Crawler motor/pinion recommendations

[TomGee 3]

Hi all, 

I’m going to be dipping a toe into crawling for the first time ever. So, I am a bit lost as to which motor and gear ratios I should go for as a beginner. Put simply, I want it to be manageable but still relatively capable whilst I learn how to drive one  (in case I learn quickly and get bored!).

I understand the basics of turns to torque/top speed but not sure just how high I should go in terms of turns. I also appreciate a crawler is a bit more complicated in terms of gearboxes, overdrive etc than my usual buggies but any basic recommendations would be gratefully received.
 

The kit has an 87t spur gear as standard and as it’s a first foray into this world, I’ll probably prefer a mid-range brushed setup…

Cheers.

[mastino 1197]

So... Actually I think Holmes Is the favorite brand ( here in Italy). 

You can check by yourself directly in the Holmes hobby site and find lot of suggestion about motor and gearing  for each models

https://holmeshobbies.com/motor-recommendations

[Otis311 350]

The gear ratio of the vehicle is a big part of choosing a motor. I would run the smallest pinion with the lowest turn motor possible that allows smooth/cool running. It's not that simple though. A lot has to do with driving style and terrain. If I had to just throw out a general motor and ESC setup I would go with a Hobbywing Quickrun 1060 or preferably the 1080 with a 45 turn 3 slot 540 size motor. That would be a good start. You can get low budget crawler motors for very cheap from companies like RC4WD to experiment. One common misconception is that higher turn motors have more torque. That is not typically the case. Higher turn motors just have slower overall RPMs and generally higher throttle fidelity. You could also go down the road of 550 size motors with 5 slot armatures. AIso, I do not use brushless setups for crawling but that is strictly personal preference.

What vehicle are you looking at?

[TomGee 3]

Looking at the Element RC Trail Truck Builders Kit 2.

I must confess, some of my motivation is to get something I can buy lots of shells for so I can hone my painting skills! So, this might be a dreadful choice and I’m happy to be enlightened! 
 

RTR is out as at least 50% of the hobby for me is the build…

[TomGee 3]

2 hours ago, mastino said:

So... Actually I think Holmes Is the favorite brand ( here in Italy). 

You can check by yourself directly in the Holmes hobby site and find lot of suggestion about motor and gearing  for each models

https://holmeshobbies.com/motor-recommendations

This is brilliant - thanks!

[Kowalski86 4483]

I run a HW1080 with a 13T 5-Slot Crawlmaster 550 in my Redcat, they sell that combo for about $40, it gives good low end control and some speed for between obstacles.

If you ever need more torque you usually want a 550 can if it fits into your RC. Just don't drop in a 12t or something meant for bashers.

[Sogogi 3362]

If your budget allows (70-80 usd), hobbywing fusion se works very nicely.

[sosidge 717]

Changing pinion is much lower on the list of priorities for a crawler compared to a "fast" rc car. You'll find that the kit gearing in the Element (18T pinion I think, I have one) is perfectly fine.

Normally people select a motor and battery as a way of tuning performance. I tend to aim for "fast walking speed" as the top end on a crawler, with an Enduro I get that with a 3s battery and a motor around 1800KV.

The Fusion SE recommendation above is really good. They are the same price as a 1080 and a decent brushed motor, but all-in-one and maintenance free with great low speed control and drag brake.

I still run a brushed setup in one of my trucks for space reasons, there is nothing wrong with brushed, but brushless is probably slightly better overall.

By the way, changing bodies on crawlers is not as straightforward as it is on something like a touring car. Realistically the body and the chassis end up being built up to suit one another, and the body painting project becomes a detailing project and an accessories project and a wheels/tyres project as well. I wasted a lot of time and money building up a crawler from a kit and I would actually recommend buying an RTR as they are much better value, the bodies tend to be better and you still have plenty of scope for upgrading, repairing and personalising it. It's really an RTR market, kits are a rarity in the mainstream.

[Kowalski86 4483]

4 hours ago, sosidge said:

By the way, changing bodies on crawlers is not as straightforward as it is on something like a touring car. 

This is something to think on, I could easily drop the body from my Redcat Lightning onto my Kyosho Fazer just by poking two new holes in the back. Touring cars are good for body swapping and there's a handful of cheap bodies out there.

With crawlers, bodies tend to be much more expensive and they generally don't mount using simple old clips.

[OldSchoolRC1 1090]

Hobbywing 1080 and a $20 Holmes Crawlmaster motor in either 550 or 540 flavor is my go to setup for all of my crawlers. I think I've got most of them switched over now. For <$65, it's super smooth and plenty of power for getting down the trails. 

I have a Fusion Pro in my IFS Element and I find it to be a bit jerky.  Had to try it to see what all the fuss was about and was less than impressed.  Haven't really played with the settings (I'd like to turn off the FOC, I think that's what I didn't like) and only have about 2 hours of runtime on  it, but  I'm sure I'll eventually replace it with a 1080/crawlmaster. 

Stock pinion in the kit is fine to get started. Take a run or two before deciding on any changes. It's great to theorize, but things tend to change quickly when the rubber hits the dirt. 

[TomGee 3]

Thanks, all. 
 

I got a bit ‘spec blind’ in the end and just picked something around 1800kv on the Holmes Hobbies recommended list for the kit that is available at my favourite store. So, I went for HW1080 and a TrailMaster Sport 550 21T. 
 

As suggested, I figured go basic and tweak later. I’ll be interested to see the difference later with a 5 slot of similar spec.

[RC_FunLand 172]

Good choice. When I was building my CC-02, I used a Hobbywing 1080 and what I believe is a 35T RC4WD crawler motor, though I could be mistaken. It has a top speed of "fast walking", a preference similar to that of @sosidge. Honestly though, wheels, tires, suspension, and ride height are what matter the most to me. Those are the variables that truly determine my crawling experience. 

[Shergar 148]

A Holmes Hobbies brushed and a HW1080 are all you need as mentioned - you can submerge it happily to no ill effects as a bonus over brushless! Back to the original question, gear as low as you can then work your way up.

The above combo in a TRX4 sport 👍