Posted by Alex J [162.158.79.56] on Friday, October 07, 2016 at 08:01:59 :
In Reply to: double splined axles posted by clueless [108.162.212.76] on Thursday, October 06, 2016 at 11:55:59 :
Allowing a bar in torsion to float in either direction is the strongest thing you can do. As it goes under load it will lengthen and be restraining it (granted a spring has no real comparable stress resistance) the shaft can carry more torsion before center balling and failing. You want a really strong axle, drill out the center 5% cross section so that there is no center balling forces. In the offroad world, lots of guys run double splined full float axles. In most cases the end of the axle is a splined drive flange, I have a set for a 14 bolt. This is old school heavy truck technology actually as the Eaton H0110 axle used this same concept all the way back to '47. Other guys will do as mentioned below, and run a lockout cap so that the wheel can free float. Trail truck guys do this so that they can limp home on a broken shaft without having to take anything apart. Just unlock the hub and roll. Also there is a trend in flat towing with lockouts so that there is no parasitic drive train drag. Nothing moving, nothing gets hot, oils don't break down or need replaced and less chance of a failure. Also, on a trail rig, if you grenade a rear axle, you can set both lockouts into free and let the front end pull you back, especially if you have split the rails to single shift your transfer case.
But yea, a double splined axle is best left to just float inside a capped end.
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