Duratrax Evader DT Installing Ball Bearings and Aluminum Idler Gear

[718mattmatt]

you should do the CV driveshaft conversion

[Motorizedgags119]

Wrong idler. The al idler is a different tooth count. Get the metal ext2 one

[nts213]

I wonder why didnt Duratrax put ball bearings and aluminum idler gear in the DT like they did the new Evader EXT2.

[SuperBrandango]

@nts213 yea and the DT has the sprint 2 and the EXT2 has the sprint so weird huh

[gpellis1]

i did not know they used brass bushings. is the ext the same way. im still running my evader st pro. im gald i bought a slash. i dont ever plan to go back to a duratrax ever again.

[jeffreyhoy]

@gpellis1 The EXTs also use bronze bushings, the ball bearing set that I use in this video will also work for them.

I know there's going to be a lot of comparisons to the Slash, but it's hard to compare the two apples to apples. The DT is smaller and that puts it in a separate class. The other thing is cost, the DT can be had for $50 to nearly $100 less than a new Slash depending where you shop. I like both trucks, but I think the DT is a more basher and budget friendly truck. Good for newbs.

[1woundedknee]

@jeffreyhoy Thanks for the info . . .would the idler gear mod work on an EXT?

[jeffreyhoy]

@1woundedknee I'm pretty sure it would, all the Evader vehicles are pretty much the same. To be sure count the number of teeth on the EXT's stock idler gear. If it has 29 teeth then the aluminum idler gear will work.

[1woundedknee]

@jeffreyhoy Yep, It's 29 teeth. Now the interesting thing this is what they are selling in the XT2 - a "sintered metal gear" the claim . . . .The stub is already on Tower's website. No pic or price yet. . . . BTW how is this modification holding up with the Castle product?

[jeffreyhoy]

@1woundedknee The idler mod seems to be holding up great so far, I haven't disassembled the transmission yet to see what it actually looks like though. Still sounds normal and running smooth so I'm confident that everything's ok.

I'm curious about the new EXT2 transmission as well, if the gear set is backward compatible, then that would probably be a better option for people looking to upgrade their current Evaders. We'll just have to wait and see though.

[1woundedknee]

@jeffreyhoy I know that brushless is the rage but I managed to pick up a new XL-5 ESC on Ebay for cheap a while back. I'm running the photon speed (not PS2) on my evader. It performs better with the Traxxas ESC, but it's still a little slow. Got any ideas for a brushed motor that is rebuildable, but won't break the bank?

[jeffreyhoy]

@1woundedknee I've been a fan of Team Orion's line for a while now. I've used them in multiple vehicles in the past and they've lasted a good long time, put out tons of power, come with capacitors preinstalled, and rebuildable with standard brushes. The Formula Pro BB line is my Fav. I think the XL-5 ESC has a 15-turn limit when used with 540 size motors (could be wrong, check with Traxxas).

Just looked at Stormer Hobbies.com and it looks like they have Orion motors on sale, going for $9.99.

[1woundedknee]

@jeffreyhoy I got the bearing and idler gear swap done. Thanks for doing this piece. It was all fun except for those darned pins that I had to drive out. Tip - a nailset is perfect for the job. Still requires lots of tapping. My EXT runs better now. Battery life has increased. It runs a little faster too.

I'm really up in the air about powerplants. Do you have any opinions about these EZrun systems?

[jeffreyhoy]

@1woundedknee Cool, glad you found this stuff helpful. As far as the EZruns, I've never used them and I don't know anybody who has, so I can offer no advice or opinions about them, sorry.

[1woundedknee]

@jeffreyhoy Have you tried the ball diff modification yet?

[jeffreyhoy]

@1woundedknee No I haven't yet, been away from home for the last 3 weeks. But I'm also kind of taking a wait and see attitude to see what comes out for the EXT2 and whether or not it's backwards compatible.

[1woundedknee]

@jeffreyhoy Preliminary scoping of the Duratrax site, which has a manual download for the EXT2 indicates that most if not all parts are interchangeable. With the metal idler, the only weak points would be the spur and the diff gear. The diff seems pretty solid.