[Ben Piecuch]

I prefer a design that uses live axles on the drivetrain. They are more robust, simpler to maintain, and can be an overall lighter design.

However, I've never actually built a live axle drive system, simple because we've never used a wheel/hub combo that can use a live axle. The kit skyways, IFI, and A-M wheels all require a dead axle. Finding a keyed wheel hub, or a wheel with a hex shaped hole (as Paul uses) is difficult. For those teams that can't machine their own wheels, it's almost impossible to find hex-keyed wheels.

I've always marveled at the simplicity of the "West Coast Drive" used by 254, 968, 22, 980, etc... the list goes on. While that's a cantilevered live axle system, you can add an outboard bearing with a little more framework.

For higher torque applications, such as arm joints, I prefer a dead axle. Transmitting all the torque through a keyway can become a weak point. By mounting your gear directly to the arm or pivot, you transfer the torque through the bolt pattern, which can usually support much higher loads than the key (or double key...) Assembly is obviously a bit more challenging, but I'd rather build it once at the school, than to constantly repair it at a competition.

Good thread! I hope a bunch of teams start to post their live axle designs, so that us less fortunate ones can learn how to design and build our own.

BEN