AXLE KEYWAY

[john byrne]

HOW LONG SHOULD THE 1/4 KEY STOCK BE ON TIRE RIMS AND CHAIN SPOCKET AND DISK BRAKE.i DONT WANT TO CUT THEM TO LONG OR TO SHORT.THANKS JOHN B.

[Carl Haydt]

John,
The 1/4" keystock should run the full length of the axle from the axle bearing out to the end of the axle where the wheel mounts.
Also you want to grind down the height of the keystock on the end where it meets the axle bearing so it can slip UNDER the bearing about .125 (1/8") This way it is captured by the bearing on the inside and the wheel captures it on the outside so it CANNOT fall out! PLUS it gives you an infinate amount of adjustment for your sprocket hub or your "floating" brake disc.
Hope this answered your question! Carl

[steve miller]

hi john ..i agree with carl whereever possible leave them as long as you can ..also i grind a little lip on either end so i can get something under them in case they get stuck in axle after a long period of time .i think most every vintage kart has fixed rear wheel hubs .but on my modern karts we leave the key stock long as we can so we can move wheels in and out ..like carl said leave them as long as possible for any adjustments ,allignments ect....i have 3 or 4 inches hanging out of most everthing ..P.S. the way carl described grinding the ends to slip under bearings is way way cleaner looking than a bunch of hose clamps or zip ties like ive seen ..

[john byrne]

thanks carl and steve.all the guys on this site have been a big help to me.my karts turning out nice.steve i powder coated mine candy blue.so you can do yours maroon.wish i could of had it ready for barnsville but it be ready real soon.thanks again john b

[VirgLove]

This technique also has the advantage of capturing the axle...

[Carl Haydt]

Virg,
Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh ! You're thinkin too hard now & givin my secrets away! LOL

It's funny how many times people walk up to look at my kart then come over to tell me all the set screws fell out of my axle bearings! Ha! I usually just thank them for noticing! Carl

[steve miller]

hi john ..i have two karts settin waiting for me to paint witch one are we talkin here mcculloch r1s..if we are i allready did a maroon and white seat with gold pipeing and i did the wheels gold but i dont no if i like them just waiting for a color now... if were talkin fox mak cart that ones up in air im seriousley thinking about a nice custom peral white ..??? lol i dunno ..i have twin 820s with polised shrouds on the mak .just not sure what color to slap on it ..

[VirgLove]

Back in the day a lot of folks were worried about axle run out and went to extraordinary lengths to get absolutely straight axles. Many did not realize the significant amount of run out induced by the set screws in the axle bearings. Capturing the axle with the keys and eleminating the need for set screws was an excellent solution to this dilemma.