My Rampage TT

[LongShank]

looks like you are having a lot of fun grf. as far as the shocks go the SS shocks are much better than the redcat stock ones so here is a little mod i did to be able to mount SS fronts all the way around. as you already know the front SS fit the rear perfectly. for the front, use a dremel tool with a cutting wheel and cut off 12mm of the shock body and the shock shaft. then use the cutting wheel to grind 2 little slots around shaft about 3mm apart so you can then use a 4mm e-clip on either side of the piston to hold it in place. re-assemble and presto. i did this little mod a while back and my shocks have worked great from day one. i like them much better than the stock fronts. anyway, just a thought. keep it up. here are some pics.


click this link, scroll about halfway down page, and you will see pics and description of the mod.


http://www.rc-monster.com/forum/showthread.php?t=21657&highlight=rampage&page=13

 

[grf]

that is excellent idea. i do not feel like working on hardened steel with a dremel but it is really good.

 

[LongShank]

that is excellent idea. i do not feel like working on hardened steel with a dremel but it is really good.

standard dremel cutting wheel cuts through it like butter. not sure what else you could use. a hacksaw wont work, i know that.

 

[grf]

for now i will stick to titan shafts at the front with stock bodies and hpi complete shocks at the back. but it is good to know what else is possible.

 

[badboy2]

yeah I am going with the hostile tires now I have to decide mini mx or at

get the minis theyre good on loose dirt.

 

[LongShank]

get the minis theyre good on loose dirt.

i have those new MXT's and they are sick! i had the mini mx in the past but never tried the at. the mxt's are like a motorcycle tire. the improvement over the stock tires was amazing.

 

[badboy2]

do u run all 5t fronts or backs?

 

[grf]

update


the metal gears i have are *&^&*( . trying to solve the mastery of them binding i concluded that they are a bit of center. the squares look ok as the plastic ones are ok but the metal ones are not. i guess i ll get some plastics again for now and in the future try and get some mcd ones

 

[DemonRC]

I know for a fact that some of the squares are not drilled dead center. Max1 and Mooman can tell you that they have mix matched a few sets to get ones that are centered correctly.

 

[grf]

i took the gears out and then was putting one at the time on the clutch square and spin it to see what is going on. the 25T and especially one of the two is way out of center. looks like 2-3 mm. that is the reason when i put everything back the drive line locks at one specific point. the plastic gears with the same squares were not having the same problem.


i believe it is the gears not the squares.

 

[emu67]

Maybe the cause of your binding gears are more simple. Are you over-tightening the lock-nuts on the gears? If you, you end up binding the transmission. Also, on the the gear that attaches to the the center diff. set - did you push in the shaft all the way so that the grup screw sits on the flat spot on the shaft rather than the very end of the shaft? If grup screw is on the end of the shaft and you tighten it, it'll throw the alignment of the gear off and it'll bind big time too.

 

[grf]

the center diff block was the first suspect so i put in a new one and all was the same.


i do not over tight anything as i checked if there is still some play on the shafts. i put some new plastic ones and it seems ok now. there is something wrong but i cannot tell. next time i ll get the gears and squares and ask a friend of mine with a lathe to attach everything there and see where the problem is (i hope). there might be something that i cannot see but the plastic tolerance hides and the metal gears bring up.

 

[grf]

would the gear plate that is included in the upgrade kit help?


does anyone know what that plate is rectifying?

 

[grf]

thanks for the info moo.


today i had a session that was very interesting.


the car was going very well but i noticed that it was very easy for it to get up side down LOL


after observing a bit i sow that the front suspension was acting very stiff and the body roll was minimum. the shocks work as they should (no binds or anything) but very hard. i think i need softer springs for the front. looks like the rampage stock springs are harder than the hpi ones i use at the rear.


the other interesting thing was i tested the rampages amphibious abilities LOL


yes there was a 15cm deep puddle in the area and after going into it once full throttle and come to the other side safe i did it low speed accidentally and i had to wet my feet to get my truck back before the monster of the lake took it forever.


i had to open the radio box and the std servo and after drying them a bit all were working good. all but the engine. it had erratic behavior like out of tune or air leaking but nothing obvious. i took the carby out at home and lost a small bit. so if it is included in the rebuilt kit i ll do that otherwise buy a new one.


it is a shame no one had a camera today to rec the fishing experience with the rampage.

 

[grf]

another bash today.


someone had a camera and hope to get some video to upload.


all good the rampage was jumping and going really hard although i had to get rid of the wt-813 that is just trouble. the only thing i have not rectified on the truck are the gears. cover on and they cook cover of and the sand blast kills them. i was using 31-29 in metal and half the teeth width of the 31 is gone but the 29 is as new ??????????????


i really do not get it but what can you say. really need some mcd metal gears to make the truck bulletproof.


i took of the rear hpi shocks and put back the stock ones with hpi shafts. this combo is working much better as the hpi is a softer solution ( although i was using 20% stiffer springs) and makes the car unbalanced imo.


ooo i almost forgot after the initial disappointment with the bowties ti looks as the stopped wearing as they did new.

 

[grf]

the throtle shaft worn really bad and i had to replace it( everyone that i know with a 813 has this problem). after that there was no return. i even installed a rebuilt kit and it was a no go. it behaved like like i had an airleak (maybe but i could not locate it) so i gave up and installed a new wt-668 from the cy that came with my rampage and it never stopped going.

 

[hamster huey]

Want to know what I think of the drivetrain? Post #18 really sums it up. Check out the chewed up steel gears.


http://www.redcatrampageforum.com/showthread.php?t=1511&page=2


By the way if you get anything aluminum (such as a gearplate) that holds bearings you will have to shim the bearings or else they have slop.


A lot of people recommend the 813 but I have heard a lot of people also complain. My stock carb works great. I am on my 2nd throttle shaft on my 1st ramp but the springs were also installed incorrectly on the throttle/brake linkages putting a little etra tension on the shaft which also slightly prematurely wore it.

 

[grf]

here are some pics of the gears


31-29





25

 

[grf]

d shaft is not a problem for sure. the 25 that transformed to a 20 i think was just out of center. the 31 i guess is one of the not hardened.

 

[grf]

after a long time an update.


it looks like i have solved my ongoing problem that was the gears/gearplate.


i bought some (6 gears-3 sets) gears from Martin from this forum and yes it looks like they are the answer to the melting-binding-breaking wearing gear problems.


i went through one tank today and i did not have any problems at all. first time since i got the tt a year ago that i did not stop for gears.








the photos are after todays run. there is no wear at all or anything else that i can notice.


during installation i had to shim the gears for a tight fit on the squares. i did that by using the aluminium from a soft drink. it works really good. i think it is visible in the middle shaft. i will continue testing and update.


thanks Martin.