Wanted: Some kind off Summit alternative

[noxnflame]

Hey yall!
I have been wanting a traxxas summit so **************** BAD! I have studied the sales and even used ones are $350+. I want to either get a really crappy summit that needs a lot of work for little $ or an alternative. I would LOVE to find another vehicle that has 4wd and over or near 2.5" clearance. Locking diff would be beyond amazing but as far as i know, the Summit is the only existing truck with remote locks. I have no problem with doing modifications as I have a lathe, mill and homemade CNC router in my garage.
Any input would do!
Btw, my price range is ideally free but anything up to $200 would work.

[Hans]

How about a Traxxas E-maxx? There are plenty on Ebay, of which i think could be won for arround $200. There are also Buy-now options of arround $300. There are also tons of aftermarket upgrades available. You can start with a brushed version (cheaper) and slowly upgrade it to brushless?

[chicken sashimi]

Oh man... I've got a traxxas slash that I haven't really used since I started getting into airplanes. The thing is fast as all hell and climbs over everything. Since cash is tight due to unforseen FPV-related purchases, I've been seriously considering selling it on craigslist. Even to the point where I brought it down off the shelf and put it on my workbench to take some craigslist pictures.

Man.. As soon as I started pulling it apart and fiddling with it again, I just couldn't stomach the thought of selling this thing. Sure, I haven't used it all summer, and yes I could definitely use the cash.. BUT THIS THING IS JUST TOO DAMN COOL! So rugged.. infinitely customizeable, and I tricked the whole thing out last year. Money comes and goes, but this is my SLASH! Mustn't sell!



View this video on YouTube

[noxnflame]

I was looking at the e-maxx as well. I just like the size of the summit. I LOVE how the tires are 7" diameter and how much clearance it has. I have a seller wanting to sell me his losi night crawler for $165 and I really like it but I'm not sure about the locked diffs. I heard that putting plumbers putty in the diff kind of locks the diff while still enabling it. I'm also not completely sure why it is bad to go fast with a fixed diff. Could anyone explain?
http://www.losi.com/Products/Feature...dId=LOSB0104BD

[SnarkyMcSnarkson]

A few things about locked diffs...

1. They are harder on the drive line. The wheels will want to turn at different speeds and the differentials normally allows this. There will be binding in the drive axles.
2. Steering is much harder with locked differentials. The steering axle will want to skip because the wheels want to travel at different speeds. This also decreases the life of the tires. The Summit has a lousy turning radias with the differentials locked.
3. The extra weight of the Tonka body and FPV equipment already stresses the Summit. The only thing worse than wanting this toy would be to have it break all the time.

That said, many people seem to be FPV'ing other vehicles aside from the Summit. Are you going to really need the differential locks to play where you want?

[noxnflame]

It would be nice to have the locked diff for some minor rock crawling and climbing. It it's not essential. I also absolutely love the size of the summit. If anyone could find an alternative that is roughly the same size as the summit please let me know. Also I have seen people modify the e revo to act just like a summit but it really comes out to like 20 or $30 less than one I can scoop up Ound my are used for $350. Also I have sen people put silly putty in the diffs to make them a bit mOre locked. Anything would really be better than my little evader I am just torn by if I should spend some coin on a good fpv vehicle or a little more on a great vehicle.
THanks for the help and I'd you find a used summit or e revo please let me know.

[Vitamin J]

Silly putty either jams it all up (locked) or just gets chewed up (unlocked). You can try using heavy weight diff oil but that usually only works at higher speeds, so you won't notice it crawling.

An Emaxx with locked diffs still drives well, I used to have one and I loved that damn thing. You will probably notice that it doesn't turn as tight though.

Nevermind just noticed you're talking about a Night Crawler. It will probably be more than maneuverable even with the locked diffs, just don't plan on jumping it or going fast. I don't know much about the newer crawlers but when I was into crawling (when it was brand new in RC) the shaft-driven trucks tended to torque roll one way or the other when you applied power, that might be annoying in FPV.

[noxnflame]

yeah I am aware of the horrid turning radius. The reason I don't want to go a rock crawler route is because I will use this truck for more than just fpv. I will make the cover removable filled with the fpv equipment so I can switch at any time. I would like to purchase only one truck for my crawler and jump needs. Then again, when I say crawling, I mean going over some small boulders or through some creeks. Also, near my house there are some killer MTB trails that I would love to post at the trail head and drive up it. Maybe the 4wd without locked diffs will do the job. I have never driven a 4wd (not toys r us) rc yet so i cannot tell if locked diffs are a must. Maybe I should just get a 4wd "truggy" and switch between locked and unlocked diffs. I dont knowe if since I'm spending probably $250, might as well through in teh extra $100...

[airbagit13]

Check this out. My buddy has one of these he uses LOS and loves it.

http://www.nitrorcx.com/16c553-green-artr.html

$160 for a 4x4 brushless truck, cant go wrong. Mine arrives UPS tomorrow. I will definitely do a build log on it.

They have some pretty dope Crawlers for cheap as well.

[noxnflame]

oooh you might have just saved me $150!!!!!!!!!!!! I would love to view a build log on it as well! I will be stalking your account until you do! LOL