TTB Vs. Solid Axle Vs. IFS

[mudseeker]

it was a laughing smilie

[junior3382]

Personally, i feel the solid axle is the best way to go. From what I have experienced and seen, more flex and more dependability. But does anyone know anything about the "Portal Axles"? They seem to have better ground clearance, but do they stand up to the test of actual off-road abuse? and are they available for any kind of truck, or just the larger workhorses?

[75K30]

A little company called "Mercedez Benz" manufactures a vehicle that we know as a 'Unimog", and they use portal axles. The portal axle has been around for years, and is nothing more than a planetary gear at the spindle (end of axle). This planetary gear provides a gear reduction. This can be a great advantage, since the reduction takes the strain off of the drivetrain. This reduction is much, much better than gear reduction in the differential, and even better than the reduction in the transfer case. The closer the gear reduction can be to the wheel, the stronger the drivetrain can be.
Now the downside, is that portal boxes do put a reasonable strain on the mounting points for the portal box.
There are several manufacturers that have bolt on portal boxes, and believe it or not, "Spicer" makes a portal axle for industrial, and farm equipment.
Really an interesting concept.
My buggy utilizes unimog axles. Interesting axles, and a real neat concept.
Little on the spendy side. Expect to pay a few dollars, as these are not cheap.
By the way, welcome bacl Junior.

[junior3382]

Thanks for the welcome back bud. So for a mid size rig, is this available, or even worth building in an off-road machine?

[mudseeker]

i've seen it done on a few toyotas. may be looking at a wider wheel base if your thinking of an s-10.

[junior3382]

Who makes them? and where can i find them? And actually it is not for my truck. My buddy and I found an 86 wrangler that needed some help and we are debating how much we want to build it. Right now it doesn't run, but we found a nice 5.7L chevy motor and trnas to put in it. We figured we will try to get as much ground clearence as possible, and when i stumbled on these, I thought it might be a good idea to start asking opinions before we decide if we are gonna use 'em.

[75K30]

Yeah the bolt on stuff is going to make it wide, and the stuff does break, as does anything else. Problem is that this stuff is really really expensive, and most of the time the advantages to not outweigh the cost. Probably why we do not see these on the trails all the time, just too darn spensive.

[junior3382]

How expensive?

[75K30]

Originally Posted by junior3382

Who makes them? and where can i find them? And actually it is not for my truck. My buddy and I found an 86 wrangler that needed some help and we are debating how much we want to build it. Right now it doesn't run, but we found a nice 5.7L chevy motor and trnas to put in it. We figured we will try to get as much ground clearence as possible, and when i stumbled on these, I thought it might be a good idea to start asking opinions before we decide if we are gonna use 'em.

Portal-Tek Custom Axle Assemblies, Domination Through Innovation

This is only an example, but once you weight the costs, you will see.
You will find a big cost advantage by just using a regular old full width axle, and making it strong enough to just hit stuff. My diff covers are pretty stout, and take a bashing. I mean someone cant put the rubber down well enough to find the right line over some rocks, they probably need a lesson in driving. You can shave a standard axle to gain some reasonable clearance. Buying aftermarket axles will be less expensive and just as strong. Imagine braking a portal on the trail. Where you gonna buy parts???? Kinda nice when someone actually carries what you are running.
I have mog axles, and I question the use every time I am out. Probably should have built rockwells.

[junior3382]

You know, you strike a good point. dana's are more common, should just stick with those huh? LOL. We I am glad you are here bud, you always seem to have the answers to my questions.