Rock Climbing Advise

[deuter]

I tried some extensive rock climbing yesterday and noticed I was getting stuck a few times.
I used to throttle forward when I get stuck but it probably not the best thing to do. Throttle Ahead and damage everything.

I wanted to know whether there was some good writing to read about rock climbing tips and advise.

What do you all do?

Ideally I would like to climb at the same continuous speed rather then the intermittent bursts when I get stuck.


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[chris5100]

try using the throttle trim to crawl are you stock? the stock 550 is really under powered the axe system is worth the money to upgrade to

[jamann]

I tried some extensive rock climbing yesterday and noticed I was getting stuck a few times.
I used to throttle forward when I get stuck but it probably not the best thing to do. Throttle Ahead and damage everything.

I wanted to know whether there was some good writing to read about rock climbing tips and advise.

What do you all do?

Ideally I would like to climb at the same continuous speed rather then the intermittent bursts when I get stuck.


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In reality driving time is the best teacher.
learning line choice and tire placement can be different from rig to rig so practice is the best..find a practice line to run,So when you make a change to your setup you can test if it helped or made it worse.
Here is the "bad"news it may take hundreds of hours of "practise" to hone your skills.Good news practise is quite fun.

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[deuter]

try using the throttle trim to crawl are you stock? the stock 550 is really under powered the axe system is worth the money to upgrade to

Iam using stock, what is the ace system and is it easy to install?


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[chris5100]

the axe system replaces your esc and motor with a sensored brushless motor. the drag brake control and low speed smoothness are unbeatable. its not too difficult to install you do have to solder the wires to the esc but other than that its plug and play
make sure to tighten your slipper clutch too after installing when I first put mine in I melted the slipper clear through the gear

[Steve g]

I also would suggest the axe system. It gives the motor more power when you hit obstacles or climb hills. Personally I don't like this concept at all, but others love it, and you will too. Also practice, practice, practice. Gotta get to know how your rig reacts in every situation, then you'd be surprised what you can do. Takes time though.

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[Greatscott]

I would wait at throwing money at your truck until you understand your current setup. All of that fancy and schmancy isn't going to do you a bit of good if you don't understand the settings and what they are going for you.

First, what mode is your ESC in? If you are crawling, it should be in mode 5.

Second, the best way to learn your truck and how it crawls its wheel time. From there you'll figure out what improvements your truck needs. As a base, just about every TRX4 can use weight down low, I'd start there with a full set of portal weights.

[deuter]

I would wait at throwing money at your truck until you understand your current setup. All of that fancy and schmancy isn't going to do you a bit of good if you don't understand the settings and what they are going for you.

First, what mode is your ESC in? If you are crawling, it should be in mode 5.

Second, the best way to learn your truck and how it crawls its wheel time. From there you'll figure out what improvements your truck needs. As a base, just about every TRX4 can use weight down low, I'd start there with a full set of portal weights.

It’s in the default mode, so is that crawling.
I would like to add brass weights but they are expensive at that price I would rather buy another decent crawler.


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[Greatscott]

It’s in the default mode, so is that crawling.
I would like to add brass weights but they are expensive at that price I would rather buy another decent crawler.


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Default is mode 1, which is sport mode, for crawling, you want mode 5... From the manual:

Profile Description
Profile #1 (Sport Mode): 100% Forward, 100% Brakes, 100% Reverse
Profile #2 (Race Mode): 100% Forward, 100% Brakes, No Reverse
Profile #3 (Training Mode): 50% Forward, 100% Brakes, 50% Reverse
Profile #4 (Trail Mode): 100% Forward, 100% Brakes, 100% Reverse;
Drag Brake at Neutral
Profile #5 (Crawl Mode): 100% Forward, Hill Hold Brakes at Neutral,
Immediate Reverse

Not sure where you are getting your prices for portal weights, but you can buy a full set for under $50 on Amazon.

"Decent crawler" is a little subjective, and not sure what you mean. The TRX-4 is one of the best out there. Any "decent crawler" you get, no matter the manufacturer or model will require some tinkering and upgrades, even kits. You cannot touch a bad crawler for under the $50 it costs for a set of portals, to say nothing of the $300+ for anything that most of use would consider decent. It sound like you want something that will stick to the rocks from the instant you take it out of the box with no setup or practice driving, this unicorn does not exist.

[deuter]

Default is mode 1, which is sport mode, for crawling, you want mode 5... From the manual:

Profile Description
Profile #1 (Sport Mode): 100% Forward, 100% Brakes, 100% Reverse
Profile #2 (Race Mode): 100% Forward, 100% Brakes, No Reverse
Profile #3 (Training Mode): 50% Forward, 100% Brakes, 50% Reverse
Profile #4 (Trail Mode): 100% Forward, 100% Brakes, 100% Reverse;
Drag Brake at Neutral
Profile #5 (Crawl Mode): 100% Forward, Hill Hold Brakes at Neutral,
Immediate Reverse

Not sure where you are getting your prices for portal weights, but you can buy a full set for under $50 on Amazon.

"Decent crawler" is a little subjective, and not sure what you mean. The TRX-4 is one of the best out there. Any "decent crawler" you get, no matter the manufacturer or model will require some tinkering and upgrades, even kits. You cannot touch a bad crawler for under the $50 it costs for a set of portals, to say nothing of the $300+ for anything that most of use would consider decent. It sound like you want something that will stick to the rocks from the instant you take it out of the box with no setup or practice driving, this unicorn does not exist.

Link for the sub $50 sets of portals?


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[chris5100]

I would invest in a better motor esc combo before brass

[deuter]

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[sarthetrx4]

Today’s climbing






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I thought you'd bought a Blue edition?

I may get slaughtered now, but to my mind, that's not Defender landscape - I suppose I'm more into "scale", so a 'real" Defender would never tackle that sort of terrain.

[Greatscott]

Link for the sub $50 sets of portals?

For the sake of clarification, we are talking about portal weights, and not full axle sets. Other than being light, they are really well build, and provide a great amount of steering.

https://www.amazon.com/MOHERO-Intern...981770&sr=8-32

https://www.amazon.com/Hobbypark-Ste...981883&sr=8-38

https://www.amazon.com/Hobbypark-Ste...981900&sr=8-40

There are other options, and those that are black annodized will run around $100 a set, but surely not enough to offset the price of a while new rig.

I would invest in a better motor esc combo before brass

You would... I would... but, it does not sound like the OP has his head wrapped around the electronics just yet. It will likely only serve to increase his frustration and decrease is satisfaction with his truck if he dove head-long into a new electronics set up and could not properly install it.

Also, of the TRX4 line up, you have the absolute worst for crawling. The Defender is a great body, an excellent trail rig, tough, and well detailed, but it also adds a lot of weight up high, where you don't want it for crawling.

[Juanmacine]

Iam using stock, what is the ace system and is it easy to install?


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The AXE system:

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...e+550&_sacat=0

It's easy to install and is powerfull and very smooth run, an awesome upgrade to do.

[rag6]

I just ran my trx6 on 2s along side of my buddies 3s gen8 axe addition. Both trucks had very good low speed control. I did need to jump into second gear a few times to get up some slippery steep dirt inclines, but really didn't ever feel that it was under powered. The axe motor and esc did have more consistent steady power going over obstacles. I used 2 5000 packs to lvc, and his 3s was at 3.8v/cell after about 2.5 hours of rocks dirt and Creek driving. I know that I'm running an extra axle in a heavier truck but the difference in run time between brushed and brushless was HUGE.

Those 2 advantages are not enough for me to spend that much on the axe system.

I will be running 3s when my packs get here, so I'm assuming the Titan will probably burn out in the heavy truck. I ordered a trailmaster 550 from Holmes Hobbies. I'm assuming it is a higher quality motor, and hoping it will last. It's only 20 bucks.

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[deuter]

I thought you'd bought a Blue edition?

I may get slaughtered now, but to my mind, that's not Defender landscape - I suppose I'm more into "scale", so a 'real" Defender would never tackle that sort of terrain.

I did buy the Blue one, this is a spare body I bought secondhand to help me learn


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[rag6]

I try to drive it so that it looks real. The more you drive it, the more you will learn the techniques you are searching for. Crawling with others with more experience will rub off on you and also help a bunch.

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[deuter]

The AXE system:

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...e+550&_sacat=0

It's easy to install and is powerfull and very smooth run, an awesome upgrade to do.

There any soldering involved?


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[RCWilly]

Yes, whenever you change a system, there will always be soldering involved (99.99% of the times, with very few exceptions).

Nearly all of them require soldering on the ESC plug connector that connects to the battery (the Axe comes with an XT60 connector, so you may need to switch it out if it is not what you have on your batteries). I think it also requires you to solder the wires from the ESC on to the motor.

[deuter]

Yes, whenever you change a system, there will always be soldering involved (99.99% of the times, with very few exceptions).

Nearly all of them require soldering on the ESC plug connector that connects to the battery (the Axe comes with an XT60 connector, so you may need to switch it out if it is not what you have on your batteries). I think it also requires you to solder the wires from the ESC on to the motor.

Just so I get it, the problem we are trying to solve is steering manueverability?


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[deuter]

I also hate mucking around with factory built system as I would hate for the solder to break during a hard ride.
I want to spend more time enjoying the vehicle and less time fixing it.

So is there a crawler that comes with all these things standard?


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[rag6]

I thought we were talking driving techniques???

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[deuter]

I thought we were talking driving techniques???

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Seems we have drifted a bit, but it’s all relevant I suppose.


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[grizzly03]

Just so I get it, the problem we are trying to solve is steering manueverability?

I'm confused at what you are thinking or trying to overcome. If you have trouble with turning the wheels because of the servo is weak that is different than driving at a steady pace.

If your getting stuck on the rocks your driving on (like in the picture) I don't think you will be able to eliminate those occasional times of getting stuck.

[deuter]

I'm confused at what you are thinking or trying to overcome. If you have trouble with turning the wheels because of the servo is weak that is different than driving at a steady pace.

If your getting stuck on the rocks your driving on (like in the picture) I don't think you will be able to eliminate those occasional times of getting stuck.

Exactly and a stronger motor will give me the extra grunt just for wheel spin and nothing else.
So Iam trying to get my head around why Iam being asked to upgrade the motor and esc for my rock climbing tasks


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[RCWilly]

Exactly and a stronger motor will give me the extra grunt just for wheel spin and nothing else.
So Iam trying to get my head around why Iam being asked to upgrade the motor and esc for my rock climbing tasks


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You don't really need a new system, at least not now. Once you have spent some time getting to know how it handles, you will automatically have a feel for what upgrades that you need or what you want your truck to be like. Having a better system is what most people think is a good improvement to the truck.

[grizzly03]

I think you can drop down to a 9T pinion if you want more low speed control. Shouldn't cost more than a couple of dollars. The more wheel time you get in, the more you will know what you want to improve. Practice with your spare body and have fun.

I don't remember if you mentioned what type of battery you use. You can also run a 3s battery if you are not already and that will help with torque delivery.

[Greatscott]

If this gets a little insulting, I apologize, but after us giving you advise and reading through your responses it kind of has become clear as to what you are after. Basically, you want a turn-key crawler that crawls exactly the way you want it, perfectly tuned to your driving style, that you don't have to adjust, tweak, upgrade, or actually learn anything about. You simply toss the batteries in and you are a crawling god, right? Well, such a unicorn does not exist. As stated, the TRX4 is one of the best out there, but like the rest, is not perfect for any one driver until it is tuned to that driver. Also, as stated, you picked the absolute worst of the TRX4 line up to try to crawl with. From all of this, I do not think we can help you, again, the unicorn that you are in search of does not exist.

[deuter]

I think you can drop down to a 9T pinion if you want more low speed control. Shouldn't cost more than a couple of dollars. The more wheel time you get in, the more you will know what you want to improve. Practice with your spare body and have fun.

I don't remember if you mentioned what type of battery you use. You can also run a 3s battery if you are not already and that will help with torque delivery.

I use 3S LIPO

[deuter]

If this gets a little insulting, I apologize, but after us giving you advise and reading through your responses it kind of has become clear as to what you are after. Basically, you want a turn-key crawler that crawls exactly the way you want it, perfectly tuned to your driving style, that you don't have to adjust, tweak, upgrade, or actually learn anything about. You simply toss the batteries in and you are a crawling god, right? Well, such a unicorn does not exist. As stated, the TRX4 is one of the best out there, but like the rest, is not perfect for any one driver until it is tuned to that driver. Also, as stated, you picked the absolute worst of the TRX4 line up to try to crawl with. From all of this, I do not think we can help you, again, the unicorn that you are in search of does not exist.

I believe it was mentioned a few post back that no upgrades were necessary.
What I was trying to achieve with this thread was an understanding of what I was doing wrong.
Hence my question about is there a best practices guide on the topic of rock crawling.

[grizzly03]

If this gets a little insulting, I apologize, but after us giving you advise and reading through your responses it kind of has become clear as to what you are after. Basically, you want a turn-key crawler that crawls exactly the way you want it, perfectly tuned to your driving style, that you don't have to adjust, tweak, upgrade, or actually learn anything about. You simply toss the batteries in and you are a crawling god, right? Well, such a unicorn does not exist. As stated, the TRX4 is one of the best out there, but like the rest, is not perfect for any one driver until it is tuned to that driver. Also, as stated, you picked the absolute worst of the TRX4 line up to try to crawl with. From all of this, I do not think we can help you, again, the unicorn that you are in search of does not exist.

The OP never asked for a turn-key crawler. In the first post they asked where they could find info to read about tips and advice! They sound like a new person trying to learn. The OP only asked what was the reason for the different opinions.

1st question: What is an axe system? (post 4)
2nd question: Where to find cheap brass weights as suggested? (post 8 & 10)
3rd question: Confused, will this help with what? (post 21)

Where did they insinuate they wanted this unicorn? They only thing I got from their answers is a new person not knowing why a brushless system is being pushed as a needed upgrade. And they really didn't feel comfortable installing one.(post 19&22)
Also in post #22 I took it as asking "is there a crawler that has this brushless setup already installed?" because they didn't trust themselves to solder.

Why belittle a person for their chosen model? Because it's not what you would have chosen, that doesn't make it wrong.

IMHO The OP is more interested in having fun and trying to learn than they are in trying to figure out how to make a serious crawler.

[deuter]

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[sarthetrx4]

I did buy the Blue one, this is a spare body I bought secondhand to help me learn
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Blimey! I wish I could have found a body as nice as that , to "practice" with!

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To me, only in the last photo is the Defender in "Defender Terrain" - the other two shots are of terrain best suited to what I call motorised spiders - not my scene at all. As one of the others here said - I like it to look real. As relative newbies, my wife and I have had loads of fun with our Defenders, on scale terrain that a real version would cope with, and have had no need of upgrades yet. Maybe driving real 4x4s for 20 years helps, but I haven't felt a need to learn much about driving the TRX4 either really.

[deuter]

Blimey! I wish I could have found a body as nice as that , to "practice" with!





To me, only in the last photo is the Defender in "Defender Terrain" - the other two shots are of terrain best suited to what I call motorised spiders - not my scene at all. As one of the others here said - I like it to look real. As relative newbies, my wife and I have had loads of fun with our Defenders, on scale terrain that a real version would cope with, and have had no need of upgrades yet. Maybe driving real 4x4s for 20 years helps, but I haven't felt a need to learn much about driving the TRX4 either really.

I find tough terrain almost healing of mind especially with everything else that is happening around us.
Focusing on tough climbs and decends helps me relax.


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[Juanmacine]

There any soldering involved?


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Of course, you must to soldering the motor to the ESC, it's easy, no problem with it.

[skidrowvet]

If the OP is still around- just drive and have a good relaxing time, it's what I do

[deuter]

If the OP is still around- just drive and have a good relaxing time, it's what I do

Certainly that's what its all about.

[patmanz28]

I would say stick to basics. remove weight on top for crawling. What size battery are you using? have you modified the stock tires? have you altered the shock preload? cutting the tires, and trimming the battery tray (using a 2200 3s) made the biggest improvement for my vehicle.

[rag6]

If you want to learn about soldering, watch Holmes Hobbies vids. I've learned so much from them.

That blue in that last pic looks majestic

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