Polaris 2014 Chromoly Balenced Drive Shafts

Nut_Up

New Member
Jul 27, 2014
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^^^^^^^^^^this would be a phased drive shaft
below is out of phase
You did a nice job on that, it looks like the weld you got from Polaris was pretty nice too, I have seen a few that look like Ray Charles welded it with a millermatic 140 without the gas turned on at 100 amps.
 

BrArmor

Scranton Boys Racing OG
Oct 5, 2011
280
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Lake Elsinore, Ca
www.imgms.com
We actually made our own driveshafts using stock u-joints in our private shop. Nice to know old "roundy round" circle track racers, they have the best racing tricks. Also once balanced look into adjusting the mounting of the carrier bearing if needed to make sure it is centered best as possible so there is no drag on the rotating shaft. We also built it very light, trying to stay on our goal of cutting most weight in rotating mass and unsprung weight. I am sure you can find plenty of driveshaft shops to do this for you, just make sure you don't do any cutting or mods to the shaft before, because they will not usually work on one hacked up already due to safety on these units. Good luck and keep us posted.
 

Nut_Up

New Member
Jul 27, 2014
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the problem is finding the u joint ends so you can produce a lot of drive shafts. the only way is to buy driveshaft and cut them up fix and replace. the cost would be to much.
I was thinking more along the lines of a custom machined setup, with all the CNC shops out there and UTV owners it seems like this could be a money maker if you already had a fab shop. I was joking about producing them myself, but for all the shops that make custom driveshafts or other custom parts this would be easy. I am a mechanical engineer so I could even do the FEA calculations and draw something up in CAD in exchange for a free set, or a sticker, ha, I just want some quality driveshafts on my rig. :)
 

Nut_Up

New Member
Jul 27, 2014
24
2
3
We actually made our own driveshafts using stock u-joints in our private shop. Nice to know old "roundy round" circle track racers, they have the best racing tricks. Also once balanced look into adjusting the mounting of the carrier bearing if needed to make sure it is centered best as possible so there is no drag on the rotating shaft. We also built it very light, trying to stay on our goal of cutting most weight in rotating mass and unsprung weight. I am sure you can find plenty of driveshaft shops to do this for you, just make sure you don't do any cutting or mods to the shaft before, because they will not usually work on one hacked up already due to safety on these units. Good luck and keep us posted.
Yep, this is probably the route I will need to go and the reply I have got from about everyone I ask.

I will post pics when I am done.

Thanks for all the replies.

Have a good one dudes.
 

badassmav

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Jun 11, 2013
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Jamul
I think it would be about half that.
Maybe out in your neck of the woods. But here on the west coast, you can expect to pay 80-100 bucks an hour shop rate for access to a 3 or 4 axis Haas machining center. My guess is it would be 4 hours to measure part and develop a program, an hour to set up the tooling in the machine plus a tooling cost if the req'd cutters are not standard. Then 2-3 hours to run the parts. Then material cost for 4140 or 4340 billets has got to be around 50bucks/ea. Add the cost of heat treating the part, around 40 bucks/ea. x 4, and don't forget the Spicer u-joints. Another 80 bucks. Add it all up and you get....... approx. 1200 bucks/4 and yeah Alex, you were close! It was a fun exercise.:cool:
 

AReed

Member
Oct 2, 2012
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We can cut some time by building it in SW instead of giving a stock unit to the CNC shop to reverse out. Getting the splines cut on a EDM would probably be the most expensive part. I need to meet you in a couple weeks Thursday at contingency
 

tatum

Hans Solo - 2009 UTV Baja 500 & 1000 Winner - UTVU
Feb 10, 2009
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You can am guys might want to look into incorporating the spring loaded splined yokes they use on the Teryx drive shafts. if you pull the boot back and remove the circlip you can squeeze the driveshaft together and remove it. it might help your motor R&R.I could measure the outside diameter when I get home tonight if you are interested.
 

badassmav

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Jun 11, 2013
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Jamul
We can cut some time by building it in SW instead of giving a stock unit to the CNC shop to reverse out. Getting the splines cut on a EDM would probably be the most expensive part. I need to meet you in a couple weeks Thursday at contingency
I look forward to it. We'll probably roll in at the 11th hour as usual. It seems that ours is almost always the last UTE through tech. I'm working hard to be ready sooner, but I just don't see how I can get this car ready any quicker. Just started the motor yesterday, and there are problems. I am not well versed in this area, so the time slows way down when troubleshooting engine problems. I jumped back on the a arms, since design and fab work is right up my alley. Before starting the engine last night, or 2 nights ago now I think, I was already pounding out 80 hr. weeks. Looks like the 100's are now inevitable. I got nothing better to do with my time anyway besides drink (god, I love beer!) I'll PM you my cell # before we roll out so you can contact me.

I hear you about the Computer modeling. I always generate and provide DXF files for all our automated outsourcing. Wish I had SW, but I use an old 2d cad program I've had for years. It's the software that ran my Plasma Cam cnc table. Archaic yes, but because it is not loaded with frills, bells and whistles, I can generate cut files much quicker with it, than with SW.
 

badassmav

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Jun 11, 2013
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Jamul
You can am guys might want to look into incorporating the spring loaded splined yokes they use on the Teryx drive shafts. if you pull the boot back and remove the circlip you can squeeze the driveshaft together and remove it. it might help your motor R&R.I could measure the outside diameter when I get home tonight if you are interested.
I dont think that the output shaft coming out of the motor is long enough to accomplish that. Mostly because the BRP engineers for some reason are very liberal when it comes to splined interfaces and tolerances. The Maverick design (front drive shaft) allows for a slip joint at the "sloppy spline" interface at the front of the motor (about 1 3/4" of engagement on a 4" long splined output shaft), whilst the connection at the front diff is bolted together with a pesky, hard to get to single M10 bolt going through the center of the yoke int0 the pinion shaft.yoke, and bolting into the pinion shaft. Not a bolt you can hurry along! I do not see why they didn't just incorporate a 4 bolt flanged style yoke at the motor side, and allow the plunge to take place at the differential. I assume the sole purpose of the plunging joint is to facilitate installation and removal of the drive shaft.

So, your car does not have any hardware other than a circlip tying the drive shaft yoke into either the diff, or the splined output shaft? Just a spring preload to force the drive shaft into the pinion shaft? Is it that way for both of the drive shafts? Yeah, If we didn't bolt solid the drive shaft at one of the ends, it would be a wobbly charlie due to the tolerance in the splines.!

I'm tired, and am becoming confused Hans! I gotta get back to working on the car with what little awareness I have left! Ha ha. Man, I am amazed that the car stays together when assembled by a tired old man like myself. I'll fab some a arm stuff and start welding. Thats pretty safe. NO WIRING! But now my mind is working thinking about the pros and cons of what we just dicsussed (and bedtime)

Keep in mind that we have belt tension pulling on the front driveshaft via the alternator.
 

tatum

Hans Solo - 2009 UTV Baja 500 & 1000 Winner - UTVU
Feb 10, 2009
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I dont think that the output shaft coming out of the motor is long enough to accomplish that. Mostly because the BRP engineers for some reason are very liberal when it comes to splined interfaces and tolerances. The Maverick design (front drive shaft) allows for a slip joint at the "sloppy spline" interface at the front of the motor (about 1 3/4" of engagement on a 4" long splined output shaft), whilst the connection at the front diff is bolted together with a pesky, hard to get to single M10 bolt going through the center of the yoke int0 the pinion shaft.yoke, and bolting into the pinion shaft. Not a bolt you can hurry along! I do not see why they didn't just incorporate a 4 bolt flanged style yoke at the motor side, and allow the plunge to take place at the differential. I assume the sole purpose of the plunging joint is to facilitate installation and removal of the drive shaft.

So, your car does not have any hardware other than a circlip tying the drive shaft yoke into either the diff, or the splined output shaft? Just a spring preload to force the drive shaft into the pinion shaft? Is it that way for both of the drive shafts? Yeah, If we didn't bolt solid the drive shaft at one of the ends, it would be a wobbly charlie due to the tolerance in the splines.!

I'm tired, and am becoming confused Hans! I gotta get back to working on the car with what little awareness I have left! Ha ha. Man, I am amazed that the car stays together when assembled by a tired old man like myself. I'll fab some a arm stuff and start welding. Thats pretty safe. NO WIRING! But now my mind is working thinking about the pros and cons of what we just dicsussed (and bedtime)

Keep in mind that we have belt tension pulling on the front driveshaft via the alternator.
Ried, here is a pic with my spare parts laid out. The yoke at the front diff is bolted to the pinion and you have to dissasemble the u-joint to unbolt it. The rear part of the driveshaft is actually splined and has a u-joint coupler that connects it to the splined output shaft. The rear driveshaft is spined on both ends and just slides on to the pinion and output shafts. All splines go on about an inch or so and we have never had an issue.

We didn't like the idea of running the alternator off of the drive shaft so we ran it off of the rear cv.

Sorry about all the tape on the driveshafts but the circlips where taped to them.

P.S. both shafts are 4 inches longer than stock.
 

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badassmav

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Jun 11, 2013
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Jamul
Ried, here is a pic with my spare parts laid out. The yoke at the front diff is bolted to the pinion and you have to dissasemble the u-joint to unbolt it. The rear part of the driveshaft is actually splined and has a u-joint coupler that connects it to the splined output shaft. The rear driveshaft is spined on both ends and just slides on to the pinion and output shafts. All splines go on about an inch or so and we have never had an issue.

We didn't like the idea of running the alternator off of the drive shaft so we ran it off of the rear cv.

Sorry about all the tape on the driveshafts but the circlips where taped to them.

P.S. both shafts are 4 inches longer than stock.
So, let me see if I understand this correctly: Instead of welding a 1/2 yoke at the motor end of the drive shaft that connects to a companion 1/2 yoke with a female spline, they just weld a machined male spline and provide a splined u-joint coupling that connects it to the motor output shaft. I assume the spring and circlip are in the back end of the splined u-joint coupling. So, the double slip u-joint coupling is where you are gaining the space to remove the drive shaft with the diffs still installed.

I don't understand the need for a spring. Our drive shaft is identical to yours where it bolts to the pinion, but the other end of it has the splined yoke welded to it. Once we bolt the front of the drive shaft to the pinion shaft in the front diff, the drive shaft is now held and indexed, and the spline on the opposite end freely slides over the motor output shaft. We can get the retaining bolt that screws into the pinon shaft on and off with out the need to remove the u-joints. I wonder why they went with the u-joint coupling design instead of just welding one of those 1/2 yoke dealie bobs that use small u-bolts to connect the two 1/2 yokes through the clamping of the u-joint to the yoke instead of pressing in the bearing caps. Then, the drive shaft can stay attached to the diff, and there is no removing the u joints, nor the retaining bolt. That is what I am doing next time.

Are the u-joint the stock size? They sure look beefier than ours by far. And, what is that big gear reduction casting looking thing on the front side of the rear diff?

Is that a rubber boot on the drive shaft that is around 7" back from the front diff? Another slide joint?

To install the rear drive shaft, you just slip one end onto the tranny output shaft, then slide the diff up into the drive shaft? Or, do you already have the driveshaft and rear diff in place and guide the trannny output shaft into the read drive shaft as you are lowering the engine into the car? Looks like the diff is big enough to house a 7" ring gear.
 

tatum

Hans Solo - 2009 UTV Baja 500 & 1000 Winner - UTVU
Feb 10, 2009
1,450
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arizona
Ried,both the front and rear drive shafts have a slip yoke where the rubber boot is. When you pull the boot back there is a circlip that you can release and slide and then you can squeeze the drive shaft together and remove it The spring is inside the drive shaft at the slip yoke.

the only reason I could see them making the front drive shaft the way they did is they might interchange stuff between the Teryx and the quads.

The big part on the front of the rear differential is where the factory rear brake is. It is a clutch style wet break that I do not use, I have aftermarket outboard brakes.
 

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