KAM diff lockers

:o

Kin 'ell I managed it :D also found test data on the CV / Stub shafts too

We didn't have the Jumbo Shafts ready for testing, but they are estimated at around 10,000 Mn Break point :wacko:

Hope the enclosed if of interest

Nige

Thanks Nige, but there is lots of talk there with few facts. I cannot see what is so secret about the steel you are using.

IMHO, Ultimate strength tests look nice but don't give much info on how the axle will perform in a real-world situation where fatigue is the most liklely failure mode.

I am in the market for some axles (halfshafts for you guys). I have the option of:

AMS6418 (HY-TUFF) axles from HY-TUFF ENG.
4340 axles from Ashcroft
EN26 axles from McNamara
1410H? or 4340 or 300m (4340M) axles from Rovertracks

Or I can buy some secret squirrel "aerospace" axle from you. Most of the above steels could also be called "aerospace" steels.

Sorry, but unless I know what I am buying I will be taking my money elsewhere...

Thanks for the info Nige. I'm with stig0000 on this one and say for the right price I would be willing to give them a go. But just how difficult are these lockers to fit? From what I see, is that the entire housing needs to be modified, some clarification on this would be much appreciated.

Ok

The ring is a laser cut 8mm steel shaped thingy (not too technical so far am I ? :p) wotsit which needs to be welded to the housing. The ring is drilled and taped for the diff cover (8mm too) which bolts on covers the entire diff, and beefs up the axle and hence no need for a sepeate diff guard any more.

The ring is fitted by cutting off the thin pan cover plus a bit of the axle tube part which houses the lock sys, and then with datum marks on the ring which line up remarkabley well with the weld lines on the axle casings.

We do give copious instructions that many says are superb step by step, and we also always say to any customers whatever there issue / query / worry is we are only a phone call or e-mail away.

Welding needs someone competant, we also supply little "Fillets" where the casing has a greater gap (flat plate on to curved surface) but if you having reasonable welding skills, and some basic metal work tools and skills, a happy amatuer can do this fine. Some people just do not like this idea at all, and go another route, perfectly understandable and entirely our loss, but it does mean we can build a kin strong unit :)

If anyone wnats fitting instructions I can E-mail then to them, save hassleing Richmonds, you can then have a read and decide, your choice as are all things in life.

Anyway, day off tommorrow, I have to fix my truck for an event this weekend, so we be gawn maybe a few days

Nige

I would like to thank you for your cool headed and usefull answers Nige :thumbsup:, keep up the good work mate :twobeers:, Fantastic PR there should be more of it from other companys alike:BigThumb:
By the way i run ARB lockers only because i had one in the rear (sals) of a Defender i bought and then i got a good second hand one for the front;)
Any way good work mate:cool:

Grrrr:(

Now posting as a Land Rover owner and not as anything to do with KAM :) sometimes I hate my 90, tonight was one of them as I spent hours tracing a lighting issue and I hate electrics (I call it gods knitting :D).

Thanks for the... oh hang on.. [KAM Mode Employee back on] nice comments, we do try to do our best and the offers in this post are genuine - if we can help we will - and what our tech guys (Steve & Kevin)don't know about diffs could be prob written on the back of my ear - and thats not a challenge by the way :eek: . [/KAM Mode Employee Off] :D

Personally speaking I like to do business on a personal level with companies I trust and have found have great customer service, and hate giving money to those who don't, so, for whats its worth as a perosnal recomendation my LT85 (spare Unit) is with Dave at Ashcroft Transmission for a full rebuild, I wouldn't trust anyone else, and if you need a Primary or Transfer box he is, esp here in the UK deemed a good if not great guy, ...as is Simon Rafferty at X-Eng with his superb X brake which I have and I wish I had bought earlier. Both these guys I know, trust absolutely implicitly as offering great service and products,.... just in case the above helps

Anyway, 90 is going to get worked on tommorow as still needs bits doing for the weekend, and as its going to a military site near me, which is sand hills and water and its hammered down here with rain like even in the UK was OTT I better sort now in the warmth of the garage and not bonnet up at the event.

I have had a trwal about this site and its rather good, esp the tech section, even more so when its a home grown product and a minority product over with yourself, yet there is some great tech, which I love.

As a moderator of a UK Lr website I know that there are loads of forums, some good some bad, and some ********* Awful, and this one grows on me, so you may find your know stuck with me, but more as a personal poster and helper and not a KAM person

Its your own fault - you brought it on yourselves :Rolling::Rolling::Rolling:

Nige

Hi Nige, do you have a New Zealand distributor?
Jack

Hi Again Nige
I've had a read through the fitting instructions, it is well laid out and seams easy enough to do. Just a few things I picked up;
It reads "If fitting this diff lock to the front of your vehicle, it will adversly affect the steering", now I presume that is when the diff is locked, or is there something else that I might have missed.
I now understand where the glue part comes in and it would make it a lot easier than welding, porvided the glue does not fail due to heat and water eventually weakening it. Eventhough I am competent with a welded, I have never really been a fan of welding on diffs, are there is a lot of potential to stuff things up.
Are the diffs normally removed from the vehicle when installed? I presume it would be easier.

All in all I like the idea behind the KAMs, if the LRA website is anything to go by, they seam like very good value for money, if weighed up against other options. I think if people could look past the fitting of the them, I for one can, they would become more popular.

Thanks again for the info and promp responses Nige.

:D

The warning about the front diff, is if it locks on at speed on the road, then exit ahead may well happen, its the sort of PC stuff that makes McDonalds put "This coffe may be hot and burn you if it pours over your n*ts" sort of thing :D

To fit you would remove the old diff shafts etc, have a bare axle, block the axle tubes diff ends with wet rags, plasma / grind / cut out rear pan as per instructions, weld on new ring, clean up (remove rags :p ) refit new KAM Diff shafts etc and wire up

We have clever "weld up side down" smarta**es, but many chose to remove the axle casing to work on it, blocking the ends saves much cleaning at the end :)

We don't have a dealer / distributor in New Zealand, so we can either supply direct, or become a dealer if you are in the market

Anyway, 90 still being a giant pain, ...and its raining (now theres a suprise)

Nige

Thanks for your post's Nige, I have been following your thread on Megasquirt for some time now. I like the fact that you don't bag other products or people that criticise yours. I assume (because i'm too lazy to look) that the gluing referred to is for the actuator mount, so it's not really a structural modification? I have always wanted to see the KAM locker but thought that it would never get here because of cost and exchange rates

AFAIK TJM suspended the Rover locker until they ironed out some production issues. I do know (firsty hand) that it was under development and yes Jeff did sell the rights to it. That was a while ago though so who knows now.