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Bryan Irons
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Bryan Irons
Words by Bryan Irons @bryanirons
Ask anyone who knows us well, and they’ll gladly tell you that we have the attention span of a kindergartener in a candy store. If our story sounds familiar, you too may be looking for some added entertainment in your life when you can’t get out exploring, or score time to “play” in the garage.
A few years ago, our wife picked up a 4X4 RC car for our entertainment when not on the trail, or when waiting on the trail. We had a blast with it and learned a few things along the way. We’re not going to divulge the brand of the rig here, but needless to say, the plastic fantastic wasn’t up to our level of abuse and neglect. The little-known outfit didn’t have much of a following and we were starting to get annoyed having to order replacement parts on a biweekly basis. Truth be told, we likely spent just as much on parts and shipping to keep the thing running as it cost to buy new. Our other learned tidbit… we REALLY wanted a unit closer to what we wheel. Something with lockers, a realistic suspension system, an aftermarket for upgrades and some adjustability. A miniature version that we could take with us and mini-wheel the trails we were real-life wheelin’.
Bryan Irons
During one of our first outings, we quickly learned what the truck could…
The rhythmic pattern of Run, Wreck, Rebuild, Repeat was getting old and it was time to cut our losses and buy something we could trust to make it more than a weekend without a meltdown. We have gone through this with our “Life Size” wheeling rigs over the years and learned that although budget wheeling is a ton of fun, it also takes a ton of work in the background to keep them maintained and trail ready.
After some shopping around and head scratching, we ended up getting a Traxxas TRX4 with a sweet looking Chevrolet K5 Blazer body. The ready to run (RTR) truck is listed at about $730 Canadian on the Traxxas’ website, but we scooped ours from a local shop for less and got great customer service. The only extras you will need are a battery/batteries and a charger. We’ll get into batteries later on as there are a few choices and options.
Bryan Irons
…And could not handle. The game was on, and the body would NEVER be this pristine again.
Once we got the box home from the store, our childlike impulses took over. We know that “unboxing” is something that, as an editor, we should have captured with multiple shots and a properly set scene. Just picture the Tasmanian devil having a sugar rush and you’ll get the picture. We had fiddled with the display unit at the store but had figure it was a “gussied up” unit to lure us in. Nope. The truck was just what we wanted, and as advertised.
From personal experience, we’ll tell you that the first thing you’ll do with a new TRX4 is flip the unit over and checkout the cool standard equipment. We were gobsmacked to see portal axles, yes, real portals! The added ground clearance is the stuff of dreams and we wish we could afford them in a full-size copy. With the RTR TRX4, those portal axles come equipped with selectable lockers. Attached to the axles is a 5-link suspension system in the front and triangulated 4-link holding the rear axle straight. Both front and rear axles are held to the ground with rebuildable, adjustable, coilover shocks!
Bryan Irons
There are MANY other battery options available from Traxxas, and even some from other manufactures. Dollar for dollar, we really like the charge times and longevity of the 2s and 3s batteries we chose.
All the top shelf gear touching the ground doesn’t help if it’s all attached to popsicle sticks and rubber bands. Traxxas stuffed real steel ladder style frame rails in the TRX4, which makes for a dependable chassis for the rest of the platform.
Atop the frame rails is Traxxas’ well-known and revered waterproof electronics package. We did drown the truck a few times and took it in the snow every chance we could, but “waterproof” is a term we step lightly around and try never to make eye contact. That being said, none of the electronics gave us a lick of trouble at any time. We really geeked out with the ability to change the speed profile of the XL-5HV controller depending on what and who was driving. Think of it as sticking a block under the gas petal when you let your unruly friends/kids/friends-kids drive.
Bryan Irons
The radio unit operates like many others with the addition of the chrome locker switch at the top, and the red “high/low” range button.
The control unit is like any other pistol style grip EXCEPT for a few minor additions; the range selector and the locker selection switches stand out as “definitely different”. The range selector is pretty simple with a “High” and Low” setting that can be switched while driving… try that with your new ½ ton pickup and count on smearing gear shrapnel across the road. We do have a bit of a beef with the locker selectors though. Out of the box, the 3-way switch allows for the differentials to remain “open”, the front Locked, or both front and rear locked. It would be nice to select the differential to be locked individually. In our full-size wheeling rig, we prefer locking the rear before the front, so we emulated that with the TRX-4 by simply swapping the actuator connections in the truck. Maybe it’s just an “us” thing.
Bryan Irons
You can easily see that the centerline of the axle and the centerline of the tire are very much offset with the TRX4 portal boxes giving additional ground clearance.
All these gizmo’s and gadgets require power, and as promised, we’re going to chat about the batteries, which do not come with the TRX4 packages… and we now understand why. The current line of LiPo (lithium polymer) batteries offer RC users high output levels and extended run times. The catch is the charging systems as you require a proper charger in order to keep the batteries operating at top efficiency. A slew of different capacity (amp hour) batteries can be had depending on space constraints and driver needs/wants. LiPo batteries also come in different cell numbers and the TRX4 can operate on 2S (2 Cell) or 3S (3 Cell) with 7.4V and 11.1V respectively. We learned that more voltage is not always better. Our advice; get the 3S batteries if high speed and all out power is what you desire, scoop a larger capacity 2S model for slow speed crawling and added control. For us, we grabbed one of each and a Traxxas charger to go with.
Bryan Irons
You can see the locker cables coming out of the blue actuators, heading to the front and rear axles. The 21T Titan 550 motor has plenty of torque, but we may look at replacing it with a brushless motor and controller for additional “oomph”.
Multiple seasons of use with our TRX4 have brought a few things to light;
- We love beating the living daylights out of this tough as nails RC.
- On the trail, we seldom hear “I’m bored” or “can we go home” from the back seat.
- Modifying a TRX4 is just as fun a hacking into our off-road rig at a fraction of the price.
- We need to get another one as the kids have now taken over this one.
If you’re in the market to scoop a “grown up toy” that doesn’t need an extra parking space, head to a local dealer or even online at www.traxxas.com. I see a 6X6 in my future….
Bryan Irons
The XL5 controller has been a trooper in our time with it in dirt, mud, snow, rain and whatever else we can throw at it.