Hey! Huh… good to know! I do have and use a V4 battery too, yes… but after reading this, I’ll better not use it anymore. However, at the moment, no matter which battery I use, when fully charged the breaking doesn’t work. It shuts down or almost dies when doing so - And the weird sound issue right now also doesn’t stop no matter what battery i put in. Do you think because I’ve used the V4 battery already, that the ESC is damaged at this point? (I mean the board does basically work its just the fully charged braking issue, and since today the noise that doesn’t stop no matter the board is on or off…)
Fred:
You need a new ESC and a replacement PCB shell. I can help you get set-up with both if you can wait a few weeks. Where do you live? I don’t work for Landwheel but I’m helping fellow riders to get thier units back up and running with the right list of parts.
Here are a few answers to your questions
The ESC is likely to be damaged under two conditions:
a) Braking with a fully charged V4-battery (because there is no place for the Regenerative current to go) b) Battery ejection due to large bump or ABS Shell failure (Regen current from the motors can’t be dissipated into the ejected battery.
You had both experiences so take your pick as to which event damaged your ESC.
You may also need a replacement terminal block depending on whether you have a V4 that was upgraded to an L3-x or if your unit was ordered and arrived as an L3-x. If it arrives as an L3-x then you do not need any extra parts.
If you received it as a complete L3-x then you just need the Shell and the ESC.
Please note that the longer screws were not an effective solution. In fact, the longer screws actually caused more damage to the ABS screw posts and resulted in earlier failures. Failures of the shell are very dangerous because if one out of three motor wires becomes disconnected then the result is instant motor lock that can throw you on the pavement. For this reason any riding of a landwheel with an ABS Shell should be done only after taking the precaution of fashioning one or two Velcro straps. If you skim this thread, you will find a video that I posted on tuning up the landwheel with a wheel radius and Velcro straps.
Another caution that you should be aware of is that a damaged Landwheel ESC tends to over deplete the L3-x batteries. If L3-x batteries fall below threshold, they will not take a new charge. So this is another reason to stop using the landwheel until you get replacement parts. Naturally, don’t leave your battery mounted in the drive as you have already observed that your ESC does not power down.
I should have a batch of the new PCB shells in my hands in about 2 weeks. Landwheel has them on hand and will be shipping them to me sometime this week. I’ve volunteered to perform a series of drop tests and rough road tests and to inspect the condition of the posts after those tests. I will also be trying a few different screw lengths and configurations to see if there is an optimal screw to work with the new PCB shell.
When I’m done with that, then the team at landwheel can make the decision to ship more broadly than to the beta test team (of which I am a volunteer member).
The last thing that I’ll point out is that an alternative to getting the parts that I’ve outlined above is the option of receiving a complete replacement unit fully assembled with a new warranty. That option is not free and the shipping is not free. However, you would end up with a new fully assembled unit and lots of spare parts from your original. You end up with extra battery, charger, wheels, motors, etc. It’s an offer that is technically only open to the beta testers. But if it interests you I can see if it’s possible to sign you up for that.
Reposting Velcro links:
https://www.homedepot.ca/en/home/p.velcro-3-ft-x-2-in-velstrap-velcro-straps-2-pack.1000113104.html
https://www.homedepot.com/p/VELCRO-Brand-3-ft-x-2-in-Velstrap-Straps-2-Pack-90440ACS/202261929
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00575600W/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
2 Likes
Dear pkasanda,
Thank you so much for this super detailed post and answering all questions, and the offer as well! I did also contact landwheel, got a response, and now waiting for the next one. As soon as i got the final response from them, I can let you know whether i still need the replacement parts or not.
So does this mean the new PCB shells aren’t officially on sale yet? (or not officially in the set when you buy a full set)? Also becoming a beta tester sounds pretty cool. I think I’d love to be part of that, if they are looking for more testers I guess.
Thanks again for your time and your reply, as mentioned, i will wait for the landwheel response first and then let you know hopefully within a week. I really appreciate your help!
I will talk to you soon, Fredi
I got it from www.e-funsport.at (the guy who runs it). He did get the original set from landwheel as far as i know.
I took my 4WD L3-x for a massive 22km ride today. On Friday, I bought my wife an electric bike (Trek) that has a 70 km range.
She wants to ride it to work on the Ottawa bike paths so we tested the route out. I packed two extra batteries in her saddle bags and off we went. We followed the river heading down stream so gravity was on my side for most of the first 11km (before doubling back). But at the 10km mark, I ascended a slope that climbed from 45m above sea level to 85 feet above sea level (from the river shore up to the top of Parliament Hill). The 40m rise follows a path winds 150 up Parliament Hill for an average grade of 26%. But I swear, portions of the path were pretty close to 45 degrees (50% grade). The 4WD landwheel easily accelerated my 225 pound weight like the hill was not there (and like as if I was on a full battery). I wish I could have videotaped it but the twists, turns and pot holes needed my full attention.
Here is the base of the climb:
and a 3D view:
And here is the map my ride elevation chart.
The green circles are the base of the climb by the river. The red circle is the top of Parliament Hill. The Orange circle is the 14.94 kilometer mark where I stopped to change batteries.
So from the top of Parliament Hill/Supreme court plateau, (11km) we turned around and headed back the same path that got us there. I charged up my batteries a few dots on the way back down Parliament Hill. The braking on the steep slope was spectacular. I had complete control of my downhill speed. Then 4 more kilometers of minor hills until the battery swap.
The 4WD Landwheel is not perfect. It really needs a pair of battery balance wires to avoid draining one battery more than the other. I think my double remote union part allows the remote posts to shift off center during the ride. Then one remote becomes dominant and drain it’s drive faster. So without the battery balancing wires I need to watch the battery lights much more than I’d like to. And near the end of my range, I worry that one Landwheel is going to initiate the low battery braking curve. So I’m going to try to add the battery balancing wires (simple jumper cables) this week.
I’ve been riding with my tether. It’s just a dog leash tied to the back of the deck and a neoprene covered carabineer to improve the grip and comfort. I’ve added them to all of my boards.
It’s amazing. I have to do a video on this. The benefits are huge. Added balance. I can lean forward into acceleration and pull myself back for deceleration. Crossing roads, I can just hop off and pull the board behind me without having to stoop. When I’m crossing an intersection and the curb is too tall to rise over, I just hop off and let the board climb the curb without my weight. This dog leash thing is the greatest electric skateboarding invention ever I swear.
Speaking of dog leashes – not just one but two different dogs lunged at my groin on this trip. Once right in the middle of this narrow wooden pedestrian bridge.
The owner was walking towards me coming the other way with a leashed yellow lab and as I passed him he lunged. He missed my groin with his teeth by less than 4 inches. Then it happened again closer to home with a black lab on a residential street. It’s the kind of surprise that could easily make you lose your balance and hit the pavement. But my tether kept me upright while I pulled my midsection out of harm’s way. It’s hard to explain how the tether helps to anchor and re-center your body. Losing my balanceon that pedestrian bridge could have thrown me over the guard rail and into the river.
So to jump to the conclusion of this 22km trip, I arrived back home with ample battery on my second pair of batteries. The max range for 2 batteries seems to be 15km (30 km for 4 batteries). That might go up a bit with balancing wires. Also, there were a lot of hills and quite a bit of stop and go because the bike paths have a lot of pedestrians that walk in pairs and don’t seem too care much about the bi-directional bike traffic traveling at 20 -30 kph.
Oh and by the way, I combined a V4 battery with a V2 ESC and Hubs to implement what I call virtual suspension on a rigid kick tail deck.
It’s pretty cool. I can ride it over side walk expansion joints and float right over top of the cracks. I am planning on doing something similar to keep the 4WD landwheel from getting its wheels caught in some of the massive cracks that are so prevalent on Ottawa streets. The V2 did not work at all with its original 29 volt battery. But it’s surprisingly competent when powered by a 42 volt V4 battery. Its neat to have an E-board with a kick tail. I wish the pavement quality was better in my neighborhood though because a rigid deck combined with crappy heavily dimpled pavement is hard on the knees and ankles. I might add my 1/2 inch anti-vibration pads. Also I’m thinking of adding a second battery – though that might make the front end too heavy for tic-tacking around the corners.
And I did a few cool things with my Boosted board G2 plus. I mounted the extended range battery which came with taller risers. But I saw a big problem. The extended range battery is massive in height. I think it’s a half inch thicker and the risers only add a quarter inch. So I ditched the Boosted board risers and added my own half inch rubber risers.
The vibration reduction is impressive but the responsiveness of the steering has taken a big hit. The sharp drifting turns that I use to be able to do are not really available any more. So it’s a tough trade off. But the thickness of the extended range battery is a real issue. I estimated that even with the oversized risers, I’d be scrapping the battery almost constantly.
So before “hitting the road” I decided to make a stainless steel skid plate for it.
This took me a few hours of metal forming. It’s not a project for the light hearted. It was a 4 hour effort. It really works well. I actually do bottom out and scrape at least 2 - 3 times on a 5 kilometer run. The stainless steel skid plate takes all the abuse. It’s glued in place with a checker board application of foam tape, silicone and hot glue.
As I mentioned, I added the dog leash tether to the boosted board. The dimensions of the boosted board and the tether length make it so I can clip the carabineer to the front truck and the tether makes a perfect carrying strap. The G2 Plus is so comfortable to carry like this.
Tether ! Tether ! Tether ! Tether !
You gotta try it.
These dog leashes are $6.00 CDN at PrincessAuto.com The 7 inch padded Carabeeners are $7.00 CDN
2 Likes
Latest Video Review including 4WD L3-x
1 Like
Hi everyone, I’m a landwheel owner V5 L3x and have just spent a very rewarding hour poring over this thread. Most of the fixes I’ve sort of got to on my own (fairly new to this forum) but its still been a great help. thanks…
I love this drive, it out performs practically everything else out there for a fraction of the cost.
Range has been an issue but with multiple batteries that is not something worth noting, I do love the fact that if you have an even number of batteries you can always get home and don’t get caught out by lying battery indicators (theres always uber)
Mine does cut out under heavy load (and I am a fairly heavy load lol) and being a diyer its perfectly understandable that the bms cuts in to protect the battery when it senses voltage sag (these are small batteries after all), to compensate i just throttle down when attacking hills and the problem doesn’t occur.
I will definitely use the wheel bevelling hack as mine are badly chunking and every replacement has done the same so thanks again!
I took my drive apart after my first ride to check it all out as it was so quick I wanted to be sure It was put together properly and noticed the screw issue so changed them all out with longer from my RC parts bin and they’ve been fine for 4 months and a lot of ks so far but what i did do that was slightly different to you guys was stop the battery rattling in the case. I know from experience that vibration is the biggest cause of mechanical failure and so I used a sheet of adhesive velcro in the case and the battery and it holds it snug with very little movement. Does make it a bit harder to get the battery out but not a real drama.
What i really wanted to know though before this comment turned into war and peace was 4WD?
Is this a factory specific thing or a DIY hack? Can you purchase another drive and sync it to one remote? I tried their website but for some reason I cant access it
Anyway thanks again for such an informative thread and I will keep you posted on any issues that come up as I use this thing very hard and most days and living in Aus all year round too.
2 Likes
It funny that you arrived at the Velcro hack on your own. If you watch my latest video I show what is probably the exact same Velcro hack.
The new PCB shells seem to shrink out of the mold so there is no longer room for the Velcro and the battery is held very tightly.
I’ll be performing some drop tests and other testing on the shells this week. I’m also going to be trying a variety of screw lengths because I too estimate the prevailing screws are too short.
The 4WD is definitely an end user hack. Landwheel has not been successful in synchronizing remotes.
If you watch the various 4WD videos in this thread, you’ll see one method of harnessing the two remotes together. The best double sided tape to use is Acrylic tape for mounting mirrors. You can find it in home depot with other double sided tapes.
I recommend this one: https://www.homedepot.ca/en/home/p.no-more-nails-mounting-tape.1000406813.html
If you use a lesser double sided tape, the remotes can slide around causing one drive to work harder than the other. Then the batteries get out of balance. If the foam tape is strong, the batteries deplete very evenly.
Back to the longer screws… longer screws were of limited help with the ABS shells. In fact longer screws often contributed to the splitting of the posts. So definitely use a Velcro strap to hold things together until you get your new shell. Also inspect below the battery cover frequently to make sure none of the wires have slipped between the ABS shell and the aluminum backing plate. This can happen to the antenna wires or the senor wires and damage to the wires can happen as a result.
1 Like
Hi Guys. First off, big thanks to pkasanda and the forum for the tips on the wheels and velcro straps! I sanded a profile onto the wheels and it fixed the chunking. Glad I found the video from pkasanda 
I bought my L3-X Unit on the 12th of May. I was told the unit is PC and not ABS after asking them. My batteries both came with no blue stickers. I was told they are the newest and not to worry. As in the video above, without a comparison, its impossible to tell if its a new or old unit.
My issue is range and the safety of the Landwheel. I have been flung off it 3 times already.
The batteries only last less than 2 miles on high mode. They then die and I have to take the battery out, put it back in and restart it. After that I can only ride in low mode without it switching off. At this stage its super slow and I can then get the 5 miles of range. (By slow I mean I could jog faster).
Also, on a few occasions, while in high speed mode, the board had cut out and flung me off! Was flung off today going 19MPH! Fun times…
Is there anyone else having these issues? if so how did you fix them? I would really appreciate any help on this topic as I no longer trust the unit. Feels like I should of bought the Onan, backfire or koowheel instead of the Landwheel… Pity as I want to like and enjoy it.
Hi Byron:
Looks like you’ve got some issues. I’m going to invite you to the beta testers group to see if the collective can help you sort things out.
Awesome, thanks mate.
So inside the beta-testers thread, I left you an absoloutley massive post with a bunch of diagnostics to go through. As I was writting those diagnostics, I came up with the most likely scenarios that would explain your limited range and the 100% brake lock that threw you the board.
First its normal for a brand new L3-x battery to have low capacity that starts off as low as 2 miles. Over a number of charge cycles, that should build to about 4 - 6 miles. However, if you are a very heavy rider, in a neighborhood wiht lots of hills, then 2 miles or so could be a natural limit for a single landwheel. The batteries are small and range depens a great deal on rider weight and temperature. Cold weather knocks the range down to below 2 miles for certain. The best solution for very cold weather or very heavy rider or lots of hills is a 4WD landwheel configuration.
Now back to your brakes locking on you. Every electic skateboard has limits when it comes to down hill braking. Boosted boards and Onewheels can cut-out completely. Most chinese boards will either cut-out completely or lock the brakes to prevent over charge when down hill braking on a full battery. Boosted board and onewheel recommend walking down hill some distance, then traveling up hill to burn off some current before turning around to travel down hill. It works. I’ve tried it on my One wheel. When you get the over charge warning from any board when traveling down hill, its time to stop the board and head up hill. If you don’t do that, you are putting your life at risk.
So when I looked at your post and studied it for a long time and put all the pieces together, I see this:
- Lives at the top of a hill and heads down hill on a full battery
- Might be a heavy rider (assumption due to low range)
- Might be a colder climate (assumption due to low range)
- Travels down hill at very high speed
- Ignores the over charge vibration warning when traveling down hill
So I’m not saying you are foolish. It took me a while to piece all this together. But I’m thinking the BMS is signalling the ESC that the batteries are at risk of overcharge and the ESC is locking the brakes to prevent an explosion.
Sucks for you that you get thrown from the board at high speed. However, the scenaio is avoidable and preventable if you are aware of a few facts:
The landwheel is able to support down hill braking by slightly undercharging the battery. The battery leaves the charger with a limited amount of spare capacity for regen current and down hill braking. When you reach that limit the remote vibrates. Don’t ignore the vibration alert becasue if you do, bad things can happen including damage to the ESC or worse, damage to you. If you are going to head down hill on a freshly charged battery, then do so at very low speed. This will reduce the force of the Regen and give you more time to stop if you get a vibration alert. If you are a very heavy rider and the landwheel brakes can’t limit your down hill speed, then a 4WD configuration will give you the brakes you need for your situation.
See my post in the private forum for more diagnostics and some ideas to make things safe for you given your “top of the hill” environment. If you are not willing to use the walk down, and ride up, before riding down method, then you may need to build a custom board and configuring it to use e-braking (no regen current) Without the regen, you may need a larger battery.
A 4WD landwheel configuration may also help you if indeed you are a heavy rider in a cold climate who lives at the top of a large hill.
Here is a better way to identify the PC shell.
The polycarbonate shrinks alot as it exits the mold. So your battery should fit in the drive very tight with no play. If you have 1 - 2 mm of play front to back then it’s an ABS shell. Also, the PC shell will have two vertical shrink marks that line up with the screw posts on the side of the drive. The shrink marks look like this:
To confirm the battery type, try the wiggle test that is shown in the video.
Hi Paul.
Thanks for taking the time to respond and to help out, really appreciate it! Without your videos I would of bought another board to be honest. The fix for the wheels is just brilliant!
Just had a look at the shades of black and the shrink marks. It is the new polycarbonate shell I have. Might still keep a velcro strap on it, any extra support is good with these hard plastics.
The area above the hole where you have the battery latch, did you put a metal plate over that?
With the battery, I actually did that test already and it seems to be the new ones. Although with the issues I am having, they might have faulty BMS’s I suspect.
I have been thinking about getting one of my batteries redone by a friend who builds custom electric bikes and battries. He could fit in 11 lithium ion Tesla battery’s and a new BMS. As I don’t trust the current battery anymore (Cut out on a full charge going 19MPH on a flat road and flung me off the board), it might be worth doing. These batteries also only last around 1.5 miles on high mode - thereafter you have to unplug them, replug them and ride in the low mode for the remaining 3.5 miles at a max speed of 9mph.
So if your brake lock experience is unrelated to downhill braking then:
- Check for pinched wires as per my post in the beta test forum
- Check that all 6 motor wires are well connected. A single disconnected motor wire will lock the wheel on any electric skateboard. So try to rule out any intermittent connection due to a bad solder or loose connector. Also make sure there is no damage to any of the motor wires from any of the six screws that hold down the ESC cover plate.
If none of the above problems exists I would contact landwheel and request a replacement battery. Assuming you are not extrordinarily heavy, riding near zero temperatures, or climbing and decending hills constanlty then your range shold be in the 4-6 mile range on a landwheel (after 10 - 15 charge cycles).
Be careful mixing the Landwheel ESC with non-L3x batteries. The risk of frying the ESC would be high.
Hi @pkasanda, I am a landwheel owner since the beginning of 2018 and recently I got thrown off the board when the battery is about 75% (3 lights) on a flat ground, do you mind helping me with sending the diagnostic that I need to do? I fell of at 10 mph, not too bad, but got open wound across my arm 
not sure what to do now, a little bit scared to jump back to the board.
Before I was thrown off, I sensed something wrong with the board because the brake didn’t engaged fully. I was riding at 20 km/h, hit the brake, the board slows down (braking) until the speed is +/- 5 km/h and i lose the braking power even though my slider is still at the bottom position causing the board to continue cruising at slow speed. Have you ever experienced similar problem?
It seems like a failing battery. I’ve not had this experience with an L3-x. However, I continue to ride one of my V2 Landwheels combined with V4 battereis. One of those V4 batteries has ample capacity. The second one has difficulty accelerating and often lacks the power to brake. So I’ve stopped using it.
I’ll invite you to the beta testers group. We can discuss your battery further in that forum.
My 4WD has two different clamping systems. The front unit is an earlier design. It consists of a latch plate and a clamping arm. So yes, that unit has a plate similar to a strike plate on a deadbolt.
The second unit is a newer design where the clamping arm doubles as a skid plate. This clamping system has no strike plate.
Here is an improved 4WD remote design (top).
Improvements:
- Longer so its easier to get the USB cable into the rear remote
- Wider slider to enable access hole to front remote power switch
- Extra thumb tab
- Post stopper above the rear remote post. This stops the slider from sinking down and creating friction on the top surface of the rear remote
Note that you need to use a heat gun to curl the slider at the bottom.
The curve prevents friction contact between the slider and the top of the remote.
If you don’t have a precision tip for your heat gun, then use aluminum foil to shield the material on either side of where you need to bend it.
Hi guys,
I have been riding my Landwheel L3X for about a month or so, got two batteries and both have worked fine, switching them on my way back. But today one of them just died on me. And it would not start again. I plugged in my other battery and was able tog et back home, i charged the failing battery until the light turned green, but still same problem. This time it turned on, but as soon as i started rolling it turned of and would not start again. Tested with the functioning battery again, and it still works. Any suggestions or ideas on what to do? Could it just be a warranty case?
best Vilhelm