RE: [ihc] I need the rundown on the RA15 corportate axle

["Mac @ TRIAD" <mac@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

## >> RA 15, RA 20, and FA 57 used the identical pumpkin. RA 15's
## >> seem to have
## >> come in both 6 x 7.25 circle and 8 x 6.5 circle lugs. (14"
## >> brakes with the
## >> Budd 6 lug hubs, 12" brakes with the 8 lug). I _THINK _ that
## >> the RA 20 was
## >> pretty much the same thing, but with 5 on 8 Budd pattern hubs with 14"
## >> brakes.

not to beat a dying horse all the way to death here, but...

my B122 originally came with an RA15.  that's a fact.  that RA15 had 14"
brakes and six on seven and a quarter lug pattern.  sixteen inch splitrim
wheels, singles, 12"x2.5" brakes up front.  the current axle, which does NOT
have the same housing as that RA15, and in fact has a significantly larger
pumpkin, larger differential carrier on the front, has the same six on seven
and a quarter lug pattern, *and* carries larger than 14" brakes.  everything
about this axle is noticeably larger than the RA15 it replaced.

as you may recall, not too long ago Joel F bought a B140 which he
subsequently sold.  i've heard from the new owner today.  he confirms that
the B140 has a six on seven and a quarter lug pattern on the rear axle, with
wheel spacers bolted on that push the wheels out a few inches and convert
them to five on eight lug pattern, matching the five on eight pattern on the
front axle.  the lineset for this truck indicates that this rear axle is an
RA20, and that the front axle, which has the same housing, is an FA50.  his
rear axle is identical to the rear axle under my B122, which i transplanted
from a 1966 1500A.  the B140 lineset indicates it's an RA20, the B series
operator's manual indicates it's either an RA30 or RA31.  in either case,
BOTH of those documents disagree with your statements about the RA15/RA20
axle housings.

what i want to know is...  what's the *real* truth to all of this?  this
little book indicates that the RA30 is smaller than the RA25 but larger than
the RA20, and the RA20 is larger than the RA15, but the RA10 is the same as
the RA15.

## >> The FA 57 was one of the steerable drive axle options in 1600
## >> 4x4's, it had
## >> flanges at the end of the housing to which the balls of the
## >> inner part of
## >> 70F size closed knuckles were bolted.

the B140 previously mentioned has an FA50, according to the lineset.
according to the B operator's manual, the FA50 and FA55 both share the same
housing as the FA30/FA31, which is NOT the same as the RA25, and that an
FA15, which doesn't equate to any of the rear axles, was also available.  it
does not list any other available front axles for the B series of trucks.
additionally, the manual doesn't mention the FA57 at all for the B series,
though the list of axles for this line of trucks appears to be fairly
compleat, especially for the rears.  i would suspect that the FA57 was a
later addition to the front drive axle options, sometime in the Loadstar
line.

it does appear that all of these IH Corporate front axles have that flange
at the ends of the tubes that the knuckles are bolted to.  according to this
manual, there were two sizes of knuckles, smaller for the FA50, and larger
for the FA55.  but both still use that same RA30/RA31 housing.

and now Allan E has posted something new about his bus which has what we
know is an RA30.  and yes, that mug is BIG.  if that's a real RA30, which i
know it is, then has that model and size always been known as an RA30, or
did the axle numbering system change sometime after the B series?  my head
hurts.

--Mac

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Krystof "Mac" MacBryghde
TyrGothi

http://master.triad.ath.cx/