New Redcat Gen9 International Harvester 800A Trail Truck

Press Release From Redcat Racing:
www.redcatracing.com

Redcat has been designing many of their vehicles lately and the Redcat think tank has been coming up with some impressive designs. The Gen9 - International Harvester 800A Trail Truck is a great example of their ingenuity and meticulous attention to detail. Loaded with features, the Gen9 has a two speed transmission, newly designed portal axles, precision suspension geometry with zero bump steer, new compound tires, high torque steering servo, adjustable wheelbase and a highly detailed body with a rear pivot mounting design.

You can’t look at the Gen9 without immediately noticing the meticulously crafted officially licensed International Scout 800A body. The body is molded in three separate pieces which allow for a more realistic full depth interior. The body is internally braced and uses a rear locking pivot mechanism with dual quarter turn fasteners up front. The sides of the body tuck neatly into the injection molded plastic rock sliders for minimal hang ups over jagged rocks. Redcat has included many injection molded details that make this body really stand out.

In the interior, you’ll find an injection molded dashboard, front and rear seats, foot pedals, shifters, door levers, window cranks, removable steering wheel and there’s even a turn signal lever on the steering column. The exterior includes an injection molded roll cage, rock sliders, bumpers, side view mirrors, door handles, windshield wipers, front grill, and buckets for headlights and taillights. This is one highly detailed body.

The Gen9 has been designed to accept 14 LED lights out of the box; there’s a spot for two dash lights, four headlights, two taillights, two reverse lights, and four rock lights located inside the fender wells. All the mounting hardware is included, so it’ll be a breeze to set the Gen9 up for night time crawling. Redcat will be releasing a light kit for the Gen9 in late March or early April. 

Shane Mikula, the lead engineer on the Gen9 project, said “One of the most requested features we’ve had for the Gen8 has been a two speed transmission, so the Gen9 has a two speed transmission.” It’s good to see that Redcat values their customers' opinions and takes the necessary steps to make them become a reality. The gen9's two speed transmission provides loads of versatility over many different types of terrain. First gear gives the driver ultimate control over difficult obstacles, while second gear allows the driver to blast through trails at double the speed. Shifting gears is as easy as pressing a button on the included transmitter. The heavy duty transmission uses a 32P spur gear and a lockable adjustable slipper clutch. The pinion and spur gears are enclosed so they are kept safe from rocks and debris. The transmission, transfer case and portal axles all have MOD1 internal gears for superior strength and durability. The Gen9 has a front mounted 550 size brushed motor and a divorced transfer case to put the weight where it’s needed. 

Redcat has included a very powerful steering servo with the Gen9. The new Hexfly Torque-Spec coreless digital steering servo is mounted to the 1.5mm steel C-channel chassis and is designed specifically for trail crawling. Using the stock ESC, The Torque-Spec servo provides an impressive 25Kg of steering authority right out the box. If upgraded to an 8.4V BEC power system, this servo is capable of an amazing 42Kg of steering torque. That’s a lot of steering power. Unlike many RTR crawlers on the market, even if you plan on replacing the power system one day, there is no need to upgrade this steering servo.

The Gen9 uses new portal axles along with a specially designed panhard bar to completely eliminate bump steer and axle sway. This allows the driver to take more precise lines and ultimately have more vehicle control. Portal axles provide more ground clearance without needing bigger tires. On the GEN9, much of the gear reduction happens inside the portal axles, which means less chassis torque twist than traditional axle shaft driven rock crawlers and trail trucks. The portal axles provide 54.5mm of ground clearance and include metal gear covers, metal wheel hexes, CNC machined spools and captured shock mounts.

The new universal style axle with one piece housing provides loads of steering and durability. Mikula said “We’ve redesigned the rear axle too, so everything on this vehicle axle-wise is in double shear at least, so it should be a lot stronger than previous designs.” “They’re probably the strongest axles we’ve ever built,” said Matt Jackson, the Director of Engineering at Redcat.

Tires are just one of those things that many hobbyists end up replacing on their new RTR crawlers, but not on the Gen9. True to scale, licensed Interco SS M-16 tires and functional beadlock wheels pull the Gen9 through the toughest terrains. These tires have an aggressive tread pattern and are in a really grippy compound, so they should perform exceptionally well on rocks and on the trail. These tires seem to be right in the sweet spot of grippiness and squish, for crawling, and stability for faster paced trail riding. Each of the M-16 tires is mounted to a beadlock rim which utilizes inner and outer aluminum beadlock rings for maximum strength and tire holding capability. The beadlocks have the addition of an interchangeable decorative plastic ring that fits over the functioning metal beadlock ring, which provides the driver with the possibility of customizing the look of their wheel while maintaining maximum performance. I can imagine all of the 3-D printed outer rings that will be showcased on social media posts.

The Redcat Gen9 makes it easy to conquer all types of terrain. The stock configuration offers users 80mm of chassis ground clearance, a 63.5 degree approach angle, and a 53 degree departure angle. This means the Gen9 may be completing obstacles while some of its competitors are getting hung up at the first incline. Redcat has gone above and beyond with this newly designed Gen9 trail crawler. There are so many exciting features and an incredible attention to detail. We can’t wait to see this thing making its way through scale competitions. The Gen9 International Scout 800A Trail Truck is a great choice for anyone looking for a high performance rock crawler with limitless potential directly out of the box.

SPECIFICATIONS:

Gen9: Fully Assembled

Motor/ESC: Brushed 550 motor / 40A Brushed 

Steering Servo: Hexfly Torque-Spec Coreless Digital. 25Kg-6V & 42Kg-8.4V

Radio: R7 2.4GHz radio system

Chassis: 1.5mm Thick Steel C-Channel Frame Rails

Drive System: 4-Wheel-Drive, Front Mounted Motor

Transmission: 2-Speed with Lockable Slipper Clutch

Transfer Case: Divorced, Centrally Mounted

Length: 523mm Stock

Wheelbase: 312mm - 336mm Adjustable
Chassis Ground Clearance: 80mm
Axle Ground Clearance: 54.5mm
Approach angle: 63.5 degrees
Departure angle: 53 degrees

Suspension: 4-Link Rear and 3-Link Front with Panhard Bar

Shocks: 95mm Adjustable Coilover Threaded Aluminum Body

Axles: Portal Axles with CNC aluminum spools, single piece housing with metal gear cover, and front universal joints.

Wheels: 1.9in True Beadlocks

Tires: Fully Licensed Interco SS M-16 Tires in a high grip compound

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Needed to complete:

Battery and Charger

AA Batteries for Transmitter