Thread: Maxi-Drive diff lock actuator on long side?

My Sals rear and Rover front MD are both on the long side......aside from the long shaft, what about the diff centre and where the locking spline engages in it????

I was going to install a Maxi-drive locker, now have a ARB locker and still have the MD half shafts installed.

The long MD half shaft wont come out with the stub axle in place as the splines for the locker are too large to pass through the inside of the stub axle.
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Originally Posted by uninformed

My Sals rear and Rover front MD are both on the long side......aside from the long shaft, what about the diff centre and where the locking spline engages in it????

I'm not sure where you are going with this question.

The Defender intermediate axle has a Rover diff and the donor Disco 1 with Maxi-Drive is also a Rover diff. The plan is to put the Maxi-hemisphere actuator and axles into the Defender housing.

Apart from the new Maxi-axle I'll need to buy, the air lines will exit at the bottom of the actuator if I change sides.

think about what the locking dog clutch is doing. Its being slid over by the actuator to engage both the extra splines on the axle shaft and the internal spline machined into the locking side of the diff carrier.

Im guessing that if yours was on the short side, you cant just flip the diff carrier over so it now corresponds with the long side.....

Originally Posted by Lotz-A-Landies

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Can a Maxi-drive actuator be fitted to the long side of the housing?

I understand that I will have to purchase a new long halfshaft..

Diana

The short answer is yes, but as Serg is pointing out you will need a custom hemisphere (as well as halfshaft) for the dog to engage with.

AFAIK Sals MD lockers are on the long side, rover rear are on the short side, rover front on the long side.

However sounds like it would be easier and cheaper to sell the MD and fit Ashcroft or ARB lockers.

Originally Posted by uninformed

think about what the locking dog clutch is doing. Its being slid over by the actuator to engage both the extra splines on the axle shaft and the internal spline machined into the locking side of the diff carrier.

Im guessing that if yours was on the short side, you cant just flip the diff carrier over so it now corresponds with the long side.....

so what we're sayng is that front Maxi-drive lockers on Rover diffs are on the long side and rears on the short.

Plan B: Looks Like I'll be fitting it to the front axle then.

BTW: I prefer the positive locking of the Maxi-drive over the locker being held on by continuous air pressure in the ARB. The last thing you want is to lose air pressure mid obstacle and have the ARB unlock itself.

no, I was saying that it doesnt matter what side it is on, you simply can not flip it over to the other side.

Its not just where the actuator goes, its the side of the diff carrier that has already been broached to receive the locking dog spline, as you can't flip the carrier. You can move the actuator, get new shafts made all day long, you cant flip the carrier.

I dont think there is a set rule for front vs rear equals a side as I think the Disco 2 had the locking mechanisim on the other side??

Im sure if you keep an eye in the market place, the one you need will come up.

I got that from your and Ben's earlier post. Hence my only option to keep it is to fit it to the front axle, which will have it on the long side becaue of the 180 degree rotation of the diff.

If there are Rover diff Maxi-drives on the long side of the rear housing, I will definately look out for one.