Thread: Lockers on a 6x6 defender?

The track width of the rear is 200mm wider (1700 rear, 1500 front).

Does this mean rear axles are 100mm longer each, if so any idea where i might find longer HD axles???

Originally Posted by Jitterbug

The track width of the rear is 200mm wider (1700 rear, 1500 front).

Does this mean rear axles are 100mm longer each, if so any idea where i might find longer HD axles???

i assume the rear axles would be the same as the wide body army 6x6 which means they would be off the shelf. if you are wanting something tougher than i am sure maxi-drive guy could make them

Originally Posted by Jitterbug

The track width of the rear is 200mm wider (1700 rear, 1500 front).

Does this mean rear axles are 100mm longer each, if so any idea where i might find longer HD axles???

As long as Barry has the correct broach for the splines and you can supply the exact length, HiTough Engineering (formerly MaxiDrive axles) can make them any length you require as they are machined in-house.

BTW: you need to check the offset as the 200mm may not be divided exactly in half. It's just a matter of undoing the drive flange and withdrawing both halfshafts.

Originally Posted by Jitterbug

The track width of the rear is 200mm wider (1700 rear, 1500 front).

Does this mean rear axles are 100mm longer each, if so any idea where i might find longer HD axles???

If its like mine there are 4 shafts for the 2 back axles, each a different length as one diff is one side and the other diff the other side. So none of mine are the same but yours may be different.

You may already know that the Salisbury is 99.5% the same as a US Dana60. The only substantial difference is that the Dana60 is imperial whereas the sals is metric. The other important difference is that the D60 came with 1.3" 30-spline and 1.5" 35-spline axles instead of the puny 1.24" 24-spline axles LR used.

Given where you plan to travel, I would fit 30-spline Dana 60 ARB lockers to both rear centres and find some "off the shelf" sized axle shafts but in 4340 or better grade steel. The axle shafts will hopefully be common to a US vehicle like a Ford or Chev pickup. That way, in the unlikely event you break an axle, it should be possible to find a spare in most of the americas fairly readily.

As for the front, You (hopefully) have a special reverse cut 4.7:1 crownwheel and pinion which bolts to a 3.54 centre. Mal story (Maxi-Drive) told me they were developed for the army when they started breaking front diffs on the 6x6. They cost $1900 for one CW&P about 10 years ago, and are probably even more $$$ and unobtainable now. I would build a 3rd D60/Sals for the front.

The other advantage with the all-D60 driveline is yoiu have a MUCH wider range of ratio choices. About a dozen ratios between 3.54:1 and 7.17:1.

Keith at Rovingtracks (I think that is the new name after LR made him change it) is the guru with mixing and matching sals and D60 bits.

Originally Posted by wagoo

Experience with my own self built 6x6 many years ago revealed that the rearmost axle is the most likely one to fail in a cross country situation. I destroyed quite a few rearmost Rover diffs. but never broke a middle axle one, and that was on a vehicle with gobs of bogie articulation. Whilst the Salisbury diff can probably handle the strain, the 24 spline halfshafts of the rearmost diff should really be uprated to 35 spline 1.5'' shafts for a heavyish offroad camper.A Dana 60 35 spline version of an ARB or equivelant should do the trick, if a McNamara difflock isn't available. It would be great if Ashcrofts got their act together and offered Salisbury/dana60 difflocks.
Bill.

Originally Posted by uninformed

sorry, im a bit slow, I dont get the connection??? Are you still working in the Military?

yep, I was Army, Im now RAAF, for about 5 years up to the beginning of this year my bread and butter was all aspects of Tactical fleet vehicle maintenance/repair (landy, mog, mack ,bushmaster) and preperation for air movement to other areas.

I agree with most of what Ben posted (which was an expanded version of what I sort of already said), but I doubt the 4 axle shafts will be "off the shelf" anything.....Other than the supplier to the Aus Military, which is Barry at Hi-Tough...So in that case you can either just go ARB, with Hi-Tough in 24 spline and have the ability to phone Barry for a spare.....or you can upgrade and hope not to bust anything. Im thinking Ben may be advising 30 spline so you do not have to change the Stub axles???

My thoughts are do it once, do it right. Go 35 spline D60 ARB, get keith to hook you up with what you need and get him to make/supply some 300m axles.

In the front you can stick with Hi-tough and get some Ashcroft or Keith CV's

Or build a D60 front. Is your front housing a standard rover housing??? or has it a cast center section like a Sals???

Looks cast with some extra armour plating for good measure.

At the end of the day it will come down to cost, I will have to scope out the different options and see where I end up.