Hello,

I've been replacing all the bearings and partially restoring my 87 trail boss. I wanted to replace the CV boots but I struggled a long time trying to take apart the joint. I eventually cut the bearing holder so I could get it apart and see what was happening. The splines on the center of the CV had a taper on the opposite side of the snap ring. I assumed it was assembled wrong and this taper was supposed to help compress the snap ring so you can pull out the shaft. Since this one was destroyed I started looking for new ones and found a couple of companies. When they showed up I was a bit worried because the outboard CV was able to plunge in and out. The originals had no movement in length. I put it together and sure enough after a bit of riding the shaft pulled out of the CV. To me the axle is a structural part of the suspension on these machines. Can anyone confirm this? The other two arms that go out to the upright are able to slide on each other so it doesn't fix the tire in place. Any ideas are appreciated and if you know where to get correct replacement axles even better!

 

Well no the axles are not part of the suspension but they must move with the suspension.
They do need a little plunge so they don’t pull out when the suspension is at its maximum extension.
The van problem now is finding the correct axles for these machines because not many companies are making that style any longer.