Author Topic: Radio Shack Extreme Machine: Modified with 4:1 gear reductions  (Read 6939 times)

Tyco Bandit King

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Back in the day radio shack made the Extreme Machine and it was the first of the giant 4WD trucks with dual 540 motors and later came the identical Nikko Hercules. They had tons of power once they got rolling but when you would try to climb a big hill or cross a mud bog the power just wasn't there. I remember trying soo many obstacles off-road that it had plenty of potential to conquer but just not enough power. Running a 7.2v 1500mah battery gave it about 5 minutes of run time which was horrible. Enough of that bull *censored*.....

Using RC4WD's 4:1 gear reductions on the truck I must say, its a whole new truck. I had to modify the housing to get them to work but it was no big deal. This alone makes a major difference on run time. I also cut the front bumper for more clearance and mounted the 8.4v 5000mah battery up front for better weight transfer.  The rear differential is locked as well.

Improvements:

More than 5x the torque

1 hour+ run time when doing nothing but climbing

Much steeper hill climb abilities

Will go through almost anything off-road

This truck now deserves the title of the Extreme Machine soo much infact that it can even blaze through 2-foot tall grass without even slowing down with both diffs open where a 2.2 Axial SCX10 kept getting stuck.

I will post videos soon









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czstycor/c

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Re: Radio Shack Extreme Machine: Modified with 4:1 gear reductions
« Reply #1 on: May 11, 2012, 14:23:15 »
you need to make some videos!
"If there are no such things as stupid questions than what kind of questions do stupid people ask? Do they suddenly become smart right before they are about to ask a question?"

Tyco Bandit King

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Re: Radio Shack Extreme Machine: Modified with 4:1 gear reductions
« Reply #2 on: May 11, 2012, 15:30:22 »
I will be making some videos over the weekend and ill post em
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Tyco Bandit King

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Re: Radio Shack Extreme Machine: Modified with 4:1 gear reductions
« Reply #3 on: May 21, 2012, 14:50:22 »
Ok made a quick hill climb video, just need to remember how to post it.
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Tyco Bandit King

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Re: Radio Shack Extreme Machine: Modified with 4:1 gear reductions
« Reply #4 on: May 21, 2012, 14:55:56 »
I did a quick hill climb using the hercules body. Its a lot steeper than it looks haha

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc484/4runnerhouse/3700246b.mp4
« Last Edit: May 21, 2012, 15:13:29 by Tyco Bandit King »
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czstycor/c

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Re: Radio Shack Extreme Machine: Modified with 4:1 gear reductions
« Reply #5 on: May 21, 2012, 15:24:52 »
very nice!
"If there are no such things as stupid questions than what kind of questions do stupid people ask? Do they suddenly become smart right before they are about to ask a question?"

jeffescortlx

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Re: Radio Shack Extreme Machine: Modified with 4:1 gear reductions
« Reply #6 on: July 28, 2012, 12:18:26 »
I like what you've done here!

I love this nikko chassis. I have a couple of the older style with the different tires.
I have one with the dual 380 motor's, and yes the thing has such little low end power it might as well be an on-road car. But the with the single 540 motor isn't as bad and it drivable the way it is.
Nice work!
Only
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Tyco Bandit King

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Re: Radio Shack Extreme Machine: Modified with 4:1 gear reductions
« Reply #7 on: August 09, 2012, 13:09:13 »
Yeah this is one of my all time favorite trucks.

Ive got a thor too but yes they have no low end power and even if you find the rc4wd 2:1 gear reductions to help they have almost no room to fit without spacing the wheels a ton. My trailblazer with the 540 is also weak but its much easier to swap in a hobby setup and have tons of wheelie power. They were both such a cool chassis just needed a good power plant.

I just converted this extreme machine to a hobby car and im running full waterproof traxxas electronics with the vxl speed control, the highest torque servo and a 5400mah 11.1v that fits perfectly one the front bumper. It is a bit faster and i have yet to recharge the battery on the same run. Im anxious to go do some water crossings and mud bogs now.
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Old school is the only way to go