BuddmanTx

My Feedback: (6)

I would opt for the dig unit rather than the axle locks, you might also want to look into the punisher drive shafts, and the BTA steering conversion. My Creeper has the Stage two suspension, and I am going to upgrade the shafts and install the dig soon along with the alum C's. It dose crawl pretty well with the stage two suspension. You might also want to consider a lower turn motor. I have lowered mine to a 45 turn and think I could use a little more wheel speed, it has plenty of Torque. I have an old super rooster and 3s lipos in it.

Austin6993

What will the dig unit help? I've read alot about them but font quite understand them. I'm working on getting the bta steering kit. How hard are the punisher drive shafts to install? So a 45 is a better motor than the 55?

TTMT

I have the Venom suspension and the same esc / motor combo. I'd skip the remote diff locker. Iwent through two kits trying to get the front to work reliably without success.I think the design is fundamentally flawed. The cable running through a tube doesn't work. The tube flexes and the torque to move the shifter with consistent authority is lost. The servo should be mounted near the shifter with a metal shaft direct linkage. Also, the servos are extremely weak. What's worse, with the remote system in use, thediff won't stay locked. It constantly failed on me.Since removing the remote system, manuallocking has worked reliably for me. Venom tech support said they didn't have any of the trouble I had, so I don't know what their secret is, but the system didn't work for me - and I'm an experienced modeler.

I agree with the advice to skip the remote diff lockers and go with the dig unit.

BuddmanTx

My Feedback: (6)

The dig unit will allow you to make tighter turns by locking or un locking the back drive shaft and using the front drive to pull. I don't know how hard the punisher shafts are to install as I havn't got em yet but plan to. from what i have read in this forum the stock shafts seem to be a week point and the punishers are much stronger. IMO the 50 turn motor is to slow, it has a lot of torque but sometimes you may need some additional wheel speed to clear some obstacles, I did notice an increase in speed with the 45 turn motor, I did not notice any preceptable loss of torque though I am sure there was some loss. Keep in mind that I am using mine as a comp unit. I will be going to my second comp this Saturday and we will see how much better I do. If your going to use it just for crawling in your yard etc. then you will probably be ok with it spected out the way you have it now. The guys I compete aginst are running AX10's and Bergs mostly and set up some very challanging courses. I also added some Hot Bodies Rovers in white compound, very good tires, soft and sticky.

Austin6993

Thank you guys for your advice im thinking i will just get a dig unit now instead of the remote lockers. I want to run mine in comps to so ill need to get some stronger axels than i guess and ill go with the 45t motor set up

zman5000

yes i have tried with the venom diff lockers and they failed, i'm getting a dig unit as soon as possible(money)

TTMT

I understand that another advantage to a dig unit is that, when climbing a very steep obsticle, you can disengage the rear drive shaft and pull the crawler over.  Without the dig, the rear drive is engaged and the lower portion of the crawler may push into the obsticle and cause the upper portion to fall back over (so it ends-up up-side down).

Austin6993

What are your guys opinions on shocks im thinking of getting new ones ive seen some i like but do they need new ones or are the ones they come with fine? Have they fixed all the issues they had with the parts breaking and suck im worried about that

TTMT

I haven't used mine too much yet. There aren't a lot of places to crawl near me. I've gone throughseveral long rock gardens a few timesat a nearby park and I've climbedsome very steep dirt embankments, andmy Creeper wasgreat.

I guess my advice would be to run your model stock to begin with and find-out what you think needs improvement.

BuddmanTx

My Feedback: (6)

Your stock shocks should work fine, The stage two suspension mods will have you remove the internal spring inside the shock and install a spacer inside the shock to limit the travel, and then install the new springs for the front and rear, these mods will help reduce the torque twist. I am kinda unsure about the rear spring they provide with the stage two mods, (seems a little stiff), but I guess we will see how well it works at tomorrows comp. Wish me luck maybe we can show that creepers can be competitive. Seems no one in my club has one but me.

Chris Nicastro

My Feedback: (3)

Good luck BuddmanTx let us know how it goes! Post some pics too!

BuddmanTx

My Feedback: (6)

Thanks Venomous,
I will need it there is some pretty stiff competition here in North Texas. These guys set up some really hard courses, then they make it look easy. Most of the guys down here are pretty seasoned and I am somewhat of a newbe as far as crawling, Though I have been an RC guy for about 20 yrs or so. I am hoping to win the novice class this time, or at least not be at the bottom of the heap.

zman5000

i tried a set of losi white springs with semi droop with the ckrc stage 2 kit and it seems to climb a lot better, though it has some torque twist, not bad though.

BuddmanTx

My Feedback: (6)

Well the comp didn't exactly go as planned, to begin with the stage two suspension mod needs to be modified a little as it puts the wheelbase at about 12 3/4" which is 1/4" too long. So with that being said the guys were going to let me comp anyway but just not count the points. The courses were Brutal........with a lot of the guys and gals running Bergs with moon buggy chassis having problems. I think that out of the group of us only one guy finished without pointing out or timing out. On the first comp the truck went down a hill and snapped a front axle stub. I would guess it was the hard rock face at the bottom that the truck crashed into hard, that caused to axle to break anyway that put me out for the rest of the day. Thanks for the info on the white Losi springs.

zman5000

i might have forgot to mention that with the ckrc stage 2 kit i had to replace the rod ends on the lower links to bring the wheelbase back to the correct specs, just the ends at the axles with traxxas rod ends. you can get a bag of 10 rod ends at the lhs for 5 bucks or so. sorry i forgot the part number.

zman5000

is the dig unit a bolt on unit or are there some mods involved?

BuddmanTx

My Feedback: (6)

No Problem, I have a couple of bags of them as I was using them on my MOA clod based rig. did you have to trim them at all ?
other parts are on the way CKRC axles, HUBs & Nuckles it wont break again.

BuddmanTx

My Feedback: (6)

Dig unit is a direct bolt on

Orion1024

Just an update on my experiences with the Venom Creeper. Well, I've been running my Creeper for about four months now and got to say I'm quite happy with it. I picked it up mainly for running in snow and for crawling over the rocks along side out driveway and it's held up very well. One of the few exceptions has been my front diff unlocking. At first I thought it was just the switch wasn't tight enough, but after about the fifth time it unlocked I knew the switch wasn't the problem because when I tried to lock it again it wouldn't engage. I figured the locker pins were bent and took the diff apart to find the pins has pushed through to the back side of the locker ring! Why Venom would drill these holes all the way through the locker ring is beyond me. The pins were so loose I pulled two of them out with my hands! Anyway, so I took the pins out and put a slight bend in the very end of them and shoved that end of the pin into the locker. It was a very snug fit and no problems with them coming loose again yet. However if the same issue happens again, I'm not taking the diff apart until I have the FLM lockers in hand. Aside from the locking ring, the only other problem I've had is loosing a CV pin. I only had one set screw in the axle, but had heat shrink tubing over it and the tubing came off. Originally I used CA to glue the tubing to the stub axle, but this time I'm trying The Amazing Goop to see if it will hold better (and putting a second set screw in). Since I was down one CV pin, I tried out the .078" music wire and it seems to be plenty strong. Which brings me to a question I have - does anyone have a link for a CV rebuild kit that will work with the Creeper axles? In particular, I'm looking for the little black cylinder that the pin goes through. I would think it is a common size. For batteries I was using some old 7 cell 3000mAh Nimh packs I had, but recently tried out the Hobby King 3S LiFe packs I bought for my Rustler. I really like the performance of these packs in the Creeper...lots of power and a decent top end speed. They maintain a constant voltage and don't get weak after awhile like the Nimh packs do. The packs are rather heavy, but I think if HK comes out with a 3S1P version of this pack it would work out well in the Creeper. I can't use a 3S LiPo because my ESC is limited to 8 cell Nimh, so the LiFe packs are the best I can do. I am using the Axial 27T motor and (if I remember correctly) a 22T pinion and there is still plenty of torque. Overall, I'm pretty happy with this model. But if Venom made some minor changes to the design, I think it could be more reliable. Like not drilling all the way through the locking ring, make the pins a tighter fit, and possibly use five pins instead of three. An interlock for the diff switches to make sure they stay locked would probably also be a good idea.

zman5000

the music wire trick works great, just use blue loctite on the setscrews and let it setup for a couple of days and no more worries. you can get a tekin fxr for less than a hundred bucks and it will actually do a 4 cell lipo and very easy to program, then you can put a smaller lipo( 3 cell 1350 mahr)on the front upper links and lower your center of gravity. then you can also get rid of the top battery tray if you still have it on there, and mount the shocks to the chassis, the flm diff lockers are the way to go.

Orion1024

Thanks for the info zman. I picked up the Creeper pretty much just to mess around with and try out in snow, so I was trying to keep it as cheap as possible. I used a spare waterproof XL-5 ESC I had on hand...and I definitely want to keep it waterproof. Really, the only upgrade I'm seriously considering are the FLM lockers. I would also pick up some 14mm hex adapters to run T-Maxx wheels & tires if I knew for sure they would work. You guys who are running Creepers as intended are probably cringing in disgust at my setup! So, does anyone have a link to a CVD rebuild kit that will work with the Creeper axles? It looks like [link=http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&W=000277944&I=LXVHY0&P=K]this MIP kit[/link] for the Axial might work. Anyone know for sure?

BuddmanTx

My Feedback: (6)

The only one I know of is from CKRC.com and upgrades the axles to steel with a larger pin and more beef around the pin area. Mine are on the way. The other part that breaks is the stock stub axles, They also have upgrades for them.

zman5000

venom had a problem with the heat treating of some of their axle cvd's and stub axles, the only way to know if you have the bad ones is if they break. mine have held up fine except for the pins which as i mentioned i'm using music wire, though i did find .078 pins the right length in a inner cv joint on a hyundai elantra axle. i haven't tried them yet but i think they should be very strong. small world.

Orion1024

So, does anyone have a link to a CVD rebuild kit that will work with the Creeper axles? Anyone...anyone.

I previously mentioned about using nail polish instead of Loctite, but I found a much better way. I've been 'cooking' blue (medium) threadlock on set screws with a lighter for many years now and it works pretty well, but it usually requires several applications to fit snug. The other day I ran out of blue threadlock and decided to try cooking some green 680 and it works awesome! After cooking a single application of 680, it turned into a hard but deformable substance that holds the screw in exceptionally well...but it does so without actually bonding anything. This means you could take a screw out and thread it back in without needing to reapply threadlock. But, the main purpose why I do this is for troublesome screws that have a tendency to back out. It would also be useful if you want to prep some spare set screws or whatever before actually needing to install them. Just don't use too much...a very thin layer is all you need. I should also mention that it's only for metal to metal, not plastic. So, if you have some Loctite 680 on hand, give it a try.

zman5000

venom just released a new trail truck/crawler and they say that they have collars for the cvd's that don't require set screws. the cvd's should be the same. check out onthe website venon-group.com