Thread: D1 hubs onto a trailer axle

The issue appears to be that the correct wheel nuts should be used with alloy wheels.

The current production hubs in Oz are only provided with studs which have a different thread which precludes the use of the correct LR wheel nuts.

A solution, to my way of thinking, would be to purchase undrilled (blank) hubs and fit (or have fitted) 16mm LR studs.

Another problem that some users worry about is that current production trailer brake hubs do not have the correct size spigot (what the wheel centre mounts on) for LR wheels, in practice this shouldn't be an issue if you ensure that your wheel nuts are correctly tightened.

Brake hubs with the correct studs were made in the past by Alko (I use these) and it is possible to pick them up 2nd hand from the usual sources, and where you are I would go and see "all 4by4" at Kotara and see what they've got. It can even be worth buying an old trailer if it has the right hubs.

Regarding your last sentence....

It is possible to have disk overide brakes on a trailer (the ex-mil Haukmark trailers presently being sold have hydraulic disk overide brakes and drum parking brakes with LR wheels).

However I would think that there has to be a simpler solution compared with the complications of installing a stub axle ends to fit D1 brakes.

What I would do is to chop the ends off a scrap d1 diff housing, face the tube ends in a lathe, mount up the hubs and wheels to determine the correct spacing and then acquire a section of heavy wall tube of the correct length to go between the hubs. Dismantle the hubs and weld the housing ends to the tube, purchase the correct size u bolts and shove it in. Over ride hydraulic couplings will work OK but you'll have better braking with front calipers with bigger pistons. Not sure how that would go.

Search for my thread on the topic

Personally I would go 50mm square axle with flanges welded on the end.....the flanges can be faced so it all square, than fit stub axles off a sals than bolt up all of your hubs and brakes. Oh you need some spaces made to go between the stub bolts and calipers.

Electric of hydraulic actuator and your set.

If you're keen to go down this road that I have sketches so that an engineering company can knock them up

I once thought about using a complete rear axle from an RRC and carrying a spare diff in the housing but I was told that it wasn't legal to use the axle housing. Dunno why, it's designed to carry a fair old weight.

Originally Posted by p38arover

I once thought about using a complete rear axle from an RRC and carrying a spare diff in the housing but I was told that it wasn't legal to use the axle housing. Dunno why, it's designed to carry a fair old weight.

IIRC, the illegal bit about that idea is the spinning drive flange on the front of the diff. If no axles are fitted, this should not be an issue. The are heaps of old chassis cuts around being used as trailer bases with the diff still in them.

I have a pair of D1 front axles waiting to do as Weeds suggests.

I will be building a trailer with an ATM greater than 2 tonne so over ride brakes are not an option.

I converted my camper trailer (self built) to Range Rover hubs and wheels several years ago, have posted on here about it somewhere.
I had a 40mm square axle blank machined so that the LR spindles pressed onto the ends, then welded at the back to ensure they stay put. I have fitted it up with Range Rover front calipers and electric-over-hydraulic actuation. The result is better braking with a fully loaded trailer than with no trailer at all. Also, the large RR wheel bearings will be much happier with a heavy load than the microscopic outer bearings fitted to most trailer hubs.
One of these days I might get around to a write-up of how the brakes were done, if building another there is nothing I would do differently.

Haven't investigated too much, but the original No5 hubs have two of the Series Land Rover inner bearings (parrallel) and given that the Disco and Range Rover also have parallel bearings, it may be possible to find a bearing and seal that fits the original No5 stub and Disco hub. There may be a need for a spacer to correct bearing position but the worst that could happen is that you don't find a suitable option.

Would be worthwhile going to a bearing service and checking their catalogues at least.

Another option would be to check if your alloys will fit on a series hub. In that case you only need a couple of early SIII hubs (they changed bearings in 1980 to the same ones as Disco/Defender) and use two of the series inner bearings, can check all this on the weekend if you like. (On the issue of using a No5 behind a Disco, that's a whole other matter! )