We also got carried away and built a Ford F-150 based on the TRX-4. Now, some might say you can just buy one… True, but we wanted something different. The Traxxas Ford F-150 is a so-called High-Trail model with a long 336mm wheelbase. That’s all well and good, but honestly, this model doesn’t have much to do with reality. So, our approach was to create a truck that’s as realistic as possible but still brutal, featuring all the refinements of the TRX-4 chassis.
The suspension needs to be lower without losing travel. The same goes for the wheels—they’re too big, so they’ve got to go. The motor? Let’s not even talk about it; we need a new one. Finally, the axles: the originals are too light, so we installed an aluminum/brass combination from Vitavon.
The F-150 body is really great. We painted it in Candy Red and black and equipped it with the original Traxxas light kit. Nothing else needs to be done here; with the clipless system, everything is set and ready for the first run.
For the ladder frame, as mentioned, we opted for a conversion using Vitavon parts. These are high-quality, made from high-strength 7075 aluminum, and supplemented with brass weights on the portal axles. To lower the suspension, we modified the original High-Trail version shocks (110mm) using piston rods from the standard TRX-4 version. These now measure 100mm. The longer housings also result in a larger oil volume, which has a very positive effect on damping. We also used springs from the standard TRX-4 variant so that the suspension and ride height can be adjusted properly.
The TRX-4 axles are suspended by several links, which required some brainstorming. On the long-travel version, Traxxas includes an additional extension for the rear axle. For whatever reason, that part is completely unnecessary, so we ditched it. We built completely new stainless steel control arms for our Ford, which also saved us from using the aforementioned extender. The rear axle mounted this way has a much more dynamic suspension movement and serves the purpose of a trailing axle much better than before.
For the powertrain of our F-150, we chose the Hobbywing HW38020386 AXE Plus R3 540L 2100kV R2 combo. It offers very sensitive control in first gear and plenty of speed in second. And as for power… more than enough!
To neatly tuck away all the new tech, we built a carbon fiber battery tray that also provides space for the Hobbywing ESC. This cleans up the usual TRX-4 cable mess nicely. Speaking of tech, we run all our models with Sanwa radios. Unfortunately, these only have 4 channels, but that’s enough for a TRX-4. As a solution, we used Reefs servos for the differential locks and the shifting. These are fully programmable. This allows you to connect the diff-lock servos via a Y-cable and adjust the direction of rotation and travel separately.
With our vehicle slowly taking shape and the end in sight, we went looking for the right wheels. We found what we needed at RC4WD. We chose the Classic 10-Hole Chrome 1.9″ Beadlock Wheels. We drilled out the small holes in the rim bed and added 1.6mm hex bolts from RC4WD. It’s a bit of a gimmick, but we like it. For the tires, we went with the Goodyear Wrangler MT/R 1.9″ 4.7″ Scale Tires from RC4WD. They aren’t that big, but they still look pretty mean.
All in all, we spent two months letting off steam here and, we believe, built a sharp-looking truck. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to leave them for us… We’d love to hear from you.
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