[TowerTalk] Fwd: Thrust bearings

[Jim Lux]

On 3/1/13 7:52 AM, Hans Hammarquist wrote:
> What about using the rear axle (or half) of a car (or truck)? At least the strength would be there and some water-proofing too.
>


You've just described how many horse hot-walkers are made...
http://www.hotwalkers.com/4_horse.shtml

you have to either weld the opposite axle fixed, or weld the axle to the 
spider and just use the ring/pinion.  Not all rear ends will work on 
edge.. the gear oil leaks out along the downhill axle. In an antenna 
application, the rotation rate and load is so low, you could probably 
just grease it up and it would last forever, even with the sliding tooth 
contact.  In the hot walker application, they cut the axle tube off on 
one side along and weld the stub of the axle to a plate which is welded 
onto the tube.

This is a cutting torch and gas welder in the barn with scrap metal sort 
of fabrication project.  I'm sure the gear oil catches fire a couple 
times in the process, it probably reeks to high heaven (unburned gear 
oil is bad enough).  You also weld some brackets onto the differential 
housing to allow you to bolt it to whatever.


The last one I had to fool with actually used a manual transmission as 
the reduction gearing from the vbelt pulley to the motor.