Forklift Steer Axle - The description of an axle is a central shaft meant for revolving a gear or a wheel. Where wheeled motor vehicles are concerned, the axle itself may be fixed to the wheels and turn with them. In this particular case, bearings or bushings are provided at the mounting points where the axle is supported. On the other hand, the axle can be connected to its surroundings and the wheels can in turn turn around the axle. In this particular case, a bearing or bushing is positioned within the hole in the wheel to be able to enable the wheel or gear to revolve around the axle.
With trucks and cars, the word axle in several references is used casually. The word usually means shaft itself, a transverse pair of wheels or its housing. The shaft itself rotates together with the wheel. It is normally bolted in fixed relation to it and known as an 'axle shaft' or an 'axle.' It is also true that the housing around it which is usually called a casting is otherwise known as an 'axle' or occasionally an 'axle housing.' An even broader definition of the word means every transverse pair of wheels, whether they are connected to one another or they are not. Therefore, even transverse pairs of wheels within an independent suspension are often known as 'an axle.'
The axles are an essential component in a wheeled motor vehicle. The axle serves in order 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 vehicle body. In this system the axles should also be able to bear the weight of the motor vehicle along with any cargo. 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 will be no shaft. The axle in this particular situation works just as a steering part and as suspension. A lot of front wheel drive cars have a solid rear beam axle.
There are different kinds of suspension systems where the axles operate just to transmit driving torque to the wheels. The position and angle of the wheel hubs is a function of the suspension system. This is often found in the independent suspension found in most brand new SUV's, on the front of several light trucks and on the majority of new cars. These systems still have a differential but it does not have fixed axle housing tubes. It can be fixed to the vehicle body or frame or likewise can be integral in a transaxle. The axle shafts then transmit driving torque to the wheels. The shafts in an independent suspension system are like a full floating axle system as in they do not support the vehicle weight.
Lastly, with regards to a vehicle, 'axle,' has a more ambiguous classification. It means parallel wheels on opposing sides of the motor vehicle, regardless of their mechanical connection type to one another and the motor vehicle body or frame.
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