Machete Updates

Machete Updates

This page is intended to describe why we stopped shipments of the Machete 6th scale monster truck, and what we are doing to resolve the issues customers may encounter.

First, we would like to call out two YouTubers who played a pivotal role in identifying the potential issues.

Please check out both of these YouTube channels as these guys have great content.

The design of the Machete started early 2022, and we put the Machete through over 4 months of rigorous testing. In our tests, we did not experience the 3 issues which we will mention below. 

After a product design is finalized by Redcat, tooling/mold making begins. Test vehicles are produced from the tooling and sent to us for review and testing. These test vehicles are not assembled by the factory assembly line, but are instead assembled by the experienced engineers at the factory to our precise specifications. Once we have completed testing and made any necessary changes, we approve the production vehicle design, an order is placed, and the factories produce vehicles to fulfill the order on their assembly line.

With new vehicles, factories have a learning curve on their assembly lines, in some cases the factory can assemble something incorrectly in the process, which is not easily detected by the quality control process.

The Machete has 2 potential assembly issues, 1 design concern that is also being addressed, and we are addressing a missing part that was to be included with the Machete 4S.

 

Upper Arms (potential problem)

Some Machete owners have reported breakage on their front upper arms. The upper arms are 4 pieces. They include a left & right plastic part, an aluminum center part, and a steel grub screw to hold the pieces together. 

During assembly, if the grub screw is not correctly centered within the 2 plastic end pieces, a weakness in the part can occur and cause breakage.

We have spot checked a large batch of Machetes that we have in stock and found less than 2% that had this assembly issue where the grub screw was not centered. 

Out of an abundance of caution we have redesigned this part, greatly increasing the length of the grub screw as pictured below. This ensures that the screw cannot be installed off center.

All Machete owners will receive a full set of 4 upper arms. (2 front & 2 rear)

MACHETE ARMS

The top image shows the current grub screw length. If this was not centered correctly during assembly, a weak point would occur.

The bottom image is the revised part that will be sent out to all Machete owners.

 

Plastic Shock Ends (potential problem)

Some Machete owners have experienced shock ends that were over-tightened at the factory which resulted in the threads in the shock end plastic part being stripped out.

We do not expect this to be an issue on many vehicles but we recommend that you make sure that your shock end is firmly attached to the shock shaft.

We will include 4 shock ends to all Machete owners.


Center Drive Shafts (Addressing issue)

A Machete owner reported an issue where the center drive shafts started to twist after “locking” the differential.

We tested the Machete on 4S and 6S for over 4 months prior to moving to volume production, and we did not experience any issues with twisting driveshafts during our tests.

Since this issue was reported we have tested multiple vehicles with different differential oil viscosities. We did not experience any issues until attempting to “lock” the center differential using extremely thick oil.

The differentials are meant to be tuned, and we understand that owners will modify their vehicles to their liking, however all vehicles have design limitations that can be surpassed through modifications. Once these design limitations have been hit, parts can begin to fail in ways the designers did not anticipate. 

We have modified the current drive shaft to increase its torsional strength and all Machete owners will receive these new updated parts. We do not believe that many users will ever need to replace their original center drive shafts, but this tweak will help expand the amount of modification the vehicle can handle before the user experiences an issue.

The current center drive shaft is pictured above (left). You will see that the center hole will be reduced on the right image which will increase the amount of torque the drive shaft can handle.

We have read comments where some people want to put an 8S power system in the Machete and we understand users enjoy modifying cars beyond their designed limits. Please use caution when making extreme modifications.

We are also designing full steel center drive shafts as an upgrade part which will be available at a later date.

 

Battery Adapter (Machete 4S)

The Machete 4S should have included an XT90 series adapter to allow users to run two  2S batteries instead of one 4S battery if they choose. 

All Machete 4S owners will receive an adapter.

Our number one goal is to make sure that all current Machete owners receive their new parts as soon as possible.

We expect to start shipping the above parts by the end of March.

At a later date we will announce when Machetes will be available from Redcat but we expect that shipments will begin again by the middle of April.

We greatly appreciate the support we have received from many customers. We were overwhelmed by the positive remarks in how we are taking care of these concerns, and we will strive to continue providing you the best customer service in the industry.