Thread: Salisbury diff housing failures

Originally Posted by djam1

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.

I crossed the Sahara in 1986 in one of those ex army Bedford 4Wds. It had both axles gussetted on the top side from pumpkin to hub.

And there's something wrong with the red 110 incident. The roofrack has slid backwards, look at the clamps and gas bottles. I suspect the diff hit something at speed in reverse.

Regards
Max P

Originally Posted by Davo

They were stock standard on those models. I think overloading and speed would be the culprits, as usual.

Thanks - now let me ask the right question!

So trying the same conditions with a stock Puma would likely end up the same? Of is this mode of failure "unique" to the Salisbury diff?

Originally Posted by Tusker

And there's something wrong with the red 110 incident. The roofrack has slid backwards, look at the clamps and gas bottles. I suspect the diff hit something at speed in reverse.

Regards
Max P

You are right about the roofrack Max. If you look at the three quarter front photo it looks like the front wheel is just off the edge of a tarred road with the coloured edge marking. Cannot see any other damage though at the front of the vehicle. Could he have backed and that side dropped into a deep hole, look at the angle of the other side wheel and the trench under the centre of the diff.

Bob

Originally Posted by isuzurover

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.

I've just measured the 130 diff I have here and can confirm its ~8mm.

Steve

Originally Posted by FeatherWeightDriver

Thanks - now let me ask the right question!

So trying the same conditions with a stock Puma would likely end up the same? Of is this mode of failure "unique" to the Salisbury diff?

It's not like it happens all the time, so with regular use you'd be okay.

Originally Posted by bobslandies

You are right about the roofrack Max. If you look at the three quarter front photo it looks like the front wheel is just off the edge of a tarred road with the coloured edge marking. Cannot see any other damage though at the front of the vehicle. Could he have backed and that side dropped into a deep hole, look at the angle of the other side wheel and the trench under the centre of the diff.

Bob

I would think that when the housing broke it locked the rear of the landie up and it has started to do a 180 , as per a handbrakie of our youth, but the drag of the housings has pulled it backward off the road into the embankment. If he had any sort of speed up at the time the impact would be more than sufficient to slide the roofrack rearwards. They are not all that secure at the best of times Have seen them slid well forward on 'cruisers after hitting wandering stock

Cheers Scott

Originally Posted by FeatherWeightDriver

Thanks - now let me ask the right question!

So trying the same conditions with a stock Puma would likely end up the same? Of is this mode of failure "unique" to the Salisbury diff?

Different construction of the rover housing, that eliminates the abrupt change in stiffness from the diff housing/pumpkin to the axle tubes.

IIRC, it was Dave Ashcroft who said something to the effect that Land Rover changed from the Salisbury, because they couldn't easily strengthen it for military/wolf duty.

I haven't taken much interest in the housings used since the change from the Salisbury, and have no idea if, or how they are strengthened for the wolfs.

However the all steel rover housing is easy to strengthen, the composite cast and steel Salisbury is more difficult because of issues welding to the cast diff housing.

Originally Posted by Bush65

Different construction of the rover housing, that eliminates the abrupt change in stiffness from the diff housing/pumpkin to the axle tubes.

IIRC, it was Dave Ashcroft who said something to the effect that Land Rover changed from the Salisbury, because they couldn't easily strengthen it for military/wolf duty.

I haven't taken much interest in the housings used since the change from the Salisbury, and have no idea if, or how they are strengthened for the wolfs.

However the all steel rover housing is easy to strengthen, the composite cast and steel Salisbury is more difficult because of issues welding to the cast diff housing.

And if you weld a brace, truss etc right across the entire housing, how do you spread the cast section it to remove the diff center....