Thread: Defender axles help.

Hi Wes,

They aren't that weak really.

If its pre about 2002 it will have a Salisbury rear which is basically a Dana 60 and they are almost unbreakable really. Upgraded shafts are available.

If its post 2002 it will have a 4 pin rover which isnt as strong, but upgrades are also available

The front end will be fine on normal size tyres.

I run 33's or 35's on mine and have only ever broken one long rear half shaft.

If you aren't very rough with it, I cant see you having an issue.

As Pete said if it has a salisbury in the rear you shouldn't be breaking that in a hurry
We run 10spline standard axles in the front of our county (10 spline axles are the weakest) with lockers front and rear and have only broken 1 axle and that axle was the original (460 000kms) that was before we got lockers
The defender your looking at would have 24spline axles...much stronger

CHEERS TIM.

It all really depends on what sort of 4x4'ing you are planning to do with the Defender. If it is outback touring, the stock axles will be fine.

If it is bog hole driving with Simex Centipedes fitted, you might want to invest in the following items, in order of priority:

1. ARB lockers (simply because they are stronger than the standard differential gears in the Rover diff)

2. Maxidrive half shafts

Eitherway, the standard Rover axles are stronger than Prado diffs or Land Cruiser diffs, just as a comparison. Toyota diffs are no good for doing a reverse snatch recovery - they go snap crackle and pop!

Originally Posted by tempestv8

Toyota diffs are no good for doing a reverse snatch recovery - they go snap crackle and pop!

i doubt you'd wanna go doing heavy reverse snatch recoveries with any 4x4, virtually no differential is capable of its rated torque in both directions

Its not the axles that are so weak its the drive flanges that wear which can be overcome with either maxidrive flanges or upgraded axles with the heavier flanges fitted
If your not running lockers you wont bust a axle

Even 24 spline axles have their issues. When they changed the method of lubricating the wheel bearings from diff oil to grease the axle splines fret. When I changed the defender's axles to maxidrives I also changed to diff oil lube, no fretting splines yet. The flogged out splines cause a fair bit of slop in the drive line.

150K Km no dramas yet.

As others have said, the problem lies with the axle splines and the drive plates at the hubs. The splines run dry because there is no way for them to be lubricated.

An upgrade to Maxidrive type axles and drive plates along with oil lubed wheel bearings cures the problem.