Crawler 101

In an effort to attract other members to try out RC Crawling ..... this will be my attempt to gather links and suggestions on how to go about your first RC Competition Crawler!!

Everyone needs to understand the rules .... the rules i will suggest to impliment in Dubcrawl (if all will agree) will be based on the USRCCA rule book which can be found here:

RC Crawling Comp Rulebook

i think that we should limit ourselves to the 2.2 Pro Class as this is what majority of the people in DubCrawl are running!


so what to buy?


there are 2 types of Comp Crawlers ..... Shafties and MOA's ....

Shafties are the crawlers which have transmissions in the center of the chassis with driveshafts extending towards the axles ...

Losi Comp Crawler

This is what Richard and Paul are running .... the same rig which won the 2010 UTAH Red Rocks Crawl Championships last november .... personally i like this rig cos its a shafty and has Front and Rear Dig

(in my opinion) the most capable Shafty Comp Crawler Kit out of the Box


Axial Ax-10 Scorpion

The Axial Ax-10 Scorpion ..... most of the people who have run this rig has basically left the axles and trannys and changed all the stock chassis and linkages to their own personal preferences .... the AX_10 transmission is DIG Capable but the DIG units available for the AX-10 is limited to Front Dig and Freewheel only ...


MOA's .... Motor On Axle ..... uses 2 motors ... with a number of electrinic set-ups to power the axles ...


Axial XR-10

There's a good Combo Deal in RCmart for the XR-10 ... a few bearing upgrades and mods and its good to go

Bully RTR

BULLETPROOF Axles


will update this thread along the way ..... if you have any tech questions regarding comp crawlers .... post up and we'll try to explain as thoroughly as we can ....

Chard and the other guys into Comp Crawling are a wealth of knowledge as well and i'm sure they'd be happy to encourage and educate everyone on here interested in joining in!

Cheers!!!

RC Crawler Glossary of Terms

1.9 A competition or scale crawler that runs on 1.9 inch wheels.

2.2 A competition or scale crawler that runs on 2.2 inch wheels. The USRCCA's most popular competition class.

Ackerman An adjustable bellcrank steering system that consists of two posts connected by a bar. This bar is also referred to as a drag link.

Articulation An axles' ability to move vertically-left wheel up, right wheel down or vice versa-relative to the chassis.

Beadlock A type of wheel; two rings are bolted together to clamp a tire bead between them and the wheel rim.

Camber The angle of the wheels/tires in relation to the ground when viewed from the front and rear of the vehicle. Zero camber means that the wheels are vertical at 9 degrees (perpendicular) to the ground. With negative camber, the wheels lean inwards towards each other, and with positive camber the wheels leaning outwards and away from each other. As a rule, having slight negative camber is good, but be sure that both wheels lean at the same angle. Avoid having positive camber (wheels lean outwards away from each other).

Center of Gravity (CG) A vehicle's balance point. The higher you chassis components sit above the wheel axles, the higher your vehicle's CG. Having a high CG may promote rollover in tight turns. For the greatest stability, arrainge your vehicle's components so that it's CG is set as low as you can get it.

Clocked A word that indicates that a coponent-usually part of the drivetrain-has been rotated to provide better alignment.

Course An area on which crawlers compete; it's marked by a series of "gates" through which drivers must navigate their crawlers.

Constant Velocity Drive (CVD) A driveshaft with a ball-type setup that functions like a universal driveshaft. Although "CVD" is an MIP (Moore's Ideal Products) trademark, it's now commonly used to describe any driveshaft of this type.

Damping Rate The rate at which a shock is compressed and rebounds as the vehicle runs over uneven ground. Most RC kits now have shock absorbers filled with silicone fluid/oil. Without this, shocks would be too bouncy and wouldn't be of much benefit. By using shock fluid oils of different weights (viscosities) or using a different type of shock piston, or both, you can alter your cat's dampening rate to suit the terrain and your driving style.

Differential This transforms power from the input shaft to the output shaft. The differential, or "diff," is used to alter the speed of the outside wheels of a vehicle's going through a turn to rotate the faster and travel farther thatn the inside wheels. For rock crawling, most drivers lock out the diff action.

Dig A feature of the drivetrain that allows a driver to enguage only the front or rear axle while the other axle is left to freewheel or is locked. When the front axle is being driven, this is "front dig." When the rear axle is driven, it's "rear dig." Dig is used to negotiate tight turns and avoid reverse penalties.

Droop A feature of a suspension type that, when a vehicle is stationary, is fully compressed. Articulation with a droop suspension design comes from the axle dropping , or "drooping," away from the chassis.

Dual Rates A switch that regulates the transmitter control input sensitivity. This is a usefull function for many beginners, who tend to over control their vehicles.

E-clip A small metal retaining clip that resembles a washer with a section removed and is used to keep hingepins and other types of shaft in place.

ESC Electronic speed control. An ESC regulates throttle control using it's very efficient electronic components.

EPA Endpoint adjustment. A radio function that adjusts the length of a servo's throw in either direction.

Exponential Rate Servo travel that is not directly proportional to the degree of control input. A negative exponentail rate makes the control response milder around the servo's center (neutral) point, but it becomes increasingly stronger as the input approaches 100%.

Gates Two markers identify the "gates" on a crawling course. The gates may be marked by arrows on the rocks or halved tennis balls, etc., but crawlers must pass between them to continue on the course.

Glitch This is the result of the radio interference; it's a momentary lapse in signal transmission. External sources that cause glitches include overhead power lines, but consitant glitching is most likely the result of something in a vehicle such as the sort of metal-to-metal rubbing you might find with control linkages.

Inner Axle A part of the drivetrain that transfers power from the differential to the wheels.

Lexan A clear, plastic-like material that is vacuum-formed over molds to create RC bodies. They are painted on the inside so that the paint is not scratched off on the rocks.


Locknut A nut that has a nylon insert that grips the threads of a bolt or a shaft to prevent it from loosening. Widely used on axles and in other areas where nuts must secure but may have to be removed frequently for maintenance or repair.

mAh Abbreviation of milliamp hour; it indicates how long a power source such as a battery will operate.

Milliamp A rating for batteries; the higher the milliamp rating, the longe the battery will provide power. Currently, most RC batteries range from 1500 to 800mah (milliamp hours).


Offset as in "wheel offset." Refers to a wheel's mounting hex in relation to the wheel's centerline. A larger offset provides a wider vehicle footprint (stance), and a smaller offset means a narrower footprint.

Outdrive Shafts that exit the differential on either side and transmit driveline power to the drive wheels using an axle shaft or a universal driveshaft.

Parrallel Wiring A wiring method that ensures a constant voltage and current in a circuit. Wiring two of the same batteries in parrallel will result with the same voltage but twice the capacity of a single pack.

Peak The point at which a battery no longer accepts a charge. Past this point, energy is converted to heat that is potentially hazardous and can damage your battery pack.

Peak Charger When the battery has peaked, this type of charger reverts to a maintenance charge rate that considerably decreases the liklihood that the battery will be damaged.

Servo-Reversing A radio function that allows drivers to reverse the output of the servo. This is useful when you switch your radio system between vehicles that may have servos in different places of orientations.

Swaybar A heavy wire that's run across either or both of the front and rear suspension arms. It is designed to keep equeal down-pressure on the left and right when going though turns. When the outside edge of the vehicle is pushed up going through a turn, the swaybar pushes down on the inside edge to keep the tires on the ground.


Turnbuckle An adjustable link with conventional threads on one end and reverse threads on the opposite end. It enables driver to adjst their vehicles without having to completely remove the link.

Wheel Axle The part of the axle drivetrain on which a wheel is mounted.



taken from RCC.com

2.2 Crawler Video Competition

Thank you very much for putting this Crawler 101 thread up. Do please keep updating it.

I was hoping you can help with a few questions:

Where do you get your Axial stuff from? I can't seem to find a local distributor. As long as I am not paying through my nose, I would rather support the local hobby shop. Shamelessly, as a total newbie, I will need a lot of after-sales support.

What other crawlers are available locally in Dubai? I have not visited any shops yet but I have called some and found out that the Traxxas Summit RTR is available. Scale seems interesting so an Axial SCX10 seem to fit the bill.

I have never owned an Remote Controlled car in the past but am thinking of getting into it. After going through many websites, forums, Youtube clips & reviews, etc. crawling seem most interesting to me over the other forms of R/C fun.

Thank you in advance for your inputs!

rtsy wrote:

Thank you very much for putting this Crawler 101 thread up. Do please keep updating it.

I was hoping you can help with a few questions:

Where do you get your Axial stuff from? I can't seem to find a local distributor. As long as I am not paying through my nose, I would rather support the local hobby shop. Shamelessly, as a total newbie, I will need a lot of after-sales support.

What other crawlers are available locally in Dubai? I have not visited any shops yet but I have called some and found out that the Traxxas Summit RTR is available. Scale seems interesting so an Axial SCX10 seem to fit the bill.

I have never owned an Remote Controlled car in the past but am thinking of getting into it. After going through many websites, forums, Youtube clips & reviews, etc. crawling seem most interesting to me over the other forms of R/C fun.

Thank you in advance for your inputs!

i have gotten all my stuff thru the internet with international shipping as most of the local hobby shops dont have the high end parts required for serious rc crawling ...... the high torque servos are available in the local market but would be limited to that only

the other bits and pieces were either locally sourced and modified to suit my requirements (you have to be a little creative and resourceful for this one though)

hope this helps

Thanks a lot, strawb!

Limited local availability / support--a problem for many hobbies in Dubai.

I will still try and visit a local shop though. Any recommendations which one is most helpful / patient with newbies?

extreme hobbies in karama/bur dubai area

i have one of my old comp crawlers sitting there and plus albert has been doing a few scalers here and there the past few months

try calling eric 0501521861

Many thanks for the guidance provided thus far.

I visited Ultimate Hobby / Heli and got my fill of surface RC craving.

Cheers!

Strawb - Do you still run your crawler rig? I have an Axial scale crawler and would be happy to crawl along with someone... hard to get crawlers here in Dubai  

i havent used my crawlers for more than a year now

ive seen a few crawlers here nad there but they arent as addicted to it as how we were before though

I just hope they be more active. not sure if they are part of dubdrift community? I am composing a video and would share it once ready just to bring awareness how fun it is to run scale crawler rigs.   

strawb wrote:

I mis my Honcho  

Nice shots guys! I am hoping you do you still have those rigs so we can run together? Here's mine

my share for today...

Nice JK

Did you order it on-line?

How much was it shipped?

It's my first Scaler RC and I bought it from a local hobby shop (Hobbycentre - Deira). They do not have Axial products but I was able to convince them to get me the Jeep RTR. Now they have a few RTR and kits for sale. Upgrade parts were ordered online. I see it cheaper ordering online than buying from them but you have to wait 3-4 weeks for shipping unless you want EMS which will cost you more but still cheaper when you have a bunch of orders.

I just wish there be more hobbyist interested into scale crawlers   How about we meet and do some run Strawb? I am planning to make another video.

My comp crawlers were all ordered on line ..... ive got a ton of crawler items lying around if your interested ....

There were a good handful of drifters into scalers a few years back ....

Try attending the drift competition this saturday and we could meet up and discuss things ....

Cheers

Good to know that there were crawlers before. Yes I intend to check the competition as I am eager to meet someone who's eager to get back into crawling.... I guess I'll see you there! Will call you when I am back in Dubai as I am on a business trip.

Thanks!