Quick Question...

[Erik Magnus]

Hello again,
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I had a machine shop cut a keyway into a 1" solid steel rod to use as my rear live axle. Since I am a newbie and did not think things through, I did not think about securing the ends of the axle when I put the tires on. I have seen both the axles with the threaded ends and the ones with a snap ring.

So, would drilling a hole in the ends of the axle and inserting a cotter pin or a hitch pin be enough?

Thanks
Erik

 

[supermanotorious]

If you went with a hole and pin I would suggest using something larger (larger hole) than a cotter pin, I think some other guys would say drill and tap the end so you can thread a bolt and washer on the end to secure the wheel, if not those options maybe locking collars, if not that I recently used "E" clips on a 5/8" axle for a wakeboard winch, I simply used a cutoff tool to carve a thin groove around the round stock approx 1/2" from the end and approx 3/32" deep and snapped the clips on, keep in mind axles and wheels on my winches aren't built for high speed, they are simply to roll the winch around on, similar to how you'd roll around a generator

 

[Erik Magnus]

Thanks for the suggestions.
A locking collar seems to be the easier route. I have been looking at locking collars on the internet. Would they be tight enough on the axle to prevent slipping off the end? (I have no experience with them)
Thanks again!

 

[Poboy kartman]

Thanks for the suggestions.
A locking collar seems to be the easier route. I have been looking at locking collars on the internet. Would they be tight enough on the axle to prevent slipping off the end? (I have no experience with them)
Thanks again!

Short answer- yes and adjustable. Much better than a cotter pin! Two things I would do: locate where you are going to put the collar tighten down the set-screw (s) and then take it off.

Locate the area(s) where the set-screw(s) marked the axle and drill shallow holes just slightly larger than the set-screw. Remove the set-screws from the collar- apply some blue Loctite and then assemble.

 

[mckutzy]

The solid ones are a bit better for and cheaper in most cases.