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I'm looking for a reasonably priced steering servo for my Clod. I usually don't deviate from Futaba but this is a budget job. I've narrowed down that virtually all the standard Clod's "rear steer" tendencies (with very little visible input from the front steering) comes about from the stock axle mounted servo savers. On the bench, I have the geometry set up so the front steering throw is nearly 4 times that of the rear (which I have reduced to virtually nothing). Of course, in motion, on the ground, the servo savers don't allow the fronts to turn and actually allow the rears to turn too far. Long story short, I want to lock down the servo savers and run a metal gear servo. Savox has a cheap analog metal gear servo (BO8KG) with good torque. Does being analog pose an issue with something as, shall we say, imprecise, as a Clod Buster? If worse come to worse and I have to run a servo saver, I'll resort to the Kimbrough 122 (hoping it doesn't have issues keeping the wheels stable either).

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I put one of these in my recent Clod build, and it does fine:

https://www.towerhobbies.com/product/tsx55-standard-analog-ultra-torque-metal-gear-servo/TACM0255.html

Looks like it's discontinued, but the Onyx one they reference has the same specs. I tightened down the servo savers almost all the way, used the innermost hole on the rear bellcrank, and the outermost hole on the front, and it turns pretty well. Though for some reason it turns tighter to the right than the left... haven't figured it out yet, but I don't think it's anything to do with the servo.

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8 hours ago, Saito2 said:

I'm looking for a reasonably priced steering servo for my Clod. I usually don't deviate from Futaba but this is a budget job. I've narrowed down that virtually all the standard Clod's "rear steer" tendencies (with very little visible input from the front steering) comes about from the stock axle mounted servo savers. On the bench, I have the geometry set up so the front steering throw is nearly 4 times that of the rear (which I have reduced to virtually nothing). Of course, in motion, on the ground, the servo savers don't allow the fronts to turn and actually allow the rears to turn too far. Long story short, I want to lock down the servo savers and run a metal gear servo. Savox has a cheap analog metal gear servo (BO8KG) with good torque. Does being analog pose an issue with something as, shall we say, imprecise, as a Clod Buster? If worse come to worse and I have to run a servo saver, I'll resort to the Kimbrough 122 (hoping it doesn't have issues keeping the wheels stable either).

Don't have a Clod so I'm probably no help, but...when the Clod came out a 3kg Futaba S3003 would've been par for the course right? I've bought SPT and JX servos from Banggood which are about USD13 each and around 8 - 12kg and 0.1sec rating at 6v which should be plenty right? I tend to buy low profile servos but in standard size you'll get better specs for the money. Can you afford to wait a month for delivery?

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I've been using cheap DS3218 PRO servos in my monster trucks.  Previously I had the DS3218 in my TXT-1, which has brass gears, and they stripped when the wheel clipped a wall.  The DS3218 PRO has steel gears and is still very cheap.

20KG should be plenty for a standard Clod and should survive the bumps if you're running stock power.

These are available in the UK for just £16.25 posted so they really are a throwaway servo if they happen to break.

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Thanks for all the suggestions! Gives me some directions in which to look.

7 hours ago, markbt73 said:

I tightened down the servo savers almost all the way, used the innermost hole on the rear bellcrank, and the outermost hole on the front, and it turns pretty well. Though for some reason it turns tighter to the right than the left... haven't figured it out yet, but I don't think it's anything to do with the servo.

In addition the running a larger servo horn in the chassis, that's how I set my bellcranks up. I also drilled the holes in the horn to increase the front throw while decreasing the rear throw. The front steering stops are half shaved off too (but not fully, to prevent binding at the axle's dogbone end). I don't know if it will help with your turning issue, but reversing the long servo rods reduces the angles at which they operate and cuts down on bumpsteer. The manual shows the top rod going to the front bellcrank and lower to the rear. I reversed them while also mounting the the rod underneath the front bellcrank (if that makes sense) to keep the steering rods more level.

I basically got bored and am trying to see how good I can make a Clod, while still appearing mostly stock (and running 15T HPI Firebolts)

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I usually run the DS3218 PRO in my monster trucks, sometimes the 25kg version.  However, I do have a cheap 35kg in a stock Bullhead (stock location servo), and along with some other modifcations to the stock equipment that thing turns pretty darn well for what it is - https://www.amazon.com/ANNIMOS-Coreless-Stainless-Waterproof-Standard/dp/B07SWW9NDR/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=35kg+servo&qid=1623437395&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExRkRRVE4yUFQzNFhTJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMjU1NjIzMjJXRzhFNTdET0dESyZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMzQxMzkwMktaWjM1STRXQ0g5NiZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

With the stock location servo the rears will always turn a bit more than the front when moving, but with this servo and some other small modifications this 35kg servo will minimize that as well as turn the wheels full lock to lock with the truck parked.  

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