Bent axle

[Redneck Retard]

Hey, so I’m a 15 year old who loves my go kart. Today I let my brother drive it and he crashed the right wheel into a tree… it bent the axle. It’s about 4.1/2 inches long. Is there a way I could bend it back or do I need to buy a new one. It also bent what looks like the steering linkage but I plan on bending it back with a hammer.

 

[Redneck Retard]

Do you have any idea where I could find this part if needed? Would there be a better way to fix the steering linkage and just smashing it with a hammer? And for the axle how should I unbend it?

 

[panchothedog]

a new spindle and tie rod can be purchased from any of the big kart supply shops. Go Karts USA. Go Power Sports. O M B Warehouse. There are many more.

 

[panchothedog]

Make sure that your brother helps pay for the parts. If not then he'll just think
you can go around hitting trees for free.

 

[Denny]

Yea, Pancho is right make him pay. Trees are pretty easy to avoid even in a Forrest. They don’t move so you know to look out for them or slow down. GoKart Supply, BMI, MFG Supply or any of the ones mentioned earlier can get you new spindles. I would recommend getting a pair (one for each side) and replacing both. You just need to know the diameter and length of the axle. Bending the old axle back is not a good option it will weaken the metal. As for the arm coming off the steering shaft I see no other choice but to remove the tie rods and hammer it back straight. If you back the other side of it up with a heavy Block of steel, wood or even a flat brick to will go faster and be straighter. Good luck and if you have anymore questions please just ask.

 

[Redneck Retard]

Hey thanks for your help I need help with trying to take the steering linkage off. I can’t reach the but we’ll.

 

[Karttekk]

Not sure what you're having trouble removing but soak the upper & lower nuts with some good penetrating oil, put a wrench on the top nut and the lower nut then rotate the lower nut to the left to remove the tie rod. The socket does not come off of the ball if that's what you're trying to do. A 6 point box wrench grips better than a 12 point. You may need a deep well socket and a ratchet instead of a box wrench.

 

[panchothedog]

Looks like it's been on there a long long time. Take the advice of Karttekk.
Especially about the 6 point as compared to the 12 point. It will grab the nut
better and be less likely to round off the corners. As rusty as that is you CAN'T
let the wrench or socket slip. Once those corners are rounded off its almost game over and time to get out the hacksaw, which makes it VERY difficult to
not damage the threads of the other part.

 

[Denny]

It might be a good idea to wire brush the threads to get all rust off then spray with penetrating oil.

 

[Willie1]

Hey, so I’m a 15 year old who loves my go kart. Today I let my brother drive it and he crashed the right wheel into a tree… it bent the axle. It’s about 4.1/2 inches long. Is there a way I could bend it back or do I need to buy a new one. It also bent what looks like the steering linkage but I plan on bending it back with a hammer.

Can it be fixed? Certainly.
A lot can be fixed with a vice, a hammer, and some heat.
The teaching process to do this probably isn't an online course.

So your best option is like has been said - ordering new spindles. Since there are many variations of these,
the better measurements you can give the vendor from your undamaged one increases the likelyhood of
getting the correct replacements - one of these measurements being the camber angle the "axle" (bolt LOL)
is welded onto the spindle. Even if you replace these in pairs, it would be better that the new ones are at
least close to the old ones. Same with the tie rod attachment arms - there are differences there, too.

As to tie rods/ends - common "wear items" that are often damaged. If you plan on carting - learn how to
make your own. I buy tie rod ends in bulk for my lawn mower repairs and make replacement tie rods with
round stock. Much cheaper than store bought ones. Either weld a bolt with the correct thread size/pitch to
the proper length round stock, or tap the stock with the correct thread count/pitch. Repeat as necessary.

Good luck with your repairs. Enjoy the kart.

 

[madprofessor]

These complete spindle assemblies come at a good price, but you have to deal with having zero Ackermann angle.................
Complete Spindle Set - 4-1/2" x 3/4" | 421434 | BMI Karts And Parts
These U-weld-it spindles let you weld them up in advance for correct Ackermann angle.................
Search Results > weld your own spindles (bmikarts.com)

 

[Master Hack]

If you can find someone with a hydraulic press and some smarts, you would have better luck than beating it with a hammer. Machine shop, automotive machine shop, friend, neighbor. even commercial shop wouldn’t cost much. Not a ideal solution, but workable. I remember being 15 and broke….
can’t remember last week tho!

 

[Denny]

I think he already has it fixed.