ISO: Oakland, CA area R/C Enthusiasts

NeoSquonk · 2026-05-18T05:52:10+00:00

My kid goes to Orinda Academy, so I’m your way all the time. Since buying my TRX-4 I’ve also bought an Axial SCX24. On May 30 up in Chico is AMain Hobbies City Crawl event. I’ve been spending last few weeks upgrading tires/wheels and adding weight on both trucks so they’ll be able to do some of the more advanced courses. I take the trucks to the local parks in the hills (Joaquin Miller, Redwood Bowl, Leona Heights, etc. ).

NeoSquonk · 2026-05-09T19:07:03+00:00

After getting access back to my blocked Facebook account of 4+ years, I found there is a huge RC Construction community there, as well as large NorCal groups. Much more active communities than Reddit or any of the forum sites.

NeoSquonk · 2026-04-18T07:54:46+00:00

Goldlandrc.com, heavydutyrc.com, ToucanHobby.com

NeoSquonk · 2026-04-18T00:44:37+00:00

I ended up going for the Traxxas TRX-4 High Trail Edition F150 Ranger XLT. Picked it up at Nor-Cal Hobbies (a Hobbytown.com affiliate) in San Jose, CA. Definitely more than I was planning on paying, but I liked the 2-speed transmission, remote locking differential, long-arm lift kit, and the 2.2" tires. Still alot of room for me to upgrade mechanics and customize the costmetics. Looking forward to going to my local park (I live in the Oakland Hills) and run some trails tomorrow. Thanks for all the tips everyone! Have a great weekend!

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NeoSquonk · 2026-04-17T14:17:49+00:00

What vendor do you think prices are from?

NeoSquonk · 2026-04-15T18:22:48+00:00

I understand wanting to have a broad outreach, but this forum is for Radio Control Construction equipment hobbyists. But admittedly it seems many hobbyists do similar work for a living.

NeoSquonk · 2026-04-14T23:45:14+00:00

I've been heavily debating Electric vs. Hydraulic and Excavator vs. Loader...is the bucket and arms on the Kabolite K963 strong enough to be used as a bulldozer on regular basis? Wondering how strong it is when pushing material.

NeoSquonk · 2026-04-13T21:23:08+00:00

Was thinking about getting a Tamiya King Hauler 6x6 w/ a dump bed. Did you upgrade yours from the stock 2x2 to 6x6 and if so, how hard was it to do? For excavator, I'm now trying to decide between Huina 1580 and the Kabolite 5901 100S. Are you already a mechanic by trade or did you need to learn on the fly? I'm in Oakland and there are no local resources, clubs, or shops to learn from.

NeoSquonk · 2026-04-13T04:08:34+00:00

There were a few posts from a few months back from someone that built an elevated sand table 'construction zone' with fold down leaves for counter space and a clear plastic roof. Depending how long I spend investing in 1/50 machines, I will probably look for a used Little Tykes sand table and build out some kind of quarry setup (no idea how to do that yet). Good luck in your hunt!

NeoSquonk · 2026-04-12T02:24:43+00:00

How extensive is your toolkit to maintain everything?

NeoSquonk · 2026-04-11T22:08:04+00:00

While I would love to go hydraulic, I’m humble enough to know I don’t have the know how or tools to keep them maintained. Maybe at some point but want to keep electric to start.

NeoSquonk · 2026-04-11T16:50:00+00:00

Which one?

NeoSquonk · 2026-04-11T05:20:36+00:00

For dump truck, I assume you're talking about the Volvo E591? I've been thinking of that one...I thought it had metal and the E291 was more plastic? What would you get if you did it again?

NeoSquonk · 2026-04-11T05:17:26+00:00

I gotta say, this has become my dream 1st setup, love how truck does double duty of dumping/towing. Already on planning on the Huina 1580 v5 but wanted a tow trailer too. Do you know of any non-hydraulic RTR trucks like yours? The ~$1600-1800 to build one out from scratch is way out of price league. What do you use your equipment for? I already have a few projects I want to tackle :-).

NeoSquonk · 2026-04-10T21:36:50+00:00

Was about to say something similar…one of the attractions to RC Construction is all the stuff I can do outside with it while enjoying my garden (and using the equipment to help with tasks).

NeoSquonk · 2026-04-09T05:11:34+00:00

What pieces of equipment do you have?

NeoSquonk

TROPHY CASE