Cutting axle splines on a lathe?

[great white]

• I think the sprockets float back and forth on the splines on those shafts

Yup. Frame is mostly just thin stamped sheet:



Flexes and twists on any uneven ground so the sprockets float to maintian chain aligment.

I plan to eventually toss it and build something like this:

 

[great white]

I searched for an Atlas milling attachment and it looks like you would use an endmill to cut each side of the spline then clear the middle out. Indexing would still be an issue. My dad got a patent on a gadget to put on shafts and used the center out of a protractor. set it at zero and level, then on the next spline move the protractor to the required angle and re-level by rotating the shaft.

I've got collets and mills for my atlas. Ive used them for small projects before.

Probably worth my while to make a fixture to hold the axles in the milling attachment to make the peocess a little faster and easier to repeat reliably for all 8 axles. Probably wouldn't be too hard to incorporate some sort of indexing scheme into a holding fixture for the spline cutting...

 

[BtoVin83]

There might be another way for the splines but I don't know whether it would save any work just different way to do it. If they are a standard 6 spline you can buy stub shafts from tractor supplies and weld it in the axle. You would have to keep it pretty straight then put it in the lathe and turn to size and straight. I am assuming you will weld the flange on it as well because turning it from solid is a lot of work.

 

[great white]

There might be another way for the splines but I don't know whether it would save any work just different way to do it. If they are a standard 6 spline you can buy stub shafts from tractor supplies and weld it in the axle. You would have to keep it pretty straight then put it in the lathe and turn to size and straight. I am assuming you will weld the flange on it as well because turning it from solid is a lot of work.

Yup, weld on flange. Although I plan ro make those too.

They won't be as big as the oem flanges though. The oem ones mount the tire rim, the new ones will only be holding a CV joint flange.

I'm making a suspension for the argo. They are built with solid mounted axles and the only suspension is the low pressure tires. Makes for a pretty rough ride for an "old guy"...

 

[BtoVin83]

A third way to do it might be able to salvage the existing axles. I assume you are replacing the axles as the splines have worn out. Make a small flange that would press on the axle and keyed. If indeed you can find stub spline shafts that fit weld a flange on them, true and put register on the flange to bolt it to the axle. Now you have a sacrificial part that can be replaced with a lot less effort.

 

[great white]

A third way to do it might be able to salvage the existing axles. I assume you are replacing the axles as the splines have worn out. Make a small flange that would press on the axle and keyed. If indeed you can find stub spline shafts that fit weld a flange on them, true and put register on the flange to bolt it to the axle. Now you have a sacrificial part that can be replaced with a lot less effort.

Nope, existing axles are in fine shape.

But i'm building a suspension for the argo and need to build shorter axles to accomodate adding the cv joint shaft so the suspension can move and still provide drive to the tires.

Its been done a couple times already, but its all custom work. So I'm not re-inventing the wheel here, just building a wheel for myself.



Its further complicated by the fact that the argo is amphibious.

The axles pass through a housing with seals and grease packing to "seal" the hull to the axles so it wont sonk like a stone. So the axles have to be (essentially) one piece unril they are on the outer side of the hull.

Cutting down the existing axles is an option (and one I've thought of several times) but I'd rather not just in case building the suspension doesnt work out as planned. If I have the un-altered original axles, I can at least put it back together as it was...

 

[Eddyde]

Love the Argo, I used to have the G.I. Joe version

 

[Superburban]

"The axles pass through a housing with seals and grease packing to "seal" the hull to the axles so it wont sonk like a stone. So the axles have to be (essentially) one piece unril they are on the outer side of the hull."

If it is standard PTO splines. Then buy the spline shafting. Have the splined section on the frame work. Make a hub that seals to the body, that has the PTO spline female section on the inside, and the female splines that fit what ever half shafts you decide to use on the outside.

Design to use the most off the shelf parts that you can. Find a front wheel drive half shaft that is the size you want, The hubs from that car may work, and then go from there.

I think I would further copy the front wheel car suspension, with the lower A arms, the knuckle, and a mcpherson strut & spring. Or better yet, 8 air springs.

 

[MozamPete]

I have indexed a 6 sided spline before but just drilling out a large nut and loctite'ing it onto the shaft to give me six sides. Worked surprisingly well.

http://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/mill-collet-holder-attachement.37891/#post-326798

 

[great white]

"The axles pass through a housing with seals and grease packing to "seal" the hull to the axles so it wont sonk like a stone. So the axles have to be (essentially) one piece unril they are on the outer side of the hull."

If it is standard PTO splines. Then buy the spline shafting. Have the splined section on the frame work. Make a hub that seals to the body, that has the PTO spline female section on the inside, and the female splines that fit what ever half shafts you decide to use on the outside.

Design to use the most off the shelf parts that you can. Find a front wheel drive half shaft that is the size you want, The hubs from that car may work, and then go from there.

I think I would further copy the front wheel car suspension, with the lower A arms, the knuckle, and a mcpherson strut & spring. Or better yet, 8 air springs.

no idea if it is "standard PTO splines" or not.

Mostly because I have no idea what "standard PTO splines" spec out at....

These are 1 1/4 diameter.

The hub on the hull is an interesting though, but I don't think the design is going to lend itself to that arrangement without adding too much width to the entire rig. It's already prett wie in stock form for trials, suspension is going to add more. A hub on the inner shaft that woudl have to carry the bearings and seals is going to make it even wider and I'm pretty sure cause additonal water ingress issues.

"off the shelf" automobile parts won't do. Too large, too heavy. Design is wrong too. The Argo is a skid steer, steering style hub and strut assembly isn't the right application and creates more problems than it solves.

Has to be equal length A arms anyways. Camber change during suspension action is not something you want on this type of rig. Camber change would also cause huge issues when you mount the tracks (snow use).

It has to be custom and built to the particular needs of the Argo. Needs to be light as the rig has to float and there's not a lot of freeboard to start with on a stock Argo. Too much weight and it impares it's fording/floating capabilities.

Hubs spindles, A arms and mounting fixtures I'm making. The shafts, wheel hubs and shocks are all Honda 500 Foreman sourced parts.

Air bag/springs are a bad idea on an Argo, considering where it goes and what it does. Punctures and tears would be never ending.

Nope, car style suspension just won't do.