I cannot speak to the quality or durability of Fabco or Marmon Herrington parts, but I would presume they would be of good quality. I can say that utilitarian, medium duty 4x4 conversions do not compete in any way with the world of Ultra4, desert racing or rock bouncing, which is where the parts for the Rebel and Angry Iron conversions were sourced. You may say, "I don't go rock crawling with my FG, so I don't need those parts." Technically, you don't need an FG, as people have walked around the world or ridden around it on bicycles. You are buying capability and confidence when you convert your 2019 FE to 4x4, which is the enquiry of the OP.
What you get when you obtain parts from that world is selection, interchangeability and a massive amount of support in the aftermarket. What is easier to work on in a small town in the middle of nowhere, a Dana 60 and a D300 or a ZF axle and MH transfer case?
Which transfer case is preferable, a four speed Atlas (#125) with ratios ranging from 2.72:1 to 11.70:1, a three speed HERO case (#156) with ratios from 1.33:1 to 5.44:1, options for Power Take Off, 6x6 drive, twin stick and cable or linkage actuation or a 600 POUND Marmon Herrington case with a fixed 1.9 to 1 ratio? Is an Atlas transfer case appropriate for a 33,000 pound truck? Nope, so you pick your battles to win the war.
Which suspension is better for ride comfort and off highway travel, a 5 - 6 inch thick leaf pack designed to carry a heavy load on road, providing near zero articulation, which is key off road to keep your tires in contact with the ground, or a custom designed and built four link suspension with air bags for load leveling and high quality dampers with adjustable rebound and compression damping so you can make your truck ride the way that you want it to ride or tune it for the type of load that you carry and the terrain on which you drive? A 4WD school bus doesn't have many options for suspension tuning, as far I as know.
Would you rather have an Dana 60 axle with a dozen choices for lockers, gear ratios, diff breathers, bash guards, link mounts, WMS, axle trusses, bolt patterns and manual, auto or vacuum hubs or a MH axle with a few ratios and maybe one locker choice if you are lucky? My bet is the Dana 60 is easier to service, has cheaper parts and is familiar to numerous 4x4 shops and nearly any Ford, Chevy or Dodge dealer in North America.
To each his own, but I do not believe that you can compare bog standard COTS parts from Fabco or MH to custom built axles, suspensions and transfer cases designed and built specifically for an overlanding vehicle. Are the MH parts durable? Certainly. Are they required for an NPR, Fuso or K370? Not in my opinion.
Building a truck better in every way than what is required makes it durable, usable and capable. Talk to anyone who has driven a rock buggy or a Toyota truck with a Dual Ultimate setup and you will see what I mean. The fine control that you have with super low gears and the tunability that you have with a Fox or King coilover just cannot be matched by stock parts. You can't crawl a truck in technical or difficult terrain at 35 or 40 to 1. You can however, crawl over almost anything at 100 or 150 to 1, with plenty of time to react, additional stopping power and much more control, making your journey more enjoyable, safer and less taxing on the truck and the environment.
I remember driving a U1250 years ago on and off road and in super crawl. In the latter mode, at very slow speeds, it was amazing. Off road, the suspension was non-existent, I bounced around in the air ride seat like I was riding on a balloon and the cab was loud and uncomfortable, at best. Is a Unimog capable and well built? Sure. Does it meet the needs of the average overlander? Absolutely not. So instead, IMO, put your money into components that perfectly match your needs and desires and you will be much happier. A stock FG is no better at performing the duties of an over lander than a stock K370. They were each built for a purpose and must therefore be thoughtfully and carefully modified for the purposes that we intend to use them for.
What you get when you obtain parts from that world is selection, interchangeability and a massive amount of support in the aftermarket. What is easier to work on in a small town in the middle of nowhere, a Dana 60 and a D300 or a ZF axle and MH transfer case?
Which transfer case is preferable, a four speed Atlas (#125) with ratios ranging from 2.72:1 to 11.70:1, a three speed HERO case (#156) with ratios from 1.33:1 to 5.44:1, options for Power Take Off, 6x6 drive, twin stick and cable or linkage actuation or a 600 POUND Marmon Herrington case with a fixed 1.9 to 1 ratio? Is an Atlas transfer case appropriate for a 33,000 pound truck? Nope, so you pick your battles to win the war.
Which suspension is better for ride comfort and off highway travel, a 5 - 6 inch thick leaf pack designed to carry a heavy load on road, providing near zero articulation, which is key off road to keep your tires in contact with the ground, or a custom designed and built four link suspension with air bags for load leveling and high quality dampers with adjustable rebound and compression damping so you can make your truck ride the way that you want it to ride or tune it for the type of load that you carry and the terrain on which you drive? A 4WD school bus doesn't have many options for suspension tuning, as far I as know.
Would you rather have an Dana 60 axle with a dozen choices for lockers, gear ratios, diff breathers, bash guards, link mounts, WMS, axle trusses, bolt patterns and manual, auto or vacuum hubs or a MH axle with a few ratios and maybe one locker choice if you are lucky? My bet is the Dana 60 is easier to service, has cheaper parts and is familiar to numerous 4x4 shops and nearly any Ford, Chevy or Dodge dealer in North America.
To each his own, but I do not believe that you can compare bog standard COTS parts from Fabco or MH to custom built axles, suspensions and transfer cases designed and built specifically for an overlanding vehicle. Are the MH parts durable? Certainly. Are they required for an NPR, Fuso or K370? Not in my opinion.
Building a truck better in every way than what is required makes it durable, usable and capable. Talk to anyone who has driven a rock buggy or a Toyota truck with a Dual Ultimate setup and you will see what I mean. The fine control that you have with super low gears and the tunability that you have with a Fox or King coilover just cannot be matched by stock parts. You can't crawl a truck in technical or difficult terrain at 35 or 40 to 1. You can however, crawl over almost anything at 100 or 150 to 1, with plenty of time to react, additional stopping power and much more control, making your journey more enjoyable, safer and less taxing on the truck and the environment.
I remember driving a U1250 years ago on and off road and in super crawl. In the latter mode, at very slow speeds, it was amazing. Off road, the suspension was non-existent, I bounced around in the air ride seat like I was riding on a balloon and the cab was loud and uncomfortable, at best. Is a Unimog capable and well built? Sure. Does it meet the needs of the average overlander? Absolutely not. So instead, IMO, put your money into components that perfectly match your needs and desires and you will be much happier. A stock FG is no better at performing the duties of an over lander than a stock K370. They were each built for a purpose and must therefore be thoughtfully and carefully modified for the purposes that we intend to use them for.
