Well I’m still enjoying this great thread. Interesting decisions, great to get real world experience of certain platforms.
I agree that the Deuce can supply some very tough running gear, and that considering how little you will be loading the axles, the danger of a broken axle or even half shaft is minimal (we’re after risk mitigation here after all).
As has been mentioned, seals and bearings can go for no apparent reason, but they are not only relatively easy to change but also not that heavy to keep in a sealed spares box somewhere in one of the storage compartments.
Crown wheel and pinion? IMHO no danger there even with a tyre upgrade to 13r20, and even if the worst happens, you have three axles, you only need one to limp to somewhere DHL delivers to.
As you won’t be charging at steps like a weekend warrior, it might be worth looking into the options for locking up the diffs, and in between them too. Somewhere on the tube there’s a short video showing a Deuce having trouble on a straight up hump (not a step) the moment it lifts the last axle. I dedeuce (sorry) that there is a diff between the axles; please confirm.
99% of the time you probably won’t need lockable diffs, and the tiny rest you could crack out the winch, ground anchor, airbag jack and all the other paraphernalia that an adventurer will have on board. So my perceived need for lockers of some sort must be emotionally based; but I’d still want them. What are the options available for this running gear?
What about free-wheeling hubs on two of the axles and selectable drives in the transfer case(s)? Running 6x2 has to use less fuel, and saves wear; just a thought.
Not knocking the White multifuel engine, which has the advantage of not being picky about its diet, we’ve moved on a bit since then. Your engine choice is of course personal, a nice mechanically injected thumper with a Bosch injector pump will see you all the way round the world. You could even look into sourcing a Mercedes unit for that tiny little bit of “global serviceability”.
Now what’s this story of automatics being less reliable? In little cars perhaps; but the driver comfort of a huge Allison extreme duty unit is something to consider. They’re very popular among desert drivers, as heavy manuals are slow to change. In the sand you sometimes don’t have time to change before the truck sinks, so you hear them pressing on in the same gear with the engine either close to stalling or screaming its cylinder heads off. Personal choice, but if you do a cab swap, the driver position is highly likely to change. Re-routing (or creating) a manual gear linkage is a lot harder than the single pushrod or cable for an auto.
OK it is less field serviceable, but Allison are very proud of their reliability figures….
Why don’t you look into mounting the cab off your Ford E onto a Deuce frame.
I really want to see your E cab shoe-horned over some cool 13r20 tyres up front; that’s gonna look the business. AND you gain some useable frame length; especially over a great big F700.
There might be a little engine access problem though; Unimog have a little hood for all the daily maintenance chores, and then the cab tips in the workshop for proper servicing. Whatever you choose, I reckon the military look has to go, and not just hidden under a paint job. Wasn’t it Mah Deuce that got confiscated?
If I were you, I’d see what the cab mounting ends up looking like before committing to a frame cut. Contrary to car drivers beliefs, the length isn’t as much of a handicap as initially perceived, you learn to live with it very rapidly, and length gives stability.
The nice thing about starting with a platform that already works is that you don’t have to implement all your ideas at once. This is not a personal attack, but on your first built you will always have something that you realise later you could have done differently, better. If you build from scratch then you kind of end up with all your ideas in the pot at the same time, and that makes a lot more work. The old testing adage comes to mind: “change one parameter at a time, then you know what worked”
Looking forward to more of this.
Luke
