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Duratrax 1/14 scale Cliff Climber Rock Crawler RTR Review
By BARNESJONR
Jan 05, 2009, 07:56 PM
Introduction
Everybody likes a challenge, right? Tell me that something is impossible, and that alone will drive me to find a way to do it! Rockcrawling is the sport of driving highly modified four-wheel-drive vehicles over very harsh or nearly impossible terrain. From boulders to mountain foothills to rock piles, Rockcrawling is all about slow-speed, careful and precise driving. Rockcrawlers often drive up, down and across obstacles that would appear impassable. The vehicles are modified with many custom parts, including four wheel steering, taller off-road tires, lowered gearing in the transmission, transfer case or axle differential and engines modified for higher torque output.
Though the full size Rockcrawlers have been around for decades, radio controlled Rockcrawlers have only appeared in the last year or so. Duratrax steps up to the plate with their offering in this relatively new genre, the 1/14 scale Cliff Climber. Available in both Almost Ready to Run and Ready to Run versions, the Cliff Climber is designed to get you into the world of crawlin' without emptying your wallet.
Kit Contents
The Cliff Climber comes 99% assembled. Lift it out of the box, and you are only minutes away from some serious crawlin' action. All that is required is charging up your two NiMH battery packs and loading the transmitter with a set of eight AA dry cells. The Lexan body comes pre-painted in your choice of several two color paint schemes. All that really remains is to apply the included set of decals.
In The Box
Required for Completion
Features
The Cliff Climber comes out of the box with a full set of features. It is both four wheel drive and also four wheel steering. The steel axles and drive shaft are hardened steel. Many of the plastic parts are made of a special Stress Tech composition material.
The tires are a large four and a quarter inches in diameter and two inches wide. They are soft, sticky and grippy. The four shocks come filled with oil and are adjustable.
The chassis plates are an attractive gun metal gray in color and of an anodized 2mm thick aluminum composition. Some of the side view photos really show off how nice looking the chassis is. The camber and caster are nonadjustable on the Cliff Climber. Duratrax stands behind the ruggedness of the Cliff Climber and then some. They offer a Stress Free guarantee and will replace any of the Stress Tech plastic parts that break during the first year of ownership. NICE!!
Though the version I reviewed was RTR, the included assembly and instruction manual contains a large exploded view of all of the parts that make up the Cliff Climber, as well as very detailed assembly instructions that will no doubt be useful when replacing any broken parts or installing upgrade parts.
Getting Ready to Crawl
Though the two tone paint finish on the Cliff Climber is almost good enough to run with, I kind of look forward to putting on the decals. Together, my four year old daughter (also a sticker lover) and I had a great time dressing the Duratrax body up with the included decals.
Crawlin' Basics!
Installing the two NiMH batteries involves removing the battery strap,,which is the piece upon which the ESC and receiver are both mounted. It is retained with a pair of cotter clips. It is always best to turn on the transmitter first and then connect the two main batteries to the ESC. Verify that the throttle and steering are operating in the correct directions. If not, reverse them by means of the reversing switches on the Tactic transmitter. Trims are also provided on the transmitter.
Though the required maintenance is minimal, it is suggested that you give the Cliff Crawler a good cleaning after every ten runs or so, making sure that the bushings are free of dirt and that they still roll smoothly. The shocks should be examined to determine if the o-rings are starting to leak and if the shafts have been scratched. If you can feel any scratches with your fingernail, it is recommended to replace the shafts. It is also important to ensure the tires are still glued securely to the wheels.
Hoppin' It Up!
Everybody likes tweaking and tuning, and the Cliff Climber welcomes your experimenting to make it perform better than it does right out of the box. The first stop is the Duratrax web site; it offers a full complement of hop up and performance parts for the Cliff Climber. From several different colors of wheels to graphite pattern chassis parts to blue anodized aluminum goodies, Duratrax offers enough add on parts to dress your truck to the nines. The bushings can be replaced with a full set of bearings for reduced rolling friction.
There are also several changes that can be made to improve the crawlin' performance of the Cliff Climber. It comes out of the box with enough torque to go almost straight up a wall, but changing the pinion gears from the stock 12 tooth units to 11 or 13 tooth ones can give you either more torque or speed.
Lowering the truck’s center of gravity will enhance the crawlin' capabilities even more. The easiest way to do this is to relocate one of the main NiMH batteries and mount it atop the front steering servo. This places additional weight over the front wheels and will provide even greater traction. Adding stick-on lead weights to the front rims is another way of improving traction and stability.
Higher torque servos and aluminum servo horns will transmit even more power to the steering and eliminate any give in the linkages. Removing the bumpers will increase the ground clearance, though it does expose the steering linkage to potential impact. Using metal gear servos will minimize the risk of this damage occurring. The Cliff Climber comes stock with 30 weight shock oil installed in the shocks. It is possible to change not only the weight of the shock oil but also the stiffness of the springs. Duratrax offers three different shock winds, from the stock medium stiffness to firm and extra firm.
Putting the Rubber to the Rocks
I was completely surprised with how instantly addicting the whole radio controlled rock crawlin' thing is. Sure, I though it would be fun, but I was not expecting how technically challenging it would be. The proving ground for our Duratrax Cliff Climber was a large drainage ditch lined with rip rap. At first glance, I figured the rocks were just too large for the truck to have any chance of navigating through them. Was I ever wrong! The Cliff Climber has an amazing ability to climb and crawl its way through incredibly rough terrain. And if you think it is over and that it is stuck, don't be too quick to throw in the towel. Time and time again, I was able to maneuver the truck out of a seemingly impossible situation. There were even times that I had it on its side and back, and I was STILL able to get it moving again! (See Video #1 below) THIS is just TOO much fun!!
Video/Photo Gallery
Conclusion
After flying radio controlled planes for many years, I have evolved into a person who is ever on the lookout for a new place to fly. My wife is well accustomed to my outbursts of "THAT looks like a great place to fly" or "Hey, look that huge green field over there"! But of late, I find myself ever on the prowl for another rock pile or place to prove out my Duratrax Cliff Climber! It will undoubtedly have that effect on you too after you experience the thrills of crawlin'! The technical challenges of carefully planning and picking your way through a boulder field is strangely addictive. The Cliff Climber is able to get itself out of seeming dead ends over and over. I just don't seem to tire of the sheer fun of finding that one path through a field of rocks that looks at first glance to be almost impassable. The two batteries provide typical run times of 8-11 minutes depending on your throttle settings. Slowly and carefully picking your way across a rocky expanse will result in nice, long battery runs. RCCrawler.com is an excellent web site to further enhance your enjoyment of the whole rock crawlin' experience. Pluses
Minuses
Last edited by Angela H; Dec 31, 2008 at 04:16 PM.. |
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Jan 05, 2009, 11:16 PM
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#2 |
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Actively makin humans obsolete
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Northern Virginia
Posts: 559
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Huge video files
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Jan 05, 2009, 11:31 PM
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#3 |
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Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2004
Posts: 8,381
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HUGE truck ... huge Action!!!
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Jan 07, 2009, 01:37 AM
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#4 |
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Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 1,087
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Awesome review Jon! I had a blast driving this thing, reminded me how much fun 4 wheeled R/C can be
 Don |
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Jan 07, 2009, 11:56 PM
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#5 |
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I tell her RC is cheap !
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Quebec, Canada
Posts: 726
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Very nice video, excellent image quality. How are the truck plastic parts holding with all that abuse ? It seems to be very rugged for the price.
I have never done that kind of RC trucking. I wonder if an independant suspension would be better at providing maximum grip on those rocks ? Last edited by carguy1994ca; Jan 08, 2009 at 12:03 AM. |
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Jan 08, 2009, 09:20 AM
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#6 |
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Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2004
Posts: 8,381
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The plastic parts are all holding up nicely. Absolutely no problems to date. Crawling across the rocks at a pretty slow pace like I do will probably not really cause any damage I am thinking?
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Jan 08, 2009, 01:04 PM
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#7 |
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I tell her RC is cheap !
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Quebec, Canada
Posts: 726
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The speed of rock crawling is another new for me: How do you get the torque needed to go over the rocks if you don't give much speed ? Is it very low gear ratio ?
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Jan 08, 2009, 05:10 PM
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#8 |
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12 year old flyer :p
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Brampton, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 368
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Ya, basically, it's the same thing as bicycles, low gear= Less speed, but better torque, High gear= less torque, but more speed.
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Feb 17, 2009, 11:13 PM
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#9 |
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Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 1
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Just bought it
I just bought a cliff climber off e-bay.It already had some mods done to it.Atraxxas 4 channel reviever,2.2Axial beadloch wheels and tires,11t pion gearsandduratrax11000k motor.I can hardly wait to get it and try it out.Loved the vids.Ill try and do one of mine if i can figure out how to get it on my puter.
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Oct 16, 2009, 09:23 PM
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#10 |
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still running into stuff...
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 3
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I just got a Cliff Climber (my first crawler) and I have to say that its a lot of fun.
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