Kraton Brand new arrma kraton v2 issues possibly-questions

[Vanning]

***That's what she said!!!!!!***

LOL....I use that line constantly at work. Good one.

 

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Do you guys think the kraton is an EXCELLENT truck? I feel its a horrible truck right now cause all I have to say is bad things about it because of my issues... Well the esc+motor are fine servo-fine, everything else is fine, all 4 driveshafts (front right) rear propeller and two rear shafts are fine, not even a nick on the bottom of the chassis indicating how little I actually used it... You guys think this is a good truck? I feel they were factory bent cause there wasn't any pitting in the dog bone drivecups indicating wear or anything... This truck was built to take a POUNDING I didn't even really pound it I was gentle by most peoples view. Do you guys think I will be happy with it once I get my parts in?

 

[Vanning]

Only you can be the judge of that. I just keep bullet proofing my RC's....one bent shaft never got me down......it's all part of the hobby. It sometimes takes me months to build my best RC's and work out all the bugs.

Ahhhhh Huhhh ......he said shaft.

 

[Stanleybb50]

... was built to take a POUNDING I didn't even really pound it I was gentle by most peoples view. Do you guys think I will be happy with it once I get my parts in?

That's also what she said!

Haha but seriously - my driveshafts might have that much of a bend in them for all I know, because I literally never looked.

Honestly - if it were me, I'd still be driving the poo outta that thing and not even worry about it.

 

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I still think running around for 15 mins total once gently and finding two bent driveshafts doesn't sound like it was my fault, I call that a massive fail by any standards of mine... for $500 of my money... If you guys say its good its gotta be good, i feel arrma needs some feedback on their quality control... Since I did spend $500 I expected perfection thats all. I really like the truck, its durability was attractive to me, it blew away the savage flux hp in terms of that it was lighter and more durable and had aluminium shocks with alloy caps and thich like 6mm thick aluminium shock towers, all steel drivetrain... Sounds good to me.. 6s bl system, I had 6s plans for this truck and now either I got some mis formed axles or it just couldn't take 4s. Not bashing arrma, This makes me almost want to return the truck although I proved that many things are operational and I may get an even bigger lemon if I swap it out, not to mention returning something that massive is costly and IMO a little rude.. I think my excitement got the best of me and I didn't notice the bent stuff when I unboxed it most likely.

Geeze you guys are kinda like the ball busters I got at the automotive shop I work at! Omg I think I walked into that one geeze oh dear Haha, that was like the best joke lol, I had a good laugh.. But back to the truck tho I feel that was a factory defect and luckily arrma took immediate responsibility and I hope to never need warranty help again but although it is a 2 year warranty against exactly what actually happened(protects from defective parts) yep that's the one

 

[Stanleybb50]

I still think running around for 15 mins total once gently and finding two bent driveshafts doesn't sound like it was my fault, I call that a massive fail by any standards of mine... for $500 of my money... If you guys say its good its gotta be good, i feel arrma needs some feedback on their quality control... Since I did spend $500 I expected perfection thats all. I really like the truck, its durability was attractive to me, it blew away the savage flux hp in terms of that it was lighter and more durable and had aluminium shocks with alloy caps and thich like 6mm thick aluminium shock towers, all steel drivetrain... Sounds good to me.. 6s bl system, I had 6s plans for this truck and now either I got some mis formed axles or it just couldn't take 4s. Not bashing arrma, This makes me almost want to return the truck although I proved that many things are operational and I may get an even bigger lemon if I swap it out, not to mention returning something that massive is costly and IMO a little rude.. I think my excitement got the best of me and I didn't notice the bent stuff when I unboxed it most likely.

Geeze you guys are kinda like the ball busters I got at the automotive shop I work at! Omg I think I walked into that one geeze oh dear Haha, that was like the best joke lol, I had a good laugh.. But back to the truck tho I feel that was a factory defect and luckily arrma took immediate responsibility and I hope to never need warranty help again but although it is a 2 year warranty against exactly what actually happened

All things being equal, I hear ya - I really do! You paid good money and it brings you stress and makes your question the truck. Trust me - I get it. Those shafts rained on your parade... They did - and that's understandable.

But it does sound like they're gonna help make it right? No one can get you that no stress new feeling back... I also get that... Heck - I dropped $600 on my ERBE awhile back and broke the stinking rear bulkhead by doing nothing the first time I drove it. Then I sneezed a few more times and broke more parts

I'm exaggerating, but I did get rid of that truck as I lost confidence in it. And it was hard to work on to boot. No regrets as the Kraton suits me perfectly.

But please give your Kraton another chance

 

[chalmene]

I still think running around for 15 mins total once gently and finding two bent driveshafts doesn't sound like it was my fault, I call that a massive fail by any standards of mine... for $500 of my money... If you guys say its good its gotta be good, i feel arrma needs some feedback on their quality control... Since I did spend $500 I expected perfection thats all. I really like the truck, its durability was attractive to me, it blew away the savage flux hp in terms of that it was lighter and more durable and had aluminium shocks with alloy caps and thich like 6mm thick aluminium shock towers, all steel drivetrain... Sounds good to me.. 6s bl system, I had 6s plans for this truck and now either I got some mis formed axles or it just couldn't take 4s. Not bashing arrma, This makes me almost want to return the truck although I proved that many things are operational and I may get an even bigger lemon if I swap it out, not to mention returning something that massive is costly and IMO a little rude.. I think my excitement got the best of me and I didn't notice the bent stuff when I unboxed it most likely.

Geeze you guys are kinda like the ball busters I got at the automotive shop I work at! Omg I think I walked into that one geeze oh dear Haha, that was like the best joke lol, I had a good laugh.. But back to the truck tho I feel that was a factory defect and luckily arrma took immediate responsibility and I hope to never need warranty help again but although it is a 2 year warranty against exactly what actually happened(protects from defective parts) yep that's the one

Just curious, how many hobby-grade RC's have you owned prior to the Kraton?

 

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Just curious, how many hobby-grade RC's have you owned prior to the Kraton?

I had for a 1st hobby grade-a King motor HPI baja 5b compatible clone 1/5 scale gasser, then I sold that, bought a rustler vxl... Currently I have a traxxas summit, the sadly broken kraton 6s, an axial ax10 deadbolt tricked out, I beat the hell out of the rustler vxl and once ever broke one stock driveshaft, although I upgraded to the slash 4x4 HD plastic shafts.

This arrma kraton is an 1/8 scale truggy, should be able to take hits in stride and bounce right back.... I have many various aircraft as well. I am very well versed in this hobby and I have some idea as to what I am doing... I built my own foamy Flite test flyer that flew and then got warped cause its dollar tree foam...

I built my own quadcopter starting from flashing and programming a fc... I really hope I can give the kraton a second chance, returning and exchanging one could lead to even more issues... I still seriously do not think my first run did not bend the shafts that was a factory defect. The chassis isn't scraped to death on the bottom indicating how lightly I ran it, there are only maybe 1 or 2 tiny tiny tiny little nicks in it almost totally unnoticeable.. The truck should be able to take more abuse than I threw at it, I likely drove it around maybe not even 1/4 the way it was designed to be driven roughly and crashed. Only when I get my new components that will tell if I fixed it or not. If I have more issues with the driveline within 1-2 runs, I may consider selling it and taking a loss as I just can't take it anymore. Either that or if I still have problems I could tell arrma to go back to the drawing board, or send me more parts.. Sounds crazy but I am torn I really like the truck its such a great truck, hopefully my complaints will disappear once I get my replacement parts to fix it up from its defects, and i can move on and rag the truck around like I mean it, what it was built to do... I really appreciate hobbico customer support and quality tho, I really like my ax10 deadbolt

Lol you guys are killing me with the "Thats what she said" jokes

 

[chalmene]

Well it sounds like you have had enough vehicles to know how these things go lol. I have had a couple traxxas vehicles myself, pretty much any part that could get broken did. Still have my Stampede, and there is almost nothing stock left on it aside from the center chassis. I have also owned a nitro savage, as well as a few street cars. Yes, and countless aircraft myself. All-in-all I have put this truck through hell so far, all while running 6s. I have had very few parts breakages, and everything that has broken was do to my driving. I think all we are saying is that you are going to be hard-pressed to find a better more durable truck at that price, or even a higher price. To me the shaft thing would be a non-issue, but I'm glad you are getting free replacements to ease your mind. Stick with it man, if you really want a 6s basher, you aren't going to find a better one in my opinion.

 

[Vanning]

Hang in there with it.....stop watching too many basher vids on You Tube. You see all the great edited slow motion footage, but you mostly don't see the failures, prep work and down time. It's all part of this hobby. I feel the Kraton is an excellent 6S rig. I got mine brand new for $400.....rode it around the yard 3 times. After I saw it was cool and nothing was bent....I tore it all apart. I think I have another $500 into it. TX/RX, tires, rims, Mamba Monster X, 2200KV motor, batteries, body, connectors, paint, diff oil. Am I still covered under warranty . I jump my trucks all day long but I have my limits to keep my stuff within or below the breaking point. Work your bugs out and get to bashing. Wrench, fix, repeat. The RTR stuff gets you started but a bent shaft out of the gates is odd. One of their assembly people probably just missed that going in. Best of luck getting that corrected. 1/8th scale buggies/truggies are the way to go for strong, solid rc's that you can over power and catch big air with. The Arrma Kraton has some great feature for that.

 

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Still might I add its very angering waiting for parts! And I feel the bent shafts weren't my fault cause I was careful the first run, plus I have a feeling that was a factory problem with qc... Not fun at all a truck essentially one run old, just sitting all apart, waiting...

 

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Ugh hopefully the parts will show up maybe thursday friday saturday or this monday then I can have fun with my truck finally... Would 500k center diff fluid be suggested? I think this truck needs more power biased towards the back not the front... I have no tracking on these parts but they said wait 3-5 days for delivery

 

[Stanleybb50]

Ugh hopefully the parts will show up maybe thursday friday saturday or this monday then I can have fun with my truck finally... Would 500k center diff fluid be suggested? I think this truck needs more power biased towards the back not the front... I have no tracking on these parts but they said wait 3-5 days for delivery

Some love and swear by 500k. I tried it in my ET48, but took the 500k out and put 50k in the center. Not saying you might not like the 500, because you may prefer it way more, but I preferred lighter center myself.

 

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I got my parts yay I got a spare set of rear shafts(bonus) front pair, f+r prop shafts
Its all back together for the second run, the shafts I put in weren't bent the slightest



Update: Looks like I fixed the issue, it appears to not be bent, but at one end it wanders just the slightest bit... I feel this is due to the way that the dog bones sit slightly loose in their cups, I guess I am happy a little unsure tho I am being a perfectionist afterall because I spent my money on this and $500 isn't cheap... I need to get the 500k diff fluid mod to push the power more to the back I guess... But it looks like if I have any more issues arrma would be happy to help out for the 2 years Long warranties typically dictates reliability and good design and quality... Still a little confused if I should be sad or happy

 

[Rlduling3]

I'm starting to reconsider Arrma getting my next purchase. These consistent issues on $500+ RTRs shouldn't happen. I really love the stories of outta the box speed gets me excited but when I see these issues on the Facebook page, then read these stories, I'm really skeptical. Should I be?

 

[spence]

Arrma made a series of changes on the second kraton which IMO made it better(esc bug fixes, tire and front hub re-design which fixed the bearing blowout issue. I have my 3rd run on my truck I am decently pleased with it. If arrma would take one piece of advice from me, it would be to better qc drive line parts... I feel it is a better value than a savage flux hp, I got mine out the door shipped $500 off ebay with 2 2s 50c lectron pro 5200mah batteries... I feel like their stuff is quality tho, the savage flux has plastic shock caps+ bodies while this has these beefy aluminium big bore shocks with alum caps that have a very smooth action. I feel they deliver a very good product, but qc is sometimes trouble. The really bent front prop shaft was a qc issue for sure. I think if I were to buy another arrma I would get the nero, I am thinking of 6s'n this thing soon, 4s isn't disappointing in terms of power tho. The axle was a qc issue, this is the first anybody has heard of this issue with the axles its really just me. Arrma will happily clean up their mistakes tho like this one, and plus they gave me bonus rear pair of driveshafts. I think I will get the 500k center diff fluid and 2 3s lipos from hobbyking and 6s this thing soon lol

 

[chalmene]

Arrma made a series of changes on the second kraton which IMO made it better(esc bug fixes, tire and front hub re-design which fixed the bearing blowout issue. I have my 3rd run on my truck I am decently pleased with it. If arrma would take one piece of advice from me, it would be to better qc drive line parts... I feel it is a better value than a savage flux hp, I got mine out the door shipped $500 off ebay with 2 2s 50c lectron pro 5200mah batteries... I feel like their stuff is quality tho, the savage flux has plastic shock caps+ bodies while this has these beefy aluminium big bore shocks with alum caps that have a very smooth action. I feel they deliver a very good product, but qc is sometimes trouble. The really bent front prop shaft was a qc issue for sure. I think if I were to buy another arrma I would get the nero, I am thinking of 6s'n this thing soon, 4s isn't disappointing in terms of power tho. The axle was a qc issue, this is the first anybody has heard of this issue with the axles its really just me. Arrma will happily clean up their mistakes tho like this one, and plus they gave me bonus rear pair of driveshafts. I think I will get the 500k center diff fluid and 2 3s lipos from hobbyking and 6s this thing soon lol

You will get differing opinions on diff fluid, but putting 500k in your center is going to give you a wheelie machine. Handles much better with stock fluid, or slightly higher in my opinion.

 

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What kind of carnage drivetrain wise would I experience on 6s? I really like 4s, but I think I would get wheelies if I switched to the 500k

 

[chalmene]

I have ran on nothing but 6s since I bought it, but haven't broken/damaged anything that I can directly link to running 6s. I have broken a couple shock ball ends and bent a couple shafts a bit after very bad landings. I had 1 front planetary diff gear break on me, but I have had quite a few bad nose landings which may have contributed to that. Those are my only breakages. But of course, the more power you have, the more strain on your components. So things should wear out at a faster rate in theory. But you gotta pay to play, right? lol I'm not too concerned, if it breaks I'll fix it. The power is addicting!

 

[Nitrojedi]

What kind of carnage drivetrain wise would I experience on 6s? I really like 4s, but I think I would get wheelies if I switched to the 500k

I have 50K in the center of mine and it wheelies like crazy on 6S...IMO 50K is almost too thick.......... a truggy needs to have a slight bit of FWD pull, it allows it to track straighter and accelerate faster.....

I'm starting to reconsider Arrma getting my next purchase. These consistent issues on $500+ RTRs shouldn't happen. I really love the stories of outta the box speed gets me excited but when I see these issues on the Facebook page, then read these stories, I'm really skeptical. Should I be?

I don't think there was any issue here, just a fellow unsure of his new car and jumping to conclusions before doing proper investigation of the perceived issue.... and $500.00 for a RTR like this is dirt cheap when you consider it would cost you $2000 to build a comparable Race Truggy.....This thing absolutely slaps the paint off any of the HPI or Traxxass offerings anywhere near this price level