Nothing to lose really.

OK, today I spent several attempts at reducing the axle diameter by inserting the axle in the lathe and applying oil and emery cloth.
It was clear that the inner bearing of the pair was slightly misaligned and was causing the scoring on the axle.
I drifted it out and opened up the housing a little bit with a stone in a rotary tool and replaced it with a new bearing.

Some additional "fettling" with a large Stillson wrench on the backplate fixing tab made sure it was trying to sit square to the axle.
Span up quite well considering it has the axle and 3 bearings resisting it spinning. 🙃

This is how it looked when I decided to pack it in for the day.
 
Not satisfied with all the disappointments I thought I would add to my grief by putting the 2WD unit into the rear axle.
The screw-in drive bushes from the 2 freewheels had been drilled through on the micro-mill so I had every expectation that using these "guide-holes" to drill through the silver steel half-shafts would not be problematic.
How wrong I was. :( , Even with an expensive precision 4mm carbide bit the first one went way "off-piste" and made its own exit route out the other side not in alignment with the through holes in the drive bush.
Then the fun started as the 4mm Stainless pin was having none of this malarkey and refused to go any further through than into and out from the silver steel shaft. No amount of swearing, pleading or cajoling could make it go all the way through. I gave up and then spent 20 minutes trying to pull the ruddy thing back out.

I then attacked the whole thing with the 4mm drill bit and went back & forth from both sides to ensure it was fully 4mm clear and free of detritus. I then managed to put a roll-pin through (I guess the spring nature was more tolerant of any misalignments).

The second one was better behaved, the hole did not wander; it was treated to full reaming out from both sides and a roll pin was hammered through here too.

How does it feel/sound/look?

The video below may give you some clues as to whether this is a flyer or not. I suspect that people who like peace & quiet on their rides might avoid me like the plague because 2 free-wheels on over-run when coasting are really noisy. The 2WD unit does what it is meant to do (drive the slowest wheel primarily, until both have the same speed/drag).

 
If you add a mid drive it will both make best use of the diff and whine out some of the clickety clack in corners.
 
Some difficulties were encountered and the whole concept may prove to be unviable, but we will persevere because like when her dad caught me I'm too far in to pull out now. ;)

The latest stumbling block has been obtaining decent chain-lines from the chainring(s) up front to the mid-drive input side, and from the mid-drive output side to the 2WD unit.
As in my youth I tried many positions and variations but none really satisfied me completely; so it was time to take drastic action.
Yes, you guessed it.... she had to have surgery.
IMG-20230729-152129-684.jpg


It is only a 15° "kink" but it is going to make all the difference.
I am pretty sure it will work (the paper-template says so). :)
 
Today was a bit of a Benny Hill Farce. Who knew cutting 2 dropout plates out of 4mm steel could be such a palaver?
I am ashamed to say that I had to scrap the first pair due to the misalignment of the heavens and Pluto's influence on Uranus.
But the second pair came out half-decent and may be ok (or not). :)


IMG-20230730-153151-479.jpg
 
The kink is maybe the way you dress ?

Living dangerously I see , bike parts in the kitchen again , I though the 3 days under the stairs for the last offence had cured you of that ?

Paul
 
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stormbird said:
The king is maybe the way you dress ?

Living dangerously I see , bike parts in the kitchen again , I though the 3 days under the stairs for the last offence had cured you of that ?

Paul
Click to expand...
Yes, 3 demerits and a thrashing with her riding crop this time.
 
OK, notwithstanding the dodgy camera angles, can you see what's wrong with this picture and why I will need to dismantle everything? :(

image.png


Answers on a postcard to "I done goofed again" C/O that Clarke bloke UK.

Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!
 
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Not welded yet so I assume you made the two mounts identical for a symmetrical chassis when you need two different mounts for the asymmetrical chassis you have.
 
maddox said:
Chain line looks a tad out of wack.
Click to expand...
No, that's not it (camera angle).

Popshot said:
Not welded yet so I assume you made the two mounts identical for a symmetrical chassis when you need two different mounts for the asymmetrical chassis you have.
Click to expand...
Not quite. When I assembled the 2WD unit prior to drilling the roll-pin/spring-pin holes I put the wrong freewheel on the wrong side (what a nob-head!) :(
This means my output from the 8-Spd is a 22 tooth 1/8th sprocket and the input to the 2WD is a 22 tooth 3/32 sprocket and they don't play properly together. :(
I am hoping that I can swap the freewheels from side to side while keeping the screw-in inserts I made on the same sides as they are now so that the roll-pin holes in the screw-in adapters still line up with the holes in the axles themselves and all the displacements out to the hubs stay consistent.

What it has taught me is that this will be an absolute pig to service in flight.
You cannot remove anything without great difficulty and a lot of Anglo-Saxon.
 
I drove the spring-roll-pins out and disassembled the rear axle. swapped the freewheels over and re-inserted the assembly back into the rear axle.
To my great surprise it all still lines up and fresh pins were inserted. Tried a chain on it and they line up and it seems OK.
I will probably need a chain tensioner to keep things snug. I started raining so everything had to be put away and the dropouts did not get tacked into place.

In the pictures below the bike is upside down

IMG-20230802-141511-990.jpg


IMG-20230802-141524-578.jpg
 
In a departure from our advertised program today saw the universe flipped by 90-degrees.

Well, OK just a Sturmey Archer 8-Speed flipped by 90 Degrees. :)
I found that if I turned the proposed dropout tabs to face the rear of the trike then the 8-Spd could sit inside the rear triangle.

IMG-20230803-134429-528.jpg


It does create an issue in that the power-side of the chain will want to saw its way through the cross-rails of the seat (unless either the seat is raised, or a diverter pulley is employed).

See picture below. It is not an insurmountable problem.

IMG-20230803-134355-824.jpg
 
Top picture, as you look at it, the left side of the igh will try to pull itself out of the dropout under power. Perhaps a tabbed washer with the tab into a hole as per many cheap front axles?
 
Popshot said:
Top picture, as you look at it, the left side of the igh will try to pull itself out of the dropout under power. Perhaps a tabbed washer with the tab into a hole as per many cheap front axles?
Click to expand...
Yes! A lawyer washer will be needed for sure. Thanks for the reminder.
On an earlier build (WD2 I think) the drive side kept getting pulled fwd by the e-assist until the wheel rubbed in the frame. No matter how tight I did the axle nuts up it still pulled fwds, it was only solved by putting a plate with a turned over tab over the axle. :)
 
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