Slash 4x4 axles....well, that didn't last too long

[Oaks]

So, it seems that the main weak point in the traxxas slash 4x4 axles, like any other set of traxxas axles, is in the splines.

The area coming off the upper driveshaft (that doesn't get any coverage from the lower slideshaft) likes to twist right up. I will be inspecting the lower splines to see if they are salvageable. I am pretty sure that they are.

If they are, I will give the 4x4 axles one more try with a home remedy. I will probably cut a 1/2 inch section from the lower slides and install that section on the new axles in the place where the old ones twisted. I'm really hoping this will keep these slightly pricey axles from failing in the future.

If it doesn't, I will be trying out RepearGN's HPI dogbone conversion, as I am stuck using 5mm stub axles along with my 17mm hex adapters.

Granted, it's all my fault. Those poor axles didn't ask for 3S 50C SPC lipo power pushing a MMP 2400 combo with 2.8 Trenchers on 3.2 Revolvers

As much as i'd like to post up some pics of the black plastic candy canes, how about we just roll the tape

http://youtu.be/HnS3w1EuH4k

Vid should be ready in a bit...Youtube is saying to sit tight, video edits are processing....

[AbSoLooT1]

HA! AWESOME! Nice vid And um ya.. I remember there being some debate on back flips here... U blew that right out of the water! lol. Thats awesome bro.. Nice job!

Sick truck, with sick performance homie. Very nice! I didnt know u had such a hooked up system oaks. Id love to see some close up pics of ur motor, wheelie bar, rig in general.

[Oaks]

Thanks Absoloot

As far as the close ups, yeah, not so impressive, lol. I really need to go back over the entire truck and finalize things. Right now, it's sort of a prototype mock up work in progress. I did install a t bone wheelie bar just the other day tho.

[DiggerPede]

Nice Oaks!!!! 2 words Castle Creations. LOL

Impressive video. I dig the backflips. It does it with so much ease. Keep up the good work. Btw Tekno has 6mm stubs, and protrac bones available now. If they will ever be in stock. Of course you have to buy their hex kit for the 17mm ones.

[Oaks]

Thanks DiggerPede. Hey man, with this vid, can we go ahead and score the brushless war Castle 1, everybody else 0, lol.

Yeah, I saw the Tekno kit. I especially liked the use of the oversized bearings and those carriers are pretty boss, too. It's definitely something I will be considering down the road, maybe when I can just get a rear setup instead of the 4x4 kit.

and the backflipping is just a phase...one of those things that cool to know you can pull. Any interest in installing the 2400 in your Digger yet?

[DiggerPede]

I have a 2400 & a 2650 that could be tried if I wanted. Id have to get a HR motor plate or their tranny.

Btw the 3800 is still pretty mean.

[Oaks]

Yeah, I can only imagine how sick the 3800 is. I remember Raptorpede posting a vid and that truck was a blur screaming by. The money spent on the Castle MMP combos pay you back ten fold. Best bang for the buck! Oh and the slash project is coming along nicely man. I understand that you are doing a buggy? like with dish lpr/vtr wheels and tires?

[DiggerPede]

I have a video I posted on youtube running with the GoPro in the gallery. I need to do some more vids.

[Raptorpede]

Hey Oaks yeah the 3800 on 3S is pretty insane as that wan't even half throttle as my tire ballooned so much that even with the wheelie bar on it's lowest setting it still got unstable on me so I can only image what the 2400 is like. It's been geared down a tooth and my battery has broken in. I was going to try to get another speed video ( if weather is good ). Also I've been running it for awhile now and my slash 4x4 shafts are finally starting to show wear.

[Oaks]

The 2400 is fairly docile, believe it or not. Right now, my battery pack is going thru puberty so my slipper clutch is starting to squeal and my motor is starting to stank, lol. It's not very wheelie happy until you gear it up. That vid clip was running 22/50 and I might have room for a 24 tooth pinion. And thats going to be my top speed unless I want to tape a 2S pack somewhere on it and do some 5S runs in front of the house I'll try to get some different footage of 17/50 and 19/50 for a comparison. Maybe some 50 ft dashes or something?

[ReaperGN]

If you want to connect a 2s and 3s pack together give this a quick read first. I wouldn't try it unless both packs came from one of the major companies and were brand new. It can work but its a bit risky for my taste.

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1255111

[rag6]

If you want taller gearing, you could switch to the nitro revo's mod 1 gears. They bolt up the same as the 32p, but you have your choice of smaller spurs, that will let you get your top speed up higher than 24/50.

[Oaks]

Thanks for the gearing info. I'm probably going to slow the truck down a bit and hope to get more wear out of these axles. Next failure, i'm trying something different

I also picked up some more 4x4 axles. I used a pipe cutter to cut sections from one of the older slides to try and strengthen the axles a bit. This plan might backfire tho.



Theres enough room for the suspension to compress, too. Maybe a 1/4 of an inch's difference.



Back up and running!

[AbSoLooT1]

Truck is looking SICK oaks. Very nice work man. I love it. What body is that?

[Oaks]

Thanks man. It's a nitro rustler body by proline called the 'crowd pleazer.' you can see the hump for the exhaust manifold, lol. Yeah, I needed a new shell and it looked good at the time.

But it's in need of another new one. I'm liking the raptor styling, and am leaning towards the JC rustler version. I rememeber the one you did up, that's the inspiration

Setup now includes the losi shocks. I'm using the outside most holes for the front and the inside upper/widest lower settling in the rear with the protrac kit. I'll probably set the front upper points back to the inside. Shocks are stock with the height adjusters all of the way up. I lowered them a good amount and used the 3rd he on the protrac rears and it was bouncing the rear over the front so I switched it back to the 4th and raised the adjusters back up.

The axles seem solid, but I don't see myself pulling stunts like in the video too much more. Im interested in seeig what springs are available for these ten t shocks and I might be aiming for some dual rates. Right now, im looking to complete a race truck vibe by first using a smaller pinion, adding some pins on something and maybe something else, lol. Should be soon. I really want to get a second set of different wheels and tires going and find out what it's goingto take to lower my body a 1/2 inch more

[Petertje60]

Nice stuff, Oaks. I remember playing with backflips until I found out the tight slipper setting you want for it, is drive shaft killer #1.

Mod1 gears are nice, since I got the bore reducer which makes it possible to run larger pinions on a 3mm shaft, I use Mod 1 on both my 1/10 scale cars.

[Oaks]

Hey, thanks Petertje. The mod one gears look tough and may consider them in the future. I believe the most teeth on a 32p pinion my lhs offers is the 22 for the 3mm shaft.

The backflips were sort of an in the moment kind of thing. I had been flirting with the idea of trying it out, since I rarely just hammer the throttle like that. I had come close to doingit before but was still afraid to really give it a go. For whatever reason, during that battery pack session that was caught on tape, I just decided to try it. What was pretty wild about those few minutes was that I had no idea I'd be pulling those off left and right like that. I hope you and everybody else that took the time to watch it enjoyed watching it.

It really wasnt meant to be some big purpose made youtube video as thru most of the middle I really didn't know what I was doing, besides running to flip the pede back over, lol. Standing there feet from it all happening, I was in total disbelief/awe. Watching it slam those rear trenchers down on the grass at full speed and kick up the dirt and continue catapulting forward...was awesome. I had to share it.

[rag6]

Next up, rolling continuous backflips...

[Oaks]

Lol, rag6, the same thought popped in my head watching sort of the grand finale of backflips in the vid where it started on the street.

Today so far has been a much simpler day, installed a 17 tooth pinion and wrenched on the camber and steering links. Adjusted my shock mounting holes and charging the pack a couple of times. The drop in speed has been huge. I couldn't hardly backflip off a jump right now. Temps have dropped back down in the 130's again and time to think of how I can work these losi's down. Also, I loosened the slipper clutch a hair while figuring what to do to replace it. For the adjustment, I 'broke' the bolt on the spring and tightened it back down halfway

[Oaks]

Well Dang. I just broke an ear off a lower stub axle. 17 tooth and a freshly charged pack. 12.6 is a mutha. Maybe I should re evaluate how much I should loosen the slipper, lol

[DiggerPede]

Oaks i think you now an addicted Backflipper. LOL All I can say is they are tons of fun. I do that with my EMBE. It is total fun. All that can be done with my Heavy Weight FLM framed truck with ease. That's with the MMM 2200kv combo. I run 2 of those. Most of my trucks are big motor contenders. LOL

I'm so anxious to run the 2650kv its crazy.

[Oaks]

Yeah, there's definitely a major case of denial going on over here! Lol, I've switched pinions to try and contain the beast and it spit another driveshaft at me.

The 2650 has to be nutty. Once I discovered it was an 1/8 scale motor, I was like, nah, that's gonna be too much, lol, but the kv rating sounded just right for 3S in a pede. 6S in one of TRAXXAS's big dogs sounds like a happy home