axle size for kid VS older man

[baruch fishman]

I have acquired a 2006 margay kart with a leopard engin and it seems to me that the axle is very short.

i  weight 185 pounds and wanted to know what is the common axle length and width that i should use for this class?

 

Thanks much!

[TJ Koyen]

Most axles are a standard of between 1020mm and 1040mm. Max rear track width is 1400mm so if you can get your wheels out wide enough to safely meet that width, your axle is long enough.

Driver/Coach/Wrench : Innovative Performance/Exprit
Owner : Oktane Visual - www.oktanevisual.com
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[baruch fishman]

Thanks !

[Walt Gifford]

Since you’re new I’ll tell you, the wheel hubs need to be pushed all the way in until they seat on the end of the axle or you risk losing a wheel and possibly killing someone. If you need to move them out to get your 55″ track width they make spacers but there are limits to how far you can safely space them out depending on how long your hubs are.

Next, if you have the type of hubs where the axle can go all the way through, you need to leave a 1/4″ of axle sticking through to center the wheel.

Gif

FAA certified jet engine and aircraft technician,
Nicholson Speedway class champion 2001,
Yamaha KT100 Service Center,
41 years karting experience

[Gary Lawson]

I am in total disagreement with Walt. It is perfectly acceptable and no one will be killed if you hang the hub off the axle. They are manufactured to hang off the end. Half or even a little more is meant hang off by design. You want to make sure the entire pinch bolt and a little more in on the axle and tight and you won’t have an issue.

[Greg Wright]

Agreed Gary!!

Greg Wright
Rapid Racing Inc.
Vintage B-Stock Pilot
"When in doubt Gas it, It won't help but it ends the suspense."

[TJ Koyen]

+1 to Gary’s comment. As long as one of the pinch bolts is over the end of the axle, you’re fine.

Driver/Coach/Wrench : Innovative Performance/Exprit
Owner : Oktane Visual - www.oktanevisual.com
www.facebook.com/oktanevisual
www.instagram.com/oktanevisual

[baruch fishman]

Thanks a lot for the info guys ! This forum has been very helpful !

[Walt Gifford]

This will be the last bit of advise I ever give on these forums. There’s a difference between being safe and being lucky. Post what you want after this I’m gone.

Gif

FAA certified jet engine and aircraft technician,
Nicholson Speedway class champion 2001,
Yamaha KT100 Service Center,
41 years karting experience

[Rob Kozakowski]

Walt, don’t go… we appreciate your advice, but I agree 100% with Gary and the others.

I too can remember back to the days when we had to have something (a circlip, etc) at the end of the axle, outside of the rear hubs.

Was that safe?  Absolutely.

Was it overkill?  Absolutely.

The fact is that in all those years, I never saw a tightened hub slide out and off the end of the axle… I only ever witnessed them slide inwards… and when you think about the forces acting on the axle and the hubs when a kart corners, it only makes sense.  We 3-wheel these things on the outside rear, which is “pushing” the axle further “into” the hub.

Now, if you don’t tighten the hub down, anything can happen, but that would be the case no matter where on the axle the hub was located.

[Greg Wright]

Gif,  You bring a lot to this forum and  it needs more posters not less. Unfortunately you were incorrect on your hub advice, Big deal, it’s not like I’ve never been wrong.

Greg Wright
Rapid Racing Inc.
Vintage B-Stock Pilot
"When in doubt Gas it, It won't help but it ends the suspense."

[TJ Koyen]

Gif,

This is a “discussion board”, not a “leave-the-instant-someone-disagrees-with-me board”. If you think we’re wrong, let’s talk about it.

Like Greg said, you bring a lot of great advice to the board and it would be a shame to lose the knowledge you have to offer. However, you just happen to be wrong in this case. It happens. I’ve been wrong before too, believe it or not.

In my 13 years of karting I’ve never lost a wheel. If you knew my record of mechanical DNFs while leading major races, you would know that I’m not lucky, and surely not lucky for 13 years. As I said, if you have one pinch bolt (which is what most hubs use) over the end of the axle tightened securely, you’re fine. Walk down the grid of any class at any major series and you’ll see that this is how everyone has their hubs secured. Even in your argument that you need spacers to adjust track width, the spacers aren’t going to hold the hub on. If the hub goes, the spacers will too.

The front wheels being secured by a clip is a tech item in every series. If it were necessary to have the rears be secured in a similar way or if there was a technical spec for how the rears should be attached, I’m sure it would be a pre-tech item. Otherwise it’s just using your best judgement.

Driver/Coach/Wrench : Innovative Performance/Exprit
Owner : Oktane Visual - www.oktanevisual.com
www.facebook.com/oktanevisual
www.instagram.com/oktanevisual

[Daniel Charles]

Agree with Gary totally!

www.globalracingschools.com

[Mark Dismore Jr.]

When the whole “hang the hub off the end of the axle” thing became popular in karting I thought there was no way this is right but we have been running like that for years and I have never lost a hub assembly off the axle.

The funny thing is *if* the hub is left loose or the pinch bolt breaks the hub moves in and not out which seems crazy but has always been my experience.

My rule of thumb is never let the pinch bolt be closer than a 1/4″ or so from the axle end like Gary said. Always have axle under the entire pinch bolt plus a little extra axle and tighten it down.

The only time I ever see a wheel come off is when someone leaves the 3 hub bolts loose and that’s definitely a big no-no.

[Author]

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