Got the camera going for better pics .
So iv been trying to identify these metal tranny gears all morning.I Got them in a trade not long ago that i initiated(from E(asilytakeyourmoney)Bay
of all places & looking at pics I figured they at least appeared to all be hardened steel,Iv been looking to buy (or have made) a set from & ended up with a few sets since the other guy wanted one of my trucks i had for trade.
Anyway to the point,I started to think they were ultramaxx gen1 without the brass idlers till i noticed a magnet would not stick.so i stuck it in the lathe & sanded the side of 1 idler & a spot on the dog to be sure i was at bare metal(didnt appear to be coated it just shined up the color,darker color than aluminium & a bit of a darker & color tint compared to steel)
with my experience with steel fab i started some scratch & auto punch test & comparing to multiple types of aluminium & steel & I think i may have stumbled on some titanium gears
.I cannot scrape flakes off like i could with any aluminium(including aircraft grade) The scratch tests & dimples from an auto punch seem to compare to a light surface treated steel( raw carbon steel seem just a bit softer.Weight seems a lighter than Id expect steel to be also but i dont have any raw titanium to compare any tests to.
Machining is a little up & down,the bright side is the teeth on the gears from checking in the lathe appear perfectly symmetrical to the center shafts & i feel the teeth are better cut than even rrp gen3 spurs as these are not straight cut teeth like rrp,these have smooth curved profiles to each tooth with no sharp edges on the contact areas,VERY VERY nice mesh thruout rotation.
Now the corner cutting but not to big a deal for me (considering the above)if you notice in the pics the holes/slots/pins in the idlers & dogs are well centered Except 1 dog appears to have a pin of center on 1 side(again no biggy on that one & press out both pins & bore them center then turn new steel pins to press in to make sure its balanced) the dog slots in the lower gears however are a bit poorly done,theres a bit of unmilled slag & lips on the slots opposite side of where the dog meets from something not being centered during milling(pic shows both sides of each gear for comparison) Dog post did not fit in gears until a quick pass with a needle file around the edge of the slots.
Other than that precision is nice & tight as it is hard to mate the dog to the gears without the shaft inserted to make sure there centered but engages smooth then.
Either way Id like to thank that man who made these as the most important part of any gear is the teeth & mesh & there was definitely a significant amount of attention & detail spent on the tooth profile with these which is why I think the slotting processes looks like it ended up getting rushed thru.But I can fix that so im very pleased no matter who made them.
NOT to pleased however that if it wasnt UE than its surely there design so I would really like to find out in case i end up parting with a set or 2 at some point. If i did id like to (at least try to) ensure there going to be used & abused rather than resold under false pretense.
Sorry for the book but thought it was some good info & hope to get some info back if anyone has ever seen these's before,cant dig much up on UE gen1 gears but i dont think those were titanium & even so the minor(to me) milling issues give me a good idea its not UE that made these unless they were a early prototype or such.So Who did full real titanium 2spd gear sets????I dont think they were produced to recently as there is/was quite a bit of aged buildup & dust that has gathered in the slots & grooves that are away from regular contact.
If you have any info please post,Thanks (Im now looking for a publisher
