Axle Shortening Pros & Cons

[paulywombats]

Hi Manksters
Me again. I would like your thoughts on axle shortening. I am busy collecting parts to covert my Honda Deauville to a trike. I seem to remember posts referring to the pros and cons, but can't remember the outcomes. How will handling be affected, will there be front wheel wobble to overcome?

All posts most welcome.

Paul Ray

[Olds]

Usual reasons for shortening a Reliant axle are to get the axle input inline with the bikes transmission (shortened one side), or simply for looks.
Not sure why the handling would be affected unless you went very narrow

[the coppersmith]

Funny this topic should arise now, I'm in the middle of narrowing a Jag axle for a friend and was wondering about how to do the drive shafts, any help would be grateful.

[paulywombats]

Hi Guys
Thanks for your replies. I have read that you only need lights on mudguards if the width of the trike exceeds 1 metre. I put axle shortening in the search here and found lots of threads. Quiet a good one for shortening the shafts by cutting and sleeving, making the sleeves a sweat fit and then drilling and plug welding. This of course assuming the shafts are mild steel and not case hardened or tensile steel. Rebels Racing Engineering in Burton On Trent are a good company for reliant axle shortening & disc brake conversion parts. They also machine drive shafts, and can shorten axle tubes.

[minimutly]

A reliant axle doesn't need much shortening in my opinion. If it's to line up the diff you shouldn't have it totally in line, so realistically you're talking about 4 inches or so.
It's easy if you have access to a lathe to machine the shaft for welding. The tube can be cut and welded, with an insert inside, or (again needing a lathe) clean up the old hub and reweld to the shortened tube. That's what I did, although I made up new tubes.
For joining the shaft you machine a spigot in one, drill a hole in the other, with a champfer on each shoulder. Press together and weld, check for straighteness!
Huw

[minimutly]

I would not recommend plug welding, the load carrying weld metal is very small, better off welding all around. I have used sleeves, you slide on after grinding flat the weld, then weld each end of the sleeve, making sure the weld is beyond the end of the hole in the shaft.
Huw

[hunter]

You can also drill through the sleeve and shaft and pin them,

[kapri]

Funny this topic should arise now, I'm in the middle of narrowing a Jag axle for a friend and was wondering about how to do the drive shafts, any help would be grateful.

Depends how much power to go through them really .Usual way is cut off by u/j ,drill suitable hole though u.j housing,cut shaft to length allowing for area to turn down , turn shaft down  to tight fit, welded both sides. Don't forget that the u/js have to be aligned per factory

[the coppersmith]

Thank you kapri, thats the way I was taught to do it many years back when they were "fashionable", seen a few lately with tubes etc. just wondered if technology moved forward. I think we're looking at 150bhp at the back wheels.

[kapri]

It'll take that easily

[the coppersmith]

yeah, thinks its a "no go show boat"

[Olds]

Hi Guys
Thanks for your replies. I have read that you only need lights on mudguards if the width of the trike exceeds 1 metre. 

The width limit is 1.3 m  but I would fit sidelights even if narrower. I want oncoming drivers to know I'm wider than a bike (especially at night). Although the msva manual says  "mudguard" I believe as long as you stick within the positional dimensions, the sidelight can be mounted elsewhere. Mine are on the sides of the pickup bed and had no problems.
Narrowing an axle to avoid having sidelights seems a lot of work.

[morrag]

These pics are on the site somewhere, but this is how I shorten the Reliant axle, and having done a few had no failures to date! I hope that's not tempting providence though ...if I can assist with any further pics or info, let me know.Morrag

[terry t]

I run on a narrow axle. with the diff in line with no problems. got a fixed spine on the diff that slides on the prop shaft joint

Axle Shortening Pros & Cons

Axle Shortening Pros & Cons

Axle Shortening Pros & Cons

[paulywombats]

Nice job Terry T, what method did you employ to shorten? I want to shorten to bring diff in line, 4" offset from drive shaft to centre line of bike. Also would like to shorten for looks as I feel it would look a bit back heavy with standard width Reliant axle. Have you pics of the final build, nice job of the swing arm too.