All -
Thank you for your spirited responses to my post. I know we all share in the Achilles heal that is the keyed axle.
Firstly, let me say that the various posts on the keyed axles served a very helpful purpose in showing everyone what can happen. This is extremely helpful as we can then better understand what we are dealing with. I suspect, like me, we are mostly visual learners, so many thanks for the postings, pictures and insight.
Now, I would be happy to post the pictures of the new axles so you could see their design...if I knew how. At first glance, they are beautiful in their construction. Robust in every way. However, unlike the stock axles that have a threaded end with a castellated nut, they have a threaded core that then is held in the hub by a simple bolt and washer.
So, picture the male splined stub axle being inserted into the female hub and held in place by a bolt and washer. No cotter pin or safety wire to hold it in place...just torqueing and Loctite. Not good.
What we have now done, is to create a thick washer that has "legs" that extend down into the splined end of the shaft thus preventing the washer from being able to rotate. We have then created another fitted washer (with a hexagonal center milled out of it) that slips over the torqued bolt head and slides flush to the lower washer. Both washers have also been pre-drilled and threaded to hold a 3/16 screw which when inserted now holds the the two washers tightly in place and thus prevents the bolt from rotating - that's the theory anyway.
So, now we have a mechanism that should hold the bolt on either side in place. We will see as I am racing this weekend at Sears Point in Sonoma.
Again, I have pictures of the new axles to share and will also take pictures of the "fix" for you all to see and comment on.
If someone can help me figure out how to post those pictures, I would really appreciate it!
More to come!
Rob