How to Widen an Axle

this project is really just to follow up from the go kart that i made. (i have already posted an instructable for that). i found that it was unstable, so i decided to fix the front axle. the problem was that rather than the wheels turning at 90 degrees virticaly, their angle was layed back so the steering wheel would be in the right height.

this meant that it leened when you whent round corners and made it very easy to flip. i decide to fix this problem and also make the axle wider for even extra stability. this all sounds complicated, so i have got some pictures that will help.

Step 1: Removing the Original Axle

this step is hard for me to explain because not all axles are the same. i just had to undo two bolts to get my front axle off, but that doesn't mean that you will have to.

so here are the removal instructions for my axle, but these probably wont help you when it comes to your's. you will probably want to remove the radiator to give you more space.

first you have to cut off the red axle either side of the center of the assembly. now that you have more space to get to the axle you can unbolt it. i had to unbolt a piece of metal behind it to release it. then i removed it from the central hole that you can see in the picture. next i refitted the peice of metal that i had had to remove before, and bolt it back into position, with the two bolts. 

Step 2: Adding a New Axle

for this step you will need to have a large peice of steel scafold tubing, which is about a metre long. you should grind off about 5 inches either side of it to allow you to weld on the wheels later.

now find the middle of the tubing and place onto the go kart. when you have adjusted it so that it is in the right place, you can drill two holes through the steering assembly and then into the tube, to allow two bolts to go through and fix it onto the go kart.

Step 3: Welding on the Wheels

now we come to the hard part of the build, attaching the wheels so that they are the right orientation. this took me about ten minutes of tweeking and adjusting to get ready for welding.

first you will have the remains of the origonal axle left attached to the wheels. the tube fits on this quite nicely.

mesure the length so that it is equal each side and then adjust the camber angle and just generaly the whole orientation of the wheel and once you are sure that all bits are where thay should be, you can weld the wheels on. before welding make sure all the surfaces you intend to weld are cleaned to get a good, strong weld.


i added a peice of scrap metal to the bottom of the tube to add extra strength.

Step 4: Attaching the Track Rod Arms

these are just the bits that turn the wheels round when you turn the steering wheel. you need to cut each one in half and extend them with a peice of 1 inch tubing.

 

Step 5: Painting

first you will have to get all of the rust/existing paint off. this may take a while depending on whether you use a wire brush or a grinder. i used a grinder, so it only took me a couple of minutes.

next paint the axle in primer. i used zinc 182 primer, but you can use whatever is available to you. you should paint two or three layer of this primer to protect the axle from rusting.

next you can paint the axle with whatever colour you like. i just used a black spray can.