[Nathan Streeter]

I don't think there's a general "one is better than the other."

I typically prefer dead axles, as it typically allows you to use a smaller shaft (since it doesn't need to carry the torque), avoids the use of keystock, and generally makes it easier to avoid set screws.

That said, which one we use on 1519 generally comes down to what our wheels are and how they're designed to mount to an axle. Most of the AndyMark wheels are designed with that nice standardized 1.875" bolt circle, so it's easy to bolt on a sprocket and have it be dead axle. The Skyway wheels which we used before usually only had a keyway, so we typically used live axles. To further drive the decision one way or another, we've recently used primarily timing belts... our pulleys are primarily for live axles though.

So really, I prefer dead axles for reasons like it often giving you more freedom on the shaft you use (a shoulder bolt can even be a great way to add structure to your drive channel), but 1519's typically made the choice more based off wheel and sprocket/pulley availability. With more machine access you generally have a bit more freedom in dead vs live axle.