1/10 Scale Element Ecto | Ep. 18 - Goes SOA and LCG Battery Tray - Ultimate Mods to Lower CG!

In my latest video, I work on final touches to lowering the center of gravity and improve weight distribution on my Element Ecto by swapping over to Servo on Axle (SOA), and installing a LCG battery tray. Combined they will help lower the center of gravity and move the weight forward a bit more...ultimate mods to lower the CG. So enjoy!
Artful Dodgers Enduro Servo On Axle Mount - ebay.us/IWEjv1 (eBay)
RES Concepts Battery Tray - www.resconcepts.us/
My Top 5 RC Crawlers Entering Into 2022:
#1: Vanqush VS4-10 Phoenix Portal Kit - alnk.to/1C1sgFV (Amain)
#2: Element Ecto - alnk.to/31lw6MK (Amain) | ebay.us/XOvC1N (eBay)
#3: Axial Capra 4WS - alnk.to/9xe10Hw (Amain)
#4: Element Knightrunner - alnk.to/dpmdZjG (Amain)
#5: Traxxas TRX4 2021 Bronco (Orange) - alnk.to/caXnISs (Amain)
#5: Traxxas TRX4 2021 Bronco (Red) - alnk.to/h6ABbLO (Amain)
Camera Gear:
Osmo Pocket - ebay.us/hOMvsj​ (eBay)
Zhiyun Smooth 4 3-Axis Gimbal - ebay.us/RykvZI​ (eBay)
Corner Weight Scale:
SkyRC Corner Weight System - alnk.to/9I8jnVq (Amain) | ebay.to/3lT8Xud​​​​ (eBay)
Popular Parts:
FlySky GT5 Transmitter & Receiver - ebay.us/jMuqzH (eBay)
Hobbywing Fusion 2300kv - alnk.to/6IAQCqD (Amain)
Hobbywing Fusion 1800kv - alnk.to/3y6UmrW (Amain)
Hobbywing 1080 ESC - alnk.to/dW6uVqz (Amain) | ebay.us/HZnqOt (eBay)
Holmes Hobbies Crawlmaster 550 Sport 10T - alnk.to/6xEFJaX (Amain) | ebay.us/1ZIAV6 (eBay)
Injora 1.9 Beadlock Wheels - ebay.us/MoiB6e (eBay)
Pro-line Trenchers 1.9" Predator - alnk.to/7WYJzIm (Amain) | ebay.us/hwFCkf (eBay)
Pro-line 1.9 Dual Stage Foams - alnk.to/eDLwQJ4 (Amain) | ebay.us/VE3elj (eBay)
SSD Brass Knuckles - alnk.to/7M3YAQC (Amain) | ebay.us/vC2wEZ (eBay)
SSD Brass Diff Cover - alnk.to/8iOfxji (Amain) | ebay.us/r66LL0 (eBay)
Team KNK Monster Bag Stainless Hardware Kit (700) - alnk.to/eOHHJsu (Amain)
Team KNK Aluminum Spacer Variety Pack (60) - alnk.to/7M5ouRn (Amain)
Tools:
AKA Products Nut Driver AKA44004 - alnk.to/fHg4JGr (Amain) | ebay.us/p00dur​ (eBay)
MIP Metric Hex Wrench Set MIP9502 - alnk.to/apNljcn (Amain) | ebay.us/N1sR2p​ (eBay)
MIP Metric Speed Tip Set MIP9512 - alnk.to/hDkpwFA (Amain) | ebay.us/NhytKj​ (eBay)
Bob Smith Industries Blue Thread Locker - alnk.to/6IzqI6r (Amain) | ebay.us/FPv0U2​ (eBay)
Bob Smith Industries BSI-130 Tire Glue - alnk.to/cHHc3QX (Amain) | ebay.us/BkcXbO​ (eBay)
Fireproof Lipo Safe Bag - alnk.to/4fKOYIp (Amain) | ebay.us/V6P4L5​ (eBay)
DerBlue 2pcs Fireproof Lipo Battery Safe Bag - ebay.us/JTBTJs​ (eBay)
Duratrax Shock Stand - alnk.to/2uBfazv (Amain) | ebay.us/ZKZNz7​ (eBay)
Excel Curved Lexan Scissors, 5-1/2in - alnk.to/7qesDqu (Amain) | ebay.us/gFose8​ (eBay)
Flush Cutter - alnk.to/eZB2Owb (Amain) | ebay.us/NN8aLk​ (eBay)
Loctite Blue Threadlocker Stick - alnk.to/bin8doG (Amain) | ebay.us/shbdWD​ (eBay)
MG Silicone Conformal Coating - alnk.to/7B9dCh9 (Amain) | ebay.us/2neTFV​ (eBay)
Needle Nose Pliers with Side Cutter, 5in - alnk.to/aWxCfMR (Amain) | ebay.us/tbjo7N​ (eBay)
ProTek RC Shock Pliers - alnk.to/7fjHEFj (Amain) | ebay.us/ZVnfRK​ (eBay)
Team Associated 5422 30W Shock Oil - alnk.to/2jGubPM (Amain) | ebay.us/MlmrRZ​ (eBay)
Team Losi Racing Turnbuckle Wrench - alnk.to/58kBSTG (Amain) | ebay.us/NGv3qh​ (eBay)
Rubber R/C Work mat - alnk.to/6mJUKCL (Amain) | amzn.to/38m7xAf​​​​​​​ (eBay)
Versachem Brake Caliper Grease - alnk.to/cSBX2P7 (Amain) | ebay.us/wyleYA​ (eBay)
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#ElementEcto #SOA #LCGBatteryTray #RCTrucks #ElementEnduro #ElementRC #Gspeed​​ #RockCrawler​​​​ #RCCrawler​​​ #ScaleTrucks #OsmoPocket #OsmoAction

[@resconcepts]

Nice work and numbers on the scales! Another thing to weigh is how much sprung weight was changed to unsprung weight moved directly on to the front axle and tires. Noticeable on steep inclines, you should have better grip on the front tires without adding any additional weight. Looks great Sung!

[@BigSungHobbies]

Great point! Unfortunately, it's pretty tough to measure the change in sprung weight vs. unsprung weight, but I know the change will improve the overall performance of Ecto.

[@resconcepts]

It’s the servo: 70g, esc:60g, battery:120g. Estimated 250g of sprung weight moved off the chassis and directly on to the front tires. If you can move the receiver, that’s another 10g. You may want to adjust spring rate and/or dampening. Probably more the front than the rear, 250g off your shocks, centered and in the most forward position. It’s my favorite upgrade besides our chassis. And some Rupture tires.

[@artfuldodgersdesign]

Thank you for the feedback and a great video! Loved to watch how you assembled this part and this clever idea with the battery tray! We've messaged you on Instagram. Thanks a lot! Have fun on the trails!

[@BigSungHobbies]

Thanks for a great product and customer service. Love the way it came out.

[@lowclassrc]

That battery tray is what I’ve been looking for

[@BigSungHobbies]

It's pretty ingenious battery tray. I love it on my LCG rigs. Link is in the description.

[@resconcepts]

It was what we were looking for on our setups when we were running gspeeds. We’ve evolved our setups and learned a lot over the past year developing the product line. This is one of our anchor products and we have more to come.

[@brentlykins7281]

Great detail and explanation. Nice 👍🏻 and thank you

[@BigSungHobbies]

My pleasure!

[@RoadsideRC]

Interesting! I hadn't thought of swapping to SOA. I fabricated a small battery tray to sit next to the servo. Works great - just using small batteries.

[@BigSungHobbies]

SOA combined with the LCG battery tray make quite bit of difference on lowering the center of gravity. Quick test run showed that the changes improved sidehilling quite significantly. Really liking the change on my Ecto.

[@Darknynja2]

I know this video is a couple years old but it’s still very insightful. The only thing I wish you would have went over was the links. What lengths do you need to get to add the fourth link and what size steering arm did you end up with. I would have been happy to watch a longer video of you actually changing the parts out and explaining the parts required. I’m sure I can figure it out. I would just like to have all the parts when I start this on my Ecto. Thank you.

[@BigSungHobbies]

It's been a while so I don't remember the exact length. You can always reach out to Hardcore RC, and they should have the right size links. hardcore-rc.ecwid.com/

[@islandrc-duke1972]

nice rc and great information,awesome build my friend

[@BigSungHobbies]

Thanks. Much appreciate your time checking out my videos and the comments.

[@RCCrawlerz209]

One thing that will help & go a long way that I've done to mine, is take off the springs, if you're climbing vertical, that goes a long way in helping you climb.

[@BigSungHobbies]

Thanks for the info!

[@RCCrawlerz209]

@@BigSungHobbies yup

[@runnerbaba]

Love your Build Videos! they are really Helpfull! Thank you Sir!!

[@BigSungHobbies]

Glad you like them! Thanks for checking them out.

[@fernsolo]

Excellent info 👍

[@BigSungHobbies]

Thanks 🙏

[@RobKingRC]

I put the SHV800 SOA on my Ecto.

[@BigSungHobbies]

If I had the funds, I would be putting SHV800 on all of my rigs ;) As much as I love 3Brothers, HH SHV800 is at another level especially when it comes to durability.

[@fikri0376]

👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

[@BigSungHobbies]

Thanks!

[@RC_Ludz_N_Co]

Good evening and thank you for your video. Question about the panhard rod, will it affect the stability to have it removed or the fact that the soa provide lower cg totally give a better stability?

[@BigSungHobbies]

Since you have to go 4 links setup with Servo on Axle, it will not affect stability...matter of fact it will help with performance. Chassis mounted servo gives you bump steering which 4 link setup will not. However, you loose the more scale look. Also having the servo mounted closer to axle will improve center of gravity thus improving the overall performance.

[@Oper8or]

Nice conversion. I plan on doing this for my next build. What rod length and ends did you use for the SOA?

[@BigSungHobbies]

The easiest way is to pick up steering link/upper front links set. You can find it here: www.beeftubes.com/store/p346/STEERING_LINK_%2F__FRONT_UPPER_LINKS_-_ELEMENT_ENDURO_AXLE_MOUNTED_SERVO.html#/

[@codywilson271]

So I have club 5 steering links would I need a different steering to servo link and which 4link did you add or is it still 3 link behind the axle

[@BigSungHobbies]

If you go Servo on Axle setup which is basically 4 link setup, the steering link length will differ slightly. For SOA setup, there is no more need for panhard. As for the 4th link, I was able to find an extra front upper link, so I ended up using that. Normally I would have just ordered a new set of front upper links from HardcoreRC if I wasn't able to source an extra front upper link.

[@ajustice2010]

Any chance you could drop a link for the new steering link ?

[@BigSungHobbies]

@Adam Justice I ended up using a spare link that I had; however, I have asked Hardcore RC to put together a SOA bundle that includes 2 upper links and 1 shorter steering link. You can reach out to them to ask for custom link in the meantime. I will post the link to the bundle once it's ready. hardcore-rc.ecwid.com/

[@jackking5631]

Another great video! Will this combo (artful dodger soa mount + res battery tray) work on a gspeed element enduro build? I am about to do the soa mount mod, this battery tray seems attempting.

[@BigSungHobbies]

Yes, it will. It works very well together.

[@jackking5631]

@@BigSungHobbies big thx. Just did SOA on my gspeed enduro build. Both steering and front suspension improved, a lot.

[@BigSungHobbies]

@@jackking5631 Glad to hear!

[@user-kc4ug4zr3j]

May I know the servo pull rod length you used?

[@BigSungHobbies]

Unfortunately the length will vary between the setup, so a bit of trial and error will be needed. Good luck.

[@evo165]

Hi buddy, thank you for the details to attention video!! Hope you can advice me on below: 1. Am I able to use the Bowhouse battery tray on the new SOA bracket? Without buying the new lcg battery tray in the video. 2. Do you use back the stock servo linkage rod and the rod end without any modification? Thank you if you could advice on above. Have a nice day ahead.

[@BigSungHobbies]

1. Yes, you are able to use the Bowhouse battery tray with SOA setup, so the RES Concepts lcg battery tray is not needed. I decided to just go full out to lower the CG. 2. The current stock servo link is too long. You will need one a bit shorter. I just happened to have some spares. But in your case, the best way is to find a threaded rod on both ends, and cut that to the appropriate size, and use either the stock link rods or personally I like Traxxs rod ends.

[@evo165]

@@BigSungHobbies thank you sir for sharing. Any advice what is the length for the horn link or link to get from Amain? Stock link on horn is 73mm, how short can I get sir?

[@BigSungHobbies]

@@evo165 It's tough to tell on the actual length as Element uses end to end measuring while others use eye to eye length as the rod ends have a bit different thickness. But I have used this set, and it works. www.beeftubes.com/store/p346/STEERING_LINK_%2F__FRONT_UPPER_LINKS_-_ELEMENT_ENDURO_AXLE_MOUNTED_SERVO.html#/

[@WreckitRalphie]

What length is the new deag link needed for the soa mod

[@BigSungHobbies]

The drag link stays the same. The steering link needs to be shorter though. Depending on the SOA mount the length will differ slightly so you will need to test them out.

[@joseluisvega3666]

Donde puedo comprar el body color amarillo dirección por favor

[@BigSungHobbies]

If you want the Ecto body in yellow already painted, then I would order it here. www.associatedelectrics.com/element/parts/details/42160-ASC42160-enduro_ecto_body_set_yellow/ It looks like they are out of stock right now. Put yourself on the waitlist. You could also check local hobby shop, and see if you can find Tamiya paints that matches it. Good luck.

[@rcgeordiecrawler2710]

Another awesome video BigSung 🤙🏻. Wonder if you could help? I have just taken delivery of a Holmes Hobbies SHV800 and want to power it seperate off a 4s lipo and was wondering what mah lipo to get for say an hours trail time. Its my first direct power servo and have no clue about them 😂. Love the collection of rc’s you have. Have you ever had the front axles of the Ecto’s seem like they are binding? My friends Enduro is doing it but we cant find any obvious signs as to why. Thanks 👍🏻🤙🏻

[@BigSungHobbies]

HH SHV800 is a great servo, definitely one of the top servos out there. I haven't used 4s lipos, so not sure what the runtime might be. A lot of the folks I know are using 850mAh lipos, but they carry few of them around. Personally I am very happy with 1300mAh as I get close to 2 hours of crawling. So either 850mAh or 1300mAh might be a good choice (one again, keep in mind that I have only used 3s). I haven't had any issues with front axles on any of my Element Enduros. Might open up the front pumpkin to check for grease and any bindings...I would start there.

[@rcgeordiecrawler2710]

@@BigSungHobbies thanks a lot bud. I normally run 3s 2200mah Outlander lipos Bearing in mind i only go trailing with my pals and dont run competions or anything like that. I will stick with the 2200mah and see what run times i get powering the rig, the servo and i have the Pro Scale Winch which can only go upto 3s so was going to get a small 4s for the SHV800. Trial and error i suppose. I keep saying it but i love the channel bud and you have some killer rigs 🤙🏻🤙🏻

[@BigSungHobbies]

That sounds like a good plan.

[@QuinnsRC]

Will a bigger battery like the GensAce Adventure 4300 fit in the tray?

[@BigSungHobbies]

I tried with my GensAce Adventure 4300. The width is fine, but it's too long. It's really designed for smaller batteries. I have been running GensAce/Tattu 1300mAh battery, and it also fits 1550mAh, but I wouldn't go any bigger.

[@zacholmstead5153]

Looking at getting the battery tray, was just wondering how many grams the tray assembly weighs as I'm doing a superlight build. Great video as always!

[@BigSungHobbies]

Unfortunately I didn't weigh it, and I don't have an extra one. Might reach out to RES Concepts, and they should be able to tell you.

[@resconcepts]

I can weight one later today. Estimate may be 15g depending on the hardware you use but in the end, removing the chassis servo mount, battery tray, in most cases it’s much lighter than the parts you take off the chassis. Since it moves that weight on the axle, you can get away with less added weight but still gain front weight bias. You can also delete you side trays or sliders if you use it removing more sprung weight on the outside of the chassis and better clearance. Hope this helps.

[@BigSungHobbies]

@@resconcepts Thanks for the quick reply. It ended up adding 20g to my overall weight, but much of that weight is being added on the right places, so definitely no complaints. Thanks for making an ingenious LCG battery tray...something that I have been wishing for a while.

[@zacholmstead5153]

@@resconcepts Thank-you very much! I will be getting one next pay day for sure. I was on your website earlier, prices are fair and am looking forward to trying a new company's products

[@BigSungHobbies]

You won't be disappointed.

[@user-pt3fk2ms7y]

Does going soa allow the front end to drop lower? It looks like yours has more travel after the soa mod. I know my stock gatekeeper bottoms out on the pan hard mount

[@BigSungHobbies]

Going SOA is not about dropping the front end, but shifting the center of gravity to front end and lower it. That being said, one side benefit that I see is the slight increase in travel due to removing the bottoming effect of panhard mount. Give it a try. Once you go SOA setup, you won't go back ;)

[@user-pt3fk2ms7y]

@@BigSungHobbies the center of gravity is not as much of my concern as improving the front end suspensions function at lower ride height. I believe the stock setup with panhard mount applies lateral motion to the frame during suspension travel on top of limiting the bottom 1-3mm of travel. So servo on axle appears to have multiple benefits.

[@BigSungHobbies]

If you want performance out of your rig, then servo on axle is the way to go.

[@zackbutler950]

What link did you go with for the new panhard and the 4th link?

[@BigSungHobbies]

For SOA setup, there is no more need for panhard. As for the 4th link, I was able to find an extra front upper link, so I ended up using that. Normally I would have just ordered a new set of front upper links from HardcoreRC if I wasn't able to source an extra front upper link.

[@zackbutler950]

@@BigSungHobbies sorry I meant the new steering link not panhard.

[@BigSungHobbies]

Ahh yes, you will need a shorter steering link, and that can be ordered from Hardcore RC as well.

[@johnbarnicoat9423]

Is the battery tray the single or double version? RES website not clear on differences.

[@BigSungHobbies]

I am using the single version here, but I have seen others use the double version and they like it.

[@johnbarnicoat9423]

Thanks, do you know what is the actual difference, double means holds 2 batteries? (No contact info on the RES site unfortunately.)

[@BigSungHobbies]

You can use the lowered tray for battery and mount electronics such as ESC and receiver at the top tray. I haven't used it, but I heard it works fairly well.

[@johnbarnicoat9423]

@@BigSungHobbies Thanks boss! Love your videos.

[@aymanmohamdy9625]

You have to try artful dodgers element skid plate for the stealth transmission it lowers the CG of the transmission

[@BigSungHobbies]

Yes, I have seen it, and pretty ingenious.

[@aymanmohamdy9625]

@@BigSungHobbies these guys are doing great their LCG chassis looks wonderful I check them every day … I might pull the trigger and get it 😅

[@BigSungHobbies]

Great to have more options for us.

[@aymanmohamdy9625]

@@BigSungHobbies for sure

[@patriqcnewman275]

The wires look awful

[@BigSungHobbies]

I know. I need to do a better job ;)