JtkBrew's Kraton 6s V3

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JtkBrew

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Location
Bartlett, IL
Arrma RC's
  1. Kraton 6s
Bought used on January 10th.
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First upgrade was a servo from @arrmadand a 1 piece servo mount from Armorwerks.
I added the M2C Racing front and rear chassis braces as well as the SMC precision low voltage alarm.
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I new I wanted (and needed) a better front bumper. I ended up getting the Tbone Racing front bumper in red. I thought the round bars would be in red as well, but only the skid plate comes in red.

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Question, do you have access to a 3d printer? I can send you some stl files for a wire retainer that fits the m2c front brace..

Nice build.. it can only get even better from here... (y)
 
The body had some cracks when I got it, and I'm planning on replacing it in the future, but for now this not-so-great gorilla tape job will have to hold me over.
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Question, do you have access to a 3d printer? I can send you some stl files for a wire retainer that fits the m2c front brace..

Nice build.. it can only get even better from here... (y)

Thanks! I might. I believe I have a friend that has access to a printer. I've never messed with one though.
 
Immediate future plans include:

- New stock shock springs. I believe someone changed the springs and my ride height, particularly in the front, is too low. These are on order with my LHS.

- RPM front A-arms. My LHS had one set in stock and ordered me the other set.

- Hobbywing motor fan and heatsink. Also on order from LHS. Trying to figure out if I should get some thermal paste as well.


What I'd like to do

- Change the differential fluids. I'm more than a little nervous to remove and open these up at this point. I know I should inspect them anyway, and they probably need to be shimmed. I've watched some videos, but still don't have the confidence to get in them just yet.

- Backflip tires. I'm going to run these for now and work on my throttle control, etc. However, those will probably be my next purchase for the truck.

- New body and paint. As I said earlier, the shell does have some cracks and damage. Again, going to drive with this for the foreseeable future. I hope to get through this summer with this body and work on a new one in the fall.
 
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Thought I would add the tools and charger I started out with. I have a fair amount of tools in the garage, but wanted some dedicated R/C tools so they weren't used for anything else and kept in a tool bag. I have no affiliation with any of the links provided.

Charger - Hota D6+
https://www.smc-racing.net/index.php?route=product/product&path=113&product_id=447
I researched chargers for awhile starting before I even picked up my truck. I went with this for the dual channel, decent AC voltage to each channel, availability of an app to monitor charger progress, and value compared to features. I really like it so far.

Hex bits - MIP 1.5mm, 2mm, 2.5mm
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D7DJVEI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_.QlkEbS9D3QF8
If you newer here or have asked about hex bits or drivers, you've been told to get MIP. I chose to get the bits instead of the drivers. This way I can use them in a screwdriver handle that accepts 1/4" bits, or in an electric screwdriver. Not buying the drivers saved me over $30 vs buying the drivers now plus the bits, either now or later. I must admit, the thought of paying over $30 for 3 bits seemed crazy. Then I used them and saw just how well they fit the small allen screws. They are just as good as everyone makes them out to be.
Pro tip - always keep the rubberized tip on when not using to keep it protected in your tool bag or box.

Screwdrivers - Tekton 4 piece screwdriver set.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B014US22BW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_aYlkEbRKNHCTB
Again, I probably had enough screwdrivers to do without, but also saw the value of having some new, dedicated tools for the hobby. These seem to work well.

Nut drivers - Dynamite 5 piece metric nut driver set
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000BQ4XPQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_F0lkEb21TGA04
Seemed like a decent set with their own case. Have worked well so far. if I have a complaint, it's that the nut driver end can be a little big to squeeze into tight spots, but they work well and the end spins for quick turning.

Soldering station - Hanmatek soldering station
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Z3KCVCL/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_Q3lkEb6ZD64WM
I know people recommend the Hakko a lot around here, but I was getting to the point I didn't want to shell out any more money. The one I got has a digital temperature readout and came with 5 tips. I've used it twice now and seems to work well with this rookie on the cold end.

Tool bag - Husky document bag
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-12-in-Document-Bag-GP-45823AN13/307699159
This is a little bigger than the electrician tool bags I've seen in the past and was going to use. Also, I think it was like $6. I'm sure at some point I'll need something a little bigger, but this is working great to keep all my typical stuff in one bag and grab it if I drive to a bash spot.

So far that's what I've got. If you need to save money somewhere, choose a different place than the hex bits or hex drivers.
 
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Spring fix:

My ride height seemed really low. With the help of other members here, it was determined a previous owner had done a spring change. Ordered up new stock springs and fixed it right away.

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Have some more goodies on the way. I'll update as they come in.
 
I knew I wanted to change my diff fluid and peak my eye in there seing as I didn't buy this new & having no idea what was in them. That being said, my confidence level was about -43.6%. When I saw the V4 front / rear diff and housings as well as the center diff become available from Jenny's I jumped at it. I figured I could take those apart, change the fluid and throw those in my truck. Then I could tear these down to inspect and have spares if something broke or I wanted to try different weight fluids.

Changing the fluids in the new diffs was pretty easy, and let me build the confidence to continue doing them in the future. I also orded up a set of Fast Eddies sealed bearing, so all the new diffs got those.

I went with F20k-C200k-R60k. I put the rear on first and just got back from a nice bash with my son, including some small snow bank jumps. All seemed to work fine, and no breaks with his Rustler 2wd :confused: or my Kraton. Success.

As soon as we came in I blew both vehicles with compressed air, hooked my lipo up for storage charge, and ripped the motor / center diff out. Had to quit for the night, but the new center diff with 200k fluid will go in tomorrow or Saturday.
 
-43.6% isn’t a thing ??????????

Glad you had fun with your kid. Buy him an Arrma ✌?
 
-43.6% isn’t a thing ??????????

Glad you had fun with your kid. Buy him an Arrma ✌?

Trust me, I'm regretting buying him the Rustler for Christmas. Didn't know about Arrma at the time, and the hobby shop I bought it from didn't suggest anything else when I asked. I'm hoping he sticks with it and wants to upgrade to something else in the future. I'd love to see him get a short course truck.
 
Trust me, I'm regretting buying him the Rustler for Christmas. Didn't know about Arrma at the time, and the hobby shop I bought it from didn't suggest anything else when I asked. I'm hoping he sticks with it and wants to upgrade to something else in the future. I'd love to see him get a short course truck.
If you got him a Mojave, you would be the jealous one ???????
 
A couple weeks ago I took it out and finally got to jump it a bit. No video, and no in air backflips, but I had a good time. There was some great landings, there was some really bad landings.

Afterwards I checked the truck & over I found a crack in my stock front a-arm so I put the RPM arms on.
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I also broke the support piece on the T-Bone Racing bumper. I'm going to leave it for now, but will probably end up with the RPM one at some point.

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I also put the Fast Eddies bearings on all 4 wheels and pulled out the steering setup to get the bushings out. I've not done the input shaft on the diffs yet. There's 2 additional bearings in the package that I'm not sure where they go.

Still need to get new tires. I found a crack in one of my rims, and these do not have enough sidewall or cushion for my liking. Either going with Backflips or Copperhead2. Just not sure when I'll get them.
 
03-13-2020
So I ended up choosing the Backflip LPs. Going from these small Exabytes, I didn't want to add almost a pound to the truck, which is what the full size Backflips would've done. I was still gaining some sidewall height and ride height so it seemed like the best of both worlds. After my first outing with the new tires, I'm not certain I made the right decision. I could see picking up a set of full size ones in the future and switching back and forth depending on where I'm taking it. Out in the park tooling around, use the LPs. Going to a skate park or doing a lot of jumps, going with the full size for extra landing cushion.

Difference between Exabytes and BFLPs

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I vented and wrapped the BFLP with 4 wraps of 65lb test braided line per groove. Threaded the line with a needle through the lugs as shown below. It looks like two wraps per groove below, but its actually four. I didn't have my camera when I took it out, but visually saw very little if any ballooning in these.

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I also put in a 15t pinion from the stock 12t and raised the center diff fluid to 500k from the 200k I did earlier. I went with these pinions:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07W4WCBSP/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_3e0AEbEGCGV62

So after the tire and pinion change, I brought the rig out to a skate bowl I found on Google Maps. I wanted somewhere I could land in the grass with it. This fit the bill nicely.

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With the pinion and tire swap the truck now feels faster on 4s than it did on 6s with the 12t. I did not do a speed run for actual data, but with 4s and punch 7 in the grass if I hit it, it will flip to its back. It just barely lifted the fronts off the ground on 6s before. I know a good amount of it is traction, but that pinion helped alot.

I also had very little air control before these upgrades. Tapping the brakes would lower the nose, but hitting the gas seemed to do nothing in raising it. This time I was able to correct the truck in either direction in the air. I tried to do a backflip on 4s coming out of the bowl but landed square on the roof. I think part of it was needing 6s power to get around and the other part bad throttle timing coming out of the bowl by the operator. After that I was just trying to land on all 4 or close to it.

I haven't had a chance to try it on 6s yet. I had probably 2-3 minutes left on my 4s pack, came out of the bowl and jumped about 10' up, mild throttle to level the truck out, landed really well and gently started turning around to go back in the bowl. I noticed my left rear sagging bad. Found this:

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The shock rod came out, so I know the piston is trashed. I have more pistons, but do need a new shock rod and ends. Tekno or Neros coming up. Also, a little USPS birdie is bring me some slightly used Voltage Hobbies 7075 shock towers tomorrow ?
 
I picked up a pair of Voltage Hobbies shock towers from a forum member recently and got those installed. While i was at it, I changed the bearings on the input shaft in the rear.

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These shocks are going to be the death of me. I found out these are not the shocks with the 4mm shaft, which is what I ordered. I made it work for the time being, but I ended up ordering a set of rears from Jenny's. I may try my existing rear spring on the front shock once they come in.

I also made a washer for my front body posts. Last time I was out I couldn't keep the body on as it kept slipping by the clips.

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@JtkBrew just read your whole kraton 6s V3 post. I am a new AARMA owner and this helps understand some of the possible spare parts that may be needed. And different mods.
 
@JtkBrew just read your whole kraton 6s V3 post. I am a new AARMA owner and this helps understand some of the possible spare parts that may be needed. And different mods.

@Deuce02 Thanks for reading, I know I can get a bit wordy at times (like this post!). I have to update this as I've done a few things since my last post. All of my suggestions below assume you'll be jumping it. If you keep all 4 on the ground it's actually pretty hard to break. But it's soooo much fun to see it in the air!!

Some of the issues I've had came because I bought the rig used, and I learned the guy I bought it from threw some parts together to make a vehicle and off load it. Incorrect shocks, hubs, and tires so far. If you bought new you won't have the same issues I've experienced. I would suggest looking at a better servo and mount, M2C chassis braces, and a better transmitter for upgrades.

The 25kg or 30kg servos from Amazon seem to be popular here and are fairly inexpensive. try to find a one piece servo mount if you can.

I'd steer you away from Hot Racing on the chassis braces (and most other stuff, although their steering knuckles are top notch). The M2C stuff is not cheap, but is stout and a buy once, cry once type of product.

The Spectrum radio that comes with the new ones is heavily frowned upon here. I've never used it, as mine came with the older Tactic.

Spare parts to keep ya going? Probably wing mounts, either stock or RPM. A set of A-arms, at least the fronts and I'd get RPM. Some shock rod ends. Either Arrma Nero or the Traxxas shorts work.

This place is a wealth of information and the members have been extremely helpful and pleasant in my short time here. Good luck with the Rig. It's an absolute blast!

Edit - GET SOME MIP HEX DRIVERS OR SPEED TIPS. AGAIN NOT CHEAP, BUT UNQUESTIONABLY WORTH EVERY CENT. Capitalized for emphasis!
 
4-14-20

Haven't updated this, but I have gotten a few more things done, and missed an opportunity for an upgrade in when I bought something while I was frustrated.

First, I ripped out my pillow balls when I hit a sign pole mid-air. So I bought the HR front steering knuckles. When they came in and I tried to put them on, my hub was too short to get the drift pin in. What I think happened is the previous owner threw some Talion parts on this to make a complete vehicle and sell to some sucker (me!). So I bought new CVDs from lumidave on Ebay. However, this was going to make the front track wider than the rear. This is where I screwed up. Instead of buying another set of CVDs, I bought dog bones and hub cups for the rear. Oh well. While I was at it i went ahead and ordered HR knuckles for the rear too. I also took the chance to put in the rear RPM arms I had purchased awhile back but didn't get to yet.

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Upon one of my tear downs, I found my wing support brace had broken, so I also grabbed one of those from HR.

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I had already changed the actual wing mounts to RPM from snapping one on a previous bash.

Lastly, my battery tray sucks. It has none of the factory velcro and was hanging on to the chassis by one screw. Being the current state of things with COVID, I wasn't going to the store for T-nuts. I modified 2 conduit mounts to hold the battery tray and put a piece of 1/4 plywood I had laying around. so far, its held in perfect.
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Now I just need some nice weather to get this beast out again!
 

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