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FAST TRACK REVIEW
Text by Photos
by Walter Sidas
Bob Hastings
TRUCK
STOP
RACING
FAST FACTS
MANUFACTURER:
Truck Stop Racing
VEHICLE: Nitro Hauler
CLASS: Nitro tractor trailer
DRIVER: Any nitro enthusiast looking
for something BIG and different
PRICE: $1,599.00
SPEED: (without trailer)- 28.94
mph
ACCELERATION: 7.55 sec.
@ 28.94 mph in 239 ft.
ADDITIONAL ITEMS NEEDED: 12 AA Batteries, paint for body,
glow igniter and fuel
Who
hasn’t secretly thought about driving a
big rig? Is it because of
their gargantuan size, the
freedom of living on the open road?
Maybe it’s
the countless movies
and TV shows where the truck
plays a starring
roll—whatever
it is, I think most
of us hold a special fondness
for tractor trailers.
While several accurately detailed
electric RC tractor trailer models
are available these
days, their scaled down size
really doesn’t capture
the true enormity of
these road-going wonders. If
size and speed are more
important to you than
scale accuracy, Truck Stop
Racing may have
created just what you’re
looking for! Behold
the Nitro Hauler. At
5 feet long and standing a
foot and a half tall, “big” just
doesn’t
do this beast justice—among
RC vehicles it needs its own
zip code.
THE
RUNDOWN—If you’re a monster
truck fan, the Nitro Hauler’s main chassis will look
familiar to you; that’s because TSR began with Team
Associated’s Monster GT as a starting point. If you’re
unfamiliar with the MGT, let me bring you up to speed. The
main chassis has sealed a radio and battery box, a large
fuel tank with primer bulb and dual pick-up points to keep
fuel flowing to the engine, even when the truck’s flipped
over. The dual needle AE Pro .21 is mated to a polished aluminum
tuned pipe for added power, and the engine features both
a recoil start as well as built-in drill start receptacle.
The engine has a 3-shoe clutch leading to a reversing 2-speed
transmission via a slipper clutch. The driveline is equipped
with a single-disc brake for stopping duties; steel dogbones
run to the rear diff and out to the drive wheels.
As far as the electronics,
there’s Associated’s 27MHz AM
XP3 radio; the system has a push-button actuated 3rd channel for reverse
operation, steering dual-rate, steering and throttle trim, high and low
throttle end-point adjustments, and trio of power LED indicators. A pair
of standard servos operates the throttle/brake and shifting; a high-torque
servo with servo saver handles the steering duties. TSR includes the
original truck manuals, starting wand and support accessories to keep
you in tune with the mechanics of the truck.
To extend the wheelbase
of the original truck and accommodate a pair of rear axles for the
cab, TSR formed a 10.25-inch lower aluminum chassis plate to replace
the original Associated component. A pair of L-shaped channels at the
top of the chassis sandwiches the rear differential and runs back to
a 6mm aluminum bulkhead at the rear. Only the forward pair of the rear
wheels actually drive the Nitro Hauler, but fear not—TSR also has a 6x6 version of the truck
ready to go if you really want to get carried away. The original molded shock
towers have been replaced by 7mm machined aluminum plates affixed to the top
of the chassis and 8mm aluminum A-arms on hinge pins leading out to the original
MGT pivot ball hubs. Instead of the original long-travel monster truck shocks,
the Nitro Hauler wears a half dozen Associated buggy shocks supporting the truck.
TSR chose a quartet of T-Maxx-sized Pro-Line Road Rage tires on the back and
a pair of matching tread 1/8 scale tires on the front. The tires are mounted
on reversible chrome rims, allowing you to increase the track width of the truck
by 2 inches for better lateral stability. Two things you can’t miss on
the stretched truck chassis are the 9-inch tall body mount that supports the
truck’s cab and the machined aluminum 5th wheel for the trailer. The pivoting
coupler is spring-loaded, allowing you to hook up to your trailer on the fly.
The front body mount is hinged to ease starting and refueling because you don’t
have to completely remove the shell from the chassis. Speaking of the body, it’s
a large 2-piece, pre-trimmed shell that’s vacuum-formed in clear polycarbonate.
A white overspray film keeps the outside of the body protected while your painting
up the inside. My truck design was greatly influenced by one of the Team Honda
Peterbilt haulers; I airbrushed the tinted headlamps with Tamiya colors and
then shot the cab with Pactra red and black spray cans; the chrome for the
grille work is SpazStix Mirror Chrome spray and the trailer features hand-cut
red vinyl to complete the scheme.
Truck Stop Racing
offers the Nitro Hauler in several different packages. Ours came packed
in its own Truck Mate container. The outer portion of the container
forms the molded “boxcar” of the trailer, and the aluminum
base is actually the assembled flatbed trailer turned upside down.
The tractor fits neatly within the box as long as you remove the aerodynamic
sleeper cab that Velcros to the top of the tractor body. The trailer
has a simple but effective pair of solid axles strung through a machined
Delrin mount. The trailer also wears four matching Maxx-sized Road
Rages like the cab.
