[fox46]

The problem with hardening the steel is that it will get brittle and you will risk snapping the shafts before rounding them out. My plan so far consists of remaking the end plate with larger 1/2" bearings spaced further apart to tolerate more side load (we havent had any bearings fail yet though) and then machining a 1/2" ouput shaft with the carrier on the end as one intergral piece. Pop some hardened dowels into the new shaft/carrier and replace the final carrier and shaft as one. The ring gear I plan to run an end mill accross it and machine the new end plate with a face key so that when assembled with high grade 6-32 socket head cap screws it will key together. I toyed with the idea of TIGing everything together- shaft to carrier, ring gear to face plate, but I am doubtful that I can pull it off without distorting the ring gear and having it bind.