Mr Noisy Posted January 19, 2014 Share Posted January 19, 2014 D2 front axle swap is the sure fire solution but is not without it's problems, wider axle for starters and different stud PCD, plus there are many challenge vehicles using rover axle, are they breaking them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Team Idris Posted January 19, 2014 Share Posted January 19, 2014 People said they were, and D2 was 'the thing to have' and then it stopped, with many winch challenge still on the old axel? (even that new 5tonne KAM thing has chrome balls). I thought the D2 was awful exposed at the CV boots though for debris filled mud? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Noisy Posted January 19, 2014 Share Posted January 19, 2014 Being a relative novice I don't know about traits in recent history see, so this is good to discuss. For a problem which appears quite prolific for the right people, I'm surprised most people have never heard of them breaking... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigelw Posted January 19, 2014 Author Share Posted January 19, 2014 A lot of the guys over here are scared of getting their precious Defenders dirty let alone driving them hard enough to break something :hysterical: The select few I would call off roaders have had much the same as you only taring off the brake lines and gauging troughs in the road ways, now have 8 sets of balls to take over, hope we get a bulk discount Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Noisy Posted January 19, 2014 Share Posted January 19, 2014 Right! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill van snorkle Posted January 19, 2014 Share Posted January 19, 2014 As D2 front axle swap is the sure fire solution but is not without it's problems, wider axle for starters and different stud PCD, plus there are many challenge vehicles using rover axle, are they breaking them? As I just posted on the 'replacement parts continuing problems' thread, most here would be highly unlikely to break genuine swivel balls and are more likely to shear the flange bolts off before any shock loadings were severe enough to damage the balls themselves. If anyone is having issues with the flange bolts working loose or stretching, then a solution would be to fit a brace with a third swivel bearing as Maxidrive and Tibus supplied with their bolt on Portal housings. If there were enough interest in these, perhaps Simon could be persuaded to knock out a few sets? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jai_landrover Posted January 19, 2014 Share Posted January 19, 2014 I've seen the bolts shear/stretch a comp safari full chat hitting a huge felled tree end on. Nver seen a chrome ball break up as noisey's tho Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Noisy Posted January 19, 2014 Share Posted January 19, 2014 Not chrome jai, both Teflon, just to clarify! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Team Idris Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 A third king pin would be good. It doesn't have to be massively precise on tolerance either, as long as it stops the ball joints flex going critical? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill van snorkle Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 A third king pin would be good. It doesn't have to be massively precise on tolerance either, as long as it stops the ball joints flex going critical?I actually use a 3/4" rose joint for the third kingpin bearing on WildFing. Series bottom swivel pins are pressed in so I just had new ones made that were twice as long.The rose joint screws into a short hollow bar with a r/h/thread on one end and a L/h/thread on the other to give some preload, like an adjustable track rod. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daan Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 Taking a slightly different angle on this problem, the chrome removal problem could be avoided by using the teflon balls as a base; sandblast the coating off, then chrome them. This is one of the things that went through my mind when questioning the strength of teflon balls vs. the chrome balls on the parts breaking thread. I do remember someone saying that chroming is not allowed anymore in the uk, which is why landrover went teflon. is this true? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill van snorkle Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 Taking a slightly different angle on this problem, the chrome removal problem could be avoided by using the teflon balls as a base; sandblast the coating off, then chrome them. This is one of the things that went through my mind when questioning the strength of teflon balls vs. the chrome balls on the parts breaking thread. I do remember someone saying that chroming is not allowed anymore in the uk, which is why landrover went teflon. is this true?I'm just hypothesising now but the base diameter of the chrome balls may be slightly smaller than the Teflon ones. The triple chroming process probably adds a bit of thickness, and if you chrome a Teflon ball maybe it would end up too large for the seal to wipe effectively. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Noisy Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 Kind of annoying how the chrome ball thread has merged with the replacement parts thread. My fault I know! Maybe a mod could move the chrome ball talk over to this one to merge the information better? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertspark Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 Still have not seen anyone from a box shifting company commenting in defence of some the issues raised here, which is a poor sign for public relations, and brand longevity (but what do I know). I would have thought (naively maybe) that if anyone slags off your brand there would be someone along sharpish to investigate the problem, comment and reassure those concerned. Unless I'm mistaken: there are three pattern part suppliers (bearmach, britpart, allmakes) and they don't manufacture anything in house, it is all contracted out / via supplier contract arrangements? And they all are generally landrover parts supply only ?? (think bearmach do jag too).... surely there must be someone from their PR / sales departments that trawls through the what 4 or 5 landrover forums protecting their brands and product lines? I am not one to knock Land Rover (given I have one ... have no intention of parting with it ... or I wouldn't be here)... but even they surely have some brand concerns when the badge on the front of a group of vehicles with a seriously damaged swivel is theirs ... even they should be asking questions and applying some leverage to the brands supply chains and pattern parts companies. If recalls are required, can you imagine how many vehicles may be affected... how do you determine which may be the suspect vehicle components.... and who's they actually are of the three rebranders + LR. Second a motion to merge the threads please. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Noisy Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 Robert, I agree with you and tbh am quite surprised that a Britpart don't ever appear to fight the Sh*tpart nickname. Maybe their legal advisors recommend to refrain from entering into such conversations. It's a pretty big ****ing problem when your swivel ball shears off I can tell you and I'd like to think that maybe just maybe this can be the start of some raised awareness. My friend with the Sahara desert failure has today contacted bearmach for an update after I told him we were having discussions on LR4x4 I assume there is one supplier for swivel balls and i assume they supply Land Rover genuine parts too, can't see why they wouldn't, but they have dropped a massive rubbish with the quality of the material I am relieved to read that chrome balls tend to deform rather than shear, this means I am much less likely to have problems now I have gone back to chrome units It also has to be said that most failures if not all will be off road And many on modified vehicles Both circumstances open up all nature of grey areas regards how much to blame the part was or whether it was simply overloaded just like if an axle casing snapped in two If we had failures on the road then perhaps the problem would be more well known I would particularly like a 'master thread' to be drawn up at least so that a google search would have a chance of finding something, currently searching for 'swivel ball broken' etc brings up no appropriate results. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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