[sanddrag]

Originally Posted by travis

There was a lot said about reacting axial loads. Does anyone have experience using an E style retainer clip for this purpose?

E-clips would probably work fine for this. Snap rings would probably work better. Your best bet would be to have a structural/geometry constraint such as shoulders on the shaft. flanged or tapered bearings, etc to avoid using a clip at all.

In supporting the axial load, the concern in addition to the support/constraint is the bearing. It can be done (has been thousands of times over, but it's just more work than the traditional spur gear setup. Typical single row radial bearings are really only intended for no more than about 25% of their radial rating applied in the axial direction. Angular contact bearings are fantastic, but can be expensive. Some teams get by by using bronze thrust washers/bushings and grease. Tapered roller bearings (similar to automotive wheel bearings, but smaller) could be another option.