Tug Driver

As I'm jumping back into rc head first this summer, I'm also getting my crawler back on the rocks. It's a junfac tracer/tlt-1. I know there are better vehicles that have come along but this is mine and it's paid for.

I had stripped the electronics for something else a long time ago so I sort of get to start from scratch. It still has a 45t lathe motor in a roller chassis. I have a x-car 45a esc on the way to try (has drag brake and was $11) and picked up a used gpm center tranny plate set (has cam type belt tension adjustment). The ball diff was donated to my TA-04 during the chassis conversion and there is a locked gear diff in there now. There is a 2 channel hitec aggressor radio not being used that's headed for this truck. I modified the battery plate so a 6 cell pack sits between the fwd frame rails and is held down with a wire tie. I have it geared down as low as I can go right now with a 13t pinion on the stock 83t tamiya spur. This is also a budget project as well. If I get into crawling a lot there could be a Novak eiger in the future when this esc dies.

Here is my question, will a 93t 48p Robinson spur fit the chassis cut out without clearancing the opening any more? I will make it fit one way or the other, don't get me wrong but a bolt on will be nice. I have a 12t pinion coming and shouldn't have a problem with adjustment of the motor with the smaller pinion and bigger spur.

With the adjustable belt tensioner I can use readily available TA04 rear belts because I can shorten the adjustment (they are a RCH too short with the plastic plates) and I like that the plates will transfer heat to the chassis and make the whole thing a heat sink.

I am at work on my tugboat, I will put up pics of the rig when I get home!

Tug Driver

Well as promised here are some pics of my TLT-Tracer. I rebuilt it with the gpm center brace and the adjustable belt tensioner is nice. I had to make some extra room in the braces for the motor but I was able to get enough adjustment that it has a 96t 48P spur and a 12T pinion. Total crawl ratio is now 45:1 and it makes a huge difference from the stock gearing. just about doubled the crawl ratio from what I could make with the tamiya gears. I have about 2.5os of lead on the front axle for ballast. steering servo is a hitec 645mg. The chassis has been flipped so that it drives "backwards" but it really took care of the torque roll problem that the cassis is known for with the offset transfer case.

Heading to RC Excitement today to give her a crawl!

*Super*

iTrader: (1)

Belt tensioner? Could you get some closer pix of that? Not familiar with that truck/set up.
I see there is a 60/40 front rear chassis type setup. Which way are you running it, like in the picture?

How does it crawl, looks a little top heavy?


Neat looking rig.

Tug Driver

It started life as a tamiya tlt-1 which was a 1/18 monster truck. The junfac tracer kit converted it to a 12.5" class truck. It's an optical illusion that it's a 60/40 setup. All link lengths are the same fr/r. It's the way the chassis plates are cut. The center transmission is a drop belt style, and the problem with them stock is there is no tensioner. It crawls pretty good, I have 2.5oz of lead on the front axle. I could run a 2/3a 6 cell pack and probably be fine with run time and drop a bunch of weight.

Driving the chassis "backwards" is to counteract drive shaft torque. The center of the transfer case is offset to one side, and in "forward it is amplified by the differential rotation direction. By running it in reverse, it cancels it out and doesn't wind up the suspension.

*Super*

iTrader: (1)

That makes cense. It sounds a lot like Axial trans. I did the same thing basically, mirrored the trans. It works.

Tug Driver

Yeah before I flipped it around when you started going forward it would lay right over to the left. Now it runs true, made a huge improvement in how it crawls.

OSRC

iTrader: (10)

Nice - not sure how I missed this, love old school TLT builds. Still have mine too, but it's been converted back to a basic TLT again. (with a lot of mods though)

Tug Driver

Thanks! I believe I built this back in 2006. It was never a tlt completely. While building the axles and other small parts I found the junfac kit so it went together like that. The junfac axle brackets have shock mounting points on them but they are a little too wide. It articulates very well using the tlt bottom link mounts on the top for the shocks.