvement from the Mercedes body. Going through the same motions as mounting on my Axial - bolts to the sliders if I want to go that route. May look into a hinged setup. The rear of the body just covers the battery tray. Really, it's a great fit - won't need much trimming at all. I did have to clearance slightly around the 2 speed servo, I'll need to fill that in eventually. Not sure on the spare tires out back, was just messing around and looking for a way to hide the shock towers.

 

[JonnyUK]

Looks good.
Thats where i'd have the spare wheels anyway.

 

[OSRC]

Whittling away at this one... since the kids started softball and the weather is getting warmer, RC time has been at a premium. Still, getting some projects in when I can.

I flipped the sliders upside-down and lowered the body quite a bit. I had to grind off quite a bit of material to get the body sitting lower, but I think it was worth it in the end.

The sliders are a bit hacked up, I'll probably pick up a new set and re-trim them to match the body a bit better.

An old SSD Defender bumper is tucked into a rear bumper mount jammed up front. Nothing flashy, just some metal out there to take the hits and a nice low profile to keep a decent approach angle

Had to clearance here and there for the shift servos. Unlocking the diffs helps a ton when maneuvering, definitely wanted to keep them lockable/unlockable.

Body sitting at ride height, it's just attached with 3 body pins. Wasn't going for scale per-se, just wanted to get the body mounted. I have a terrible habit of letting perfect be the enemy of good, and projects tend to sit and get dusty as obsess over the small stuff. Screw it, got it mounted, called it good. I'd really like to trim the rear of the chassis a bit, I think it hangs way out there. Not sure if I'm ready to hack it up just yet.

Chassis doesn't look much different. Got rid of the fenders out back for some standard shock towers, and used Bronco fenders up front with the tie plate for electronics. Had to whittle down the front fenders quite a bit to get the body down over them.

ESC and receiver were moved up front, and installed a 1080/Holmes 550 while I was at it. Such a good combo!

Paint cans lined up! I need some putty to fill some of the spots in the body, then it's off to the paint booth.

 

[Benp]

That’s going to be cool!

Have a nice big chrome grill up front[emoji106]

 

[OSRC]

Debating an older, weathered look... I painted my other 6x6 nice and pretty. I'm thinking of going with a beat up look on this one. Not sure yet though.... I do like that big honking truck grill.

 

[OSRC]

Dusted off the Defender and took it our for a spin...still my favorite truck to wheel. It's not super capable, but it is a blast to drive.

Still use the diffs a lot. I leave them open until needed, then lock them up to get up and over. Plus, you get cool diffing out shots!

----

In other non-fake news, the X6 is coming along nicely. Paint and decals on, and swapping over to silver wheels ilo the black. Need to do something about the grill yet but it's close to being back on the trail.

 

[OSRC]

Just about done with the TRX6.... still need to finish up the grill and maybe add some lights. The paint came out terrible, I threw on some stickers and called it a day.

Glad I lowered the body, definitely liking the stance. Silver wheels really pop compared to the black.

Front grill came out terrible. I tried a black wash, then painting and it was a pain in the rear. I'll mask and spray it

I do get some rubbing on the front fenders at full stuff. I'll run it first before doing any trimming of he fenders. I already carved a lot off, I really don't want to carve off any more!

Rear of the chassis is naked. I want this to be a performer, so no need for any additional crap back there.

 

[OSRC]

Couple of updates on some interesting TRX projects...

How fast can a TRX go? Good question, let's find out! The Traxial TRX4 Rally truck is coming along nice. Originally it was on a Vaterra chassis, but the gearing had its limits. Moving it over to a TRX chassis gave me much better gearing. I can get down to 6:1 which is plenty for this chassis. My Tonka TRX gave up it's chassis for this one.

2 speed parts are on order, as is a Castle 3800 SC system. The Axles are SCX10v1 with open diffs. Getting those big pumpkins under there was a challenge. I eventually left the steering servo on the chassis - just was less work than coming up with a 4 link imo. It's ugly but it all works and have plenty of travel.

Tires are Rampage Outlaw tires... hard enough hopefully so they slide ilo grip otherwise it's going to be rollover city. Wheels are subject to change.

And the de-portalled TRX Sport got another workout yesterday at Green Lane. Nothing really challenged it here, it's a very, very good performer. Bolted up some new Pitbulls I picked up over the summer at the G6 and they are perfect for this truck. Perfect size, grip for days and a low COG led to a great day of wheeling. As always, diffs unlocked as much as possible. Such a fun drive.

I ran the snot out of this truck at this years G6, and put 3 more packs through it today....still has the stock steering and shift servos, they just won't die! I have another one ready to go in, i'm just waiting for the stocker to kick the bucket. I did come home and swap on front OD gears and a metal front housing for a bit more weight. Other than that, cleaned up and put on the shelf for next time. Incredibly dependable truck.

 

[Blaze0303]

What front bumper is on that Defender? I’ve been searching for one like it. Great looking rigs btw.

 

[OSRC]

What front bumper is on that Defender? I’ve been searching for one like it. Great looking rigs btw.

SSD Winch bumper... does hurt approach a bit, but it's not too bad. "thumbsup"

https://www.amainhobbies.com/ssd-rc...fEPfFBfBDMsQKaTlkrCf9fFa6uFuZ59hoC9VYQAvD_BwE

 

[Blaze0303]

SSD Winch bumper... does hurt approach a bit, but it's not too bad. "thumbsup"

https://www.amainhobbies.com/ssd-rc...fEPfFBfBDMsQKaTlkrCf9fFa6uFuZ59hoC9VYQAvD_BwE

Thank you, you’d think I’d of known that seeing as I’m running the SSD rear bumper.

 

[boldfin]

the de-portalled TRX Sport got another workout yesterday at Green Lane. Nothing really challenged it here, it's a very, very good performer. Bolted up some new Pitbulls I picked up over the summer at the G6 and they are perfect for this truck. Perfect size, grip for days and a low COG led to a great day of wheeling. As always, diffs unlocked as much as possible. Such a fun drive.

I ran the snot out of this truck at this years G6, and put 3 more packs through it today....still has the stock steering and shift servos, they just won't die! I have another one ready to go in, i'm just waiting for the stocker to kick the bucket. I did come home and swap on front OD gears and a metal front housing for a bit more weight. Other than that, cleaned up and put on the shelf for next time. Incredibly dependable truck.

I guess I just joined your fairly exclusive club of de-portalled TRX-4 owners by installing the SSD Portal Delete Kit on my Sport. I geared down as much as possible with a 9T pinion and 45T Spur and put underdrive gears in the rear to allow for some overdrive without sacrificing too much of the precious remaining gear reduction on this rig. Haven't had a chance to get it out on the rocks, but I have hooned it around in the backyard, and it's much quicker of course - but I think it will still crawl OK. I've got a pretty slow HH Crawlmaster 550 13T motor in it. We'll see. I also installed selectable locking diffs in the front and rear, and put them on a y-adapter with a servo signal reverser. I kept the single-speed trans, so I can run everything off a 3-channel receiver. It'll be interesting to see if I get a lot of torque twist. Didn't really see a lot of that on the backyard run, but the suspension was not utilizing much of the available travel on the flat ground. I fully expect to see some "pissing dog" and/or "bow to your sensei" (Rex Kwan Do) maneuvers when it's flexed out on the rocks.

 

[OSRC]

Looks great! The Sport especially looks good de-portaled.

I can say I had a decent of torque twist with my Defender body, with the lighter Sport body it's not nearly as bad. I outboarded the lower shock mounts a bit in the back and it's a non issue at the moment. The lower CG is very noticeable.

I just put OD in the front of mine, and wasn't thinking about the gearing per-se - going UD in the back makes much more sense, I think I'll go that route.

 

[OSRC]

Been a while since I did any thread updates. I've been wrenching a ton, just not taking pics. Got a wild hair though this weekend and took some pics.

First, I converted the Defender to a tow rig... well, I swapped the body onto another chassis (Tactical Traxx) and made it a tow rig. Holmes outrunner for pulling power, 19/45, HD rear gears (stock ratio), stiffest rear springs I could find, and a nice ESS system. it's a hot mess under the hood - probably more wiring than any other vehicle I own. Winch and Servo run off the BEC, ESC and ESS directly off the battery, and receiver and 3 smaller servos off the ESC's output. The body lights get their own 3V AAA batteries velcroed under the hood ilo the overpriced TRX power supply and a switch under the spare tire.

Trailer is a modded KYX cheapo. Chino'd the springs slightly, and did quite a bit of work to get the suspension working smooth. It barely flexed out of the box. Now, I get about 3/4" per wheel.

Hauling a light CMX as a test, I need to raise the rear hitch a bit, but it pulls like a champ....and sounds fantastic. I knocked the upper light bar down before the pics and just noticed...whoops!

Then, I had the Defender's chassis sitting here... Inspired by another build here, I put the FJ body back on with some questionable bumpers. Far lighter than the Defender, I retuned the suspension and took it out for a 3 hour solo tour yesterday. Hills, creek beds, rock gardens - took it all like a champ. It took a bit for the Prolines to wake up from their winter slumber, but once they did it practically drove itself up the rocks. It retains the diff lock and 2 speed, and I put it to good use. Still for me, the best trailing platform out there. Love climbing though creek beds and up hills with the diffs open and watching the tires claw and scratch for traction, and then lock up only as needed. It's so damn satisfying!

 

[durok]

Gorgeous scenery, awesome pics, and motivation for me to drop my Sumo body onto a chassis at some point, sooner rather than later..."thumbsup"

 

[RCiswhatido]

Amazing work on your crawlers. Having gone through your posts I was wondering if it makes that big a difference with a 3200 vs a 5200 3s battery. I have the defender myself and with my current 4299mah 7 cell NiMH, it rolls over and backwards a ton on my local crawl spots. Having a defender myself with no upgrades the weight it up high it seems like a no brainer however I do crawling, light bashing, and trails. Just wondered what your take was.

Here are my two options:


Here is a sample of the type of driving I do. Lots of rolling over and speed.
https://streamable.com/4orxty
https://streamable.com/0ur3zm

 

[B-MOW71]

That's a good lookin' tow set-up. Tow rig fits the part nicely and that little guy fits on the trailer perfectly! I'm liking that trailer too!

That is a great looking FJ! Love the color and it has the perfect stance!"thumbsup"

 

[OSRC]

Thank you for the kind words fellas.

I was wondering if it makes that big a difference with a 3200 vs a 5200 3s battery.

Absolutely. Somewhere on here I have a TRX4 Bronco thread, and on the first drive I was using a 5200mah pack in a Bowhouse tray. About 1/2 way through I swapped in a smaller pack - the difference was very noticeable. Much more planted with the smaller pack.... maybe not quite as dramatic an effect with the Defender since it has a longer WB, but I'm sure it makes a difference "thumbsup"

EDIT: here's the post: http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/traxxas-trx-4/603905-oss-trx4-2-bronco-2.html#post5898387

 

[OSRC]

Had a great idea when out on the trail last week (sometimes I do my best thinking wandering around in the woods with some electric motor whine, running water, and bird chirping) and finally got it done.

My "De-portalled" Sport has been doing great - ran the heck out of it at the G6 last year, and several trail runs since. Well balanced and low COG, it's been flawless so far....well, sorta. The only issue I have with it is 2nd gear is almost useless since removing the portals removed a 2.3:1 reduction from the axles making it quite speedy, especially with 3S.

So I removed the GRC front motor kit, left the servo mounted up front, moved the motor back to stock location and installed a 3:1 planetary reduction inline with the motor. This brings back the gearing options I lost when I ditched the portals and should give me back some of the drivability that I lost. I'm not sure why it took me 3 years to come up with this, but anyway...

I used an Xtra speed gear reduction, it's all steel and a planetary setup...not worried about durability of the GRU, though I may look into an aluminum mount since the motor is really hanging out there. I used a 540 ilo a 550 for clearance - a full can 550 interferes with the front links. The 540 should do ok though I'm still debating how to shoehorn a bigger motor in there. Currently mounted with an 11t pinion though I may go a bit taller.

I rearranged the chassis a bit, moving the battery from the tray to the slider, and the receiver over to the battery tray. Battery is slightly lower overall and a bit more forward than before which should help offset losing the front motor mount.

COG is decent, the motor and battery are in in a good position relative to the ride height. Might have even improved it somewhat.

Also, I swapped over some wheels and changed the rod ends on the shocks for a bit more ride height... I'm thinking this truck is deserving of a new body. The Metallic Pewter looks nice, but clashes imo with silver wheels.

 

[OSRC]

Time for a fleet update....

The Puller: Set up to haul my trailer, the goal is to drag something speedy into my crawling area on the trailer - rally car, Tamiya buggy - something I wouldn't normally bring out crawling. There's a great little bash spot deep in the woods I'm thinking of, and it would be an awesome trail run to drag this trailer back there, unload a rally car, and bash around, load up, and roll back out.

I'm using the Defender for pulling - I like the longer WB. It has stiff springs and shocks out back to support the trailer and a Revolver for lots of torque. 2sp and lockers, I try and run open where I can and just lock as needed. When its in low gear and all locked up, the Revolver pulls with authority, the trailer is no problem.

Remote winch, 3 chassis servos, ESS, BEC - there's a lot going on. I gave up on neatness and just crammed as much as I could into a project box.

The FJ: Added the front motor mount removed from the Sport. Really a good wheeling truck, the body is lighter than it looks and it goes places you won't expect sometimes. Curious to see how the front motor mount works out.

The Scaler: Nothing changed from above

The Speedy: Can't forget the TRX/SCX10 hybrid.

The Beast: Not really sure what I'm doing with this one. the Bullhead body looks pretty good, and that's as far as I got.