Whats Breaking next!!!

[kdfi]

Man I sure would like to have more fun with this thing. But everyday it's sometning new.


Ok I got 5 minutes of run time today. Reason, the pins cam out of one of the dog bones and broke the front plastic steering hub.


So, does anybody make an upgraded dog bone? Which one should I get? link please if anyone has an idea.


I rolled it a couple times and the body is cracked straight through the middle and upfront. I am sorry but that Rampage body is A HUGE P.O.S!!!!! 70.00 bucks and it can't hardly take any off road driving. Keep in mind this is the second run with this body on it since I sold the buggy body and went for the truggy look. Is there a body out there that fits thats good quality?


Only good thing that came out of the day is since I started taking it apart. I went ahead and installed the new diff out drives and took out that diff grease and filled it up witth diff fluid.


I am about ready to off this thing for real cheap or trade it for a 5b again. Thing is, IMO the ramp is 10 times more fun to drive than the 5b I had. But my 5b was a stocker out of the box too and the only thing I ever broke on it was an A arm, and at least I got to drive it. It took tons more abuse than this thing. And hell, why am I calling it abuse, these are tiny jumps I am jumping for god sake!


sorry guys just frustrated.

 

[Sprint 77]

The body is a problem with us all. There is only a ASGAURD or corr truck look body out there that fits close, we now got a proline off a 5T on the forum also looks pretty good not sure what mods it takes to get it on the redcat though


Wish you luck getting the bugs out of your truck.

 

[RampageHopUps]

MCD dogbones are the superior ones. Or loctite the pins in place.


http://rampagehopups.com/product.sc?categoryId=5&productId=345

 

[IMADMAN]

Your issues seem very minor to warrant going back to a 5B. Cost wise the Redcat is cheaper than the Baja, + the upgrade kit is cheap to. Most of us have been wrenching a long time, I always take mine apart when I 1st. get it and triple check everything and degrease and loctite what needs to be. That way if something happens it's either my fault or something that can't really be helped.


I had asked/told Phatdad that there IS a demand for DB's, but Tom is one busy guy, hopefully he'll consider it and add it to his list of "hop-up's to make."

 

[kryptonite]

hey.. i think i mentioned to you that the truck body was worthless when i saw that you were parting with your buggy shell. start gluing!! i have 2 and they are both glued to together.. the mcd's are better then stockers, but green loc-tite will keep the ones you have in place. there are also many shells that will fit and hold up.. but you will pay. http://www.redcatrampageforum.com/showthread.php?t=721


it seems like you still have some bugs to work out.. it will come together. its all in fun. i slammed 2 rear shocks today. and i don't have any replacements yet..

 

[kdfi]

Guess I am not use to these issues. I will do the green lock tite thing on the DBones. Just shoked on how easy this truck breaks. Just wanted something fun to bash around when the weather is too bad to fly. I don't like nitro cars anymore even though I rarely broke anything on my losi8 or muggy. I tried out gassers and liked the 5b but missed 4wd, so I went with the Ramp.

 

[kryptonite]

everything has a sacrifice KD. don't get frustrated man. things are gona break. the 5b is an hpi legend. redcat has been the underdog from day 1. your gona have to do some work to get the bugs out, but your end resoult is a sweet 5b killer. you could have shelled out $1300.00 for an mcd plus a motor, battery, servos and so on.. or a $1000 for a huricane with no product support, and still had simular problems(except the body) the cats are a little more work as they arent as PLUG-N-PLAY as the 5b's. but with our help and some patiance you will have a sweet machine. i hate to see folks jum in and do the high doller motor and pipe mods before the bugs are worked out couse it seems so much more expensive. keep at it. your carnage is minamal so far. i can see how the shell got you ticked as i saw you had it posted up for sale..

 

[DemonRC]

Hell, I was just out last night with 5 other Baja's and 2 of them broke their shocks, 1 busted the front right arm at the pivot ball, 1 ripped the back rear shock bolt right out of the arm. BTW, that was my very first Rampage run and I spanked the hell outta all the Baja's. It was just embarressing for them.


Personally, I've replaced hundreds of dollars worth of part on my Bajas. The worst part about the Baja is that the vehicle's structural integrity is dependent on the engine. I've cracked 2 stock crankcases, 2 stock fanshrouds, a billet fanshroud, and the worst of them all.... my DS billet crankcase which was worth over $250. Also, 3 or 4 SS shock shafts (I finally upgraded to Phatdads), 4 arms (had to upgrade to RPMS but still busted one of those). You can go back to the Baja but no matter what you will replace parts.

 

[kryptonite]

i agree that you will always replace parts, but the redcat parts that break do so with such ease it makes you kinda wonder. i had my first 5b for a while before anything broke. im pretty light on my rigs. i can see where the frustration is. he took a hit on his tt shell, had to ship it out, and buy a new shell for it to last 5 minute and one roll over.. thats frustrating. but its not new news to here that. it sounds like cat chaser isnt easy on his rigs.. so just replace whatever he replaces and you'll be fine..

 

[NitroBurn]

The only breakage issue that gave me much down time was the shocks. I upgraded them with Phatdad Bajampage shock kits and they work great. I also lost a pin out of a dog bone but fixed it by peening the hole in the bone with a hammer then tap a new pin into the hole. And the body is a piece of junk. Other than those things Im happy with my Rampage.

 

[AlphaDog777]

I don't even have mine yet but I'm an avid redcat owner.... I agree the redcats are the underdog to begin with... They need you to finish up the leg work... But when it's done there great..and is still far cheaper in the end.... Just keep @ it... Or you can get a 5b/5t and get spanked ;p either way

 

[kdfi]

hey kryp,


thanks for the pick up man.


Listen you guys, I am not trying to slam the rampage and I will be keeping it. I was lashing out before my head cooled. It's that it was soo frustrating to take it out to the dirt for the first time, do one little jump and the rear shock shafts bent and snapped in half (Yes, I know this happend to everybody). The the phat dads kits were out 4 weeks. Sorry but there's NO freakin way I am just going to let a half a tank old OFFROAD truck sit around and collect dust. So, I opted to do the HPI HD front shock converion for the rear and inserts for the front. So that added another 140.00 to my total. Then I take it out for five minutes more a week later because I was waiting for parts to show up and a dog bone pin falls out breaking the steering hub carrier and a couple roll overs and the body's falling apart. I understand things break, but wtf!


With all this said the five minutes of driving I got to do was OUTSTANDING! The shock up grade was awesome and the Ramp handled like it was on rails. It jumps well too, but sometimes we don't hit the jumps right and it ends up on the flip side. But thats part of the fun, but Comeon Redcat make a body that holds up man! I am not cliff jumping the thing into a rock pit.


I did the locktite thing to the Dbones and it seems to hold great. This is cool because it saves 80.00 not having to buy the MCD DBones just yet.

 

[mooman007uk]

the ramp has some issues but most are a cheap easy fix...the bodies really do suck though, i was running without for a while but was doing too much damage so threw it on and first good endo it exploded but i was expecting it, got an mcd asgard one coming now.


my truck takes some serious abuse and does break parts but they're cheap to replace and it's nearly always my fault...actually it is all my fault no part has broken twice yet...just gotta work thru the bugs.


Cures for all the ramp ills are posted here somewhere on our forum most are cheap to do like green loctite pins before you start it, decidamp/fuel tube the dogbones and upgrade kit, some fixes we have to make ourselves but it's all good. I broke an upgraded diff cup shaft on the front yesterday doing wot donuts in my driveway

 

[C.B.]

kdfi i so understand your frustrations when i first got mine the servo went out and it was full throttle smashing into everything in its path i was still new to the redcat scene so i didnt know about the forum or the servo problems so now i had a big pile of broken crap i took it back to the store i got it from since i had ran it for about 90 seconds they fixed it for free so i was back into it i since have bought mcd bones 4 bodies 8 shocks alum front a arms just tons of stuff and still going but i enjoy it now and its really reliable the best part is when its all complete and im happy with it its going to be bullet proof


i don't know anything about the hpi stuff but im glad i didnt buy one ive really enjoyed doing my own upgrade work and modifications its been just as exciting as driving


i cant wait till they listen to us about the bodies theres gotta be something to make them more durable mine looks like moos smashed left front cracked in the middle we must have hit the same thing

 

[kdfi]

MOO


Have you done aluminum lower A-arms yet? I was thinking about it but, if that mod is done, I wonder what that leaves open to bend/break in its place. Somethings got to give for a replacement of plastic to a metal part. Maybe this might be the reason a few people are breaking wheels instead of arms now. What do you all think? Or maybe it's the metal steering mount, knuckles or hub carriers that help contribute to wheel beakage.

 

[kdfi]

yeah your right CB. What shocks did you replace? Did you stick with stock shocks?


My truck body is a little better looking MOOS for now. Funny thing is it's cracked in the same place as his. I too sent Redcat an email. You know they had to know this was going to happen to the body when they trial tested it before it went on the market.

 

[kryptonite]

MOO
Have you done aluminum lower A-arms yet? I was thinking about it but, if that mod is done, I wonder what that leaves open to bend/break in its place. Somethings got to give for a replacement of plastic to a metal part. Maybe this might be the reason a few people are breaking wheels instead of arms now. What do you all think? Or maybe it's the metal steering mount, knuckles or hub carriers that help contribute to wheel beakage.

i have all alum suspension and love it(plastic uppers). i hit stuff that i wouldnt really have walked away from. but it is still going. you have to hit something so incredibly hard to have it affect something major. i have tested it. its worth the shells for me. i hit a 2" pipe going down hill. it slightly bent my holding pin but nothing major. popped the drive shaft out and wedged it in the stearing mount. with plastic i was sure to break everything including shocks and would have lost drive shaft too.. besides fg, redcat is one of the very few manufactor's that make their own alum upgrades. hpi doesn't make ANY upgrades..

 

[C.B.]

i still have stockers in im waiting fro rob at rampagehopups to get the phatdad shafts in then im yanking them out


as for the a arms i have front upper and lowers in i hope i don't break anything thats harder to replace but its bound to happen i just wanted more durability so far so good i tried the aluminum servo saver but i think it was way to tight not enough give so if i hit something bye bye servo im running dual servo just like yours moo thanks to you and clubin for letting me steal all your good ideas

 

[mooman007uk]

MOO
Have you done aluminum lower A-arms yet? I was thinking about it but, if that mod is done, I wonder what that leaves open to bend/break in its place. Somethings got to give for a replacement of plastic to a metal part. Maybe this might be the reason a few people are breaking wheels instead of arms now. What do you all think? Or maybe it's the metal steering mount, knuckles or hub carriers that help contribute to wheel beakage.

I'm still running plastic arms, boiled of course.. and have only broke 1 lower arm when i spanked into an arbutus log at speed...if I'd had aluminum arms it would have bent for sure, my limiting straps held everything together so no other damage ...same as the front turnbuckle breaking..the strap held everything in place so i could actually drive it into the shop (too lazy to carry it).


I hope RPM makes some arms for us soon...until then I'll stay with the boiled stockers

 

[RampageHopUps]

it took RPM 2.5 years to come out with arms for the Baja. And that was only when it hit 50K in sales. Don't count on RPM making arms for a few years at least.