Mud + Jumps=FUN, But....
11-24-2003, 01:07 PM
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Mud + Jumps=FUN, But....
Went to my local park with my 3yo on a dreary Saturday to try out the new Grave Digger body, and as always, a group of boys comes out to see what's making all the racket (Michael Jackson shoulda got a truck a LOOONG time ago
).
Well, the kids offered to get a couple of skateboard ramps, which I happily accepted. In the meantime, I was cranking some big laps trough grass & baseball diamonds, and I soon notice that the truck is getting REALLY dirty. I had thought that the baseball dirt would be hard and/or sandy, but it was just plain MUD!! The truck skimmed right over it, but the rear arms, chassis & body was getting caked by the rooster tail. I also noticed the steering was really mushy, but I chalked it up to the wet grass.
The jumps arrive, one 4' wedge of hard rubbery stuff, and one "real" ramp, about 16" tall & a nice curved profile. Problem is, it was only about 2' wide. We set them up on the edge of the asphalt, so the landings would be on grass. I started with the "training ramp" and got decent air, but not enough to cause any problems. The nice thing is that it was so wide. The other one was great, but it was hard to hit it at speed dead-on, 'cause it was so narrow & again, my steering was mushy.
I did get some nice ones, about 4' of air, and of course I had a few nice crashes before I figured out how to properly use the brake to control nose attitude. The kids father showed up (and dug the Maxx, too) & we all went to our respective homes.
WELL... the mud was unbelievable! I actually used the sink sprayer to carefully hose down the rear of the truck with hot water. I then cranked up the compressor & blew out the mud & water as best I could. I then went about my normal after-run stuff (nitro wash, etc.) The air cleaner was a MESS, and I oiled the engine immediately because of all the moisture it was running in.
BROKEN PARTS: Just one of the posts on the new ProLine tall rear body mount ($5)!!! With this Parma body, the post was extended almost 3" above the tower, creating an awfully weak support when it comes to impact! Not bad for the the delicate little T-Maxx!!
MUSHY STEERING: D'OH!!! the spring-loaded nut on the servo-saving bellcrank on my ProLine linkage had worked it's way loose, rendering the whole setup almost useless!! I was shocked that I was able to steer as well as I did.
QUESTIONS: What are better, plastic body mounts (posts) or aluminum? Do the aluminum ones bend easily during tumbles, or are they pretty sturdy? These parts really take the MOST abuse overall, so do you stick with cheap plastic & replace them a lot or go to metal? Does anyone make TALL aluminum posts?
How well sealed is are the diffs & bearings? I was very careful with my water rinse, and dried everything immediately, but are they sealed up pretty well? Should I ever re-lubricate them, and if so, HOW?
What do other ProLine Steering linkage users do about their servo-savers? Can/should I use threadlock, or do you do something else.
Thanks!
).Well, the kids offered to get a couple of skateboard ramps, which I happily accepted. In the meantime, I was cranking some big laps trough grass & baseball diamonds, and I soon notice that the truck is getting REALLY dirty. I had thought that the baseball dirt would be hard and/or sandy, but it was just plain MUD!! The truck skimmed right over it, but the rear arms, chassis & body was getting caked by the rooster tail. I also noticed the steering was really mushy, but I chalked it up to the wet grass.
The jumps arrive, one 4' wedge of hard rubbery stuff, and one "real" ramp, about 16" tall & a nice curved profile. Problem is, it was only about 2' wide. We set them up on the edge of the asphalt, so the landings would be on grass. I started with the "training ramp" and got decent air, but not enough to cause any problems. The nice thing is that it was so wide. The other one was great, but it was hard to hit it at speed dead-on, 'cause it was so narrow & again, my steering was mushy.
I did get some nice ones, about 4' of air, and of course I had a few nice crashes before I figured out how to properly use the brake to control nose attitude. The kids father showed up (and dug the Maxx, too) & we all went to our respective homes.
WELL... the mud was unbelievable! I actually used the sink sprayer to carefully hose down the rear of the truck with hot water. I then cranked up the compressor & blew out the mud & water as best I could. I then went about my normal after-run stuff (nitro wash, etc.) The air cleaner was a MESS, and I oiled the engine immediately because of all the moisture it was running in.
BROKEN PARTS: Just one of the posts on the new ProLine tall rear body mount ($5)!!! With this Parma body, the post was extended almost 3" above the tower, creating an awfully weak support when it comes to impact! Not bad for the the delicate little T-Maxx!!
MUSHY STEERING: D'OH!!! the spring-loaded nut on the servo-saving bellcrank on my ProLine linkage had worked it's way loose, rendering the whole setup almost useless!! I was shocked that I was able to steer as well as I did.
QUESTIONS: What are better, plastic body mounts (posts) or aluminum? Do the aluminum ones bend easily during tumbles, or are they pretty sturdy? These parts really take the MOST abuse overall, so do you stick with cheap plastic & replace them a lot or go to metal? Does anyone make TALL aluminum posts?
How well sealed is are the diffs & bearings? I was very careful with my water rinse, and dried everything immediately, but are they sealed up pretty well? Should I ever re-lubricate them, and if so, HOW?
What do other ProLine Steering linkage users do about their servo-savers? Can/should I use threadlock, or do you do something else.
Thanks!
