Steer Axle for Forklifts - Axles are defined by a central shaft which turns a gear or a wheel. The axle on wheeled motor vehicles can be fixed to the wheels and rotated along with them. In this instance, bushings or bearings are provided at the mounting points where the axle is supported. Conversely, the axle can be connected to its surroundings and the wheels may in turn turn all-around the axle. In this case, a bearing or bushing is positioned within the hole inside the wheel to allow the wheel or gear to revolve all-around the axle.
When referring to cars and trucks, some references to the word axle co-occur in casual usage. Usually, the term refers to the shaft itself, a transverse pair of wheels or its housing. The shaft itself turns with the wheel. It is normally bolted in fixed relation to it and called an 'axle shaft' or an 'axle.' It is equally true that the housing around it which is normally referred to as a casting is otherwise known as an 'axle' or sometimes an 'axle housing.' An even broader definition of the word refers to every transverse pair of wheels, whether they are attached to one another or they are not. Hence, even transverse pairs of wheels inside an independent suspension are often known as 'an axle.'
The axles are an essential part in a wheeled motor vehicle. The axle works so as to transmit driving torque to the wheel in a live-axle suspension system. The position of the wheels is maintained by the axles relative to one another and to the motor vehicle body. In this system the axles must even be able to support the weight of the motor vehicle plus whichever load. In a non-driving axle, like for instance the front beam axle in various two-wheel drive light vans and trucks and in heavy-duty trucks, there would be no shaft. The axle in this situation serves only as a steering part and as suspension. Lots of front wheel drive cars have a solid rear beam axle.
The axle serves just to transmit driving torque to the wheels in some kinds of suspension systems. The position and angle of the wheel hubs is part of the functioning of the suspension system found in the independent suspensions of newer sports utility vehicles and on the front of various new cars and light trucks. These systems still consist of a differential but it does not have fixed axle housing tubes. It could be connected to the vehicle frame or body or even could be integral in a transaxle. The axle shafts then transmit driving torque to the wheels. The shafts in an independent suspension system are similar to a full floating axle system as in they do not support the motor vehicle weight.
The vehicle axle has a more ambiguous classification, meaning that the parallel wheels on opposing sides of the motor vehicle, regardless of their kind of mechanical connection to one another.
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