Irregardless of whether you're a serious Pro ATV racer or your average kid ATV trail rider, if you actively ride, chances are, you've broken your ATV's axle before. Even for kids and especially youths, having the ATV axle bend or break is a pretty common thing, hence, we always a have a few of these parts locked up in the garage, just in case. It's a hassle to break it and then try to find it. So, if you actively ride your ATV and is prone to trying new tricks to impress gals in your neighborhood, then you should get a couple of spare ATV axles for those unfortunate moments. It's pretty common for kids to break their axles too especially the inexperienced ones because they don't completely know how to control their ATVs properly.
The way you install an ATV axle differs from ATV to ATV...it depends on the make and model of the ATV. However, if you take the popular Honda, this might be a general idea on how to install the ATV axle on it.
If you're looking to purchase ATV axles online, try doing a simple search on http://www.google.com for 'ATV parts' or 'ATV axle parts'. We're sure you'll find some pretty reliable ATV part retailers out there.
The first thing you'll need to do is to put your ATV up on a stand and then remove all the tires. Remember to gather all the tools you need in order to install your ATV axle with you before you start. You don't want to remove all the parts and then discover you can't find a particular tool...and you'll end up with a taken-apart ATV awaiting further action until the needed tool is found! Usually, the next ATV part to come off will be the brake caliper - remove it and place it in a safe place.
Then work on removing the large hub nut next. Actually, on most Honda ATVs, you'll get ATV two hub nuts...one main nut and the other is the retaining nut. From the ATV's nut side, push the axle through the swingarm. This can be a challenge even for big blokes like us so, you might need some extra help here. Use of a rubber mallet will help tremendously. Remove the retaining clip and remove the ATV's hub nut off the axle...one at a time, please.
Now, the removal part is done. Get the new ATV axle ready and place it through the side where the ATV sprocket is. And since taking it out was a little tough, did you think it was going to be easy getting it in? Nnnaaahhh.... Anyway, thank goodness for the invention of the rubber mallet. Most new ATV axles will come with new sprockets, so, if that is the case, then you can remove and store or throw away the old ATV sprockets.
From here, you can reverse what you did by installing the ATV sprocket back in, then the rotor hub, then the ATV's brake caliper. This is followed by you sliding in the ATV's hub and then the stock hub nut. Remember to tighten the hub nut and the axle nuts before running the ATV. And then one more thing and you're done with it - insert new cotter pins and Viola....you've replaced your ATV's axle!
