An expedition truck on portals...
- Thread starter Oilworker
- Start date
Mamontof
Explorer
Great Words
And magnificent car !!!! :elkgrin:
In States we have road and even people only LAW of safety create a danger drivers (instead concentrate mine and drive they eat/ talk on phone ctr )
http://http://www.fotothing.com/mamontof/photo/8a749e99c33b77fc66770f82bbaeeffe/
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Oilworker
Explorer
Somehow, holidays mean that everyone is on holiday except for me 
A few things arrived nonetheless and as it has finally stopped raining, too, I could placethe new Front Runner drawer system... and start preparing the cover...
I will reinforce the top and build a sealed encasing around the drawers and later the external fuel tank will go into the space behind it.
The water tank will be placed to the rear left, where I had my spare wheel until now.
So long,
Robert
A few things arrived nonetheless and as it has finally stopped raining, too, I could placethe new Front Runner drawer system... and start preparing the cover...
I will reinforce the top and build a sealed encasing around the drawers and later the external fuel tank will go into the space behind it.
The water tank will be placed to the rear left, where I had my spare wheel until now.
So long,
Robert
Oilworker
Explorer
On the "Security 2010" in Essen I was able to present the truck a bit as I am running the Hutchinson VFI runflats and these guys will prepare my external 220 fuel tank (leak proofing, explo-safe lining, etc.) that will go on the tray...
In Paris I sadly didn´t get the truck into the halls, but it wasn´t too bad on the outside either as the weather was great
So long,
Robert
In Paris I sadly didn´t get the truck into the halls, but it wasn´t too bad on the outside either as the weather was great
So long,
Robert
R_Lefebvre
Expedition Leader
Interesting marketing angle for Stoptech...
Maryland 110
Adventurer
Robert,
Was speaking to Drew from Wright Offroad the other day and he mentioned hanging out with you and your portals @ Peterborough.
Was speaking to Drew from Wright Offroad the other day and he mentioned hanging out with you and your portals @ Peterborough.
Oilworker
Explorer
Hi and sorry, but I am still alive and even kicking again :wings:
Full recovery is still some way off but it already feels good. Small steps count, too!
What´s happened sofar?
Well, with the help of a friend I had the chance to get a set of progressive heavy duty coils made which are now replacing the original coils.
To better understand the difference in handling I tested the original coil springs without the stabilizers and then installed the progressive HD coils.
The installation...
...and last weekend at the Dakar pre-prologue in Valkenswaard (NL)...
The new coils are about 1.5" taller and have 3 progressive coils.
I have sofar tested them on and off-road in different load situations and speeds and they are a great improvement to everything I´ve driven sofar, in my 110SW and the 130.
I am, for the time being, keeping my fully adjustable Proflex shox with the external reservoir. Even though they have, until today, covered more than 160.000km in my 110SW and the 130 combined, they possibility of full revision and service by the manufacturer have more than paid off and I havn´t found anything to replace them yet.
Next will be the fitting of the full external roll cage and the expedition/service top for the rear.
I am preparing some preview images and will post them this week. I am curious about what you think about that plan of mine.
The first really big test for the, by then hopefully finished, truck will a trip into the Sahara in January 2011 :wings:
So long,
Robert
Full recovery is still some way off but it already feels good. Small steps count, too!
What´s happened sofar?
Well, with the help of a friend I had the chance to get a set of progressive heavy duty coils made which are now replacing the original coils.
To better understand the difference in handling I tested the original coil springs without the stabilizers and then installed the progressive HD coils.
The installation...
...and last weekend at the Dakar pre-prologue in Valkenswaard (NL)...
The new coils are about 1.5" taller and have 3 progressive coils.
I have sofar tested them on and off-road in different load situations and speeds and they are a great improvement to everything I´ve driven sofar, in my 110SW and the 130.
I am, for the time being, keeping my fully adjustable Proflex shox with the external reservoir. Even though they have, until today, covered more than 160.000km in my 110SW and the 130 combined, they possibility of full revision and service by the manufacturer have more than paid off and I havn´t found anything to replace them yet.
Next will be the fitting of the full external roll cage and the expedition/service top for the rear.
I am preparing some preview images and will post them this week. I am curious about what you think about that plan of mine.
The first really big test for the, by then hopefully finished, truck will a trip into the Sahara in January 2011 :wings:
So long,
Robert
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In most solid axle drivetrains, the wheels are directly connected to the differentials by straight axles. The center of the wheel lines up with the center of the differential. Portal axles add a set of gears at the ends of the axles, so the center of the wheel ends up below the center of the differential. This has the effect of creating more ground clearance without increasing tire size. The first post in this thread gives you a good idea what the gears inside portal axle ends look like.
Portal axles add expense and complexity to a vehicle, so they generally are used in vehicles where cost is less important than off-road mobility (i.e., military vehicles). Examples include the HMMWV (aka Hummer H1), the Mercedes Unimog, the Steyr-Daimler-Puch Pinzgauer, and the Volvo C303.
A few companies in USA and Europe make portal axle ends that can be adapted to the axles found in commercial vehicles like Jeeps and Land Rovers. This thread talks about one such project.
Portal axles add expense and complexity to a vehicle, so they generally are used in vehicles where cost is less important than off-road mobility (i.e., military vehicles). Examples include the HMMWV (aka Hummer H1), the Mercedes Unimog, the Steyr-Daimler-Puch Pinzgauer, and the Volvo C303.
A few companies in USA and Europe make portal axle ends that can be adapted to the axles found in commercial vehicles like Jeeps and Land Rovers. This thread talks about one such project.
Oilworker
Explorer
Very well written couldn´t have said it any better, but even though the price usualy is high, the AxleTech portals aren´t that expensive, arn´t they?
And converting an old Volvo C303 or Unimog U404 axle isn´t cheap, even if you do it yourself and don´t count the labour that goes into the conversion.
Oh, and this thread isn´t just about some portals. That´s done! Now it´s getting it ready for travelling....and so many wires still to run
And converting an old Volvo C303 or Unimog U404 axle isn´t cheap, even if you do it yourself and don´t count the labour that goes into the conversion.
Oh, and this thread isn´t just about some portals. That´s done! Now it´s getting it ready for travelling....and so many wires still to run
Maryland 110
Adventurer
Robert so whats your total combined lift ? Looks like you need to be an NBA player to jump up into your rig ?
Oilworker
Explorer
I will give you an "official" update on lift and angles later today.
Sure the truck is higher than normal....
...but it´s something you really get used to pretty fast. I have had a lot of people test driving the truck since my first show visit and they all get used to it.
The bucket seats are lower than the original seat and the seat position is slightliy changed to help with entry and exit. This change makes you feel more comfortable when facing the steering wheel and the pedals, too.
I had tried that in my 110SW some time ago and it was the very first thing I changed when I got the Puma last year.
What I am now rather curious about is the handling when I have the cage and the service/expedition back installed.
So long,
Robert
Sure the truck is higher than normal....
...but it´s something you really get used to pretty fast. I have had a lot of people test driving the truck since my first show visit and they all get used to it.
The bucket seats are lower than the original seat and the seat position is slightliy changed to help with entry and exit. This change makes you feel more comfortable when facing the steering wheel and the pedals, too.
I had tried that in my 110SW some time ago and it was the very first thing I changed when I got the Puma last year.
What I am now rather curious about is the handling when I have the cage and the service/expedition back installed.
So long,
Robert