
- December 16, 2022
- 988
- RC Crawlers
Rock Crawlers are fun to drive, but they’re not great for long distances. You’ve probably noticed that if you want your crawler to go faster, you need to turn left or right to make it turn.
The problem is that turning left or right requires a lot of force on the steering wheel, which can be uncomfortable and hard on your body when you’re driving across rough terrain or down a trail. That’s where 4-way steering comes in! It allows you to steer left, right, and backward simultaneously!
If you want to turn your rock crawler into a 4-wheeler, there are several important things you need to do.
You’ll need to use a few different parts to convert your rock crawler into a 4-wheel drive vehicle. This can be done by simply bolting on the appropriate adapters and making some adjustments. If you have some experience with rock crawlers, you can do this yourself.
However, if you don’t have any experience with them and don’t know how to work on them, it’s better to hire someone who does.
You can easily do this in several simple ways, but I’ll show you the easiest way. But first…
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Reverse and forward gears
- 2wd front steering linkage
- 2wd rear steering linkage
- Wired up steering servo (you can use a digital one or a 4-channel analog one)
- A set of adapters
- A drill press or router table
Step-By-Step Guide On How To Turn An RC Rock Crawler Into 4 Way Steering
This is a great way to turn your dirt bike into a 4-wheeler. It’s easy to do, making your ride much more stable and fun.
First, you must find out how many motors your dirt bike has. You can take it apart and count the gears on the motor shaft. This is usually 3 or 4 depending on how many speeds your dirt bike has.
Once you have determined how many motors are in your dirt bike, you need to determine their location. The easiest way is to just lay them out on the floor in front of you so that all parties involved in your RC rock crawler unit revamp project can see them.
Once everyone knows where everything is located, it’s time to start! I first like to take my tools out of my toolbox and get ready for some work!
Here is a step-by-step guide on how to turn your RC rock crawler into a 4-way steering vehicle.
Step 1: Get your rock crawler on a flat surface and remove the wheels.
Step 2: Turn the rock crawler upside down and remove the motor cover.
Step 3: Remove the front body armor and remove the front bumper. Now comes the fun part: removing the steering bar.
Step 4: Remove the steering linkages:
Remove the steering stabilizer from the top of the steering rod by removing two screws and taking out a washer. The links are located on the front of the rock crawler and should be removed by removing two screws that hold them in place.
You’ll need to open up the top of your rock crawler’s chassis to do this. The easiest way is to remove the tires and wheels first, then remove all four bolts holding the steering assembly in place. Once these are removed, pull out whatever screws hold your steering assembly in place and then lift it out of its mountings. To make things easier for yourself (and everyone else), I suggest putting some cushioning rubber or foam under where your new steering bar will go before reinstalling everything else back into place!
Step 5: Remove the steering rods.
The steering rods are located on the rear of the rock crawler and should be removed by removing one screw that holds them in place. NOTE: Measure how far down your steering rod is from the top of your rock crawler, and measure how long it is as well.
Add 1/4″ to both measurements, which will allow room for your new servo mount plate. It also allows for additional slack in the steering rod, so you can adjust it without worrying about it moving too much or breaking off (if done right).
Once these are removed, you should be able to slide out the base plate and set it aside for later use. If you choose to run your motor off of a different battery pack than what came with your kit, be sure to use one with enough capacity for more than one drive cycle before installing it back into your truck’s chassis or chassis frame itself.
Step 6: Cut a piece of aluminum that you can drill through to make a hole for your servo mount plate (the same size as your original holes).
Drill two holes on either side of where you want your servo mount plate to be located, then bolt it in place with four M3 x 10mm bolts (same as what came with your servo).
Step 7: Install new 4-way linkages.
The front and rear linkages are interchangeable, so it’s important to match up the right ones with the right holes in your chassis plate. Start by turning your chassis plate upside down so you can see which holes align.
Then use a drill bit to drill out each hole for your new linkages until they fit snuggly into place without wobbling around too much when you try to turn your steering wheel left or right without touching anything else (like a table).
Conclusion
RC rock crawlers are used for off-roading, and because of their size, they can be turned into 4-wheel drive. The process is simple: you simply swap out your front differential with a larger one that supports more gears and adds an extra axle. Now that you have everything installed, it’s time to test it out! If everything works correctly, you should have full control over all four wheels simultaneously! The best way is by getting in your truck and driving around.
Simonne Telleria
Great article. I am dealing with many of these issues as well..