Is it okay to use axle joint instead of the screw joint for the part where the lower part of dr4b meets the tower?
I definitely wouldn’t. I mean, you can, but it will have a lot of friction and be very sloppy. Why?
I was just wondering cuz I saw different teams use different joints. Wouldn’t a screw joint have more friction? I haven’t made a dr4b yet so I don’t really know but would using an axle joint bend the shaft ?
The reason why teams prefer to use screw joints on non-motorized joints is because the screw is circular. The joint can move independent of the screw, which means you don’t have to worry about friction on the screw and other parts(such as bearing flats). Hence, the overall friction of a screw joint is less than that of an axle. Hope this answers your question!
It is not only friction that creates a problem when using axle joints, it is also slop. Unless you put the axle between 2 C-channels (or any other supportive metal you are using for your lift towers) you will have lots of slop in the axle joint. Even with these C-channels you will have significant slop. I had a gear system on my DR4B for Turning point that used regular axles and I was still plagued by slop in the gears.
Moral of the story, don’t use low strength axle joints.