Are Shorter Clod Axles Available?

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rock&crawl

Member
Hello all, this is my 1st post on RCMT! :rock

After reading about everyones incredible work on their trucks I started to modify my Clodzilla III into a trail / scale truck... I was wondering if anyone makes shorter axles to make the width of the axle/wheelbase shorter? I just got some rock crawler tires & wheels but the look of the truck now from the front is way too wide & it needs to be narrowed! :spaz

HELP! Any ideas or solutions?? :ack
Thanks!
 
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Locoboy5150

Well-Known Member
Welcome aboard! :)

As far as I know, there are no shorter length axles.

By the way, wheelbase is the distance between the centerlines of the front and rear axles when viewing the truck from the left or right side. It has nothing to do with the length of the axles.
 
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woolfy

Member
I don't know of any shorter clod axles, but I think you should be able to swap out the 11mm x 6mm bushes/bearings with the more standard 11mm x 5mm bushes/bearings then any of the other tamiya axles will fit such as the TG10 long axles are the standard ones found in touring cars or trucks like the Wild dagger.

You would then need some sort of adaptor to fit the wheels of the narrower dia (5mm) axles.
 
HawnMT

HawnMT

Well-Known Member
woolfy said:
I don't know of any shorter clod axles, but I think you should be able to swap out the 11mm x 6mm bushes/bearings with the more standard 11mm x 5mm bushes/bearings then any of the other tamiya axles will fit such as the TG10 long axles are the standard ones found in touring cars or trucks like the Wild dagger.

You would then need some sort of adaptor to fit the wheels of the narrower dia (5mm) axles.
Click to expand...

Clods use 12 x 6mm bearings not 11 x 6mm.
 
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Loaded_Heavy

Formally Breaker 1-9
You probably will be best off purchasing a set of scale axles from RC4WD and or looking for a set of some TLT axles. But with all this you will need some type of transmission to work it all. I know theres axle tubes to make the Clod more wider but as far as shorter nope, nothing out there which in some cases and for some people a bit of a bummer.
 
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rock&crawl

Member
Locoboy5150 said:
Welcome aboard! :)

As far as I know, there are no shorter length axles.

By the way, wheelbase is the distance between the centerlines of the front and rear axles when viewing the truck from the left or right side. It has nothing to do with the length of the axles.
Click to expand...
yea I guess I worded that wrong... :reye

I think the biggest part of this project is the challenge... We are trying to build a more scale layout on the rig (as much as possible with the clodz 3 chassis) without outlaying anything but time! We have taken all of the extra aluminum parts that are no longer needed and modified the parts into shock towers, & upper link mounts to start, & will be making lower shock mounts. It is a start for my buddy & I to get into scratch building a truck & we are having a blast! Maybe down the road I can throw down the big-bucks to get the 'right parts'!:tong

As far as the axle swap... I dont know if that will work... I am wondering what I can do with the factory steering block (I believe its called) as it is what is causing the axle to be so 'wide'. I saw some aluminum steering blocks for sale but am unsure if they will make a difference as I believe they use the same length axle. Aren't other people using Clod axles for scale crawlers?

I will post some photos tonight!
 
Electrohacker

Electrohacker

Well-Known Member
midnight pumpkin / lunch box / hornet axles are a lot like clod axles but smaller

ive been mulling ovr the idea of a mini clod for a while







 
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rock&crawl

Member
Here are some photos. This is just a mockup, nothing set in stone. Am still trying to find the best way to set up the suspension!


We are thinking of taking out the center of the wheel & replacing it with the center of the Clod wheel & changing the offset to the inside of the wheel which will set the rim closer to the steering knuckle eliminating the 'skateboard look' of the rig...:ack





 
Electrohacker

Electrohacker

Well-Known Member
they are but that's two rear axles. I still havent gotten the steering modded in.

the bronco body is from the 2001 radioshack bronco mangler
 
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Locoboy5150

Well-Known Member
Your suspension links will cause a lot of caster change as the suspension is compressed. That will result in very "twitchy" handling. For best results, try to keep the upper links parallel to the lower ones (when viewed from the side) throughout the suspension travel. That isn't as much of a problem if you're into really low speed crawling though.

Ouch, how did you bend that steering link?
 
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rock&crawl

Member
Locoboy5150 said:
Your suspension links will cause a lot of caster change as the suspension is compressed. That will result in very "twitchy" handling. For best results, try to keep the upper links parallel to the lower ones (when viewed from the side) throughout the suspension travel. That isn't as much of a problem if you're into really low speed crawling though.

Ouch, how did you bend that steering link?
Click to expand...
THANKS & yes, you are correct! It was originally setup in parallel & I wanted to try something different... I have been racking my brain trying to solve this exact problem & other problems at the same time - links hitting frame crossbars & other clearance issues... I have seen the links mounted to the center of the tranny on many other rigs. How does that work for some & not others?

yea, the steering link was like that when I bought it... the rest of the chassis didnt have a mark on it tho...:cool
 
Digger

Digger

R.C. Alley
Move the axle end of the lower links above the axle tube and move the inner ends of the same link lower on the chassis if possible. That will give you better geometry. One problem I see with your width problem is the rims you put on there. That's what's making the truck so wide. Stampede rims will fit on the clod axles with just the brass hex instead of the black plastic 5-hole hub. That would make your truck narrower...

Actually on second look at your pics, one rims sticks out and the other sits deeper in... something's not right there...
 
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rock&crawl

Member
Digger said:
Move the axle end of the lower links above the axle tube and move the inner ends of the same link lower on the chassis if possible. That will give you better geometry. One problem I see with your width problem is the rims you put on there. That's what's making the truck so wide. Stampede rims will fit on the clod axles with just the brass hex instead of the black plastic 5-hole hub. That would make your truck narrower...

Actually on second look at your pics, one rims sticks out and the other sits deeper in... something's not right there...
Click to expand...

Thanks for your pointers & I will try this out with the links... :tmb

In the post with the photos I explained why they look different...

"We are thinking of taking out the center of the wheel & replacing it with the center of the Clod wheel & changing the offset to the inside of the wheel which will set the rim closer to the steering knuckle eliminating the 'skateboard look' of the rig..." This shows the difference in where the rim would be positioned.
 
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rock&crawl

Member
Anyone know why I can't subscribe to a thread? All I get is an error:

You cannot do that for the following reason:
No reason was specified.

Date the ban will be lifted: Never
 
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