Most people know that the XR10 is meant to be a full on comp specific crawler. But, it can also be built up as a backyard/sportsman class crawler as well. I am going to guess that 95% of the XR10’s that are out there are running front and rear dig, with a semi expensive 3 or 4 channel radio. For this article I wanted to build a basic XR10, with a single speed control and basic 2 channel radio to keep cost down. Then, I am going to go out and shoot some video of it running comp style lines just to see how capable I can make it.
The basis for this build is the standard XR10 kit that I used in my 5 part step by step build a while back. A few pictures with the body mounted.
I wired our AE-2 ESC up to standard 55t motors. I ran the motor wire leads to the rear motor first, then tapped into those to the front motor with more wire. It can work fine wired the opposite way too, I went this route just because of how I positioned the ESC in the chassis. For batteries I am running my MaxAmps 1300mah 2s packs. They fit perfectly in the stock battery location, without interfering with the upper links. Plus, they are super light which helps keep my center of gravity low. I am running the stock 14t pinion gears on the motors. I may end up staggering the pinions by running a 14t out front and a 13t in the rear.
A few more shots with the body off.
All wired up and ready to hit the rocks. I installed our weight rings that are included in the kit for the front wheels, then loaded the wheels up with Vanquish slugs to keep the bulk of the weight biased towards the front.
Now it’s time to go test it out. Keep an eye out for the video, we will have some very soon.
This is a great, and exactly what i have been looking for - a way for newb to get up and running fast. Can you post/send a few pictures of the wire setup on the motors ? Did you bring the second wires off the posts or did you split the wires at some point ? Thanks
I tapped into the motor wire leads just above the posts for the front motor. I just stripped off a little of the wire’s insulation, and soldered directly to those spots. I will try and get some better photos of the wiring posted soon.
Those batteries are certainly not a low budget item. As a newbie still learning about batteries, is 100C really important??
I have 20C and 30C batteries. What am I missing?
Those 2S packs are among the cheapest batteries I have found, for lipos. Even NiMH packs cost more. I am not too sure on the “C” ratings, but it shouldn’t be a big issue as crawlers draw very little amperage for the most part.
How about some videos on this rig in action!!!
We are working on shooting some video of this rig asap, stay tuned.
This is exactly what im looking for, I’ve ordered the XR10 and wanted to show you don’t have to spend $1000’s and still have the same amount of fun as long as you have a good base to start of with
hey i was wondering if you could tell me like a rough estimate of how much it will cost for the xr 10 and all the things that you need with it like batteries and tires etc… im a newb and just wanted a very rough estimate if possible, also putting it together will i need to buy more than a soldering iron? are there any other types of toools i may neeed to get
thanks
You are probably looking at at least $500 - $600 to get started. Metric hex wrenches, pliers, wire strippers and a soldering iron are the basics you will need to do the build.
when will the video be out
Hopefully very soon, it is on our task list for sure.
Thanks bender.. Also if it possible to make the xr10 no just for slow rock crawling but also make it a bit faster and able to do like trails
You can gear it up to be a little faster, if you want to bash more then crawl.
Say Bender which pistons did you use in the shock ,i used the single medium piston but i don`t seem to have as much articulation as i should, feels too tight .
Thanks
Don
If I remember right, I am using the 3 hole pistons on this build with our 30wt oil.
Hey bender, I just read this cheap budget xr10. AWESOME idea man! I have an xr10 myself, and it is not a cheap rig at all. Anyways, I was wondering why you would choose to have a 14t pinion on the front and a 13t pinion on the rear?
I choose to run a bigger pinion out front to keep the front tires spinning a little faster than the rear. This almost gives me “dig” when crawling tall ledges or making tight turns.
i just went out and bought my xr10 yesterday and i was wondering what would be a good servo and esc for just getting into and MOA style crawler…
I run the brushless servos from Futaba in my XR10, BLS152. If you were to run lower turn motors, like 55t, you can use almost any ESC. I have had good luck with our AE-2 ESC in this budget build. I would suggest installing a BEC though to help power the steering servo.
oh and when will you be uploading a video of this beast…
thi is one sweet car!!!!!
sorry i need to learn how to spell THIS IS ONE SWEET CAR!!!
we want to see some vids when will they be out?
In case i put this in the wrong place and missed it , this will kinda be QQ ,you said you use a 13t pinion in the rear, i would sure like to see you demonstrate the in the video you make and speaking of DIG where can i get “kit D ” dig kit for the rear axle.
The cutting brakes still aren’t available yet.
Brandon a question about motor wiring , I wired each motor with leads to reach the ESC where i then used a deans parallel connector to connect both to the ESC. After reading about how you wired yours ,will my wiring have any negative affect on my motors.
Thanks
Sounds like you are using Deans to connect your motors, and to make it easier to remove them for maintenance. Using Deans works great for stuff like that, you should be fine.
Bender thanks for the fast reply , I`ve built my XR 10 based on lots of tips and info from you here at Axial and even thow it`s a budget built rig, with the expert advice on setups and using your setup sheets as i have already started using,i already have the advantage and expect to win everywhere i go .
Hope we get to meet on the rocks some day .
Don P. aka “Rock_Diggin_Don” @ RCCrawler.com
This is great and does show how easy people can get into crawling. Is there still a plan for a video . . . that would be great.
Very cool guide, I am doing the same thing until I can afford 2 Esc’s. Can I ask why the manula says not to go lower than 36T(says 27-35T don’t use on the left of the page) I have two 28T torque motors and would like to be able to use it over my two different company 55t’s. I do know that it will have more speed than crawl with 28T Just wondering if it’s going to break things If I put in two 28T’s?
A lot of competition crawlers are running higher voltage lipo batteries now, usually 3S and 4S packs. That much voltage with low turn motors have a tendency to break parts, hence the suggestion on motor limits in the manual. If you run standard stick packs, or 2S lipos the lower turn motors will probably be fine.
Great build!
Just wondering if i were to ad a dig(like a punk dig) would it work with the AE2?
Thanks alot!!
Dean
I don’t have any experience with the punk dig system, but I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t work with our ESC.