Sadly the problem is most people won't even call Traxxas due to the low cost of the replacement axle. But since you're making people aware it might help in getting people to call in. Good job keep it up.
I broke an axle in that spot. The entire ear broke off for me. And I was bummed that I had to buy the entire assembly when only the bottom pastic ujoint broke! Excellent detective work 👏👏
The plastic is not the problem, the design and type of plastic is the problem. My 3s granite has yet to pop a single plastic axle. But traxxas wants you to have to keep buying parts!
I have broken over 12 axles on the Stampede 4X4, also spoke with Traxxas, who doesn't seem to care too much, and offered absolutely no solution or apologies. I ended up installing these Extreme Heavy Duties and it has solved the issue so far. The killer is that htes axles are not listed for the Stampede and Traxxas again didn't seem to care that this would be a better stock option than the garbage it comes with.
I had the problem of the transmission overdrive breaking at the same place on my 2wd Slash. When I called Traxxas for replacement outdrives, the closest hobby shop is now 40 miles from me, the support tech said that Traxxas had steel overdrive upgrade parts. I bought them even though they cost $20 when the stock plastic part cost only $3. I have had no problems since, even though I am running a Castle brushless system in my trusty old Slash. I have never had an axle issue in my TRX-3, TRX-T, Teluride, which is also highly modified with brushless and drive train upgrades, or my 4tec 2.0 brushless car.
I’ll inspect my axles, my rears are still intact. I had problems with the other end breaking. In fairness, my kids and I are mean to the Rustler and can’t complain 😀 Very informative. Thanks for sharing!
Good observation you have a valid point. I don’t have the new Rustler 4X4 but made a good point. Hate to say it but making those axles weak makes people buy more.
ho man I just bought a rusler 4x4 vxl im checking mine right now...thank you for the information and calling traxxas telling them to fix it and letting the rc world know you are the man thank you.
I started using the proline badlands tires and I started braking those axles all the time on my rustler so I ordered some of those hot racing metal axles to see if that will solve the problem.
Hi JK, Just received my traxxas 6851A replacement driveshaft assembly and noticed the notches on the U-joint. I agree with you, this does compromise the integrity of this design. Keep up the great work on uploading videos for us.
Thank you, i recently bought this rustler 4x4, non upgraded and find myself spending twice as much on upgrades just so it can handle simple driving. I upgraded to the brushless and Lipo combo, within 5 minutes, same thing, front driver shaft broke, same issue. I reported the issue, they were nice enough to send a replacement, that I have not received yet and it has been over a week. I bought metal/ aluminum after market shafts. It seems like they put VERY inadequate upgradable parts on these, to the point where the parts which fall apart when you upgrade. A shame for such a big brand in the game.
You are the only person I've seen have this problem. I've had no able issues after 30 packs of 3s running. Maybe it's your driving. (That's a joke bud, hope you don't run into the problem again, and I'm not even going to check mine as that's when it'll break lol)
You are absolutely right I been breaking axles on the first run out. I just got new ones and look at them they have that big notch taken out. And there is even a big piece of plastic on the end of the pin from where they tore it up putting them together
@@t2nate137 yes my bad idk my I said pivot balls lol I just changed the a arms on it the other day yes the ball stud they have a lot of slop an the holes are growing lol
Great vid. Broke an axel on my rustler vxl 4x4 on my second use. Been bashing a slash for two years with broken parts only being required when it’s my fault. Clearly a weak link.
About a month after I upgraded to a 3s in my rustler VXL 2wd I started braking the plastic shafts like crazy, and they were the old ones that came undamaged. I upgraded to MIP metal shafts and it’s the best thing I’ve done to the car since I put the 3s in it
I just bought a Rustler 4x4 VXL..... started with bad rear shock caps... didn’t drive it for 5 mi s before one popped off and shot oil everywhere... then next to fail was the axle... so I bought a set of the heavy duty axles today and I see that weakened spot on my new ones.... I’ve already ordered the steel CVDs but geez Traxxas.. everything else it great with this truck so far.
I have purchased a couple of arrma trucks (such as the 2wd granite mega) and my only major complaint was the shock caps fly off very easy and I know this have been resolved but I lost my trust with them. I do love my 2wd traxxas slash and find it better in many ways on the design and build quality of the chasssis
@@nullnull5185 Shocks caps are an issue on all the traxxas off-road 1/10, even on the Rustler 4x4, traxxas hasn't still not learnt the lesson. Traxxas still use 20yo plastic CVD, just good for brushed motor. I own a 1992 traxxas buggy and the CVD are same as the current slash. Arrma is by far better and is faster to improve their cars. The Traxxas business is to sell spares and sue other brands for irrelevant patents.
Just purchased a replacement axle from local dealer and low and behold it snapped as you described. Seems 5 years has not made a difference 2023 and same design flaws. Have ordered new axles on Amazon and can't get A on Amazon they only have X .. or it's back to local dealer for another potential failure. Hope the X can keep up with the Rustler.
After 20+ years of driving mainly HPI, Losi, TLR, Tamiya TRF and Yokomo cars I have recently bought a few Traxxas cars ( rustler 2wd vxl's ) for playing around with the kids. All I can say about them is that the quality is a lot less compared to the other brands I mentioned above. Yes traxxas parts are highly available wich is a great thing but in my opinion that's only because you will need the parts to keep replacing them. It's part of their game plan. You simply have to upgrade to aftermarket parts as much as possible and you will end up with a car that's 50% more expensive than a "real" race brand like TLR or AE just to name a few. The original traxxas hop-up parts are very expensive too. I'm very dissapointed in traxxas to say the least. I really hope they fix this axle issue for you.
Just got a rustler 4x4 vxl and have broken that part of the driveshaft EVERYTIME I have dtiven it. Sucks you made this video 2 years ago and it's still a problem. I just put in an order for complete set of hot racing steel drive shafts. Hoping they work well. Thanks for this video. I was wondering if I was just really unlucky. Guess not.
😃👍great video. I do also think traxxas made them like that because they are so much thicker now and you can't bend them tabs to pop in the ball when they are thick but traxxas probably though that that extra cut slot would not cause breakage..👍 I would try placing them in some hot water for a while it may make the plastic less prone to cracking.
Thanks Shen. I looked at the exploded parts diagram and there should be a minor shallow groove, but not a big gouge on one side according to the cad drawings.
@@netcruzer Yea but like always the drawings sometimes are nothing close to what your parts actually look like....😁 traxxas probably was dreaming they came out like the drawings!
Yes ! I see it.. I have had my Rustler 4x4 VXL for a three weeks now and one just broke. Looking at them all and they all are damaged. Also had to buy part 3768 as I lost the lower spring retainer as front shocks are loose. An extra spring clip now has tightened them. Part 1952 stub axle broke as well. Wanting tougher parts but local hobby store only sells individual parts for huge coin. Are there any full upgrade kits to buy? Canadian would be nice.
I recently purchased a Slash 4x4 vxl. All 4 drive shafts broke exactly where you are indicating. Spent $40+ to get replacements from the local hobby shop. Didn't check them for that problem and needless to say they all broke again. This is a fatal flaw with design. I've replaced them now with Integy drive shafts, problem solved. Traxxas needs to address this issue and find a solution.
Just picked one of these up at my LHS yesterday, saw this and took a look. I did not find any of the damage you describe & showcase to the ball joint areas. Could it have been an early assembly issue? In fact even the assembly notch looks to be less defined on the set that’s in my vehicle. If it were an early part assembly issue it may still take some time to see non affected parts on the shelves depending on how many of the affected parts are already in the supply chain.
I am way late to this game but I just looked at the Traxxas website and saw that the 6828X is available for purchase, cost is $4. If you look closely at the pics on the Traxxas page, you will note that the notches are molded into the part.
While I know this is an old video, I’m just curious if you may know what could cause my Rustler 4WD to stop popping wheelies!?! I’ve adjusted the shipper clutch and still no wheelies. PLMK if you may have any thoughts or insights. Thank you for the video and your time. 😎🙏🏼
I don’t know how you can assemble these new ones. I couldn’t do it and it’s likely why they don’t offer the parts individually anymore. No wonder they just jam it thru!
I completely 100% agree with you because I have a beefed-up two beefed-up rustler VXL is one with an upgraded castle one with the been velineon and I still have problem ripping axe plastic axles out there cheap that's why I continue to go with them they're fast replace but yes The Notches I do 100% agree or not correct they should come stock with Factory metal drive shafts they should I don't mind paying the extra fifty to sixty bucks on top of the model for that factory upgrade but they should give you that option those axles are garbage they are junk and everybody needs to complain to Traxxas so we can get this fixed if you are a Traxxas fan do that let's get this fixed
People are using Traxxas 17mm adapters on those arrmas so they should be close just use the Traxxas part the nut screws on the outter axle part my brain can't think of the name of the part
Well done, ive seen many issue like this over the years without anything being brought up. . We need more videos like this. Too many “how to” videos. Not enough comparison ones.
You should get the tekno m6 ones for your slash 4x4. They are holding up great and allow you to adjust camber in the rear and caster in the front. Highly recommend. And way cheaper then MIP.
Netcruzer RC TECH CARS no, they should come with beefy plastic hubs and larger sealed ball bearings for the hub. Compared to MIP where you just get the axles. I recommend getting the m6 aluminum hex’s to because since the part of the axle that sticks outside of the hubs are larger, the included plastic hexes have less to room for the pin to go into the hex. Highly recommend tekno m6 axles, you should really get them. I’m not sponsored, but just really think that they are the best option on the market. Here’s the link to there website but I bought mine off of amazon www.teknorc.com/?s=Slash+4x4+axles&post_type=product
Also I watched one of your older videos of the slash 4x4 where you tried out the proline body mounts. And you where talking about how you had the problem with them coming loose. I’m pretty sure the reason for that was that you used the traxxas body washers which did not allow the thumb nut to properly secure. At the bottom of the threads that go through the body, there should be a rubber O ring that the thumb nut should press against to prevent it from coming loose. If you still have them then I recommend trying them out again but without traxxas body washers.
I have two stampede 4x4 vxl brushless I brought 10 of the u-joints replace two I've broken many driveshafts hopefully traxxas will fix the problem before I buy the rustler
I'm just getting started with my Rustler 4x4 VXL but I have already broke a couple of parts due to accidents caused by poor driving ability. Lol I'll be looking at my axles to see what their condition is. I just bought the car brand new in February of 2019.
Have you ordered and checked the R part number yet? Did Traxxas mention it? It's the option part. I haven't watched your entire vid yet. I'm in the store buying a Rustler now. Bought the metal bearing adapter
I finally broke one on the differential output shaft end after 3 months of just cruising on 3S. Are there any other steel options besides Traxxas CVD's and MIP X-Duty axles? Reviews on both aren't very confidence inspiring. Might just keep replacing with plastic stockers every 3 months instead of gambling on $70 upgrades. Hopefully there's an engineer out there coming up with a better design.
I have broke everyone of mine in that same spot. Traxxas sent me the updated version which is gray and I just broke one in same spot on my first battery with them. This is getting ridiculous. I've now put three sets of axles in this truck since February. Funny my 3906 emaxx coveted with dual brushless motors has the original non brusless axles in it.
OH BOY here we go lol, not cool, not cool at all. I hope i dont have these issues on mine, hope mine wasnt built on a friday or a monday like urs must of been lol
Man I bought my rustler 4x4 Vxl 2 weeks ago, I’m running completely stock EVERYTHING! Mind you not only am I bashing this thing but I cut my 5 year old and my 7 year old boys lose with this truck, and we are all three jumping it from about a 30 degree ramp full speed on a 17t pinion most of the time and I or my kids have yet to break a part!!!! The only thing I do is clean the truck every 3 runs and oil all plastics with Hilco lube which comes in a spray can and is similar to wd40, idk maybe I got lucky and just got a great truck that was assembled correctly, I’ve landed this thing from 30ft in the air straight on the rear bumper and wheelie bar and still can’t break it!! Lol
I have a $tec 2.0 and its pretty well built but these off road vehicles dont seem worth it, until they change this design on their offroad stuff i'll go with Arrma
Mine is 4 days old. Been through 2 runs with it and I noticed a couple of the axle ears have white stretch marks already. They are going to let go on the next run I'm pretty sure of it. I did notice new, the crosses all looked off and those notches. Looked damaged from the open box. We will see I guess
I snapped 3 axles at the u joint. Not through the notch but to the side in the direction of running. They basically twisted off and snapped from the base. So yeah they cannot take 3s power on everything stock. I don’t even bash hard on ramps on anything just around my house. I bought the GPM axles i hate they are heavy as shit but let’s see if I don’t have to replace them weekly like this ones.
Straight up blowing through axles left right and centre. (No pun intended, all the axles are weak on this car to be honest.) I found out very quickly that the rustler is a money pit of a car. Makes me kinda wish I kept my slash. They’re identical in a lot of ways but I’m having WAY more issues with the rustler.
I had asked if it had been fixed. You said you weren't sure and had sold it. Dont blame you at all. It has not been fixed. Same stuff on the new lcg rustler 4x4 vxl. Mine broke exactly at the same spot. Just thought I'd share.
Great video and very informative; I'm going to be getting a Traxxas 4x4 Rustler he soon and glad I saw your video. Is there an after market replacement part that will work better?
Oh and I haven't broke any axles on mine in a month of bashing on 3s on a 14g pinion and all night so I jump and do flips, and if you are going to break a part on a RC then upgrade it instead of buying a bunch of 12$ axles you could have just put some xo1 shafts in and it's done lol, but I guess if you're determined to keep it all stock and use these plastic shafts forever then that's cool too lol.
Hey thanks man for the video great to know I am about to go and get a new asshole for my/was gonna be upgrading I’m still going to go with the upgraded axles but it’s nice to know about that weak point I thought about possibly sending the area ever so slightly and doing a super glue and baking soda compound mix in there to try to seal it up you might consider doing that let me know if you found anything else out I know it’s two years old video but here we go
At first I was shocked to see the amount of material was removed from assembly. But then I thought about it for a second ... there is not any reason an axle should be pulled apart through that notch in normal operation. Normal operation being the key tho. During a crash or bad landing it is possible. But you can't base a recall on those conditions so I see how Traxxas would call it normal atm. They should just make the ball with 2 fixed and 2 spring-loaded pins so assembly wouldn't make it worst.
IMO this is why the NEW late 2023 Traxxas 4x4 models are getting the new MAXX size Extreme Heavy Duty driveshaft kit included. There was a unresolveable weakness with these ones in this video.
@@netcruzer well I ended up going metal but they should really make it so you can install them without the heavy duty kit like the new ones from the maxx but the ones in this video hold up great on 2wd but not my hoss so they should start putting those in the 2wd slashes and stuff
6 лет назад
Im asking my self , what if you put old style non damaged part WITH the new non damaged heavy duty axle would it work or it would be weaker ?
I was quite excited when i heard that traxxas were upgrading the axles ,the ones on my stampede vxl last just two hours ,what a shame these are even worse ,GRR SHAME ON YOU TRAXXAS USE METAL !!,i have arrma too and no problems at all, i wonder if they make them weak so we will have to buy more replacement parts ?? rant over great videos btw
@@cwatson42785 I bought a Arma Senton 3S and the axles are 10x better than any of the Traxxas cars i own. I own 4 Traxxas Cars/Trucks and You are correct the Arrma product is a Force to be reckoned with. Why can't TRaxxas get the axles correct after 10 years plus with the same cars and trucks? I see people always recommend MIP axles but those are easily 150 for a set on top of the 500 for the car. lol The Arma 3S is stock at 300 and will take a 3S butt whopping for days :).
@@LuisC202 ah I see owning a arrma has opened your eyes like it did mine! The 3s line is the best value in rc right now and it can't be beat in terms of toughness, speed and quality! Even the design and parts are a sight to behold! I'm now team arrma all day every day! Ps the 3s Kraton is dropping this spring!!! Shhhhh! They are absolutely killing it right now
@@cwatson42785 I was picking up a Traxxas Rustler after work today, but after reading all these comments about how Traxxas is handling their product issues...I believe I'm going to go w/ the Arrma Kraton!? My 2wd Stampede will be here today also, time will tell if that's going back too ! 🤘
@@jasonsmither7514 Great choice Jason! Yeah you won't be disappointed! I would choose arrma all day every day over traxxas. They are so much more durable imo. In my experience my old traxxas trucks would break every other run, then I switched to arrma and im never going back. Have fun with your new trucks bud!
I’ve not looked at any lately, I sold mine a few years ago. It’s a very fun vehicle, but I didn’t want to upgrade the axles and moved on to try other models.
@@netcruzer yeah it says something about those heavy duty axles on the packaging. i hope its fine now. for my part i cannot imagine a better rc than this rustler 4x4 but im a noob and this is my first :D which model would you say is even better fun than this one?
Slash 4x4 vs Rustler VXL what do you recommend for general bashing purposes? Looking for durability I feel like rustler will bash better but the tucked in smaller wheels/tires and bigger bumpers on the slash will protect it better from damage. Thoughts?
I hate to say it but if you are looking for durability look to Arrma. Slash and Rustler are both fun. Rustler is more stunty but I liked driving my Slash more. However for durability Arrma Granite 3S is better and just as fun. I sold the rustler and kept the Granite.
Netcruzer RC TECH CARS - Think I’ve kinda landed on the slash so good to know you like driving it more than the rustler. Good to know about the aarma as well but I’ve been pretty set on a Traxxas due to popularity, longevity of the models, and parts availability. New to the hobby and my last car (axial yeti) that I decided to buy was something I already knew that had been discontinued recently and raced to buy up all the parts to bulletproof it and cost too much in too little time and very little stock parts left on the car so it’s become too damn pretty to run now so it’s become a shelf queen. Trying to go the opposite now with the slash, know it’s not getting discontinued, even if it does still have parts support because parts are interchangeable with a few of their other models, way more durable (seemingly) in its stock form than the yeti, I plan on keeping it simple upgrade nothing and beat on it replacing things as they break, and really just want a user I can wreck and fix over and over but that will hold up well enough to the point where it won’t break the bank. Traxxas parts also seem cheap enough so also a factor, and the fact that I can go into any hobby shop and they are gonna have a buttload or slash parts is also nice. Next one though I will probably look into something aarma, love that kraton...
Good RC defection detection Net Cruzer RC, good work John, looks like your probably right to me, however I believe you may find Traxxas can’t admit to any wrong doing or inherent design flaws, thank you lawyers, due to a fear of future lawsuits, public outcry or lack of sales forcing a recall. Thanks for sharing. Later
Those drive shafts used to twist allot on the older gas powered models. But this is clearly an issue of being defective, these drive shafts are very durable.....when they're madr right lol. But either way as long as Traxxas replaces the defective units its not an issue. Plus the parts are cheap anyways.
I'd like to point out I bought some of the old driveshafts because my shop didn't have the beefier new ones. I broke one literally 5 minutes after installing it and I was babying the truck. I ordered some Tekno m6 driveshafts. I'm not buying traxxas stuff anymore. From now on it's all 3rd party stuff.
Thanx for the info, it's GREATLY appreciated. I've been thinking about buying one of these or something similar, this video my have swayed my decision in a different direction. Again, Thank You
Hooohoohoo. Ive been on the fence with this rc and the arrma big rock/granite. Definitely going arrma after seeing this. Thankyou so much for posting this video
Great video showcasing the Traxxas way of doing business. Purposely built-in weaknesses to keep you coming back for their "readily available" parts support. Makes ya wonder why is just so darn readily available in the first place!!! 🙄 The idea of their "unmatched customer service and parts support" only exists to line their company wallets with consumers hard earned money. Their slogan should be "We Make 'Em Easy to Break So You Stay Broke!"
Netcruzer RC TECH CARS maybe. I personally have problems with how badly arrma treated me with the BLX85 granite so I’m sticking with Traxxas until I personally get a problem with them. Not that I’m doubting you but after this and the helion invictus I don’t trust many video reviews. Keep up the good work though
The newest colors of Rustler 4x4 look to me to have revised axles. A different lighter shade of grey and less grooved out by the joint pin. It would be a silent revision.
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Glad you put this out, hope it gets Traxxas to address this, at the very least it'll help out other consumers, thanks.
Sadly the problem is most people won't even call Traxxas due to the low cost of the replacement axle. But since you're making people aware it might help in getting people to call in. Good job keep it up.
On the list now
I broke an axle in that spot. The entire ear broke off for me. And I was bummed that I had to buy the entire assembly when only the bottom pastic ujoint broke! Excellent detective work 👏👏
Great information & well presented. Personally, I wish Traxxas would stop the plastic driveshafts, just not a fan.
The plastic is not the problem, the design and type of plastic is the problem. My 3s granite has yet to pop a single plastic axle. But traxxas wants you to have to keep buying parts!
I have broken over 12 axles on the Stampede 4X4, also spoke with Traxxas, who doesn't seem to care too much, and offered absolutely no solution or apologies. I ended up installing these Extreme Heavy Duties and it has solved the issue so far. The killer is that htes axles are not listed for the Stampede and Traxxas again didn't seem to care that this would be a better stock option than the garbage it comes with.
Wow! Glad the extremes are holding up for you hopefully manufacturing has improved since I made this.
Life long mechanic here ! you are absolutely correct and Traxxas is never going to admit they have poor workmanship.
Instead of fixing these they came out with the Extreme upgrade kits that use the much larger MAXX style plastic axles.
I had the problem of the transmission overdrive breaking at the same place on my 2wd Slash. When I called Traxxas for replacement outdrives, the closest hobby shop is now 40 miles from me, the support tech said that Traxxas had steel overdrive upgrade parts. I bought them even though they cost $20 when the stock plastic part cost only $3. I have had no problems since, even though I am running a Castle brushless system in my trusty old Slash. I have never had an axle issue in my TRX-3, TRX-T, Teluride, which is also highly modified with brushless and drive train upgrades, or my 4tec 2.0 brushless car.
I’ll inspect my axles, my rears are still intact. I had problems with the other end breaking. In fairness, my kids and I are mean to the Rustler and can’t complain 😀
Very informative. Thanks for sharing!
Good observation you have a valid point. I don’t have the new Rustler 4X4 but made a good point. Hate to say it but making those axles weak makes people buy more.
Yes, had I not broken mine first run I might have not looked so closely. They will break eventually, but this seems prone to premature failure.
Netcruzer RC TECH CARS, I have the original Rustler didn’t have much of an issue but the way they apear now they break prematurely.
Good find and thanks for making a video explaining the problem.
ho man I just bought a rusler 4x4 vxl im checking mine right now...thank you for the information and calling traxxas telling them to fix it and letting the rc world know you are the man thank you.
Is this issue fixed by now?
I started using the proline badlands tires and I started braking those axles all the time on my rustler so I ordered some of those hot racing metal axles to see if that will solve the problem.
Hi JK,
Just received my traxxas 6851A replacement driveshaft assembly and noticed the notches on the U-joint. I agree with you, this does compromise the integrity of this design.
Keep up the great work on uploading videos for us.
Thank you, i recently bought this rustler 4x4, non upgraded and find myself spending twice as much on upgrades just so it can handle simple driving. I upgraded to the brushless and Lipo combo, within 5 minutes, same thing, front driver shaft broke, same issue. I reported the issue, they were nice enough to send a replacement, that I have not received yet and it has been over a week. I bought metal/ aluminum after market shafts. It seems like they put VERY inadequate upgradable parts on these, to the point where the parts which fall apart when you upgrade. A shame for such a big brand in the game.
You are the only person I've seen have this problem. I've had no able issues after 30 packs of 3s running. Maybe it's your driving. (That's a joke bud, hope you don't run into the problem again, and I'm not even going to check mine as that's when it'll break lol)
You are absolutely right I been breaking axles on the first run out. I just got new ones and look at them they have that big notch taken out. And there is even a big piece of plastic on the end of the pin from where they tore it up putting them together
Traxxas needs to just add steel axles from the factory. This is just getting ridiculous.
Yes they do i think
Mine are gonna break soon at the pivot balls as well
2rsracing 239 they don’t have pivot balls. Do you mean the axle yolk? Or ball stud?
@@t2nate137 yes my bad idk my I said pivot balls lol I just changed the a arms on it the other day yes the ball stud they have a lot of slop an the holes are growing lol
Revo are steel
What do you think? Do your new axles look like that? It's definitely the weakest area, and it shouldn't be.
Great vid. Broke an axel on my rustler vxl 4x4 on my second use. Been bashing a slash for two years with broken parts only being required when it’s my fault. Clearly a weak link.
buy the steel ones
i dont have a name, the metal axels are $80 per set I think.
About a month after I upgraded to a 3s in my rustler VXL 2wd I started braking the plastic shafts like crazy, and they were the old ones that came undamaged. I upgraded to MIP metal shafts and it’s the best thing I’ve done to the car since I put the 3s in it
March 2021 and I got my Rustler 4x4 VXL yesterday and broke a rear axle on the 3rd battery. Checked my axles, still have that notch you're showing.
Mine looks the same I just bought them and was trying to learn how to put them on I didnt think that would ever be like that
I just bought a Rustler 4x4 VXL..... started with bad rear shock caps... didn’t drive it for 5 mi s before one popped off and shot oil everywhere... then next to fail was the axle... so I bought a set of the heavy duty axles today and I see that weakened spot on my new ones.... I’ve already ordered the steel CVDs but geez Traxxas.. everything else it great with this truck so far.
I’m going to get a Traxxas Rustler 4X4 VXL for Christmas
I’m exited 😁😀
I have not check mine yet just got it but I will now. Planning to upgrade to the metal cvd's I saw. thanks for the heads up
I'm done with Traxxas because of stuff just like this. I've started buying Arrma and I'm much happier. Just my opinion.
I have purchased a couple of arrma trucks (such as the 2wd granite mega) and my only major complaint was the shock caps fly off very easy and I know this have been resolved but I lost my trust with them. I do love my 2wd traxxas slash and find it better in many ways on the design and build quality of the chasssis
@@nullnull5185 Shocks caps are an issue on all the traxxas off-road 1/10, even on the Rustler 4x4, traxxas hasn't still not learnt the lesson. Traxxas still use 20yo plastic CVD, just good for brushed motor. I own a 1992 traxxas buggy and the CVD are same as the current slash. Arrma is by far better and is faster to improve their cars. The Traxxas business is to sell spares and sue other brands for irrelevant patents.
Yeah good point @switch off when not in use just with the Arrma the caps would pop off even with a 15 turn brushed motor...
@@nullnull5185 That's why arrma doesn't use shock caps on their new 3s BLXs, not like Traxxas who use the same crappy shock caps for years.
FPV FANATIC my arrma was nothing but a piece of junk last time. Traxxas has been good to me BUT I’ve not had anything new off road yet.
Just purchased a replacement axle from local dealer and low and behold it snapped as you described. Seems 5 years has not made a difference 2023 and same design flaws.
Have ordered new axles on Amazon and can't get A on Amazon they only have X .. or it's back to local dealer for another potential failure.
Hope the X can keep up with the Rustler.
Yeah T came out with the Xtreme Duty upgrade kits which use the MAXX axles, instead of fixing these ones IMO.
After 20+ years of driving mainly HPI, Losi, TLR, Tamiya TRF and Yokomo cars I have recently bought a few Traxxas cars ( rustler 2wd vxl's ) for playing around with the kids. All I can say about them is that the quality is a lot less compared to the other brands I mentioned above. Yes traxxas parts are highly available wich is a great thing but in my opinion that's only because you will need the parts to keep replacing them. It's part of their game plan. You simply have to upgrade to aftermarket parts as much as possible and you will end up with a car that's 50% more expensive than a "real" race brand like TLR or AE just to name a few. The original traxxas hop-up parts are very expensive too. I'm very dissapointed in traxxas to say the least. I really hope they fix this axle issue for you.
Just got a rustler 4x4 vxl and have broken that part of the driveshaft EVERYTIME I have dtiven it. Sucks you made this video 2 years ago and it's still a problem. I just put in an order for complete set of hot racing steel drive shafts. Hoping they work well. Thanks for this video. I was wondering if I was just really unlucky. Guess not.
😃👍great video. I do also think traxxas made them like that because they are so much thicker now and you can't bend them tabs to pop in the ball when they are thick but traxxas probably though that that extra cut slot would not cause breakage..👍 I would try placing them in some hot water for a while it may make the plastic less prone to cracking.
Thanks Shen. I looked at the exploded parts diagram and there should be a minor shallow groove, but not a big gouge on one side according to the cad drawings.
@@netcruzer Yea but like always the drawings sometimes are nothing close to what your parts actually look like....😁 traxxas probably was dreaming they came out like the drawings!
Yes ! I see it.. I have had my Rustler 4x4 VXL for a three weeks now and one just broke. Looking at them all and they all are damaged.
Also had to buy part 3768 as I lost the lower spring retainer as front shocks are loose. An extra spring clip now has tightened them.
Part 1952 stub axle broke as well. Wanting tougher parts but local hobby store only sells individual parts for huge coin.
Are there any full upgrade kits to buy? Canadian would be nice.
I recently purchased a Slash 4x4 vxl. All 4 drive shafts broke exactly where you are indicating. Spent $40+ to get replacements from the local hobby shop. Didn't check them for that problem and needless to say they all broke again. This is a fatal flaw with design. I've replaced them now with Integy drive shafts, problem solved. Traxxas needs to address this issue and find a solution.
Great observation! Hopefully Traxxas will address.
Just picked one of these up at my LHS yesterday, saw this and took a look. I did not find any of the damage you describe & showcase to the ball joint areas. Could it have been an early assembly issue? In fact even the assembly notch looks to be less defined on the set that’s in my vehicle.
If it were an early part assembly issue it may still take some time to see non affected parts on the shelves depending on how many of the affected parts are already in the supply chain.
#fakenews
I broke one and upgraded to the 45mm hot racing axels and I like them a lot serious bashing and no issues
I'm on day 4 with my new rustler, and 4th CV shaft. I will be inspecting them closely before I install them now.
I am way late to this game but I just looked at the Traxxas website and saw that the 6828X is available for purchase, cost is $4. If you look closely at the pics on the Traxxas page, you will note that the notches are molded into the part.
I have snapped my front axles after 2 days of use and moderate use!!!! I just ordered aluminum axles to avoid any further axle yoke breaks!
While I know this is an old video, I’m just curious if you may know what could cause my Rustler 4WD to stop popping wheelies!?! I’ve adjusted the shipper clutch and still no wheelies. PLMK if you may have any thoughts or insights. Thank you for the video and your time. 😎🙏🏼
Good information thank you for your time support and passion for the hobby:)
Great info. The old ones were hard enough to put together. But that's not good
I don’t know how you can assemble these new ones. I couldn’t do it and it’s likely why they don’t offer the parts individually anymore. No wonder they just jam it thru!
I completely 100% agree with you because I have a beefed-up two beefed-up rustler VXL is one with an upgraded castle one with the been velineon and I still have problem ripping axe plastic axles out there cheap that's why I continue to go with them they're fast replace but yes The Notches I do 100% agree or not correct they should come stock with Factory metal drive shafts they should I don't mind paying the extra fifty to sixty bucks on top of the model for that factory upgrade but they should give you that option those axles are garbage they are junk and everybody needs to complain to Traxxas so we can get this fixed if you are a Traxxas fan do that let's get this fixed
I'm almost curious if I can mod some dogbone up like see if I can use arrma cups and axles on my slash somehow
I’ve been wondering if the arrma plastic axles are a direct bolt on, I have not tried that yet.
People are using Traxxas 17mm adapters on those arrmas so they should be close just use the Traxxas part the nut screws on the outter axle part my brain can't think of the name of the part
Well done, ive seen many issue like this over the years without anything being brought up. . We need more videos like this. Too many “how to” videos. Not enough comparison ones.
Happened to my Slash too. I had a hard time to put metal part into the plastic part.
Good stuff man. Always nice to know these thing. Great video 👍👍
You should get the tekno m6 ones for your slash 4x4. They are holding up great and allow you to adjust camber in the rear and caster in the front. Highly recommend. And way cheaper then MIP.
For those you need to buy tekno hubs too?
Netcruzer RC TECH CARS no, they should come with beefy plastic hubs and larger sealed ball bearings for the hub. Compared to MIP where you just get the axles. I recommend getting the m6 aluminum hex’s to because since the part of the axle that sticks outside of the hubs are larger, the included plastic hexes have less to room for the pin to go into the hex. Highly recommend tekno m6 axles, you should really get them. I’m not sponsored, but just really think that they are the best option on the market.
Here’s the link to there website but I bought mine off of amazon
www.teknorc.com/?s=Slash+4x4+axles&post_type=product
Also I watched one of your older videos of the slash 4x4 where you tried out the proline body mounts. And you where talking about how you had the problem with them coming loose. I’m pretty sure the reason for that was that you used the traxxas body washers which did not allow the thumb nut to properly secure. At the bottom of the threads that go through the body, there should be a rubber O ring that the thumb nut should press against to prevent it from coming loose. If you still have them then I recommend trying them out again but without traxxas body washers.
I have two stampede 4x4 vxl brushless I brought 10 of the u-joints replace two I've broken many driveshafts hopefully traxxas will fix the problem before I buy the rustler
I'm just getting started with my Rustler 4x4 VXL but I have already broke a couple of parts due to accidents caused by poor driving ability. Lol
I'll be looking at my axles to see what their condition is. I just bought the car brand new in February of 2019.
Have you ordered and checked the R part number yet? Did Traxxas mention it? It's the option part. I haven't watched your entire vid yet. I'm in the store buying a Rustler now. Bought the metal bearing adapter
Thanks for sharing. Im planning to buy rustler 4x4 and now Im aware of this to happen. So what's the best thing to do? Replace it with alum?
Yes mine is doing the same thing. Had the car less than a week and already had to buy 4 sets of Axel's
I finally broke one on the differential output shaft end after 3 months of just cruising on 3S. Are there any other steel options besides Traxxas CVD's and MIP X-Duty axles? Reviews on both aren't very confidence inspiring. Might just keep replacing with plastic stockers every 3 months instead of gambling on $70 upgrades. Hopefully there's an engineer out there coming up with a better design.
I have broke everyone of mine in that same spot. Traxxas sent me the updated version which is gray and I just broke one in same spot on my first battery with them. This is getting ridiculous. I've now put three sets of axles in this truck since February. Funny my 3906 emaxx coveted with dual brushless motors has the original non brusless axles in it.
OH BOY here we go lol, not cool, not cool at all. I hope i dont have these issues on mine, hope mine wasnt built on a friday or a monday like urs must of been lol
its their way of having job security lol
@@STEVOD313 your gonna have this issue. I know how you drive 😂😂
@@GreatLakesRC haha funny guy here, hey u need to come race on road with me at larrys ill show u how i drive lol
@@STEVOD313 so you can crash into one of my cars? 😂 I'm in 👍👍 seriously though, I'm trying to figure out when I will be on your side of town again.
Man I bought my rustler 4x4 Vxl 2 weeks ago, I’m running completely stock EVERYTHING! Mind you not only am I bashing this thing but I cut my 5 year old and my 7 year old boys lose with this truck, and we are all three jumping it from about a 30 degree ramp full speed on a 17t pinion most of the time and I or my kids have yet to break a part!!!! The only thing I do is clean the truck every 3 runs and oil all plastics with Hilco lube which comes in a spray can and is similar to wd40, idk maybe I got lucky and just got a great truck that was assembled correctly, I’ve landed this thing from 30ft in the air straight on the rear bumper and wheelie bar and still can’t break it!! Lol
I have a $tec 2.0 and its pretty well built but these off road vehicles dont seem worth it, until they change this design on their offroad stuff i'll go with Arrma
I agree with you. The 4TEC 2.0 is a tank. I’ve had some insane high speed crashes with mine and I’ve broken zero parts on it.
Mine is 4 days old. Been through 2 runs with it and I noticed a couple of the axle ears have white stretch marks already. They are going to let go on the next run I'm pretty sure of it. I did notice new, the crosses all looked off and those notches. Looked damaged from the open box. We will see I guess
mine break thru the shaft, a shear tearing apart of the shaft itself, in front of the hub by the wheel.. never had one fail by the u joint.
Any idea if they fixed it by now? Great catch.
Broke this part running my very first lipo on my rustler 4x4 vxl
I snapped 3 axles at the u joint. Not through the notch but to the side in the direction of running. They basically twisted off and snapped from the base. So yeah they cannot take 3s power on everything stock. I don’t even bash hard on ramps on anything just around my house. I bought the GPM axles i hate they are heavy as shit but let’s see if I don’t have to replace them weekly like this ones.
I had the SAME exact thing happen to me 2 times! And it’s not easy to get the ball back in. I wish they would do something about that.
Straight up blowing through axles left right and centre. (No pun intended, all the axles are weak on this car to be honest.) I found out very quickly that the rustler is a money pit of a car. Makes me kinda wish I kept my slash. They’re identical in a lot of ways but I’m having WAY more issues with the rustler.
Any update on this situation since you posted this info? Thanks
I had asked if it had been fixed. You said you weren't sure and had sold it. Dont blame you at all. It has not been fixed. Same stuff on the new lcg rustler 4x4 vxl. Mine broke exactly at the same spot. Just thought I'd share.
Hello. Is there a case for rustler vxl 2019 to run out of stock and I can't buy it in a few months?
Great video and very informative; I'm going to be getting a Traxxas 4x4 Rustler he soon and glad I saw your video.
Is there an after market replacement part that will work better?
Yes, but all are expensive and heavier.
I order a rustler 4x4 I should get it tomorrow... what should I change on it when I get it
I would guess getting Traxxas to change the manufacture of these parts via heating the parts up could resolve this? Hard to say
Oh and I haven't broke any axles on mine in a month of bashing on 3s on a 14g pinion and all night so I jump and do flips, and if you are going to break a part on a RC then upgrade it instead of buying a bunch of 12$ axles you could have just put some xo1 shafts in and it's done lol, but I guess if you're determined to keep it all stock and use these plastic shafts forever then that's cool too lol.
Have they fixed this issue?
Dose the body on the traxxas rustler 4x4 pop of because of the clipless body mounts
Hey thanks man for the video great to know I am about to go and get a new asshole for my/was gonna be upgrading I’m still going to go with the upgraded axles but it’s nice to know about that weak point I thought about possibly sending the area ever so slightly and doing a super glue and baking soda compound mix in there to try to seal it up you might consider doing that let me know if you found anything else out I know it’s two years old video but here we go
Just picked these up and as of March 2020 this is still an issue. My brand new one have this same issue.
At first I was shocked to see the amount of material was removed from assembly. But then I thought about it for a second ... there is not any reason an axle should be pulled apart through that notch in normal operation. Normal operation being the key tho. During a crash or bad landing it is possible. But you can't base a recall on those conditions so I see how Traxxas would call it normal atm. They should just make the ball with 2 fixed and 2 spring-loaded pins so assembly wouldn't make it worst.
Just broke one and traxxas was out of stock. Luckily the local store had two packages so we bought both!
Je viens tout juste de m'acheté le même Rc. Merci beaucoup pour ton vidéo
I looked at a brand new driveshaft 4 years later still have this issue and all my broken ones break on that side
IMO this is why the NEW late 2023 Traxxas 4x4 models are getting the new MAXX size Extreme Heavy Duty driveshaft kit included. There was a unresolveable weakness with these ones in this video.
@@netcruzer well I ended up going metal but they should really make it so you can install them without the heavy duty kit like the new ones from the maxx but the ones in this video hold up great on 2wd but not my hoss so they should start putting those in the 2wd slashes and stuff
Im asking my self , what if you put old style non damaged part WITH the new non damaged heavy duty axle would it work or it would be weaker ?
Likely would be weaker. The new axles are overall stronger in every way, except they have this weak area from assembly.
I was quite excited when i heard that traxxas were upgrading the axles ,the ones on my stampede vxl last just two hours ,what a shame these are even worse ,GRR SHAME ON YOU TRAXXAS USE METAL !!,i have arrma too and no problems at all, i wonder if they make them weak so we will have to buy more replacement parts ?? rant over great videos btw
Ding ding ding!!!
@@cwatson42785 I bought a Arma Senton 3S and the axles are 10x better than any of the Traxxas cars i own. I own 4 Traxxas Cars/Trucks and You are correct the Arrma product is a Force to be reckoned with. Why can't TRaxxas get the axles correct after 10 years plus with the same cars and trucks? I see people always recommend MIP axles but those are easily 150 for a set on top of the 500 for the car. lol The Arma 3S is stock at 300 and will take a 3S butt whopping for days :).
@@LuisC202 ah I see owning a arrma has opened your eyes like it did mine! The 3s line is the best value in rc right now and it can't be beat in terms of toughness, speed and quality! Even the design and parts are a sight to behold! I'm now team arrma all day every day! Ps the 3s Kraton is dropping this spring!!! Shhhhh! They are absolutely killing it right now
@@cwatson42785 I was picking up a Traxxas Rustler after work today, but after reading all these comments about how Traxxas is handling their product issues...I believe I'm going to go w/ the Arrma Kraton!? My 2wd Stampede will be here today also, time will tell if that's going back too ! 🤘
@@jasonsmither7514 Great choice Jason! Yeah you won't be disappointed! I would choose arrma all day every day over traxxas. They are so much more durable imo. In my experience my old traxxas trucks would break every other run, then I switched to arrma and im never going back. Have fun with your new trucks bud!
has anything changed to the better? i bought my first rc car today, this rustler 4x4, and i will definately inspect the axles. interesting stuff.
I’ve not looked at any lately, I sold mine a few years ago. It’s a very fun vehicle, but I didn’t want to upgrade the axles and moved on to try other models.
Oh this reminds me Traxxas came out with an Xtreme duty kit that is much stronger plastic axles that should fix the issue.
@@netcruzer yeah it says something about those heavy duty axles on the packaging. i hope its fine now. for my part i cannot imagine a better rc than this rustler 4x4 but im a noob and this is my first :D which model would you say is even better fun than this one?
Yup I have the same problem. I pulled mine out the box an it had the beat up notch.
Mine broke the exact same way on day #2, but the truck was doing 100 cartwheels at 50+mph.
Slash 4x4 vs Rustler VXL what do you recommend for general bashing purposes? Looking for durability I feel like rustler will bash better but the tucked in smaller wheels/tires and bigger bumpers on the slash will protect it better from damage. Thoughts?
I hate to say it but if you are looking for durability look to Arrma. Slash and Rustler are both fun. Rustler is more stunty but I liked driving my Slash more. However for durability Arrma Granite 3S is better and just as fun. I sold the rustler and kept the Granite.
Netcruzer RC TECH CARS - Think I’ve kinda landed on the slash so good to know you like driving it more than the rustler. Good to know about the aarma as well but I’ve been pretty set on a Traxxas due to popularity, longevity of the models, and parts availability. New to the hobby and my last car (axial yeti) that I decided to buy was something I already knew that had been discontinued recently and raced to buy up all the parts to bulletproof it and cost too much in too little time and very little stock parts left on the car so it’s become too damn pretty to run now so it’s become a shelf queen. Trying to go the opposite now with the slash, know it’s not getting discontinued, even if it does still have parts support because parts are interchangeable with a few of their other models, way more durable (seemingly) in its stock form than the yeti, I plan on keeping it simple upgrade nothing and beat on it replacing things as they break, and really just want a user I can wreck and fix over and over but that will hold up well enough to the point where it won’t break the bank. Traxxas parts also seem cheap enough so also a factor, and the fact that I can go into any hobby shop and they are gonna have a buttload or slash parts is also nice. Next one though I will probably look into something aarma, love that kraton...
Good RC defection detection Net Cruzer RC, good work John, looks like your probably right to me, however I believe you may find Traxxas can’t admit to any wrong doing or inherent design flaws, thank you lawyers, due to a fear of future lawsuits, public outcry or lack of sales forcing a recall. Thanks for sharing. Later
Yeah I think we’ll see a silent improvement. Hoping this makes that happen faster.
Those drive shafts used to twist allot on the older gas powered models. But this is clearly an issue of being defective, these drive shafts are very durable.....when they're madr right lol. But either way as long as Traxxas replaces the defective units its not an issue. Plus the parts are cheap anyways.
I've got a new one still in the box for Christmas. Guess I'll be putting tekno shafts on it when I open it.
I'd like to point out I bought some of the old driveshafts because my shop didn't have the beefier new ones. I broke one literally 5 minutes after installing it and I was babying the truck. I ordered some Tekno m6 driveshafts. I'm not buying traxxas stuff anymore. From now on it's all 3rd party stuff.
Thanx for the info, it's GREATLY appreciated. I've been thinking about buying one of these or something similar, this video my have swayed my decision in a different direction. Again, Thank You
no problem with mine.. I've run into about 80 packs.. Other then few spur, no issues to report :-)
Happy to hear that!
Hooohoohoo. Ive been on the fence with this rc and the arrma big rock/granite. Definitely going arrma after seeing this. Thankyou so much for posting this video
Just bought my first rc car rustler vxl had it 2 days had 1 little crash and guess what..... that part just smashed to bits the wheel came off
Ya they do and it has made me very angry traxxas i called support right away
Great video showcasing the Traxxas way of doing business. Purposely built-in weaknesses to keep you coming back for their "readily available" parts support. Makes ya wonder why is just so darn readily available in the first place!!! 🙄 The idea of their "unmatched customer service and parts support" only exists to line their company wallets with consumers hard earned money. Their slogan should be "We Make 'Em Easy to Break So You Stay Broke!"
I have a 2 we rustler vxl and mine broke as well. Twice. I just replaced them with the metal one instead.
upgrade tp mip h/d axles for a slash 4x4. i have them in my rustler 4x4. i have used mip axles for years and have never broke one.
Great find! What do you think about the steel axels?
Metal is available from various brands. I am going to try the Tekno M6 kit.
would you still recommend this truck? being a Armma fan myself I'm looking for a different brand for bashing the crap out of lol thanks for your time
I'd avoid this one, the axle problem has not been fixed. It's fun, but the reliability isn't great.
@@netcruzer have any experience with the maxx
rcfun yes I own one it’s awesome! Highly recommended.
I never understood why the U joint needs to be jammed in. Surely there’s a better system
I wonder how arrma does it? Their new plasti axles are thicker and have no U joint distress from assembly.
Netcruzer RC TECH CARS maybe. I personally have problems with how badly arrma treated me with the BLX85 granite so I’m sticking with Traxxas until I personally get a problem with them. Not that I’m doubting you but after this and the helion invictus I don’t trust many video reviews. Keep up the good work though
Do you know if they corrected the problem yet?
The newest colors of Rustler 4x4 look to me to have revised axles. A different lighter shade of grey and less grooved out by the joint pin. It would be a silent revision.