RC4WD Trail Finder 3: Back To The Future?

[@scalebuildersguild]

Very thorough review, and I'm glad to see that I'm not alone in my disappointments. It's an odd set of decisions.

[@RCTNT]

Thanks Matt! I've put off watching anything about this rig until I'd finished my video. Yours is at the top of my list, I'm looking forward to checking it out tonight! Meanwhile I've been working on solving the issues today and I reckon I'm most of the way there now. I've had such a good month driving this thing, I'm glad it's coming together. Cheers!

[@scalebuildersguild]

@@RCTNT Once I return from Scale Nationals, my plan is to take a crack at replacing the motor cover with something a bit more accurate, moving the steering servo back up front, and fixing those shackles. I look forward to seeing what you come up with!

[@RCTNT]

Great! Our two approaches will be quite different - excellent. Enjoy the scale nats, I wish I could go too! Cheers :)

[@toeshifter]

I opened each shock and added 1 drop of oil. Then actuated the shock until that drop lubed the shock piston. Amazing difference. I also flipped the rear hanger for the leafs so it has no resistance. I feel it performs much better with these 2 simple modifications. Great review!

[@RCTNT]

Nice thinking, thanks for sharing!

[@scottjlambert]

You’ve answered several questions I had about the TF3 and it’s much appreciated. Great review!

[@DaveGlitchHare]

Beautiful scenery! Great review. I really enjoy your knowledge and the way you explain things. Thanks!

[@RCTNT]

Glad you enjoyed it, thanks Dave!

[@scalecrawlnl]

Great fun, long form video! I very much like the camping table setup with the course as a backdrop. Cool trucks too, and you go in detail about the pros/cons, very cool. And the crawl footage near the coast is awesome, the rocks are excellent to go for a spin on. Much enjoyed and really appreciated. Thank you for all your effort making the video 😎👍

[@RCTNT]

Hey, my pleasure! Thank you kindly for the detailed appreciation :)

[@Warby1]

You are correct about the hilux front shackle location. Although the 60 series LC has the shackles at the front. Beautiful locations. Thanks for the vid. Keep the uploads coming.

[@RCTNT]

Does it really? How about that. Thanks, I'll need to pay closer attention!

[@elduderinolebowski5411]

@@RCTNT While in modern times this is a subject for a great deal of drama and debate, there is actually a valid reason why traditional shackles are in the front on the front axle of many leaf spring 4x4 trucks, and why Toyota put it in the back for some trucks and in the front for others, such as their general use pickups like the Hilux have what we refer to as reversed shackles, but more dedicated offroad trucks like the older Land Cruiser usually have them in the more typical front position. This applies mostly to stock or close to stock vehicles, so take this with a grain of salt where modified vehicles are concerned. The hypothesis goes that when the shackle is reversed on a front axle, you get better on-road and mild offroad manners, smoother handling of bumps, and just in general a more comfortable ride. Rear shackles generally result in a more crisp steering response, as well. HOWEVER; It is commonly held that by putting the shackle in the front, there is no rearward movement of the axle when the tires contact an obstacle (rear shackles cause the axle to move rearward when the suspension compresses which many say can have a detrimental effect on traction and stability) and you get better contact pressure and overall climbing ability. They also typically get better suspension articulation, which also improves traction. Many offroaders believe front shackles on front axles typically offer better traction in nearly every situation. And, if you increase the shackle length for a little bit of lift, when they are in the front it usually causes the pinion to point more towards the transfer case, whereas the same thing on a reverse shackle will rotate the pinion away from the transfer case, and could cause over extension and U-joint binding in the driveshaft. Many fullsize offroaders swear by the front shackles, others swear by the reverse shackle. I'm a front shackle guy, myself. All of my offroad trucks have front shackles. I have not done any research into RC4WD's design decisions, but I suspect that these are the reasons why they put the shackles at the front on both the TF2 and TF3, despite that not being truly scale to the original trucks they are based on.

[@RCTNT]

@@elduderinolebowski5411 wow! I read that so voraciously, you have no idea. Thanks heaps for that, really interesting!

[@joweemac]

Thanks for all this information this very appreciated

[@RCTNT]

My pleasure! I made a follow up to this as well, make sure you catch that too if you're interested in the TF3! Cheers :) kzbin.info/www/bejne/jKPQepuvYpqCr7s

[@creekcreeperrc7972]

Great job reviewing the tf3! Been really enjoying your comparisons and tire testing 👍🏻👍🏻

[@RCTNT]

Hey, great! Thanks for the encouragement :)

[@ShenRC]

Very nice video, With ours I did a lot here is some things you can try out, the steering horn is loose you need to take one screw out at a time and thread lock it real good and tighten it in very hard then do the same to the one on the opposite side and it won't have that play anymore. Put 10wt oil in the shocks they are bone dry and they bind up on the shock shafts it works so much better with oil in them or at least a few drops in each shock to lube the o rings. put a spacer under the steering link on the servo horn so the rod don't hit anything, grind the inside of the front of the body because the front shackles hit it and don't let the suspension compress fully, Leave one leaf in the rear and take the small one out on the front and also loosen all shackle nuts off some until the screw is flush with the back of the nuts and also spread apart the u shaped stationary non shackle ones and do the same with the nut backed off so there is play this gives it much more flex it runs much better afterword's also put the rear shock in the top inner mounting holes to make them angled more.. Hope this can help you we did all this with ours and it runs worlds better.

[@RCTNT]

Thanks for the ideas. I've done similar and the video will drop in a few days. It isn't hard to fix, as you've said - a very good thing! (Though I can't tighten my bell crank, it causes binding. Lengths aren't quite right. Had to come up with a different solution). Thanks for going into the detail, I'm sure it'll be helpful to folk to read. Cheers!

[@ShenRC]

@@RCTNT Your welcome. 👍👍

[@WestyCoastHermit]

Great review as always. The TF3 is an intriguing vehicle that will benefit from people like yourself performing upgrades to solve some of those weird quirks it has. Also, I like a Hilux well enough but I would have liked to see a new body option for this model. Thanks a bunch!

[@RCTNT]

Thanks! I've got the steering sorted now, will do a video soon. I share your opinion on the body - though RC4WD does have a few other hard bodies now (4runner, blazer, etc). Cheers!

[@comaduro66]

Great indept video. I just yesterday corrected a 35 year old mistake, where I gave my Bruiser away. Got the re-release yesterday, so happy!! It's gonna be great next to my TRX4's.

[@RCTNT]

I've regretted selling mine, too. Enjoy your re-re! And thanks for watching :)

[@comaduro66]

@@RCTNT I'll be doing a picture for each step and make a video from that. I'll let you know if you're interested. It'll be a while though, as I wanna enjoy it and take my time 😂

[@RCTNT]

@@comaduro66 by all means, I'll check that out!

[@BlindGuyRc]

Great review, and very honest. Love that.

[@juddroberts2454]

Great Video

[@fishnrc294]

Looked like a beautiful day to be out wheeling. I get home late from work so it was nice to get to watch the video. I’m off tomorrow so I’m looking forward to get out with the RC’s. Thanks for the education on RC4WD trucks. I love the look of them but I don’t think I’d ever get one for the prices they want. But scale & being so different from other RC’s equals more money. Any thoughts on those high quality chassis that come with all metal & wheels. You just need a body & electronics. It’s a Axial SCX10 configuration. The one I’m looking at is a little under 300$. They look awesome & have carbon frame rails. Thanks

[@RCTNT]

I have no experience with them but how bad can they be? If the geometry is there, they're probably at least *alright*, I'd think! If you pull the trigger, let me know what you think of it!

[@mitsuman5555]

Gotta wonder why this truck turned out the way it did. Nice detailed review 👍🏻👍🏻

[@RCTNT]

Thanks :) Regarding why it came out like this, I suspect it's related to someone's vision for this truck over the decades of RC4WD's history. They started with an interesting truck in the original YOTA and T-Finder, back in 2010. The Bruiseruptor was quite similar to the Bruiser, if you look closely (drive shafts, chassis, shock location, etc.), so the TF3 is a closer successor to that truck than the TF2 was. They got some stuff a bit weird with this design but it's not bad, per se. And it isn't hard to address - I've fixed the steering and suspension already and will have my update video finished in the next few days, hopefully. Bottom line, it's still quite a decent rig and there's plenty of potential in it for greatness! Just a bit less optimised than we'd like in stock form, you might say :)

[@sammygonzalez7627]

For one handed driving take one of those small tires and put it around the wheel of the transmitter, you won't regret it 👍 in America we also call stickers for car's, decals

[@RCTNT]

Nice one, thanks Sammy.

[@YoShImUrA53]

Was THAT the most comprehensive look and comparison of these three we'll ever get? I really think so. What a joy to see all the differences pointed out with such knowlegdeable info on the effects of each model's architecture and technical solutions. I truly enjoyed that, Craig! Can't wait to see how you make that TF3 flex and turn properly next. I think they're missing great opportunities to grow, or rather, not devolve, as we've seen with the 1/24th TF2, the new 1/18th Bronco-ish Gelande body, and this TF3... As we've discussed recently, at this point I believe their only truly attractive offerings are the Toyota 4Runner, '87 Hilux and Blazer bodies, and all the amalgalm of tires, wheels and scale accessories... I really wish RC4WD took notice and pushed a bit harder when developing these vehicles. In the past year they really seemed to drop the ball, and it's a real shame, as the hobby is stronger (and more competitive) than ever.

[@RCTNT]

Thanks :) I've got the steering fixed up now, video on that soon. Not hard and there are a few ways to do it without binning the mid mount setup, which is fun for its novelty if nothing else. More on that soon. RC4WD have done alright given covid has made things painfully difficult for many during the time they would have been developing and manufacturing this rig. But I join you in hoping they step up the innovation a bit for future offerings! Still, I like this one.

[@YoShImUrA53]

@@RCTNT Not to be too hard on them, but covid affected all companies -definitely not equally, and RC4WD must be a small team, anyway-, but the competition has really stepped up, and I think they really need to bring their best game asap and not fall -even farther- behind. I hope this message, echoed throughout most of the RC scale community, really rocks their boat and get on with it. I don't want to miss them.

[@RCTNT]

@@YoShImUrA53 I hear you, but that doesn't change that this has been a tough few years for some more than others. I don't know the back story but I join you in hoping for some innovation from them. (I suspect RC4WD grew out of that original vision of improving the Bruiser and everything else came up from there. I'd still love to get a Gelande sometime!)

[@YoShImUrA53]

@@RCTNT no argument there! Also, I was eyeing up the Killerbody D90 body, to pair with the AliExpress replica of the Gelande 2 chassis lately. It turned me off once I learned these were not backwards compatible with the RC4WD. For only a 100 bucks more, I'll happily support RC4WD on a platform that has actual support instead. Pity, as that Killerbody looked pretty neat!

[@Guns_N_Gears]

Was Tandy a division of RadioSahck? Great videos mate!!!!!!!!!❤

[@RCTNT]

Something like that, yep. We didn't have RS in Australia back then (nor now, in retail shop at least) but the products would have been the same, regional differences aside. Cheers for the kind words!

[@Andy_Yates]

Great review! I looks like they made some interesting / questionable decisions with this update. That loosey goosey bell crank is suboptimal. Love the idea of a leaf sprung truck like my actual Toyota. Maybe someday 😁

[@RCTNT]

I've attempted to swap the springs but can't get it to cycle quite how I'd like. That was yesterday. Today, I've swapped it back but eliminated the side play. It flexes properly now, too - took a leaf out of each end. Also worked out why there's so much slop in the steering and fixed that too. I'll have a video on it all in a bit, but testing this arvo was good - flexes and steers like we'd hoped it should from new. I can now say the tf3 is a worthy truck and may even go better than the TF2, thanks largely to that skid plate. I'll do some performance comparisons as well, as that'll probably be useful to know either way! Cheers Andy.

[@Andy_Yates]

@@RCTNT Ohh I look forward to your updates on it! Sounds like really good progress on improving performance. I got my C1 truck driving today and nearly pointed out with 58 points before a driver :). I need to sort out my winch spool, it's too low and hits my upper link mount at normal ride height. Undecided if I should space up the servo or swap to the low profile spool and sacrifice some line length. It runs good on my garage rocks but I need to get it outside for a real test 🤩

[@RCTNT]

@@Andy_Yates awesome! It's been fun reading about your progress through C1 stuff!

[@jonlaird5082]

I like how you showed the comparison on all the models. I got my TF3 about 2 weeks ago and I really dig it. I got the stock suspension to flex really well with very simple and free mods,lol. The only thing I want to address is the steering setup. I seen ampro rc made a 3d printed front servo mount for the tamiya bruiser/hg p407 and was curious if it would work on the new tf3 chassis seeing how the chassis looks similar.

[@RCTNT]

Thanks. I don't know how well things would fit for other models. I can tell you the steering isn't too hard to fix and still keeping the mid mount point. I'll have a video on that soon, mid next week at this point, if not Sunday. Working on it now, though the truck is fixed already. I'll explain it all, but the short version is you want to use a more shallow servo horn on the servo side of the bell crank so you can tighten it right up. A few ways to do it but that's the main problem. I'll dig into detail on video soon!

[@jonlaird5082]

@@RCTNT oh ok great,thanks for the info. I'll be looking forward to seeing it as I did notice the tf3 isn't as bad as people make it sound. I'll be looking forward to seeing that. Oh and I just subscribed to your channel 😎👍

[@RCTNT]

Nice, welcome! Thanks Jon.

[@scaletrailguy6760]

Cool Vid- Body is painted, do u mind sharing the mod u did on the Bruiser clone for 12mm I know there are vids out yours just didnt look as wide

[@RCTNT]

Sure thing. I used these, but there are probably newer designs out there by now. These work just fine though! www.thingiverse.com/thing:3436447

[@scaletrailguy6760]

@@RCTNT Thank you I have some similar but they require drilling a hole in the drive shaft what holds those on?

[@RCTNT]

They bolt onto the metal collar piece behind it. The standard wheel then bolts to the axle via a nut.

[@RCtime]

Beautiful trucks 🚀💥

[@RCTNT]

They are pretty, yeah!

[@karansahni2066]

What a great truck! I’m torn between scale and performance. I don’t know how you manage to find these epic locations in Victoria! I’ve scanned google earth but keep missing it. Whereabouts was this?

[@RCTNT]

There are some epic beach locations in VIC, particularly down south - but these rocks were on the mid-north coast in NSW! The sandy trail was on Stradbroke Island (second biggest sand island in the world!). Ocean-side in VIC, there are some great rocks down at Blowhole Lookout and also at Mt Martha. There's also excellent crawling on Philip Island. All a bit of a trip down from where I am, a shade north of Melbourne, but worth the drive for a fun-filled day trip! RE performance and scale, I see the Trail Finder family as a halfway point between the super scale, smaller wheeled BRX01 and the larger wheeled TRX4, SCX10.3, Cross EMO AT4, etc. TF2 and TF3 are not a bad compromise between these, though obviously they tend toward the scale side of the spectrum. The TF3 is easily made better, too - I've just finished doing that and am compiling the next video in this little series. Cheers :)

[@karansahni2066]

@@RCTNT I think we all need to start working towards a huge list of spots! I’ve had my new Capra for a month now and haven’t hit a single trail. I’d love to work with y’all on getting that up and ready! I’ve always been interested in rc4wd trucks, looking forward to your next video on it!

[@RCTNT]

@@karansahni2066 I have a list I've been keeping for years now - happy to get a GDocs thing up online maybe we can refer to and build on. Or/also, I'm not a member of the FB group anymore but RC Crawlers Melbourne has a sticky post with good locations around Melbs.

[@mdgeist472]

Shackles in the front to make room for the steering bits?

[@RCTNT]

Dunno about that. I reversed them yesterday and it was fine. I don't think it's a technical reason. Still, I've flipped them back again as I've fixed the steering now and the leaf swap isn't needed. I'll do a video soon for this but the reversed leaf configuration remains a bit of a mystery!

[@TheDroneNerd]

I want to put a brushless motor in my TF3 but do not want to remove the stock scale engine. What would you recommend ?

[@RCTNT]

Well! I have a few things to say on this. I'll put a new line for each bit, because there's a corresponding link for each of them :) Hope this helps: Firstly, I made a few changes to my TF3, which you can see here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jKPQepuvYpqCr7s I also put a HW Fusion SE 1200kv in, which you can get here: asiate.es/aff?l=210194&i=76070 It'll fit inside the faux engine shroud. The 1800kv works as well, but gearing up and using lower kv in this case may help lower your chance of snapping something! Now, I did snap a drive shaft and front axle cup, which you can see/hear about in my recent ECCF video roundup: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pXy5qKSIf7h8m9E Having done this myself with great success, I recommend considering the expensive but truly *excellent* Boom Racing BRX70 axles. They're not cheap but they're incredible: Front: asiate.es/aff?l=151552&i=76070 Rear: asiate.es/aff?l=151553&i=76070 And there you go! Happy modding, and I hope that all helps! (The above atees links are affiliate links, just to be transparent here - but they're the parts I'd recommend in an instant anyway, even without any affiliation with the company. These are really good parts and I love them!)

[@TheDroneNerd]

@@RCTNT First I’d like to tell you that I have just found your channel yesterday and you now have a new sub! Thank you for the great videos, the super helpful information and most important your kindness with all your viewers and fellow hobbyist. My last question is about the axles that you recommended which I will be purchasing using your referral links. Will the BRX90 and BRX80 axles also work with the TF3 or only the BRX70 ? Thanks for the information and quick reply brother! ✊

[@RCTNT]

Aw thanks. I'm really glad to be helpful. Thank you for intending to use the ref link, that's just great. There's a site wide 10% off sale just for today, I noticed, too. Code is on a banner across the top of the screen when you visit Asiatees. OK the BRX70, 80 and 90 axles are narrow, medium and wide. The BRX70 is what you'll find under the BRX01 and BRX02. I've also fitted the BRX70 axles to various RC4WD vehicles and it's perfect. See how they look under the Gelande II on my upgrade video. I'll link it here after I post this comment so you can click through. It's either in Part 1 or 2. Here's 1, then 2 is linked in the description: kzbin.info/www/bejne/m6KsmoqLadaGodk Cheers!

[@TheDroneNerd]

@@RCTNT Would the BRX90’s look right in a TF3 ? I really need a wider option than the stock axles, because the course I go to crawl is way too wide for my stock TF3 in most sections so I’m hoping the BRX90’s could help with that.

[@RCTNT]

Ah I see. In your shoes I'd be measuring the axle width of the stock axles, then comparing to the specs for the BRX70, 80 and 90 axles. Put the wheels under the car at those widths. You'll get an idea that way of what you're after. Now, if you buy the BRX70 set, you can also widen to the 80 or 90 width with adapters they sell. There are also portal conversion options there too. Fabulous modular system, it's very good. (I've even been chasing rumours that they're going to bring out modular diff locks for these axles, though I don't have an ETA).

[@evandavey135]

0:45 im guessing your irl 4x4 a hilux surf I think

[@RCTNT]

Nice try there, Evan! It's my brother's actually. Not a Surf. It's a 1991 4Runner with a 2.4L 4-pot diesel donk. I am pretty sure this one was a grey import to Aus (but I could be wrong there). In any case she's got some serious kays on her! Cheers :)

[@evandavey135]

Ahh nice, my father has a 97 surf inported to ireland. Their lovely machines and australia has so many imports that the rest of the world can't get 79series landcruiser for example

[@RCTNT]

Very true. I feel lucky to be here all the time, having the space to explore and the peace to do so.

[@IDBUZZ_RC_DIY]

Great!!

[@RCTNT]

Thanks! It's even better with a few little fixes. Don't miss my little update video too :) kzbin.info/www/bejne/jKPQepuvYpqCr7s

[@doodlepugg]

Ahh the steering play is just authentic scale replica of the real Hilux. Of the 3 old ones I had, two of them wandered all over the place 😂

[@RCTNT]

😄

[@bartbbb1046]

This is a good looking truck but I'm quite surprised that a brand like RC4WD that should remain a reference in terms of detail, always leaving its vehicles without winner fender, straight out of the box. Seeing after so many years that their leaf suspension still needs tuning or improvements to work on a good way. Weird. What was acceptable maybe 10 years ago, can be a deal breaker.

[@RCTNT]

Quite right. I wouldn't go so far as deal breaker, but it is a harder sell for sure. On the bright side, I've got it all sorted and it isn't hard to fix. I will be putting a follow-up video together this week. It's much better now, but it is a shame to have to do it at all!

[@bartbbb1046]

@@RCTNT Exactly. I can admit that production control is not top notch - after what you found on the Enduro Trail HD, other bige brands face the same problem- but yep, that's not great.