eadipus Posted June 20, 2021 Share Posted June 20, 2021 Got myself an FTX Hi-Rock to drive for when I go crawling with mates (they get the TRX4) and it took a tumble down a bank. Worked out I'd bent/twisted the chassis rails so have spent the last few days switching everything over and discovering the difference between Traxxas and FTX plastics Its now less wonky but one shock still won't extend fully unless you pull on that end of the axle which then compresses the other shock. Shocks cycle nicely when they are not connected so I'm pretty sure the shafts are straight. I've tried figuring it out by compressing the suspension but I'm not having much luck as the shock towers both have a lot of flex in them, the panhard mount has several mm of movement and the servo mount also looks wonky and seems to have lost the panhard mount thread. I've had all the links off and they seem straight and have no differences left to right. The panhard bar has been swapped for a replacement as I thought I had damaged it but the new one has a threaded bit that has allowed me to bodge it but it still flexes the mount when the suspension compresses. Am I missing something with the setup or is it just a flexy piece of trash? And would any of the Alu upgrades be worthwhile, the servo mount is the single worst piece of design I've ever seen but is only available in plastic and the chassis has almost has much flex as the suspension so I'm inclined towards getting it fixed enough to sell and replace with something more durable (currently leaning towards a Gatekeeper kit) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walkbythesea Posted June 20, 2021 Share Posted June 20, 2021 You need @Redback on the case - he has both a Hi-Rock and a Gatekeeper… …well he did until he ended up with a Gaterock and a Hi-Keeper 😂🤣 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redback Posted June 20, 2021 Share Posted June 20, 2021 Chassis is very flexy but thats not really an issue and you can use more battery bars to stiffen up the rear and some pipe between the shock towers to stop them flexing in. You say you bent the chassis rails, as in twisted them? How and were was it twisted at the front or the back? I think your issues are stemming from the shocks, the shocks are pretty average and i would recommend some element shocks (or anything besised the stock ones) they are a bit steep 70£ wise but they perform 100x better than those plastic ones it comes with. Once the shock issue is sorted it should ride much better. I'd also recommend Metal axles cheap as chips 14£, metal link holders and pan hard as i just shattered mine, or you can home make the link holders. Servo mounts a hard one and is truly a terrible design, but it functions ok and does the job, no metal ones ive found, maybe can fabricate one or get one milled, whilst badly designed it shouldnt cause your rig driving issues. I have a 27kg 7v servo in mine and its not pulled a rod end or damaged anything yet. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eadipus Posted June 20, 2021 Author Share Posted June 20, 2021 Its weird, the rails were visibly pointing in one direction but now they are off they seem a lot better if still not identical. The whole front axle seemed to be off to one side with the shocks being at different angles which was why I initially thought I'd bent the panhard bar. Looking at it now its still slightly twisted so I'm assuming something is still not as it should be. Little bit wary of spending money on upgrades when I've already spent significantly more time fixing than driving it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redback Posted June 20, 2021 Share Posted June 20, 2021 Take a few more pics if you can, i know you said you dont want to spend more time fixing that driving it, once you have sorted the kinks out it will be worth the drive imo and you will spend more time driving it than tinkering perhapse 😉 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eadipus Posted June 20, 2021 Author Share Posted June 20, 2021 thanks for all the help, I've got some more pictures this is with no panhard bar attached, it seems to sit level this is with the panhard bar at the stock length, its definitely wonky this is with the panhard bar 3 turns longer than stock which looks okay but the panhard mount does a big old flex when you compress the suspension Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redback Posted June 20, 2021 Share Posted June 20, 2021 The adjusted link looks good. I noticed it flexes but it hasnt caused any issues when crawling. I'm getting the metal lower link and pan hard mount this week so can let you know how it looks and works, only due to the fact i just snapped the plastic ones after 2 years of rolling down hills. I snapped the bottom link with a 10m cliff drop, to be expected really. I'd still look into some quality shocks it will transform the ride and really improve how it handles. Those shocks really dont do the platform justice imo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redback Posted June 25, 2021 Share Posted June 25, 2021 I just got the metal steering, pan hards etc and im not happy, the arms are shorter so steering bar needs to be moved, this throws everything off, bump steer like ive never seen, horrible... either ive done something very wrong or they have to be the wrong part. Should have been a simple swap 😞 and they were offical ftx parts not ebay specials wtf 😢 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redback Posted June 26, 2021 Share Posted June 26, 2021 Guess i was just tired, what a waste of 5 hours trying to figure out what was wrong, swapped the carriers left to right and no more bump steer, if i had only got a video it was kinda funny now looking back at it. Metal arms have no lockers, so better steering angle, not confident in the single pan hard bar screw into ftx plastics, probably needs a nut behind to support but servo's in the way, might swap out for my chunky 3s servo as the deep dish rims really add extra strain on the 7.4v 25kg im running right now, and put a nut on the pan hard bolt, time will tell. Steering bar running on the top is a nice change stops it being the first thing thats hit. Off to test photo's in a bit. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redback Posted June 26, 2021 Share Posted June 26, 2021 Yet to roll it down any cliffs to really test its strength, but the performance has increased a little for sure. No noticable flex on the panhard @eadipus so probably worth the upgrade if its bothering you, the flex in the plastic one sure saved the panhard from snapping a few times but it did end up at the end of its life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eadipus Posted July 1, 2021 Author Share Posted July 1, 2021 Mines still not happy, something is definitely binding as you can feel the flex in the panhard changing as you compress the suspension with no springs. I did some research and looked at my TRX4 and with a panhard 3 links instead of 4 seems normal, tried removing both top links one at a time and it was far too floppy and the axle moved in an arc instead of up and down. Its back together but still not right as I needed the work table free for something else. It still looks wonky when looked at from the front on so I'm wondering if I bent something else (servo mount is current suspect but its very hard to get at) Will have another crack at it when I've got an evening free before I start ordering parts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eadipus Posted July 29, 2021 Author Share Posted July 29, 2021 after a fair bit of googling and some trial and error I've realised that the 4 links with a panhard will never work properly. Removing any of the links results in horrendous bump steer and is it stands a lot of the "spring" on one side is the panhard mount flexing with no damping which means getting reliable performance out of it is not going to be possible. I've seen some videos where people have fixed it with custom length links but I have neither the time or the interest to fix a bad original design replacing the servo mount with a 3d printed part and adding bracing across the shock towers is also a no go as both pieces are right next to the motor and would likely soften unless printed in something like ABS which I don't have access to going to put this truck on ebay before frustration with it drives me out of the hobby, I cannot stress how bad the plastics and design on this truck is Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PraetoR Posted August 1, 2021 Share Posted August 1, 2021 That's shame, when a sub-par RC threatens to ruin your passion for the hobby. I think you've probably made the best decision. If you are looking for a replacement non-portal truck, take a look at the Gmade range. My Komodo GS02 has been awesome. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4nts Posted February 1, 2022 Share Posted February 1, 2022 (edited) Hi all New here, but I have noticed this same issue with my Texan, so wondered if anyone had found a solution. It seems to be caused, or at least emphasised by the servo being quite a way above the axle. So, when the suspension compresses, the steering link fights against the Panhard rod, pushing everything to one side. You can hear the servo moving if you pull the body up straight and then when you drop the body it swings to the left I can adjust the Panhard length to compensate for it but then get issues with the suspension dipping or raising on one side as the steering nears its limit. There was mention in a video of removing one of the suspension links, but not sure which one or the consequences of doing that. Any ideas - would a servo saver help- or do they not really work on crawlers? Edited February 1, 2022 by 4nts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomr Posted April 27, 2022 Share Posted April 27, 2022 On 01/02/2022 at 15:05, 4nts said: Hi all New here, but I have noticed this same issue with my Texan, so wondered if anyone had found a solution. It seems to be caused, or at least emphasised by the servo being quite a way above the axle. So, when the suspension compresses, the steering link fights against the Panhard rod, pushing everything to one side. You can hear the servo moving if you pull the body up straight and then when you drop the body it swings to the left I can adjust the Panhard length to compensate for it but then get issues with the suspension dipping or raising on one side as the steering nears its limit. There was mention in a video of removing one of the suspension links, but not sure which one or the consequences of doing that. Any ideas - would a servo saver help- or do they not really work on crawlers? This reply might be a bit late but I did something similar to this video with mine and pretty much eliminated all bump steer . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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