Kraton First build…..first build thread

[Jon NC RC]

I just received this off of eBay. I was considering getting the wheelie bar off of the outcast like many others use under the rear wing, but I saw this for same cost or a couple bucks less on eBay. Where the axle is between the two wheels is a handle you can use to pick this 30 lb thing up with. To give you an idea of the size, it is on top of 8 by 11 typing paper

And yes, I wonder if the wheels glow in the dark.....

 

[Hammer Down]

I’ve wondered how well those hold up. Definitely a cool idea.

 

[Jon NC RC]

I’ve wondered how well those hold up. Definitely a cool idea.

Will get back to ya on that..........seems beefy.....not gimpy......but then haven't given it any test so far

 

[Jon NC RC]

First off you have to take the two screws out of the rear wing so you can access the four bolt holes that will be used to attach this wheelie bar setup. Took me a minute to figure out how this is going to get together. You have to send the bolts down through the holes from the top side. The four bolts are 3 mm drive, and the four bolts are supplied by manufacturer, at least in my case.

When you tighten the four bolts down, once it gets flush with the stock Wing mount, don't try to tighten too much or it will strip out what is securing the bolts. Very easy to do if you aren't careful. Feels pretty secure in my book.

And in the end.....

 

[Jon NC RC]

I just lifted the front end of this beast to equal the wheelie it would take for these wheelie bars to do their thing.

Good night the amount of power it would take to ramp this thing up like that!

I didn't even have the batteries in it!

 

[Hammer Down]

I just lifted the front end of this beast to equal the wheelie it would take for these wheelie bars to do their thing.

Good night the amount of power it would take to ramp this thing up like that!

I didn't even have the batteries in it!

She’ll do it! Don’t worry about that.

 

[Jon NC RC]

She’ll do it! Don’t worry about that.

What if I affix a 50 lb weight on the front bumper? Adjust the gears a little and pop wheelies anyway?

 

[Hammer Down]

What if I affix a 50 lb weight on the front bumper? Adjust the gears a little and pop wheelies anyway?

Guess we’ll find out..

 

[Jon NC RC]

Well everyone, this build has reached a temporary recess. The weather here has turned crappy, I just had a bunch of dental work done, so the rig is my temporary shelf Queen for right now.

I've been in touch with a couple of guys about getting a camera I can attach to a hat or the transmitter to try to download some video of the maiden voyage.....I haven't purchased one yet, if you have a suggestion, please share.....don't want to spend big $$$

When it happens it will be posted here. What a beast! What a rig!

If you ever wonder whether you should get one or not, all I can say is

YES!!!!

 

[Speedy!]

I've had decent luck with a Gopro.

 

[Jon NC RC]

Well folks, I am back from an extended get away to very very very south Texas. Once I reacclimatize to the temps here in NC, and have a decent day out, it will be time for the MAIDEN VOYAGE !!!!!!

 

[Jon NC RC]

IF all goes well...... TOMORROW for FIRST RUN !!!!!!!!!

 

[Jon NC RC]

Man oh man oh man oh man oh man!!!!!!!!

Maiden voyage is underway!!!!!

Electrics work as expected....thing RIPS!¡!!!! Started on 25% power setting....rips up established grass yard like it's Nuthin'

 

[Jon NC RC]

Holy smokes!!!!!!

This thing is just a step above!

MOST impressive! Was very glad that the Dumbo v6 worked on initial start up..... took a bit to get used to the controls..... and then HOLD ON!!!

What a beast !! Some observations:

Is it noticeably different than 6S? Well, Mojave 6S 12lb vs Kraton 8S 30lb..... very similar....both can rocket from a stand still, but BIGGER
Should it be someones very first RC? ummmmm..... most likely not.....
Could it be dangerous? A bowling ball is 8-9 lb +/-..... 3 bowling balls coming at ya going 30-40-50mph.....definitely!
Is it cool?
Will it break ? They all do eventually
Is the wheelie bar MANDATORY? No, but I am glad it was there!...Was able to wheelie on 75% throttle option
Does it wheelie all the time like the Outcast? No, but it will if you want it to
Am I glad I gota spare body (kept black EXB Body for shelf: YEP ( just a thing I like)
Was it worth it?

@Hammer Down ----- DUDE...... you never told me this thing was SO CRAZY !!!!!!

FYI- the wheelie bar is SOLID, and using it as a handle is well designed !

 

[Jon NC RC]

With any luck, should be able to go out in the next week and do some bashing

Any who are following.or looking to do a build for the first time, don't be over intimidated. It is doable if you are willing to do a little wrenching.

Looking back, I did my build on the
cheap.

I have nothing against a $400 radio

Or my $40 radio.

I have nothing against my $50 servo, or a $250 servo if that's what you chose.

I did not skimp on esc or motor, went with tried and true, got a consensus of what works good in this rig.

Nothing against castle, but I have no need for data.

In the end I have a mean machine to bash. The radio, servo and motor leave nothing to be desired, as it will take me a good while to get used to 8S compared to my Mojave, which is a nice rig on its own.

It can be intimidating, can be a little overwhelming with the choices and options available....

But if you ever thought.of doing a build, of any sort, from basic 3S to 8S and everything in between,

Go for it!

Will get back to ya on that..........seems beefy.....not gimpy......but then haven't given it any test so far

Yeah, btw, that wheelie bar is very well built .....I think one vendor had black wheels, but was sold out......would have preferred, but......

 

[Hammer Down]

@Hammer Down ----- DUDE...... you never told me this thing was SO CRAZY !!!!!!

Now you understand why it’s my favorite rig!!

 

[Jon NC RC]

It's been a while.....life has been preventing me from running the rigs much so far this year.....

But

Just thought I would throw in this memory...

Turning on the esc.....

And hearing the 8 beeps for the first time.......(for 8s)

 

[Jon NC RC]

All right.....its been a while since I added something to my thread

Life has been happening ..... more than usual.... I have not been getting the rigs out much ..... BUT I DID TODAY !!!!!!!!!

So, when it came to the K8 EXB......

Upped the juice to the steering servo from 6.0 (Max 5 stock setting) to 7.4 with the programmer card..... easy to do.... improved it a little.... can see why others want something a little more powerful and maybe a bit quicker, but I still say the servo does pretty darn good for the money....and it costs $60 or less (is still out there for sale....)

Side note about servos...... when a rig is going 5 mph or more on grass or dirt, it doesn't take as much power to actuate the motion you desire.... let alone 10 or 40..... don't get me wrong, we don't want a gimpy servo, but you will see crawlers with mongo servos, because it takes quite a bit to turn tires when that axle may have the bulk of the weight of the rig on it and you are barely moving......I had to get a significantly more powerful steering servo for my crawler to really make it do what others can do....

Nothing wrong with a $250 servo..... but I am fine with my $60 in my EXB.....speaking of which....

I upped the punch from stock setting 3 to 4......

So like I say, its been a while, had to start up & shut down ESC and Tx twice... then AWAY WE WENT !!!!. I was not at my favorite spot, with wide open spaces, I was at home with my house yard - but these rigs cover the ground FAST. After a while, after some giggles.... I just felt like something was missing.....

Oooops.....throttle was on 75% !!!!

Well then.... THAT made things more noticeably different once that was corrected.

Oh these things are FUN!!!! I did break one thing (@Hammer Down ) ..... I got too close to one of my wifes planters, a big ceramic job..... 3 gallon with dirt in it....

It didn't stand a chance.....

Didn't phase the K8.... not even a scratch.....So I have to say..... life needs to just wait sometimes......every once in a while, ya gotta have some fun....

ALSO: the Mojave came out to play as well..... and even though the K8 is a whole other level, the Mojave still has a special spot in my heart.

I will say the Arrma brand aftermarket motor fan for the stock 6S motor is pretty flimsy. There are others out there that do better for less $$ I am sure

@3d-rc.myshopify.com made a rear bumper brace for me on my Mojave .... It saved me again today.... if you don't know about him or his stuff..... check it out.... what he has is better quality, beefier, and probably even less $ than a stock replacement....

Also.....batteries..... oh what a topic..... no surprise here, but the el cheapos I had were belly up dead.....

Ones that I paid a little bit more for...... alive and well.....

I know that high dollar batteries can produce a lemon as well, and budget batteries can surprise you at times, but today it sure followed the rule of thumb of ya get what ya pay for......

And by the way... @jondilly1974 ....... WHERE ON GODS GREEN EARTH HAVE YOU BEEN????

Anyway....it surprises me how many have glanced at this thread..... thanks for stopping by..... and....while we can spend stacks of $$$ on these rigs, maybe this thread can show that its not MANDATORY to have some fun. If this thread helps anyone in any way..... I'm glad

PS @Hammer Down .... we were in your neck of the woods for a short while.... very short

My wifes best friend lives in Fargo ND .... her younger daughter passed away at age 24 - very unexpectedly (long story) . We arrived in MSP on a Thursday, rental car to Fargo for the funeral, left Sunday evening from MSP. Not a pleasant experience for anyone

So life can be too short..... each day is a gift..... don't sweat the little sh)#......and don't FORGET TO HAVE SOME FUN ONCE IN A WHILE !!!

 

[Jon NC RC]

Hey @KevinC ...... did @Hammer Down tell ya about the deal he got ??!?!?!?!?!?!??????!!!!!!

I told him to get a hold of a when it comes to that big Losi ya got.... he got the deal of the decade.....

 

[Hammer Down]

Hey Jon, glad you finally got some rc time in!! wish I could have been there to see you hit that planter..
Sorry you had to visit under such circumstances but at least the weathers been nice.

I’ve been super busy and totally forgot to show Kev my new score!! I’ll pm him.

Anyhoo…. Hopefully I can get caught up and get some bash time in before it gets too cold around here.