Differential question

[aczlan]

Looking at a Gator 6x4 with a bad drivetrain. I have a older garden tractor with a hydrostatic transmission. Thinking of installing the transmission in the Gator and driving the stock Gator axles off of one side of the transmission (with a sprocket/chain), then bolting the other one so it doesn't move.
That will make the one axle spin faster and should increase the speed.
My questions would be:
1. Will this drop torque enough to be un-usable?
2. Will this hurt the differential?

Aaron Z

 

[Mendonsy]

Aaron:

You might want to look at Don Campbell's current gator project. It may give you some ideas. Start here
I suspect the differential isn't going to like having the spider gears turning all the time. Maybe it would be better to connect both sides to the gator axle?

 

[aczlan]

I am watching that thread with interest. I am hoping to be able to go faster than this tractor can by default, but don't want to roast the diff.

Aaron Z

 

[buckeyefarmer]

I was expecting a differential equation question....lol

 

[Mendonsy]

I am watching that thread with interest. I am hoping to be able to go faster than this tractor can by default, but don't want to roast the diff.

Aaron Z

Yeah, the tractor gearing will be set up much slower than the gator for sure. You might be able to step it up by using a much bigger drive sprocket on the diff than the one on the gator axle.

 

[k0ua]

I was expecting a differential equation question....lol

That is exactly what I was thinking too when I clicked on this. Then I thought I don't think I can work those.

I might be able to solve the general quadratic equation if I worked at it or cheated and looked it up.. but that is a long way from a differential equation.

 

[Stimw]

That will put all the pressure on the spider gears which are not designed to be turning full time.
Your best bet would be to take apart the rearend and secure the spider gears.
In the old days hotroders would weld the spider gears to make it a posi-traction. Later someone started selling a drop in plug that fit the teeth and secured the rearend.
For racing it was great but if driven on the road you could hear tires sliding on corners!

 

[dstig1]

I was expecting a differential equation question....lol

Same here! And it has been so long I would be no help on that. And I am no help on the actual questions...so why am I here??

 

[jtygoku]

I was expecting a differential equation question....lol

Brings back memories of college 30+ years ago and a semester of trying to navigate through a partial differential equation course.
Funny, 30 years as a practicing engineer and I haven't used a partial differential equation to solve anything. Go figure.

 

[dstig1]

Same here, jtygoku. Only about 24 yrs in... DiffEQ was one of the few classes that bent my brain into a pretzel. Continuum mechanics was the other.