TRIBUTE TOW RIG

DAN RHOADES « STERLING HTS, MI

BASED ON AN AXIAL SCX10 II RTR BUILD HIGHLIGHTS

- RC4WD HD R44 Axles

- Integy aluminum transmission

case with RRP and Axial steel gears

- RC4WD Chrome steel wagon wheels

with RC4WD MT Claw 1.9 tires

- Castle Creations Mamba X paired

with a 2850 Slate motor

- Castle 10A BEC

- Savox 230WP steering servo with a second Savox micro servo that turns - the steering wheel

- 2 Yeah racing winch control PCBS

- 4Ch Spectrum receiver

The plans for Dan’s vintage Chevy wrecker started back in 2016 with guidance from his wife, who was also into RC. They decided on a custom tow truck for their local track, but as the build was underway she fell ill and eventually passed away and he set it aside for a while. But he felt the need to finish the project, and took it up again and dedicated it to her. It’s based on an Axial SCX II RTR which he disassembled down to the rails and then rebuilt using RC4WD HD R44 axles and steel underdrive gears, an Integy aluminum transmission case. He fabricated new links and reworked all the geometry for no bump steer. The cab body tilts forward on a custom bumper hinge and is retained at the back using magnets mounted on custom brackets. The back half of the body is built entirely from scratch using styrene for the box and soldered brass for the boom. A winch raises and lowers the boom and a second winch works the sling so that it operates just like a real tow truck with the tow bar rotating as the truck turns. Power comes from a Castle Creations Mamba X controlling a 2850 Slate motor. A Savox 230WP servo turns the front wheels and a second micro servo turns the steering wheel. A pair of Yeah Racing winch control PCBS handles the tow boom and sling with a separate battery to power them. Originally he planned to build his own rotating lights but found a set on Amazon that saved time and money so he went with them instead. The rest of the lighting uses a mix of Axial and Traxxas parts, and he finished it off with a set of RC4WD chrome steel wagon wheels wrapped in MT Claw 1.9 tires.