Hot Trick, What the... Rise of the Monster Beetle!

[coxbros1]

U reckon it would out pull a MRP High Roller or original Tamiya Bruiser in 1st gear?

[Lowgear]

The odd thing is if it was meant for pulling, there would be a hitch assembly of some kind.

[Dadio]

really high up centre of gravity for a puller as well , you'd want the gearbox low and forward .

[LowClassCC]

I have seen quite a few Kentucky championship r/c pulling events locally. This is in fact set up as a puller. I have sen a lot of gear reduction transmissions like this one. Most I have seen used in the pulling tractors due to the narrow tractor bodies but I have also seen them in many others.

As far as a hitch goes. The only hitch they need is some sort of loop to attach the s-hook from the trailer on. I have seen them even just wrap a zip tie around the back to make a loop. the wire limiter strap/straps on the back would work perfect. The excess wire that is broken and has visible damage on it was most likely the hitch for this puller.

These puller guys are serious and love thinking outside the box, trying new things. The innovation that they come up with is simply amazing. Nothing that these guys come out with will ever surprise me.

Look up Central KY R/C Pullers and get in touch with them and they may be able to help you with a bit more of the identification.

[TheDiamondOne]

You reckon she would out pull a MRP DRAGIN MASTER?

[BattleTrak]

You reckon she would out pull a MRP DRAGIN MASTER?

U reckon it would out pull a MRP High Roller or original Tamiya Bruiser in 1st gear?

Who knows!? That 114:1 gearbox just seems crazy! Tires and traction would be the next challenge I would think. I don’t know much about R/C pulling besides what I vaguely remembered from old RCCA mags.. Since I already have a Hot Trick Blackfoot in progress, I am thinking about doing this one as a Monster Beetle with a Thorp filled stock gearbox.

[coxbros1]

pretty good plan really....what will happen to the gearbox?

[BattleTrak]

pretty good plan really....what will happen to the gearbox?

I’m thinking about putting it up for sale.. Cool, but not my thing.

[BattleTrak]

I have been making good progress cleaning and restoring this beast over the past week. Sold the pulling gearbox to fund new parts. When disassembling the front end, I was excited to see some CRP arms but got shot down in flames to see 1 stock arm..another “what the..” moment.



Installed some modern aluminum front arms instead..



A red Sharpie does a great job of touching up the scratches on the red anodizing!



Plan A to use a Thorp setup got scrapped when I realized I didn’t have the proper dogbones.. So plan B is a modern MIP ball diff and Tamiya CVDs which work great and are super smooth. New rear arms with Ampro/Shapeways shock mount reinforcements. It is looking awesome now! Next up is shocks, and body mounts.

[coxbros1]

That thing is Hot!

[Lowgear]

I've been thinking about the gearbox a bit more, and It was obviously designed for a specific purpose. I've been into pullers closing in on 20 years now, and nothing adds up in that regard. I can write an essay why if necessary but it ultimately doesn't matter. Now, that's not to say it didn't pull something, but unlikely it was a weight transfer sled. At least not under NR/CTPA rules that every club follows. Somebody could have just been messing around but it seems a little too specific for that. The setup comes across to me as if it were designed to pull or push a heavy load that had light rolling resistance over a long distance without overheating the motor or killing the battery. One idea that came to mind was a parade float or equivalent.

Anyway, the rebuild is coming out super nice!

[TheDiamondOne]

That is an excellent resto! I am gonna be so jeslous! U just nailed it!

[BattleTrak]

Over the past weekend I worked on the steering.. I have 3 of these Hot Trick steering assemblies for the 2 vehicles I am restoring. I disassembled everything, did an assembly line cleaning, rejected bent/damaged parts, and upgraded it with vintage Thorp and Dubro turnbuckles.







The Monster Beetle body is on the way.. Waiting for it to arrive to determine body & shock mounts. Glad I didn’t sell these aluminum wheels!!

[coxbros1]

Gonna be one cool ride....prolly worth a small fortune!

[TheDiamondOne]

Wheels are awsome and so vintage. One sweet ride u got!