Hi folks,
This question concerns the upcoming restoration of my 1985 Australian-market HJ75 Troopie. With 300,000 km on the clock, I’ve certainly got to go through each axle assembly, from hub to hub, and was considering installing an air locker in the back. (skepticism below)
However, I found a front/rear set of complete 70-series cable locker axles. They’re 4.11:1, from a 1989 BJ74, and have 42K km on them. It’s certainly tempting, but I don’t know how they compare to the one-ton Troopie axles in terms of weight capacity, gross input rating, and braking capacity.
Are these axles suitable, or are they lighter duty, considering they are from a smaller GVWR vehicle with a smaller engine?
The cable locker option is especially attractive to me because I am a little skeptical of compressed air lockers. With a number of Unimogs on our property, I’ve had to repair a few pneumatic diff-lock failures. Either the actuating piston becomes seized in its cylinder, OR the sealing ring begins leaking air internally into the axle assembly. With the actuating cylinder located internally and concentrically around an axle shaft, repair is no quick job.
To compound my negative experience, two of our Unimogs are equipped with the “Fording Option”, which plugs the entire central drivetrain venting system whenever FWA or lockers are engaged. The factory system then applies around 12 to 20 PSI to the drivetrain (and headlights!) to prevent any water entry. It works great, UNLESS you have a diff lock seal out and then you get 125 PSI in there. That always finds the weakest link and “pop” goes an axle oil seal. I’ve installed solenoid valves to defeat the system unless needed, and pressure gauges to monitor internal pressure when using the fording system.
In comparison, our old 404 has a mechanical diff lock system, and it is virtually fool-proof.
Thanks in advance for any information. These forums are a wonderful resource!
This question concerns the upcoming restoration of my 1985 Australian-market HJ75 Troopie. With 300,000 km on the clock, I’ve certainly got to go through each axle assembly, from hub to hub, and was considering installing an air locker in the back. (skepticism below)
However, I found a front/rear set of complete 70-series cable locker axles. They’re 4.11:1, from a 1989 BJ74, and have 42K km on them. It’s certainly tempting, but I don’t know how they compare to the one-ton Troopie axles in terms of weight capacity, gross input rating, and braking capacity.
Are these axles suitable, or are they lighter duty, considering they are from a smaller GVWR vehicle with a smaller engine?
The cable locker option is especially attractive to me because I am a little skeptical of compressed air lockers. With a number of Unimogs on our property, I’ve had to repair a few pneumatic diff-lock failures. Either the actuating piston becomes seized in its cylinder, OR the sealing ring begins leaking air internally into the axle assembly. With the actuating cylinder located internally and concentrically around an axle shaft, repair is no quick job.
To compound my negative experience, two of our Unimogs are equipped with the “Fording Option”, which plugs the entire central drivetrain venting system whenever FWA or lockers are engaged. The factory system then applies around 12 to 20 PSI to the drivetrain (and headlights!) to prevent any water entry. It works great, UNLESS you have a diff lock seal out and then you get 125 PSI in there. That always finds the weakest link and “pop” goes an axle oil seal. I’ve installed solenoid valves to defeat the system unless needed, and pressure gauges to monitor internal pressure when using the fording system.
In comparison, our old 404 has a mechanical diff lock system, and it is virtually fool-proof.
Thanks in advance for any information. These forums are a wonderful resource!
