I’ve been working on this truck for a few months now and it’s pretty much done. I may add one or two more things here and there in the future, but for now it’s ready for our upcoming comp. I built this truck so that it can do multiple things well instead of one thing perfectly, and I think I’ll be successful at our first annual RC Car Action Ultimate Truck Championship. We’ll have a mud bog so I made sure that I had waterproof electronics from Hitec and Traxxas and stainless steel screws and bearings from RC Screwz. We’ll also be pulling so I hooked up the Tamiya 3-speed transmission so I could shift it with my Futaba 4PK radio. Another part of the comp is rock crawling so for that I four linked the front end with help from STL Customs and gave it four wheel steering that I can turn on and off as I go. To fit the Pro-Line tires, I had STL Customs make me some body spacers so that I could lift the body and not the chassis through a suspension lift to help keep the center of gravity as low as possible. I’ll be working on an article on this truck that will be featured in a future issue of RC Car Action but you can see it in person at our Ultimate truck championship on Oct 16 at RC Excitement in Fitchburg, MA.
CLASSES:
1.9 Street:
> 1.9 off-the shelf tires (treads may be cut or trimmed, but no hybrid creations)
> No front or rear dig
> 2-wheel steering only
> Single-speed transmissions only
> Shaft-driven drivetrain required
> Scale body required with street legal configuration (judges’ discretion)
> No twin vertical plate (i.e. comp-style) chassis
> Pull strap or winch required
> 12.5 maximum wheelbase
> Vehicle must run all events in the same configuration (no tire or other component swaps other than for repairs approved by judges)
2.2 Unlimited:
> 2.2 tires (hybrid and custom creations allowed)
> Dig allowed
> 4-wheel steering allowed
> Multiple-speed transmissions allowed
> Shaft-driven drivetrain required
> Scale body required (judges’ discretion)
> No twin vertical plate chassis
> Pull strap or winch required
> Vehicle must run all events in the same configuration (no tire or other component swaps other than for repairs approved by judges)
EVENTS:
Tough Truck Portion:
Trail/obstacle course
Mud bog (or log and rock crawl)
Sled/weight pull
Speed Portion:
Long jump
Slalom
Drag race
Skills Portion:
Tire change (spare or front to rear swap—driver’s choice)
Teeter totter
Vehicle recovery (roll another vehicle back over)
Best of Show Competition
Scale appearance competition
Our main goal is to have a unique and fun event that can be equally enjoyed by a variety of participants with a variety of vehicles and skill levels. Secondary goal is to create a realistic scale truck competition similar to the full-size Top Truck Challenge.
Tough Truck Portion is designed to test the durability and off-road prowess of the vehicle and skill of the driver. Mud bog could be swapped out for a log and rock pile climb if that will draw more people in.
Speed Portion is designed to test driver skill and to increase variety of performance attributes in vehicle builds.
Skills Portion is designed to essentially take the vehicle out of the equation where a driver with a ready-to-run truck would have just as much of a chance to win as a driver with a fully-competition prepped custom crawler.
All events would be timed with a trophy awarded for first in each Portion per class and an overall Champion for each class all based on lowest overall combined times. Nine trophies total including Best of Show.
Best of Show would be participant judged. Each participant would be issued a card with their name and vehicle number(s) on it and they would have to pick a Best of Show by submitting a number other than one of their own.
Obstacle course rules:
> Hitting any boundary or Check Point Marker is a one-minute time penalty.
> Winching can only be done to fixed points. The driver cannot be a winch point.
> Check Points will be established through the course.
> HoG Recovery Penalty. If a flipped vehicle cannot be righted under its own power or via its winch, the judge can right the vehicle back on all four tires without moving it forward (this cannot be used to obtain forward progress). This is a three-minute time penalty.
> HoG (Hand of God) Advancement Penalty. If a stuck vehicle cannot be proceed under its own power or via its winch, the judge can relocate it so that the front tires are at the next check point. This is a five-minute time penalty.
The post A Sneak Peek at My Tamiya Tundra Tough Truck (Ultimate Truck Champs Rules Inside) appeared first on RC Car Action.
