FIXED: RC4WD Trail Finder 3 As It Should Have Been!

[@danweiss4928]

It’s a shame that we have to do all the fixing from something that really is not that cheap. Craig You are a true hard-core hobbyist. It’s obvious that you could buy anything you wanted. But what fun would that be. To you it’s not as much about the end product ? It’s all about the journey to a product becomes as good as it can possibly be!!!!! Because if it was a perfect product? There wouldn’t be any journey. Because there is some high-end kits that every part is machined perfect. But I think you wouldn’t enjoy that as much as fixing every day kits/RTR’s most of us purchase. Because there is RC kits coming out of places like Korea impeccable. But with a great price tag. You enjoy Something the every day RC hobbyist is going to own!!! Wished I had more time to go through all of your videos. Because they are greatly enjoyed. And I learn something from everyone I watch!! Thanks

[@RCTNT]

Thanks Dan. Yep, the journey is the destination with this stuff :)

[@mattmanix5104]

I was furious when I bought a TF2. The hardware was poor, the screw heads seemed to be a mix on I Perivale and metric. The plastic drive shafts, dog bone joints and non helical gears drove me made considering the price. Other little things like solid shafts in places that should have had UJs and monkey metal axle housings. I just couldn't belive it.

[@RCTNT]

@@mattmanix5104 their vehicles have definitely improved over the years. Those drive shafts were made of cheese, weren't they!

[@danweiss4928]

@@mattmanix5104 Matt this is my point ! With all the choices we have. I can’t see any reason I would by one? Don’t get me wrong I think that the realism is so cool 😎 but not a smart place for me to spend my hard earned money..

[@RCTNT]

@@danweiss4928 something something RC3WD, heh

[@josecanseca8979]

love your break down on all ur rc trail trucks..you keep it simple but well detailed and you go over the important topics and i appreciate that..your blog on the brx01 was amazing as well...i got those 80s halogen in my 87 xtra cab marty rigg and my white tf2 hilux as well..powershift rc ''does the light kits as you order..so ur not getting a light kit thats been sitting in a bag for 18months or so..and he has like 3 options..1=is the color options white color like you have or retro 80s yellow/halogen..2nd option is extra length if you need a longer wire..and 3rd is an off an on switch but u have a 3ch so u should be good on that...

[@RCTNT]

Oh nice, that sounds like a great setup! Thanks and I'm glad you're enjoying my stuff!

[@josecanseca8979]

@@RCTNT i have a brx01 that is a winter build...i got hooked on leaf spring trucks so much with the 1.55 tires and wheels bc the portals and 4.7s was just getting super easy on the trails just pointing and going over everything in its way..so i got the front and rear leaf springs with the skid that gives you almost 4.5''more clearence under the chassis..but then i found out that the lc70 was a rear leaf only..so i think ill leave it sock for a bit..then go fully leaf..then leave it rear leaf only..it will be more an overland type style build and i have the same cchand rear bed rack that you have with the cchand red fuel cells as well..boomracing is just a great company and the parts are just the best man..craftmenship on another level..and i love my rc4wd riggs..but u know the pot metal material they use with to much torque something will snap easy like ur tf3 servo piece..again sorry for the long message just wanted you to know my future build and i got all the lc70 hop ups at 70% lower price then retail directly from redcat racing lol..i swear..lol..killerbody blowout sale or something....well again..blessings my rc brother...

[@RCTNT]

Boom racing stuff is refreshingly good quality eh! So glad you're enjoying it and thanks for your story :) I love hearing stuff like this. Cheers

[@paulschryer9571]

- You are "exceptional" with your details, and (time-stamped) start-times, in the description below, in blue !!! - love your style bro !!! If I had a "Team"... ...YOU WOULD BE ON IT, FOR SURE !! 😉 - So great at "what you do" !!!! -Thx for the coverage !!! "I do" appreciate your effort !!! - For it "is" definetly needed these days !!!! 😉👍 You are good. 🙂🇺🇲

[@RCTNT]

You're very kind, thanks Paul.

[@creekcreeperrc7972]

Looking great 👍🏻👍🏻 you sure did a wonderful job fixing the steering slop!

[@RCTNT]

Thanks! I know a front mount would be better again but I like the idea of using it like this and getting the most out of the original design. Quite happy with it :)

[@mickd8188]

I haven't got a leaf spring truck, but have I heard of o'rings being in place of your shackle washers as a modification to improve spring performance and articulation on the Tf2 ? It might not be as solid on the steering improvements though ? Your helping the curios to tickle and tune their trucks. Cheers mate 👍

[@RCTNT]

Hm, interesting. Dunno how that'd go, could be good! I also know these things tend to wear in and soften up with use - I'll report back on that in a while. The TF2 here is definitely differ softer than the 3 and it still has all three springs front and rear, which gives credence to that idea. Guess we'll find out soon enough! Cheers

[@DaveGlitchHare]

Extra nice! Broken parts not so nice. We call fixing RTRs "hobbying", it's kind of expected unfortunately. Nice clean look, and a good performer. I like how you explain things, noobies like me really appreciate it.

[@RCTNT]

This was fun and satisfying to get sorted, too - so looking on the bright side, the TF3 delivered on hobbying potential! Thanks for the kind words, I'm glad this stuff is useful :)

[@jonlaird5082]

Looks great and night and day in performance. Great tips,thanks for sharing 😎👍

[@RCTNT]

My pleasure! It was a fun and easy process and it makes this truck easy to recommend!

[@jonlaird5082]

@@RCTNT it definitely looks like a simple process. Just curious as I would like your thoughts on this. I was thinking about picking up a new servo. I want to run a holmes hobbies servo as they are my go to as I always had excellent luck with them. I never used them on a bell crank setup though. The servo I want to run has about 530 ounces of torque. Do u think this will be fine on a bell crank setup? Thanks and I can't wait to see the triple shoot out when you get it uploaded,lol

[@RCTNT]

@@jonlaird5082 they're great servos but I've gotta say in this case it'd be total overkill. I love hh gear and the man himself is someone I admire. But for the tf3 with bell crank, honestly, just a cheaper unit would do the job. Hh servos would fit and work brilliantly too, but it just might be in this case you're getting diminishing returns on that expenditure. My 2c on the question-but by all means stick one in and worst case, it makes little difference because of the design, well, just stick it into another rig! Happy tinkering :)

[@jonlaird5082]

@@RCTNT ok thanks for the advice. I figured it would be total overkill buy just wanted a 2nd opinion,lol. Thanks again

[@WheelinMT406]

Think the ssd v8 motor would fit in place of the over sized 22re?

[@RCTNT]

I'd think so, yeah

[@kinslersrccustoms6945]

Very nicely done and even better brake down of your fix. I subscribed. Thanks for sharing your videos.

[@RCTNT]

Thanks and welcome :)

[@CactusCrawlersRC]

I thought the steering bellcrank set up was weird and always thought that it was good to have the weight of the servo up front. I don't know why they didn't make the hood able to open if they were moving the servo in place of a scale looking engine?

[@brandonbrown3600]

Considering the engine is actually a bit large for the scale why not just make the engine 2 halves that can clamp around the servo to hide it? Servo up front would have been far better.

[@RCTNT]

Agreed, it is a bit weird. Still, it's workable. Just odd. It's grown on me quite a bit!

[@RCTNT]

Would have been good to see that, yes. I showed the SCX10.3 motor cover on my TF3 review video - a good example of what you're saying!

[@WheelinMT406]

Honestly curious if I could use jec mounts and mount ar45 on this rig

[@RCTNT]

For what it's worth, I can tell you the Boom Racing PHAT Axle BRX70 F/R fits nicely on it and plays well with leaf springs: asiate.es/aff?l=151552&i=76070

[@Andy_Yates]

Great improvements! Great find with the steering spacer and solution 👍. The truck looks great with the lights, decals and interior installed. Looking forward to the comparisons coming up 🙌

[@RCTNT]

Thanks Andy, me too!

[@scalecrawlnl]

Cool modifications, truck looks smart! Graceful you included all the work you have done so others can be inspired to modify and improve their truck. Classy truck on the trails👍

[@RCTNT]

Thanks 👍It is a classy truck! I'm looking forward to doing more with it later in the year. Cheers :)

[@ericsmith3120]

What size washers? 4mm inner? I have 2 and 3's

[@RCTNT]

They were M4. Any size would work as long as they fit.

[@BlindGuyRc]

well you made this truck far better for sure. I dont own that truck yet... but i do not trust that steering system they put in. great work subbed

[@RCTNT]

Hey thanks and welcome :) If I was going to comp with this truck I think I'd remove the two speed transmission and replace with a more traditional one, plus move the steering to the front. No comps for this one though, so I like it how it is now! It did need fixing but it's completely fine now! Cheers :)

[@BlindGuyRc]

@@RCTNT I agree. It looks like it will be a great trail truck now.

[@RCTNT]

@@BlindGuyRc I went from being initially ambivalent about it to it now being one of my favourite crawlers :) Big difference after those fixes and aesthetic updates!

[@BlindGuyRc]

@@RCTNT well I will for sure .are sure to get one on my channel. Trying to slowly grow my collection and not sell anymore. Gets tough when you have kids. Hahahahha. But I manage slowly but surly hahaha Great work man.

[@RCTNT]

@@BlindGuyRc thanks! My biggest challenge with parenting and film stuff is time, honestly. Particularly in the holidays! First world problem? Yeah :p

[@mattmanix5104]

Any advice for making RC4WD rigs quieter? My friends GelendeII is horrific and my TF2 isn't much better.

[@RCTNT]

Put a Holmes revolver in, you'll never notice gear noise again! Jokes aside, on a more traditional transmission if you use a nylon spur instead of a steel spur, your gear noise will drop considerably. Go to a belt system instead of pinion and spur and it'll drop further. For a small return on sound damping, you can pack the transmission with a nice heavy lithium grease. You can apply dynamat pieces to the inside of the trans case wherever it doesn't interfere with gears, and/or on the outside too, though it doesn't look great. Other than these things, the only real way to get on top of noise is to replace the gearbox entirely with a more quiet one, but who wants to do that!? No silver bullet in this case, sorry.

[@mattmanix5104]

@@RCTNT Thanks for the in depth response. Unfortunately the stock spurs are already nylon and I don't think you could pack more grease in the gearbox and transfer if you tried lol. We've noticed that it's noisier with the body on we we are going to try self adhesive rubber strips inside the body and under the interior to try to dampen the sound and between the body and its contact points to the chassis. Its such a shame because the HPI, Axial and Element that we use when we don't want to spend an hour looking for parts that have fallen off every run, are much quieter but much less scale.

[@RCTNT]

@@mattmanix5104 nice one. I was thinking about this today after posting and I agree, separating the gearbox from the chassis via rubber spacers could make a noticeable difference to noise. Good thinking.

[@mattmanix5104]

@@RCTNT That could be a content piece. "Top 5 ways to make your rig quieter tested." I'd love to see the results. You might need to construct a rolling road in a controlled environment though 🤔

[@RCTNT]

@@mattmanix5104 I'll think on it some more. Thanks for the ideas.

[@shoky11TV]

Hey Craig great rig and video review of your mods! Have you heard of the front shackle reversal kits from A&M and RC4WD? I know the A&M one has the option of moving your front axle 4mm forward and improving the geometry of the leaves/axles when articulating over objects (just like the 1 :1 full size rigs!)

[@RCTNT]

Thank you, I have heard of them and they're a great idea. I've got some printable designs that do this too. Leaves are easy to work with, and fun. Honestly, the TF3 is a good car. The steering linkage should have had ball bearings from the start and the faux engine made way smaller, but otherwise, I like this thing. I've been driving it on social drives and it's been really fun.

[@shoky11TV]

I agree - I've suddenly been bitten hard by the RC4WD bug and ordered a TF2 Marlin Crawler. I already have on order all the leaf mods...terraflex revolver shackles/z-box shackles and the reverse shackles for the front. I have also ordered the XVD front axle shafts for better steering angles. Also on order...HW Fusion Pro 2300kv, A&M high clearance skid plate and transfer case lift mount...I really hope I can keep all of this $pend on the CIA black books haha!! Long Live Leaf Springs!! @@RCTNT

[@RCTNT]

I do not endorse the black book expenditure nor have I any idea what you're talking about.

[@fishnrc294]

The rig is looking & running awesome. Love the tie downs the little touches add up & tie everything together. Nice. Could you possibly tint the headlight covers to be yellowish for that scale look? Also I value your opinion & was wondering if you have any experience or thoughts on the Axial trail Honcho. I just got it unboxed & the upgrades are being done already. It looks super good & I think you would enjoy it. Thanks

[@RCTNT]

I could tint the headlight covers, that's an interesting idea. I'll have to look into that! I had an SCX10 II raw builder's kit and a few different SCX10 originals. Never got my hands on the Trail Honcho though and they're hard to get now. But it's a solid rig and you'll get a lot out of it!

[@stevebucks2700]

Is that the same as the Mojave body ?

[@RCTNT]

Yep. More info here: rc-tnt.com/manufacturer/rc4wd/rc4wd-trail-finder-3/

[@bcochener]

Just picked one of these up. Great video, I will be addressing these soon. Question, do you run without the rear bed pins? I have the grub screw mod for the side screws… it feels very solid without the bed clips in…. Just wondering.

[@RCTNT]

Yep, no pins, just the side screws. We run our TF2 like that too, no problem. Enjoy!

[@bcochener]

@@RCTNT Thanks so much, that works! Cheers!

[@chanozoc]

Where's your CrossRC hard body scaler?

[@RCTNT]

The only hard body Cross RC scale truck I've built on the channel so far is this: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gmG2eYGgo9plmbc The EMO AT4 was actually a polycarbonate body!

[@RCOffRoad76]

Nice job, maybe Rc4wd do these things on purpose to give people the satisfaction of fixing it themselves lol, will there be any update vid on the Gmade Bom? did you ever get it so that it stopped breaking every run?

[@RCTNT]

Lol you could be right about RC4WD! The Gmade BOM TC: ah yes I have discussed the GS02F in subsequent videos but it didn't get a dedicated "I've fixed it" feature. The short of it is to use a 5-pole brushed motor, say, a 13 to 16 turn, with 2S only. Then with the 2 speed you still have sufficient speed and torque available and the forces on the gears is within spec!

[@RC-TV-crawlerOsmogomio]

*Very cool*

[@YoShImUrA53]

First!! Haha. Will comment after watching

[@YoShImUrA53]

Great results! Truck looks so much better now over the rocks. Thanks for all the tips! Super excited for the upcoming vid but, wouldn't it make sense to wait for the BRX02 to join the group and then compare them all to have the ultimate review?

[@RCTNT]

It could make sense though I haven't got a BRX02 yet. Can always do the 4 way video then just put the BRX01 against the BRX02 later for reference. We'll see!

[@RC-TV-crawlerOsmogomio]

*Cool*

[@SnarkyRC]

RC4WD uses the cheapest Chinesium. Absolute rubbish. My TF2 sits on the shelf most of the time.

[@RCTNT]

It's my biggest disappointment with them too, and it's a shame because they've got amazing rigs otherwise. I'm so tired of breaking axles and links.