Questions on drive axle

[gokarter]

Hey
I've never built a go kart before but I'm certainly looking into it.
So, say I bought an engine, but right out of it comes a smooth shaft. How do I find the right sized sprocket to fit the shaft, or do all engine sprockets (like this one) fit on a standard horizontal engine?
Okay. I've decided to go with a dead axle. Does this mean that I have one single axle that goes across the entire go kart but is dead, or does it means that there is a seperate short axle for each of the rear wheels? Also, how do I secure the dead axle to the body (I'm making a wooden body kart)?
And the most important question is: What would I have to do in order to attach the rear wheel of an ATV to a sprocket, TO and axle? In the cheapest way possible would be great, me and a friend are making it and we're only 14. Thanks!!!

 

[dpaxson]

i've never seen an engine without a key way of some kind. is the shaft really completely smooth? also if you're just bolting it to the frame it would probably be the easiest to just use a long piece of threaded rod as your "dead" axle. putting a sprocket on an atv wheel is going to be hard because they don't have bearings or a hub for bolting a sprocket to. they would really be better suited to a live axle.

 

[mrm143]

My crank is also smooth, no keyway, Max torque has the only clutch that i know of that bolts on with set screws, just give em a call

 

[88d50]

whats the difference between dead and live axle?

 

[porsche930dude]

dead axle is a fixed shaft and the wheels have bearings in them and one wheel has a sprocket bolted to it. Live axle the wheels are solidly mounted to the shaft and it moves. The sprocket can be attatched anywhere along the axle and the bearings are atatched to the frame and the whole assembly spins

 

[motor_head]

live axel is alot better does you engine shaft look like this