Forklift Steer Axle - The description of an axle is a central shaft for rotating a gear or a wheel. Where wheeled vehicles are concerned, the axle itself may be connected to the wheels and turn along with them. In this instance, bearings or bushings are provided at the mounting points where the axle is supported. On the other hand, the axle could be attached to its surroundings and the wheels can in turn rotate around the axle. In this particular situation, a bearing or bushing is located within the hole in the wheel to be able to allow the wheel or gear to revolve all-around the axle.
If referring to trucks and cars, several references to the word axle co-occur in casual usage. Usually, the word means the shaft itself, a transverse pair of wheels or its housing. The shaft itself rotates with the wheel. It is frequently bolted in fixed relation to it and called an 'axle' or an 'axle shaft'. It is also true that the housing around it that is normally known as a casting is also known as an 'axle' or occasionally an 'axle housing.' An even broader sense of the term refers to every transverse pair of wheels, whether they are attached to one another or they are not. Hence, even transverse pairs of wheels in an independent suspension are generally referred to as 'an axle.'
In a wheeled vehicle, axles are an important component. With a live-axle suspension system, the axles serve in order to transmit driving torque to the wheel. The axles even maintain the position of the wheels relative to one another and to the motor vehicle body. In this particular system the axles must also be able to support the weight of the vehicle along with whichever cargo. In a non-driving axle, like for example the front beam axle in various two-wheel drive light trucks and vans and in heavy-duty trucks, there will be no shaft. The axle in this particular condition serves only as a steering component and as suspension. Numerous front wheel drive cars consist of a solid rear beam axle.
There are various types of suspension systems where the axles operate only to transmit driving torque to the wheels. The angle and position of the wheel hubs is a function of the suspension system. This is normally found in the independent suspension seen in most brand new SUV's, on the front of several light trucks and on most new cars. These systems still consist of a differential but it does not have attached axle housing tubes. It can be connected to the vehicle body or frame 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.
Last of all, with regards to a vehicle, 'axle,' has a more ambiguous classification. It means parallel wheels on opposing sides of the vehicle, regardless of their mechanical connection kind to one another and the vehicle frame or body.
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