Need help with rear drum wheel install on hardtail

Hi guys,
I'm building my hardtail and I'm having a problem when trying to get my rear wheel installed. I have all the parts, spacers bearings seals chain tensioners installed, but when you go to tighten up the rear axle, it feels like I can only tighten it so much, but the wheel still slides back and forth in the rear housing. Am I just supposed to tighten to 100000 foot pounds torque? Or am I missing parts? I've looked at parts breakdowns and it looks like I've got everything there.

I had the wheel on, and we spun it around to test the rear brakes. When we really jammed on them, it's like the wheel jumps around and moves back one the shaft. No bueno.


Any help would be awesome! Thanks

You will need to add washers to take up the space. Your nut is bottoming out.

The stock swing arm has thicker axle plates than most hardtails use. The thinner axle plates let the nut on the axle run out of threads before it gets tight. Get a handful of 3/4 inch flat washers. Add one to each side, between the axle plates and wheel spacers, tighten the axle up, is it tight? if not add another pair till it gets tight. If it gets to hard to add the washers between the axle plates and wheel you can put one under the head of the axle and one under the nut.
Leo

XSLeo said:

The stock swing arm has thicker axle plates than most hardtails use. The thinner axle plates let the nut on the axle run out of threads before it gets tight. Get a handful of 3/4 inch flat washers. Add one to each side, between the axle plates and wheel spacers, tighten the axle up, is it tight? if not add another pair till it gets tight. If it gets to hard to add the washers between the axle plates and wheel you can put one under the head of the axle and one under the nut.
Leo

Click to expand...

thanks,

I added spacers on either side of the wheel to make it a tight fit in between the axle plate like you said. The nut isn't bottoming out though. I ran the nut all the way down the threads of the axle off the bike, and i have about 1/2" threads after the nut. When i put the axle through the bike with all the spacers etc and thread the nut as tight as i can get it, i still have more threads to go, but turned it as tight as i could, but the wheel still slides forward and back. Don't have any side to side play though.

Is there a trick to tightening the axle? i just used a ratchet with 27mm socket and stuck a screwdriver through the hole in the head of the axle bolt, and tightened. Maybe need an impact?

Also, its a drum rear brake. I mounted the anchor rod to the frame, with the bolt hole on the drum hub at about 9 o'clock, or close to it when facing the hub. i think that's the right way? So isn't it the drum anchor rod and the chain that holds the wheel in place?

Finally, just so we're clear, the rear axle plate are oval shaped. When you put the wheel in, there isn't any spacer that goes behind the wheel to fill the oval shape is there?

Here's some pics

On the stock bike the axle nut goes on the drive, sprocket side.
On the axle adjusters, the axle goes in from the right. The right side adjuster has the same size holes. And it has the adjuster mark on the top and the bottom.
The left side adjuster has two different sized holes. One that fits the full axle size and a smaller one that fits the reduced size were the axle threads are and goes to the out side. It has only has one adjuster mark and is on the top if the adjuster is on the left side.
So if you have the nut side axle adjuster so you can see the adjuster mark and have it on the right side then you have the adjuster on the wrong side.
Swap the adjusters left to right and put the axle in from the right.
This will put the small hole to the outside and have the adjuster mark up. Or put the nut side adjuster on with the mark down.
Leo

Big help! thanks! let you know how it all goes asap

How'd it go? I was looking at your pictures & it looks like you are missing some parts.

Take a look at this page & see if you have all the parts, look at axle tension adjusters, bottom of the page, these are custom & probably won't fit your bike, but, it looks like you are missing some of these parts in your pictures.

http://www.legendmcs.com/bikers-cho...parts-tires-wheels-axles-axles-adjusters.html

View attachment 17650

Should be some kind of a cross member between the axle plate openings that the bolt screws into, pushing against the axle & therefore keeping the wheel from moving once torsion is applied.

Belle, you are thinking of stock swingarm axle plates. His are custom. There is no removeable "crossmember" on his hardtail frame. XS parts

Chops, I had the same problem. I was using the wrong washers. Mine were big enough to go over the threads but not big enough to go over the axle. They need to go over the axle to tighten properly I ended up using some of Travis's spacer plates welded to my frame. Brings the thickness of the TC Bros axle plates to the stock thickness so no washers!

Ok, i think i know whats going wrong here now. I cut some spacers to go on either side of the wheel inside the frame, so there is now side to side play in the wheel now.

Also used some washers to space on the outside of the frame so that the axle nut doesn't bottom out on the threads. Now tomorrow, when i can get my hands on the bike, i'll torque that axle nut down with an impact (108 ftlbs says the manual) and i should be good to go!

thanks for all the help guys! should be able to flash this baby up this weekend! i'll post an update.

How did this go

I doubt he will answer after 6 1/2 yrs.