When I look closer at the housing from the red 110, I'm inclined to agree with you. It would have been good to have a pic of the tube near the failure.
To fail there, the tube mustn't have been a tight fit into the housing.
Printable View
4x4 Bedford trucks had the same issue with both front and rear diffs they leaked oil I must admit I never saw one break.
The vehicles in question were used daily on rough roads for years.
All of the diff housing failures on 4x4 trucks that I saw were as a result of non standard tyres.
I have seen this on both Unimogs and Inters not sure if this could be a factor with Land Rovers I guess it depends upon the offset
Nothing stops you quite as quick as the rear axle housing snapping and the 2 rear tyres fold in against the coil springs on a Unimog.
This thread is sure to bring out the Landy hypochondriacs! I think I can resist unbolting my Salisbury and finding a replacement for the moment. :angel:
I suspect some sort of damage started a fatigue crack and then failure. I doubt there is a systemic issue with these housings.
The 101 also has these but a wider track than the 110 so would have heavier loadings - in addition the 101 has a 1.5tonne load rating on a wider axle and as far as I am aware they have not had this type of failure. Clearly that 110 is overloaded but would still be less than a loaded 101.
Garry
I know there was a lot of failures with the Jeep J20 when they were released in Australia back in the 1980s.
They had a Dana 60 in the rear that nearly always failed if it was used.
Its not exclusively a Land Rover issue if it is an issue
Yes but what is the wall thickness of 101 axle tubes???
SIII and 110 sals tubes seem to all be ~5.8 mm wall from my measurements.
IRC someone posting that 130 axle tubes are 8 mm wall???
Dana 60 axles are 0.315 - 0.500" wall (8 - 13 mm)
However as stated, the failure rates are low - and seem limited to vehicles used for extensive offroad touring while heavily loaded.
Yes the good old 101 has thicker tube walls than a defender.
Scary photos, even if it isn't my car.
Newb question: Would the same vehicles subjected to the same conditions with stock diffs have faired any better?