More front end questions
 

I was looking into hacking the cheesy 5/8" bolt/stud from the front spindles on my spiderbox, and maybe looking into trailer hubs for easy replacement and lubrication, but then there is the question of what would the inner seal ride on to seal properly? Then I found these.

http://www.*************.com/item.as...catname=wheels

Tell me what you guys think, I have the 3rd gen spindles so drilling a BA hole through both sides of the boxed section is not much of an issue. Being able to weld it flush on the inside also remedies the clearance issue I was anticipating when looking to go to 3/4" or 1" with the massive bolt head poking through.

I never liked the idea of 5/8 axles, mine got ditched for golf cart hubs and axles. pricey unless you have some handy. I'm pretty sure metal and at least one or 2 others went with the trailer hubs and had to come up with some way to space and lock in the bearings because of the issue you mentioned. as far as running all the way through the spindle, i don't think it's necessary if you're a decent welder. My axles are welded perpendicular (with matched curves) onto the surface of 1/16th wall cro-moly tubing and have been through hell and a half already.

The size of the bolt doesn't really bother me, but the grade of bolt, the cheap bearing set up, and the attachment method is what makes me uneasy about serious off road and/or increased sustained speeds. I am thinking, if I do the front end, I don't want to have to do it more than once, and I'm ok with overkill on the parts for safety and peace of mind when I might be miles from home or camp. The part that bothers me about simply using a bolt, is of course the inner seal surface, making proper spacers for between the bearings, and finding one with the right amount of shoulder for the outer bearing race. My thoughts are this will be a simple mod that allows the use of any 1" ID axle hub and be virtually indestructible when finished.

I know, dead thread rules and such, but I finally got the cheddar to get some parts for the buggy, namely, rack, shocks, and trailer spindle kit for the front end. As soon as USPS gets off their union arses, I should be cooking along on the front end. Next on the list is a pair of wheels for the front to assist in mocking up the trailer spindles, wonder if the golf cart shop up the road will come off some for cheap.

if they don't, hit the buggiesgonewild.com golf cart modders forum. tons of free-to cheap rims from members there. i've got a pile of them maybe we could trade off some parts if need be.

Thanks. I know I can get new ones from northern tools for $15/ea, so we will see how much they want for a set and go from there. Thought about using the rear 20" tires to mock it up, but would have to mod the rims, not that I was going to use them anyhow, lol. Just need an idea of how deep to set the actual spindle in the knuckle to allow for adequate clearance but not look goofy hanging way out there asking to get caught by a tree.

8 inch rims (golf cart etc.) compromise a lot of items. very difficult to get front brakes to work with--there are a couple quads that will work, but you have to use the spindles from them. i also had to go with lug extenders up front to get the upper a-arm mount to clear the rim. I run 22 x 12.5 rear tires on 8 inch rims, no issues with that.

I think 8" wheels will work well, I'm not planning on adding front brakes anytime soon, if ever. I was originally planning to use the rear tires on the front, but I think they might be a bit too wide, and they are out-of-round as it is from PO letting it sit, but I will still use them for a mock up and it will allow for some play with rim offset should I decide to go wider. As for the brakes, I will be adding another hydraulic set up in the rear, with a bike master cylinder up front, should stop rather well if done correctly, seeing as they stop 400-500lb machines from 100mph+ in no time flat, plus I already have an extra one, lol.

using a sleave /spacer on the axle for the inner bearing to ride against works fine. The length can be adjusted in length to suit wheel offset. Serves the same purpose as a step down axle

I went ahead and got the trailer kit coming, so everything will be matched and ready to go. I just don't have the confidence that the 5/8" or 3/4" bearings would hold up very long in the conditions I am anticipating. Depending on how far the dust cap sticks out, I might put in a bearing buddy too, this would allow me to grease the bearings without disassembly.