Thread: portal axels what are they?

Originally Posted by dobbo

all this talk on portal axels, I've never heard of them before, I must be dumb could some give a description please.

Big Boys toys

But joking aside
They are axels where the end of the hub drops down to give more clearance under the Diff. This is a good mate of mine's truck. He has put Unimog axels under a disco s1 chassis with a rangie 3.9 engine and gearbox. Here is a pic of it
Look at the end of the axels and you will see what i mean.

Ok, in a regular axle, the center of the wheel lines up with the center of the axle tube. On a vehicle with portal axles, the center of the wheel is much lower than on a regular vehicle.

Positives, diff tube and diff pumpkin are higher off the ground. Bigger wheels fit with no lift at all. All suspension parts remain the same.

Negatives, heavier, more complicated, more to go wrong.

Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal_gear

has a link to a manufacturer.

Used in Unimogs

I think that maxi drive make them here or was that some one else?

Maxidrive certainly make them for the defender, but they are expensive.

Originally Posted by one_iota

Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal_gear

has a link to a manufacturer.

Used in Unimogs

I think that maxi drive make them here or was that some one else?

yeah maxi drive do them but morgage your house first

Originally Posted by Reads90

yeah maxi drive do them but morgage your house first

So they are basically a "hub reduction axle" as used in v. heavy trucks, mining & construction equipment?

Thankyou I know what they are now.

G'day All, If you have to ask how much, you cannot afford them, i know I couldn't afford them but I asked Mal anyway and just a few years ago they were 12,000 + gst so needless to say I dont have any but I certainly know what they are, had them on a vw buggy (kombi rearend) 34 years ago bloody good idea, Haflingers, Mogs, Volvo all those expensive European trucks have em, good ole Aussie ingenuity made em for Land Rovers cheers Dennis