Paul,
I understand where you were going with the aluminum carrier. Any
misalignment greater than the aluminum housing would allow would
probably be destructive to the gear set. (Don't think Vance's ounce of
rubber even applies in this case.)I believe the Timken system was of
course designed around their tapered roller bearings. I have always
believed these to be one of the best rolling element bearings in the
world, but they aren't always available in the smaller sizes we need.
Prop shaft, no problem but planets is another story. I would love to see
a herringbone gear set become available in our sizes too, but spur gears
is probably the best we can hope for!
Bill Jepson

I think the ounce of rubber applies. Planetary gear sets are largely self
aligning. Not only the angle of the gear but the radial position of the
planet gear. If you constrain them too much then you get high point contact
stress concentrations. You just have to keep the planet gears from
interfering with each other that's all.

Paul Lamar ...No rotor no motor.

Paul,
I don't think that the planets can have that rubber sleeve if the drive
is being taken from the planet carrier as it is in the 2.85:1 units. If
they are driving the ring gear maybe...
Bill


Well the Ford planet carrier is straddle mounted pins so the
load goes into both ends of the pin more or less equally and
thence into the planet carrier and thence into the prop shaft.

There is no doubt a self aligning spherical bearing such as the Timken could
do a better job of equalizing the loads from the planet gear going
into the pin instead of needle rollers.

Here is small bearing that works the same way almost.

The smallest Timken is about one inch or 25 MM bore.