6x6 Defender

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Originally Posted by akelly

Not wanting to start a whole thing here - and acknowledge that Munro wants to focus on the engine/trans issues - but I have a bit of experience with both (6x6 perenties and the 6x4 LC my father owns) and for carrying a camper on the back in a touring situation I dont see a great advantage in the 6x6, given the added complexity. Most of the 6x6 LRs I have had involvement with would best be described as having drivetrains made of cheese! Except in the case of the highly modified ones.

Cheers,

Adam

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The 6x6 conversions you have been involved with Adam were probably British conversions described earlier that employed pinion mounted drop box drive splitters on 'cheesy' Rover diffs. The Perenties employ 2 Salisbury 8HA axle assemblies for the rear bogie which are not known for being weak, and the halfshafts if needed can be uprated to virtually bomb proof 1.5'' 35 spline specification.
I believe Munro mentioned something to the effect that he desired a go anywhere camper. This implies a degree of offroad travel, where a lazy 3rd axle would be a liability on a heavy camper conversion.
Wagoo.

Wagoo

How would a detroit locker go on a Salisbury 3rd axle?

Diana

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Originally Posted by Lotz-A-Landies

Wagoo

How would a detroit locker go on a Salisbury 3rd axle?

Diana

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The Perenties that were sent to Afghanistan were fitted with Detroits in both rear diffs,although some owners of bogie drive heavier trucks with twin Detroits I've dealt with weren't happy with them, complaining of hopping, skipping and banging around corners when unladen.
Wagoo.

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Originally Posted by THE 109

Munro,

The 4BD1T is no longer available new to my knowledge but they can be found 2nd hand,all parts are available to rebuild them although depending on its condition can be expensive.
Balancing all my components was under $250.00.

Cheers Eric

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Thanks. That feedback is helpful. Shame though that a new one is no longer available.

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Originally Posted by wagoo

The 6x6 conversions you have been involved with Adam were probably British conversions described earlier that employed pinion mounted drop box drive splitters on 'cheesy' Rover diffs. The Perenties employ 2 Salisbury 8HA axle assemblies for the rear bogie which are not known for being weak, and the halfshafts if needed can be uprated to virtually bomb proof 1.5'' 35 spline specification.
I believe Munro mentioned something to the effect that he desired a go anywhere camper. This implies a degree of offroad travel, where a lazy 3rd axle would be a liability on a heavy camper conversion.
Wagoo.

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Correct. I desire a go anywhere camper, so good off road ability is what I am after. I am starting off late in life so apart from the lap and the Mrs's Ideas about trips, I still want to do the usual well known trips. I have chosen the Defender because I am led to believe it is the best for off road and not too bad on road as well.

Before I head off and get into too much trouble, I want to make sure I have a reliable vehicle that has more capability than me. Thanks.

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Originally Posted by wagoo

The Perenties that were sent to Afghanistan were fitted with Detroits in both rear diffs,although some owners of bogie drive heavier trucks with twin Detroits I've dealt with weren't happy with them, complaining of hopping, skipping and banging around corners when unladen.
Wagoo.

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Thanks Wagoo

Good to know the Perenties have them. I would think the detroit in the 3rd wouldn't be a real problem when it's running lazy most of the time. If I fit anything to the 2nd axle it will likely be an air locker or maxidrive if I can get one.

Diana

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Originally Posted by Lotz-A-Landies

Thanks Wagoo

Good to know the Perenties have them. I would think the detroit in the 3rd wouldn't be a real problem when it's running lazy most of the time. If I fit anything to the 2nd axle it will likely be an air locker or maxidrive if I can get one.

Diana

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Do you presently own a Perentie or civilian 6x6 Diana? The 3 civilian examples I've worked on, and a few of the army ones I've looked at all had relatively new rear axle double cardan propshafts at quite low 40-60,000KMs.Not sure why LandRover chose to mount the centre bearing on the chassis rather than on the forward rear axle as was commonly done on Studes, GMCs etc, but that is one modification I would consider to reduce angles and to eliminate the double cardan joint.
Wagoo.

Wagoo

Yes I do have a 6X6, "Ikea" because it is currently flat packed. It was taken apart to repaint the chassis and never re-assembled before the PO died.

It is a UK built unit, from an apparent fleet contract of similar vehicles. The interesting part it has a Rover Group ID plate showing all three axles and it has a JLR service and warranty history, so I am assuming it is a Land Rover Special Vehicles factory build.

The 6x6 design is the coil spring type with the drop box over the 2nd diff pinion as shown in various pics, but the third axle is Salisbury. I have also been promised a Detroit/Salisbury from the 4BD1/LT85 donor.

Diana

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Originally Posted by Lotz-A-Landies

Wagoo

Yes I do have a 6X6, "Ikea" because it is currently flat packed. It was taken apart to repaint the chassis and never re-assembled before the PO died.

It is a UK built unit, from an apparent fleet contract of similar vehicles. The interesting part it has a Rover Group ID plate showing all three axles and it has a JLR service and warranty history, so I am assuming it is a Land Rover Special Vehicles factory build.

The 6x6 design is the coil spring type with the drop box over the 2nd diff pinion as shown in various pics, but the third axle is Salisbury. I have also been promised a Detroit/Salisbury from the 4BD1/LT85 donor.

Diana

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There is nothing wrong with the drop box splitter concept, providing it employs gears not morse chain.I used homebuilt pinion mounted drop boxes on both rear diffs on my own 6x6 without problems way back in the day.
The rearmost 4.7:1 Rover diff would blow fairly frequently though. Never broke a diff on the forward rear axle. I later removed the axle tubes from a Salisbury, machined back on a lathe the pinion snout and welded a bolt flange to it to accept a drop box. Due to the extra bulk of the Salisbury, my original drop box, which contained a series intermediate gear and 2 high range gearwheels was too short, so I fabricated a new case that I was going to use 3 large diameter gears from LT95 intermediate gears meshed together. never got around to finishing that project due to subsequent domestic responsibilities:(. If Ashcrofts new super duper crownwheel and pinion sets were available back then, the original Rover diff setup would have been much more successful because my vehicle was compact and relatively light, being built for extreme crosscountry performance as opposed to a heavy load carrier.
Wagoo.

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Originally Posted by wagoo

The 6x6 conversions you have been involved with Adam were probably British conversions...

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No. I know what a perentie is and have clocked a fair few k's in them, most of the variants. If you load them up, they break - particularly on the bitumen during hill starts. I'm happy for you to disagree - its a free world!

If you go this way I would definitely go for an auto if you can make it work - the clutch is a major weakness on the perenties.

Have fun!