Gonna build a Crawler, Clod or TXT-1 ???

[Canadian_Eh!]

I can use a NIB super clod as a start which needs alot of mods but is cheap to start with...... Or go with a NIB TXT-1 which needs less mods but costs ALOT more to start with.

I would like pro's and con's also about having motors on the axles like the clod vs having the motors up in the center transmission like the TXT.

Any ideas would be great.

[:I]

[stulec52]

Hey Barry,

I have owned both.

I hit the limits of what the TXT could do, mind you 2 packs of 3300s, 2 super roosters, and 2 11 turn motors will do that !

I found it would always pick the one front wheel up under hard acceleration, but it was tough. Sold it on.... actually, well it's a long story, how is it Chris??

I still have my modded clod, You can make all the parts you need yourself, or better yet, get a good friend from Scotland to do it for you !! I prefer the Clod personally.

But it depends on what you want to do with it. I know there are a few modified Clods here in town, so maybe for fun with a few other guys that might be the way to go??

but, to be honest, both trucks are just a ton of fun, I don't think you can go wrong with either one !

[mud4fun]

I think the main difference is simply the CoG issue. The Clod in theory has a lower center of gravity because the heavy motors and transmission are low down in the axles whereas the TXT has them high up in the chassis. However, a stock Clod has a very high center of gravity due to heavy plastic shell, heavy chassis and battery mounted too high so in stock form both trucks are probably equal there. The Clod however in modified form can run the lowest CoG of the two.

I have owned both a Clod and still own my homebuilt crawler which is similar to TXT. The stock Clod was awful at just about everything in comparison to the shaft driven. However, the Clod has the most potential in modified form to be a better crawler.

The difference between the shaft driven TXT and the powered axles of the Clod is less clear. The shaft driven trucks all tend to lift a wheel under power, even my own homebuilt shaft driven crawler thunderfoot did that at first and took months of refinement of the suspension geometry, propshaft angles and springs before it was acceptable. The Clod doesn't suffer this lifting (torque twisting) as much.

A shaft driven truck with all three diffs locked (both axles and the center diff) will have greater traction than a Clod in certain instances simply because the Clod has no solid connection between front and rear axles so both can spin independantly of each other and cause either loss of traction or make it more difficult to control in precise crawling. However, the fact that the axles are not solidly linked together in the Clod means it has better turning circle even with the axles locked up than a shafty with the center locked as well.

I prefer the shaft driven trucks simply for the scale look. That is why I also run 2.2" size tyres as I think they are more realistic with a 1/10th shell than Clod sized.

If you intend to build a custom crawler I'd recommend the Clod though simply because the shaft driven trucks have more complicated transmission that is more prone to failure, the Clod has a possibility of the much lower CoG which is mandatory for serious crawling and is the biggest limiting factor of my homebuilt truck. The re-release of the Super Clod means that the used axles and other suspension parts should start to drop their prices on ebay to more realistic levels so parts should be cheaper and easy to find.

[TWINSET]

The main reason I never really tried a TXT is the cost of the donor vehicle, but if anyone wants to donate a set of axles to the cause.......

Shaft driven ones do look a lot cooler, I reckon the CofG could be reduce a heckuva lot on a TXT if one were to abandon the stock chassis and make a new one

Dammit

[mud4fun]

Problem is the battery placement - with a mod clod you can have the battery sat very low down in the center of the chassis but with a shaft driven truck that space is used up by transfer case/motor and propshafts which makes it awkward to place the battery pack. Only way I got around it was to make up a saddle pack of 2 sets of 3 cells and mount the saddles either side of the chassis on the outside making sure they stay clear of the links, they can then be adjusted up and down to suit conditions.

[Canadian_Eh!]

All very good points.... sounds like me and Stu might have to talk about him building a few mod clod bits. [:I]

[mjohnston39]

You can flip the TXT-1 center tranny to lower the center of gravity with either the Hop-up light weight chassis kit or a costom made one. You'll also find that the TXT-1 is pretty much ready to crawl, just lock the diffs and away you can go. The Clod is going to require a lot more work and probably more money in the long run...

Mike.

[Cul-Tech]

I am alone out here in Illinois, I have nobody to crawl with, also I have never owned a Clod or even seen one in person for that matter.

However I own a TXT, AND I LOVE IT [][][][]!!!!

Not sure if it helps but it's my 2 cents.[8D]

Mike

[Canadian_Eh!]

Hrmmm.... yes Cul I have seen your posts and such .... nice truck.

Only problem is the TXT is priced quite high.

Most TXT's I have seen with mods it really looks more like a Clod than anything else. Most of the TXT parts are discarded and people seem to still go the way of the mod clod and only use the axles.

So if this is the way my TXT would be going, the Clod is a better deal to go with. [8)]

[mjohnston39]

Most serious crawlers are hybrids and usually use components from many different sources. For example X factor axles, a TXT or Emaxx tranny with costom links and chassis. If you really want to build a hardcore crawler it would probably be best to purchase the components seperately as you can get exactly what you want, without wasting money on parts you're not going to use...

Mike

[Cul-Tech]

I will not disagree with you canadian, the Clod is by far the more popular truck.[]

However the choice you have to make is how much you are going to modify it. If you are planning on purchasing an aftermarket chassis for your Clod then right there you are at or higher than a stock TXT which has a nice chassis to begin with.

One route would be to start with a doner truck on Ebay that already has many aftermarket parts.

Or like Mjohnston stated build a truck from scratch.[]

Possibly we are thinking to much into this, flip a coin and likely either one will become your new Lover![:0]

All this TXT talk got me ready to crawl, yes I have a charged battery! Good luck with your choice.

I'm going driving!

Mike[]

[stulec52]

I agree with Mike,

both are great fun trucks.

You really will have a blast with either.

If you want to just take something brand new out of a box then TXT would be better ( although personally the torque twist under accelaration really annoyed me)

If you fancy modifying, then pick up a cheep used Clod and have fun.

1 thing though, if you really get hooked on modifying the Clod, you can spend a whole load of cash really quickly !!

[mjohnston39]

Try www.RCcrawler.com as well, they have forums dedicated to TXT-1 and Clod crawlers as well as many other topics...

Mike.

[Canadian_Eh!]

I have been looking around there.... Thx! []

[Pellandine-sports]

If you want to build a crawler out of either of these and can make parts yourself then go with your preference. The whole project will be a voyage of discovery and trial + error but at the end you can say "I built that!" Just ask Ian.

If you going to buy parts off the shelf then I would suggest that there's still more available for the Clod at better prices than there is for the TXT.

If you want the ultimate TXT crawler then you need one of these but you'll need to splash some serious cash.

http://www.tamiyaclub.com/showroom_model.a...d=29800&sid=424

[EGRESSor]

i´ve build a steel axle crawler [8D] http://www.tamiyaclub.com/showroom_model.a...=30141&sid=2511

hope the heavy weight axles will reduce the torque twisting

if it runs anytime []