Monster Truck Madness – You’re a Firework

Greetings and an early Happy 4th to our American readers!

The above pic was shot back in July 2017 when me and some buddies attempted to recreate Dennis Anderson’s “Mr. Destruction” wall of steel stunt in r/c form. We used an Axial SMT10 and a bunch of plastic cars, and it was a blast.

I’d link video of it, but Monster Jam hit us with the old cease and desist copyright strike for using audio of the real stunt. Boo. Pic is still cool, though!

Anyways, with the holiday weekend nearly upon us, my mind is severely scatterbrained. I spent last weekend preparing my fleet of monster trucks for an upcoming Trigger King race, so I’m taking a break from the bench. I can answer a couple questions, though!

Doug,

I’m buying my son a traxxas stampede and was wondering what you thought of the Traxxas EZ-Peak chargers? I want to get a Traxxas 2S battery and so I want a decent charger. I hope you don’t mind this question isn’t solid axle related! I enjoy seeing you post about those trucks, though. Thanks and keep up the good work!

Steve S., North Dakota

Hello up there, Steve! Hope North Dakota has gotten less rain than Missouri the last few weeks!

Before answering your question, please don’t ever hesitate to reach out for questions of the non-solid axle variety! I know that I focus heavy on that segment here, given I’m devoted to it, but I’m always game to talk regular old bashing monster related questions. I’ve got a nice fleet of them, too!

The Traxxas EZ-Peak family of chargers is one that I highly recommend for those of you using Traxxas Batteries. I have both a single and dual EZ-Peak charger, and they are SUPER easy to use and work well. These days I’m predominantly using my dual charger because it’s perfect for juicing up my twin 3 and 4S packs for use in my X-Maxx. I’ve got no complaint. I run them on “balance” mode and I’ve never had an issue in my packs. With several simple push button options, it’s also quite simple to operate. It’s about as “plug and play” as you can get.

Thanks for the question and good luck!

Doug,

What do you recommend gearing the Losi LMT roller at?

John

Howdy John,

Hmmm, well John, I’m missing a big piece of info here. I’ve no clue what motor you are going to use. I’ll just assume it’s a decently powered brushless system.

I would personally stick with the 14t pinion and then run it on 3S. That should give you plenty of power while also being conservatively geared. If you intend to run on 2S and aren’t happy with the speed, I’d continue increasing pinion size until you get that nice mix of top end and low heat that you are trying accomplish.

Not knowing what motor or ESC we are talking about, that’s the best advice I can give, fella! Best of luck!

Alright folks, I’m off to go be a powder monkey for the weekend. Stay safe and have a good one!