My rear ring gear chipped on stock tires, running a Castle 2200KV set up. It's just bad monkey metal. Now fast-forward a few years. I've been running the HD gears with a Castle 1650kv monster set up. With zero issues to the drive line. That's using a better pinion and spur too though. Method RC tires love power!! :)
Hey buddy , was great to see yours recently , I was interested as I noticed you was running the Geoforms yourself . Now the funny thing is that I’ve heard loads of good things with the HD machined gears ⚙️ so after speaking with you I’ve ordered them myself . Got to ask are you using the rear facing motor mount or the forward facing like myself ? I would love to try a lower KV motor for it as I’ve had some excellent results with the 1780 in my notorious. Now I’m also going to add the Vitavon alloy bulkheads as well so pretty sure that both will fingers crossed 🤞 bulletproof the truck . When you added your HD gears did you shim the crown gear and input ? Keep up the amazing work on your channel buddy . Big fan Stay awesome buddy , Chris 🤙🚀👍🤘💪👌
@@ChriswithaCrc if you are are asking about 1780kv 4282 from surpass (which btw i think is really awesome) it will fit with the gpm motor mount in normal orientation. i just had to dremel of 1mm from the steering post to get enough clearance for the steering to move freely. the reverse motor mount setup changes the center of mass for the truck and that changes the behaviour of the car. i personally would try to avoid that
As you say buddy you have to try these things , it’s a shame that the wheels were are as heavy and plus the stock diffs ! Well it was bound to happen and just glad I can be transparent with you everyone I always promised to be this way and would never want anyone to think that I’m biased . Stay awesome buddy Chris 🤙👌👍🚀😎
Jersey here Chris…take the loss and keep moving forward like you do so well. There is going to be a lot of know it alls out there. You know what you are doing my brother. You’ll have her up and running in no time 😊
I appreciate that buddy yeah it is what it is and thanks man for the kind words . When this is all sorted should be tough as nails . Stay awesome buddy , Chris 🤙💪👌🚀🤘😎👍🤩🛞⚙️
Man thats awesome that you still have the stock gears ! thats got to be a record thats for sure . As you say tyson makes some pretty sweet upgrades thats for sure . so glad the message came across buddy . Stay awesome Chris :)
Based on what u reported, id say that the diff wasn't properly meshed. If it's only chewing the top of the teeth off then that sounds like the mesh was too loose. Or it's flexing thru the plastic bulkheads or the ring gear was loosening up. . Just my opinion.
Yeah, think that‘s true. I had the same with stock gears and the vitavon gears after 1 year. It most likely was meshed wrongly. I don’t think it‘s the material only, as the front is stock and still fine after more than 2 years of bashing with 1650kv and sledgehammers
Yeah the bulkhead is most definitely a issue that then causes problems with the crown and input gear . parts on there way and this time i cant see it breaking again unless i really do something stupid ! Stay awesome Chris :)
This hobby is all about living and learning, just a bit of food for thought though,,, would the properly shimmed vitavon gears hold up to them heavy method wheels 🤔.. Great vid dude keep up the good work👍
Hey man yep its a journey , and when you get it right its rewarding but also admitting when you got it wrong also helps hey ! Yeah the vitavon gears i have a feeling might have worked if the shimming and bulkheads were right hey ! thanks for all the support , Stay awesome Chris :)
Hi Chris, i really love your videos and i really appreciate your attempt to stay objective when it comes to testing a new car like the sledge. i have had mine for a year now, and i also own a Kraton V5 and a Corally Kagama. and in my opinion there is litterally no discussion on which is the best of those 3... by far the sledge beats them all. yes the sledge has issues but once fixed this car is in a different league. however as you found out like everybody as the sledge is already a heavy boy keeping the weight down is key to maximize the performance. the stock diffs are not as bad as their reputation is, i still have the stock diffs even with some slightly chipped teeth the run perfectly. but they will react to heavy wheels (anything over 350gr is not advisable) or if you go crazy on the motor power with a 49 can motor. the stock shock towers are also in discussion as a weak point i cant confirm that either since mine are still perfectly straight. i converted my sledge to 8s strikly to increase runtime and not the speed i went for a 1450kv surpass hobby motor and am still running the 13t pinion. its a fiddly conversion but i think worth it is gives the sledge even more punch without straining the rig and increasing the runtime. perfect for your style of bashing. and not adding much weight at all. the stock hingepins on the lower a-arms (inner and outer, front and rear) are a weak point and tend to snap and take the a-armes with them and the plastic shock caps snap also. there is a hardend upgrade kit from traxxas and since i switched the pins no more broken a-arms or shock caps. might wanna. but enough about my sledge :D i have a question you said that by changing over to the vitavon chassis you did not add weight to the car. are you sure the vitavon chassis is not heavier than the stock chassis, because the gpm chassis i use is heavier. if the vitavon chassis is the same weight as the stock chassis, i will consider changing because of the weight :D weight is king the the sledge :D keep up the good work and i am looking forward where your sledge is going :D
Hey buddy and thanks so much for the in-depth reply . Awesome to hear your thoughts 💭 Yes the vitavon chassis is lighter than the stock chassis it’s not much but yes it’s lighter . As I said I chose to upgrade the parts that were already on the car ( although I do have the vitavon bulkheads coming I really think this is going to be an awesome upgrade for it ) The one part that is adding some weight but not massive is the M2C motor mount . I think the main issue here is the rotating mass of the Geoforms they are really also heavier as you say keep the wheel weight down will be the key 🔑 Stay awesome buddy , Chris 🤙💪👍🚀🤘👌🛞⚙️😎
That’s awesome that you’re coming along for the ride . Well that’s some shopping list you have there dude , now I’ve had the K6 EXB v2 and I will say I prefer the Sledge over it , the way it drives is superb . 👌 Few key upgrades will make it spectacular for a basher that you can beat down day in day out . As for the k8 well there very very big and heavy , I’ve never wanted one myself I would take a xmaxx or xrt over it all day long . Stay awesome Chris 🤙👍🤘👌
@@ChriswithaCrc thats the thing Chris; my pal has a 6 s and its always out of action for some reason or another, where as i drive the 8s (with hobbywing max 5 abd 800kv runing 39/39) just as hard, if not harder, when his brakes when we are out we both dive the 8s and it hasnt broken anything since day one! The xrt needs way to many mods to get it near the kraton 8s. So i guess im now down to choosing the x maxx or Sledge
that dreaded sound 😢 worse when your 5 minutes into having fun and a 30 minute drive home 🤦♂️because that's the only rc you brought, this is about me by the way 😂🤦♂️👍👍😀
Hey man , yeah nothing worse I was in such a rush to get to my spot after work I didn’t even think about grabbing a second truck funny enough . Now hopefully 🤞 with everything I’ve done this trucks going to rip ! Traxxas stock metal is know to die 💀 but man this really annoyed me as I had an awesome time with the truck up till now . My fault though I made some mistakes in the process . Stay awesome buddy , Chris 🤙👌🤘🚀🤞💪👍⚙️🛞😎
To bad they stripped out but ya nice upgrades definitely see the difference in tire weight like u said ... so when u go vitavon gears are they pretty much bullet proof like they shouldn't strip out for a long time just wondering might think about getting some....
Hold that thought 💭 buddy my vitavon gears stripped out I’m not going to lie , so now have the vitavon bulkheads coming and the traxxas HD gears fingers crossed this should be bulletproof now !
I like the Copperhead 2 tires as well on my Kraton 6S EXB, but I do find doing speed runs close to 70 mph they pancake as well. At those speeds it is all I can do to keep it on the road with the tires looking like pizza cutters. Otherwise for everything else they are great. I am curious to see how the belted Sledgehammers do at speed once my machined gears and motor washers arrive in the mail. Hopefully sometime in the coming week.
Yes buddy I really like the copperheads myself they have been great on my EXB v2 , Kraton 4s and also this Sledge they allow a small amount of slip and still grippy and hold up well . Interesting to hear your thoughts on the belted tyres buddy . Chris 🤙🤩😎
Hey buddy , are we talking stock kraton or EXB buddy ? Both trucks need a few little upgrades to make them perfect , quite honestly though I love the way the sledge drives so stable and planted . Hope this helps Chris
I'm no professional when it comes to diffs. And Traxxas puts 20mil weight in the center diff. So my suggestion would be to take that 20mil and put 500k and in the front I would go with at least 60-100k and in the rear I like 200k on all of my rigs.
I am considering lower centre diff fluid thats for sure dude . but stock is 20 mil so would that 500k be to low is the question ? Stay awesome bud Chris :)
Well explained mate , these things happen, and as long as we learn from them it’s all good. I will just point out tho that you ran 10 packs with no issue before upgrading it though. New chassis upgrade was a good idea, but does it need all the upgrades or do you want all the upgrades? I think that’s the difference. Keep up the good work mate ❤
@RcSpeedFreak-kk8wj my maxx has had 100’s of packs through it , and it’s been heavily bashed ! Still on stock diffs , though I had worn a few rings out , but that’s just cos of abuse lol.
Yeah 10 packs was what i had planned and it happened before upgrades started , would it have carried on working is the question of the day . its well documented that there know for breaking mind . As for the upgrades well as i said initially when starting upgrading it was parts that were known for breaking so worth it i think . 🤙👌👍 Thanks for the support dude Chris :)
Thanks for the info thats great to know , Ive got the vitavon housings coming and just got the traxxas HD gearing to add to it , fingers crossed it should be pretty damned tough then . Stay awesome buddy Chris :)
Hey buddy , yes totally agree with you to be honest . Testing is key with the upgrades I’m sure you can relate with your MT8 trucks 🛻 Well we will get there hey . Stay awesome bud , Chris 🤙🤘💪🚀👍
I think it's a combined issue of monkey metal gears and the plastic bulkheads causing gear deflection. I think the heavy tires just Exasperated the condition and the gears failed. The new bulkheads will really help. I really like the look of the tread on those tires and want to try them on my sledge. The drivetrain has been fully upgraded except the motor. Might have to upgrade that first.
Totally agree with you buddy , yes the gearing isn’t the best at all is it . I’m glad I managed to get some packs through it first before it gave up . The bulkheads coming and the upgraded HD gearing I think is the solution. As for the motor mount definitely think about the M2C mount there brilliant. 🤩 Stay awesome Chris 🤙👍🤘🚀💪
My rear ring gear chipped on stock tires, running a Castle 2200KV set up. It's just bad monkey metal. Now fast-forward a few years. I've been running the HD gears with a Castle 1650kv monster set up. With zero issues to the drive line. That's using a better pinion and spur too though. Method RC tires love power!! :)
Hey buddy , was great to see yours recently , I was interested as I noticed you was running the Geoforms yourself .
Now the funny thing is that I’ve heard loads of good things with the HD machined gears ⚙️ so after speaking with you I’ve ordered them myself .
Got to ask are you using the rear facing motor mount or the forward facing like myself ?
I would love to try a lower KV motor for it as I’ve had some excellent results with the 1780 in my notorious.
Now I’m also going to add the Vitavon alloy bulkheads as well so pretty sure that both will fingers crossed 🤞 bulletproof the truck .
When you added your HD gears did you shim the crown gear and input ?
Keep up the amazing work on your channel buddy .
Big fan
Stay awesome buddy ,
Chris 🤙🚀👍🤘💪👌
@@ChriswithaCrc if you are are asking about 1780kv 4282 from surpass (which btw i think is really awesome) it will fit with the gpm motor mount in normal orientation. i just had to dremel of 1mm from the steering post to get enough clearance for the steering to move freely. the reverse motor mount setup changes the center of mass for the truck and that changes the behaviour of the car. i personally would try to avoid that
M8 we all got to try different things
Most work but some don't is all part of the hobby
Keep up the great work
As you say buddy you have to try these things , it’s a shame that the wheels were are as heavy and plus the stock diffs ! Well it was bound to happen and just glad I can be transparent with you everyone I always promised to be this way and would never want anyone to think that I’m biased .
Stay awesome buddy
Chris 🤙👌👍🚀😎
Jersey here Chris…take the loss and keep moving forward like you do so well. There is going to be a lot of know it alls out there. You know what you are doing my brother. You’ll have her up and running in no time 😊
I appreciate that buddy yeah it is what it is and thanks man for the kind words .
When this is all sorted should be tough as nails .
Stay awesome buddy ,
Chris 🤙💪👌🚀🤘😎👍🤩🛞⚙️
Thank you for the mention cant wait to bring the rc to you
Looking forward to seeing you buddy . were going to have some fun thats for sure .
Stay awesome
Chris :)
I still have the same gears 2 years later 😋😋 Tyson is awesome he makes great stuff We appreciate the honesty and enjoy the journey
Man thats awesome that you still have the stock gears ! thats got to be a record thats for sure .
As you say tyson makes some pretty sweet upgrades thats for sure .
so glad the message came across buddy .
Stay awesome
Chris :)
Based on what u reported, id say that the diff wasn't properly meshed. If it's only chewing the top of the teeth off then that sounds like the mesh was too loose. Or it's flexing thru the plastic bulkheads or the ring gear was loosening up. . Just my opinion.
Yeah, think that‘s true. I had the same with stock gears and the vitavon gears after 1 year. It most likely was meshed wrongly. I don’t think it‘s the material only, as the front is stock and still fine after more than 2 years of bashing with 1650kv and sledgehammers
Yeah the bulkhead is most definitely a issue that then causes problems with the crown and input gear .
parts on there way and this time i cant see it breaking again unless i really do something stupid !
Stay awesome
Chris :)
This hobby is all about living and learning, just a bit of food for thought though,,, would the properly shimmed vitavon gears hold up to them heavy method wheels 🤔..
Great vid dude keep up the good work👍
Hey man yep its a journey , and when you get it right its rewarding but also admitting when you got it wrong also helps hey !
Yeah the vitavon gears i have a feeling might have worked if the shimming and bulkheads were right hey !
thanks for all the support ,
Stay awesome
Chris :)
Hi Chris, i really love your videos and i really appreciate your attempt to stay objective when it comes to testing a new car like the sledge. i have had mine for a year now, and i also own a Kraton V5 and a Corally Kagama. and in my opinion there is litterally no discussion on which is the best of those 3... by far the sledge beats them all. yes the sledge has issues but once fixed this car is in a different league. however as you found out like everybody as the sledge is already a heavy boy keeping the weight down is key to maximize the performance. the stock diffs are not as bad as their reputation is, i still have the stock diffs even with some slightly chipped teeth the run perfectly. but they will react to heavy wheels (anything over 350gr is not advisable) or if you go crazy on the motor power with a 49 can motor.
the stock shock towers are also in discussion as a weak point i cant confirm that either since mine are still perfectly straight.
i converted my sledge to 8s strikly to increase runtime and not the speed i went for a 1450kv surpass hobby motor and am still running the 13t pinion. its a fiddly conversion but i think worth it is gives the sledge even more punch without straining the rig and increasing the runtime. perfect for your style of bashing. and not adding much weight at all.
the stock hingepins on the lower a-arms (inner and outer, front and rear) are a weak point and tend to snap and take the a-armes with them and the plastic shock caps snap also. there is a hardend upgrade kit from traxxas and since i switched the pins no more broken a-arms or shock caps. might wanna.
but enough about my sledge :D i have a question you said that by changing over to the vitavon chassis you did not add weight to the car. are you sure the vitavon chassis is not heavier than the stock chassis, because the gpm chassis i use is heavier.
if the vitavon chassis is the same weight as the stock chassis, i will consider changing because of the weight :D weight is king the the sledge :D
keep up the good work and i am looking forward where your sledge is going :D
Hey buddy and thanks so much for the in-depth reply .
Awesome to hear your thoughts 💭
Yes the vitavon chassis is lighter than the stock chassis it’s not much but yes it’s lighter .
As I said I chose to upgrade the parts that were already on the car ( although I do have the vitavon bulkheads coming I really think this is going to be an awesome upgrade for it )
The one part that is adding some weight but not massive is the M2C motor mount .
I think the main issue here is the rotating mass of the Geoforms they are really also heavier as you say keep the wheel weight down will be the key 🔑
Stay awesome buddy ,
Chris 🤙💪👍🚀🤘👌🛞⚙️😎
Bigger tires will do this, improper gear mesh after normal wear would contribute as well
Yes buddy I got to say I totally agree with you that does seem to be the issue .
Stay awesome
Chris 🤙👌👍🤘
Following your sledge journey! Im in 3 minds over a Sledge or Kraton 6s or even an X max, i already have a Kraton 8s..........🤔
That’s awesome that you’re coming along for the ride .
Well that’s some shopping list you have there dude , now I’ve had the K6 EXB v2 and I will say I prefer the Sledge over it , the way it drives is superb . 👌
Few key upgrades will make it spectacular for a basher that you can beat down day in day out .
As for the k8 well there very very big and heavy , I’ve never wanted one myself I would take a xmaxx or xrt over it all day long .
Stay awesome
Chris 🤙👍🤘👌
@@ChriswithaCrc thats the thing Chris; my pal has a 6 s and its always out of action for some reason or another, where as i drive the 8s (with hobbywing max 5 abd 800kv runing 39/39) just as hard, if not harder, when his brakes when we are out we both dive the 8s and it hasnt broken anything since day one! The xrt needs way to many mods to get it near the kraton 8s. So i guess im now down to choosing the x maxx or Sledge
that dreaded sound 😢 worse when your 5 minutes into having fun and a 30 minute drive home 🤦♂️because that's the only rc you brought, this is about me by the way 😂🤦♂️👍👍😀
Hey man , yeah nothing worse I was in such a rush to get to my spot after work I didn’t even think about grabbing a second truck funny enough .
Now hopefully 🤞 with everything I’ve done this trucks going to rip !
Traxxas stock metal is know to die 💀 but man this really annoyed me as I had an awesome time with the truck up till now .
My fault though I made some mistakes in the process .
Stay awesome buddy ,
Chris 🤙👌🤘🚀🤞💪👍⚙️🛞😎
To bad they stripped out but ya nice upgrades definitely see the difference in tire weight like u said ... so when u go vitavon gears are they pretty much bullet proof like they shouldn't strip out for a long time just wondering might think about getting some....
Hold that thought 💭 buddy my vitavon gears stripped out I’m not going to lie , so now have the vitavon bulkheads coming and the traxxas HD gears fingers crossed this should be bulletproof now !
Ya hopefully they work out for ya nothing worse then gears stripping and didn't no traxxas made better gears ....
I like the Copperhead 2 tires as well on my Kraton 6S EXB, but I do find doing speed runs close to 70 mph they pancake as well. At those speeds it is all I can do to keep it on the road with the tires looking like pizza cutters. Otherwise for everything else they are great. I am curious to see how the belted Sledgehammers do at speed once my machined gears and motor washers arrive in the mail. Hopefully sometime in the coming week.
Yes buddy I really like the copperheads myself they have been great on my EXB v2 , Kraton 4s and also this Sledge they allow a small amount of slip and still grippy and hold up well .
Interesting to hear your thoughts on the belted tyres buddy .
Chris 🤙🤩😎
@@ChriswithaCrc I will let you know. So far I like them, they are heavier than the non belted but much, much less than the ones you tried.
@ChriswithaCrc I put a set of Upgrade rc tires on my Big Rock, then had to upgrade the motor and esc, I wore them out LOL
Oh wow what wheels were they buddy sounds like they were a tad heavy for the truck
Chris 🤙
1:45 lol…. The sound of crunching metal…. Yep let’s pin it!
Yup ! was a bad at the office for sure .
@@ChriswithaCrcappreciate this channel, just watched your unboxing of this kit. Subscribed.
Hey Chris . This vs kraton 6s what would you choose ?
Hey buddy , are we talking stock kraton or EXB buddy ?
Both trucks need a few little upgrades to make them perfect , quite honestly though I love the way the sledge drives so stable and planted .
Hope this helps
Chris
I'm no professional when it comes to diffs. And Traxxas puts 20mil weight in the center diff. So my suggestion would be to take that 20mil and put 500k and in the front I would go with at least 60-100k and in the rear I like 200k on all of my rigs.
I am considering lower centre diff fluid thats for sure dude .
but stock is 20 mil so would that 500k be to low is the question ?
Stay awesome bud
Chris :)
Well explained mate , these things happen, and as long as we learn from them it’s all good.
I will just point out tho that you ran 10 packs with no issue before upgrading it though. New chassis upgrade was a good idea, but does it need all the upgrades or do you want all the upgrades? I think that’s the difference.
Keep up the good work mate ❤
@RcSpeedFreak-kk8wj my maxx has had 100’s of packs through it , and it’s been heavily bashed ! Still on stock diffs , though I had worn a few rings out , but that’s just cos of abuse lol.
Yeah 10 packs was what i had planned and it happened before upgrades started , would it have carried on working is the question of the day . its well documented that there know for breaking mind .
As for the upgrades well as i said initially when starting upgrading it was parts that were known for breaking so worth it i think . 🤙👌👍
Thanks for the support dude
Chris :)
I have stock gears, cheap alloy “bulkheads”. 13 bashes and zero gear issues. With pretty heavy Jetko tomahawk belted tires.
Thanks for the info thats great to know , Ive got the vitavon housings coming and just got the traxxas HD gearing to add to it , fingers crossed it should be pretty damned tough then .
Stay awesome buddy
Chris :)
@@ChriswithaCrc good luck
Traxxas monkey metal…
Seems so buddy !
Well Chris you tried them and they didn’t work. It’s all about testing these things I guess.
Hey buddy , yes totally agree with you to be honest . Testing is key with the upgrades I’m sure you can relate with your MT8 trucks 🛻
Well we will get there hey .
Stay awesome bud ,
Chris 🤙🤘💪🚀👍
I think it's a combined issue of monkey metal gears and the plastic bulkheads causing gear deflection. I think the heavy tires just Exasperated the condition and the gears failed. The new bulkheads will really help. I really like the look of the tread on those tires and want to try them on my sledge. The drivetrain has been fully upgraded except the motor. Might have to upgrade that first.
Totally agree with you buddy , yes the gearing isn’t the best at all is it .
I’m glad I managed to get some packs through it first before it gave up .
The bulkheads coming and the upgraded HD gearing I think is the solution.
As for the motor mount definitely think about the M2C mount there brilliant. 🤩
Stay awesome
Chris 🤙👍🤘🚀💪