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Key Features Of RC Crawlers

20th Jul 2014

RC crawling is not a mere sport for passing time, it is challenging and fun. Although it is a hobby, there are also many competitions conducted worldwide, especially in US, UK and Australia. It is not only fun for children but for adults also, as it is a stress relieving hobby. Children learn sportsmanship and have fun as they face the challenge of how to get their RC rock crawler over an obstacle course faster than anyone else. RC crawling is the hobby of driving Radio Controlled (RC) crawlers up the rocky hills,up dry rocky river beds, or over specially-built obstacle courses.

The key things that separate RC crawlers from other RC trucks are the following:

  • It is not about speed, but how to maneuver in small spaces and over very uneven surfaces
  • High torque power and servos to enable you to get up and over those rocks / obstacles
  • High ground clearance in order to get over rocks, while still keeping the center of gravity as low as possible so that it is not easy to tip
  • Locked differentials to ensure power gets sent to the wheels on the ground, instead of a wheel that is off the ground
  • Special tires that are soft and have specially designed treads for crawling, and that are typically bead locked to the rim, so they do not separate from the rim under the stress of rock crawling

Another enhancement / option available on some rock crawlers is 4 wheel steering (4WS) . Four wheel steering offers the RC Crawler driver a range of new tactics and methods for getting over especially challenging obstacles. Four wheels steering typically offers 4 different modes, and you can select which mode you want at any point in time, on the special radio controller that supports this function.  These modes are:

  • Mode 1 - Just the front wheels turn
  • Mode 2 - The front and rear wheels turn in the same direction, so you can sort of crab-walk over an obstacle
  • Mode 3 - The front wheels and the rear wheels turn in the opposite direction . This is useful for providing a very tight turning radius in tight spaces
  • Mode 4 - just the rear wheels turn

Four Wheel steering (4WS) is a worthwhile capability to consider in your purchase of a RC Rock crawler.