Challenge 4 - product review

The third installment of our annual Team Driver competition

Challenge 4 - product review

Postby noll11 » Sun Dec 21, 2014 5:26 pm

LURC RTR Servo Winch One-Year Review

Funnily enough, I actually won this winch last year as a voter in the 2nd iteration of this contest. It has been through hell since then (anyone who knows me knows that I don't exactly go easy on my RC's :lol: ), and is still coming back for more. Be it a punishing full-day trail run/comp or just messing around in a shallow stream, it has taken it all in stride just kept on working; It's been fully submerged more times than I can count, with no issues - the only change I made was to swap out the controller for a 3 pos one (both options are available) once I got a radio with a 3-pos 3rd channel.

Without further ado, let's get started.

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The LURC servo winch is a combination of a number of well-thought-out parts from various sources that all come together for a great end result. First up is the servo itself, which is fully metal geared and puts out a respectable 180 oz/in at 6v (although the winch controller allows it to run directly from a 2s lipo); it is more than strong enough for the kinds of rigors that it is typically put through - after a year, the gears only need a mild oiling, and the case is completely intact). Deep in the guts of the winch, controlling the whole thing, there is a waterproof HV Heyok winch controller; these are pretty much the go-to for anyone making a winch, and I have yet to hear of one kicking the bucket.

Capping it all off, there is a LURC Hogshead spool, hook, and 365cm of line. While LURC does offer a wide variety of winch lines, I haven't had any issue with the strength of the stock stuff - to give an example, I managed to get so stuck that the mounting bracket that I made for the winch pulled out of my chassis; the line was perfectly fine - and will keep using it as long as I can.

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At the start of a full-day trail ride/comp, with winch ready to go.

As far as strength and speed go, it's pretty good. It spools in and out at a slow walking pace, with no notable reduction in speed under load. Strength wise, I I haven't yet come across a situation where it stalled/was unable to pull; be it helping a wraith up a steep slope, to pulling my SCX out of any number of bad binds, and everything in between. A little more speed would be nice, but it's acceptable as-is. It doesn't really get warm when in use either; after 7+ hours of on-and-off use, it was barely noticeably warm to the touch.

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Current mounting point/condition.Still working flawlessly.

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Yep, it winched itself up there.

Overall, I would give the LURC Servo Winch a glowing recommendation, and would not hesitate to purchase another if or when the need arises. Whether it's full submersion, challenging pulls, or just plain abuse, this winch puts up with it all and returns to do it all again!

If you want to check the winch out for yourself, you can do so here:
http://www.lockeduprc.com/RTR-Servo-Winch-_p_44.html
Wheelspeed!
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noll11
TNTD Contestant
 
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Location: Almonte, Ontario, Canada

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