I'm waiting on the sprocket that will attach to the front differential. In the meantime, I've been working on the other end of the wheel axles. I need universal joints to connect between the differential and the front wheels.
The problem with your typical universal joint is that the rotational speed of the joint changes based on the angle. The steeper the angle, the weirder the spin.
To bypass that problem, I have to use constant velocity (CV) joints. These are only made for AWD vehicles. I found ones for ATVs that aren't super expensive.
I was expecting an assembly that had joints on both ends, but when I got them there was only one. I put a pin in that issue. In the meantime, I've been exploring how the fat tires could interface with the end of the CV joint. The last few nights of working on my laptop in front of the TV has produced this assembly.
The tube at the center of the assembly would fit over the spline shaft of the CV joint and bolted tight with one giant bolt. The ring around the tube is a thrust bearing, so the whole thing will still spin when it's bolted very tightly together. I also worked on the base that this assembly attaches to.
The wheel assembly bolts to the CV joint through the base. I really tried to think about this from the point of view of fabricating the part. I started with a square part, but I switch to using round stock and cutting the top/bottom flat because I think that will be easier to machine.
Insanity? 😅
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