>>I have had two LR, an SWB and an LWB. I have broken at least 3 rear axles on
>>the SWB, all of them on the shortest of the two (the one on the right as
>>you look at the vehicle from the rear). I suppose that the longer of the
>>two has just enough more torsion elasticity more than the shorter of them
>>to save it. On the LWB, I haven't broken any. The SWB was petrol with a
>>greater torque than the diesel of the LWB. Seems to me that
>>the rear axles are designed just a little too close in tolerance to break
>>point.........Or is it a problem that all floating axle vehicles encounter??
Richard wrote:
>I drove a Series III SWB diesel for about 6 years and broke 2 half shafts in
>the process, but strangely, given the abuse that LRs get, both breakages
>occurred during "normal" driving. The first was pulling away from traffic
>lights with only mild acceleration. The second was when my girlfriend was
>pulling away and turning a tight left hander.
>
>Anyone else with experience of axle failure under low-load conditions ?
Actually, this is pretty typical. What causes the breakage is the extreme
loads under severe off-roading conditions but this stress builds up until
the shaft eventually fails, later, under light load conditions. The wisdom
of the great Land-Rover GooRoo of the northwest, Doug Shipman of Portland,
advises that you can pretty well avoid breaking axle shafts by pulling them
annually and inspecting them. Look for signs of stress, such as cracks,
twisting, etc. If they are in doubt, replace them. In the case of the
Land-Rover, it's very easy to do this so there's little excuse not to. Do
I? Sometimes...
BTW, for those who know Doug and his great contribution to the Land-Rover
scene, I'm sorry to report that he was just in an accident. He was riding
his bicycle home and was cut off by a car. He hit it with his face and
sustained pretty nasty injuries. And this right before the Portland
All-British Field Meet (Labor Day weekend) in which he usually plays a big role.
Regards,
Granville Pool
Redwood Valley, CA USA