[camtunkpa]

Originally Posted by David Guzman

Why do you say they have to heat treat them. I dont think there is a need, not for FIRST uses. But then again I am not an engineer. Do you mind explaining.

Thanks

David G.

We have always hardened both the output gears and shaft for two main reasons. Hardening both parts means no wear on parts and also reduces the chances of galling. The gears definately will need to be hardened if you plan on shifting under a full load condition. Testing before hardening the slots in the gears that the ball bearing pops into has shown a slight wear pattern. This wear pattern maybe due to just run in and not get any worse during the season however our team likes to have a nearly maintenance free transmission. I know teams who used a ball shifter that did not harden the output shaft or the gears and they had no problems, but we'd rather not have an extra part to keep track of on our machine. Build it simple and fool proof.