The photo shows the issue which plagues my kart - once everything is lined up between the front and back sprockets the sprocket carrier is left only on the edge of the axle key. Up till now I’ve been using a reversible sprocket carrier to overcome this, but at the cost of requiring the entire sprocket hub to come off for any and all sprocket swaps, which is horribly time-consuming /annoying.
Can anyone confirm or deny that being barely on the end of the axle key is even an issue worth worrying about, and if so, how have you overcome this so that you keep your sprocket swaps sane? (e.g., by avoiding having to reverse the direction of your carrier/hub)
It sounds like he normally does this to more fully cover the axle key, but it makes sprocket changes more time consuming as the carrier has to be completely pulled to take the sprocket off.
How much of the key would you say is covered with the carrier facing to the right? My guess is that if you have more than just the rounded end of the key covered you’re probably alright to run it that way, but I’m happy to be corrected if someone else’s experience says otherwise.
Can you face the gear carrier in the opposite direction?
Yes, but that is the problem - it’s very inconvenient to service the sprocket like that
My guess is that if you have more than just the rounded end of the key covered you’re probably alright to run it that way
Yeah, just beyond the rounded part. Guess I’ll wait to hear other experiences/opinions in regard to it being enough or not.
You can buy hubs that have the clamp on the other side of the sprocket. This hub can have the sprocket mounted on either side so you can mount the hub whichever way works best with your engine setup.
You can buy hubs that have the clamp on the other side of the sprocket. This hub can have the sprocket mounted on either side so you can mount the hub whichever way works best with your engine setup.
This is almost exactly what I currently have. What they don’t explain is that if you mount it on the non-standard side, the sprocket cannot then come off without removing the entire carrier. (hence the desire to mount the carrier in the standard direction and the original question about how much axle key is too little)
I think you misinterpreted what I said. On the one I linked to you can mount the sprocket on both sides of the hub. It’s completely ambidextrous so you can flip the hub itself either direction depending on where the key sits in relation to where the sprocket has to be to work with your engine. This shows it a little better. See how there’s a lip on both sides of the mounting flange? Both sides of the flange can accept the sprocket. All you have to do is have the clamp side facing inward towards the axle bearing cassette instead of how yours faces towards the rear tire. You won’t have to remove the hub to change sprockets with either of the hubs that I linked to.
What engine package are you running… Seems VERY offset to the right. I’ve found that these things fail at the worst possible times. Here’s a bunch of options you could choose from:
Check axle is centered (I’m sure it is, but anyway)
Work the axle to add a second hole for the key, moving it outward.
Look into the engine mount setup, consider re drilling the holes more inboard if possible.
Keep existing flipped sprocket carrier setup and cut your sprockets to avoid having to remove the carrier at each gear change.
I should have explained my comment better. Removed the gear. Removed the gear carrier. Turn it around and reinstall. Now mount the gear again. The bolts for the gear may have to come in from the back side of the carrier with the nuts facing out.
