A Diff Housing as a Trailer Axle

Steve,

The axle will not make the diff housing any stronger as they are fully floating. They can be removed completely and the wheels will still turn because of the stub axle on the ends of the diff housing.The hub and wheel bearings fit on the stub axle. The axle is only there to drive the back wheels.

You would have to plug the ends of the diff housing where the axle has been removed. Cutting the axle off and just using the plate with the tapered holes would do.

The diff centre and pinion gear would also have to be removed as they are no longer required. The end of the diff would have to be sealed where the uni joint is.

I have seen this set up before, plus you have the brakes already set up on the trailer.

Wayne

This is as much a question as an answer.

Wouldn't the axle housing be much heavier than you would want for an axle? I would like to minimise the weight of any trailer.

Other than that I have always thought they would make good axles. I have seen a few used for this purpose. But not off road.

Duncs

I’ve seen it on old farm trailers. As for load carrying, if it carried a troupie around, it should work being a trailer. As for the extra weight of the axle on a trailer and the mechanical loss due to moving parts, I don’t know if it would be worth the effort, and you also have the diff pumpkin to get hung up on things. So in this case I think the benefit (it was cheap) is out weighed by the problems in this one.

I knew a guy that was going to hook up an electric motor to a live axle on a trailer to help maneuvering it around as well as supply some extra drive when in slippery situations. Landrover had a setup on some of their trailers that were run off a PTO shaft that worked, so I think he was hoping for something similar. At work we have generator carts that have their own electric drive, but I think it all became too hard for him.

You don't want to join them in the middle and make them locked.........you will keep on going around in circles...LOL.

If you join them in the middle it will have no impact on the weight carry factor, what it might do is make it unstable around corners as one wheel is trying to spin faster the the other and try to steer straight.

Whats wrong with the standard trailer axle.

Regards Richard

Hi Steve,
Not trying to be a wet blanket, but have you spoken to the licencing authorities in your area (if applicable).
It may well be illegal these days.

Many years ago when I had a Landrover Series 2, I built a trailer using the Landy hubs. They were fitted to a made up 3" Hollow axle with flanges to suit the hubs welded on. The hub/axle ends were then bolted to these flanges with HT bolts.
As it was being fitted to an already licenced trailer I omitted to have any certification carried out. (Carried spare axles in the hollow tube).

Worked well for many years but eventually I was stopped for another traffic matter and Mr Plod got quite animated about it (words like Bl**dy illegal, rusty chassis, and Fines encouraged me to retire the old trailer from road use).

Made a damn good firefighting trailer for the farm though.

Cheers

Disco.

Steve,
I have the same rear axle on my 2002 79series.
Rear axle can take 2300kg according to the sticker on the door.

I know of a few single axle road train dollies that have been made from truck diffs. They still get around north of Port Augusta.
They have had the diff removed from the pumkin, and a blanking plate bolted on.

Cheers,
Dion.

Hi Steve
Have thought about this myself as I too have a couple lying around, and yes it would be stonger than a 45mm trailer axle, and it comes with brakes that match up and also it will have the same track.
I dont think it would be all that much heavier either.
The reason I was thinking about it was I wanted an extra axle under my 45 series spray unit and thought this would be perfect for this job.
A mate had a professional job done with heavy brgs and because of the twisting couldnt keep brgs in it.
You also have the same brgs as the car so carrying spares is easier.
As for the legalities, I cannot see that it isnt already rated, as Phil points out, hell I have been overloading my 45 series spray unit , up to 2 ton for 15 years, on a single axle the same as this, and only replaced the brgs a coupla years ago,and that was due to water induction causing rust.
I have a camper top laying here, and need to make a trailer to put it on for the family to use, and will probably make it out of one of these axles.
Go for it mate, the worst that can happen is that it will get a defect sticker, and then you may have to change it.
It wont break.

Cheers Pesty

Gday,
Anything is possible, just sounds like a lot of extra weight for no real advantage, also reduces your clearence have an extra diff centre to manouvre around rocks etc.
If using it is you best practical option I would removing the diff housing itself and replacing it with a bit of hollow bar or maybe two bits of chanel toe to toe, just use from hub to the shocker mount and scrap the middle section.

Good luck