handy vehicle...lazy axle?

My understanding is the lazy axle increases the load carrying capacity but offroad can be a real pain. In the case were the lazy axle becomes ground the rear drive axle come loose traction rendering you very stuck. It would be better being converted to 6 wheel drive. Then it would be fun.

Josh

Doubt it went off road as such. Looks like a disel fitters or welders truck for onsite work.
regards

Royce,
Yep, the rear drive wheels lift off if you go through a gully.
Its had the chassis extended as well, making it more useless offroad. You'd struggle over a sand dune - it would bottom out on its belly.
Turning circle would be about 20 metres.
They have wasted a lot of money on a 24 year old Landcruiser.

The fuel bill over time would make the starting price look trivial !! Best to set it on fire and save the planet!!! :) Michael

hi
have seen one or two in bunbury area fencing contractors have one its mainly for load bearing on hard roads with a stretched chassis
was told they are useless in sand on beach or hills as the drive wheel create a wall of sand between the two tyres hence making the drive wheels work even harder trying to drag the lazy axle wheel and it apparently bogs down rappidly
like said double drive rear would be the best use of extra axle installation cost
cheers

Hi Royce,
I have owned a 6x4 for 6 years and have found them a great vehicle for the following reasons:
They make a great tow vehicle. Mine had a GVM 4500kg so it was significantly heavier (and thus more stable) towing a 2700kg van. Refer to thread 91513 below where it is discussed how beneficial (and safer) to have the tow vehicle heavier than what is being towed.
Given that many touring 4x4 are probably over legal weight limits this is a safe and legal option. Mine could carry 1200kg of gear.
They give a lot more stability on gravel roads – when cornering for example you have 50% more traction on each side of the vehicle (3 wheels instead of 2). When cornering fast on corrugated roads I found negligible drift.
The alleged weakness of losing traction when the lazy axle takes the load is not as significant as some may suggest. It depends on many things such as the quality of the conversion. Mine was a Briggs Enterprise conversion (Dalby) and these people knew what they were doing. There was significant articulation in the rear bogie allowing the lazy axle to extend far enough to avoid the drive axle losing traction in most cases.
In addition I always had slightly lower tyre pressure in lazy axle to assist drive axle retain traction. I have witnessed poor conversions (perhaps backyard jobs) where this guy I saw at a shopping centre could not even get over speed bumps. I had no such trouble. But are they designed for extreme off road conditions – probably not. Ceratinly not desert crsssings. The one on Ebay has also had a very significant chassis extension which makes it less suitable for off road.
If you can get one at the right price it may be viable to convert to 6x6.
Like all 4x4’s there are pros and cons for each type of vehicle. If you have the right use for such a vehicle they can be a great buy (especially second hand where the cost of the conversion is usually heavily discounted on resale.
Cheers

Hmmm ... If they may a set of chains or maybe a rubber track to fit around each pair of rear wheels, it could go places.

I'm not interested in buying... I have my own beast to work on.

Hi All.

Now this would be worth consideration.

http://youtu.be/qZ0IpUaGzs0

Just the thing for running ariund town - it's a Safety thing.

I just wondered how you would get on converting or building from scratch a half track simular layout to what the army used to have but lighter.
There was also work done on the early Landrovers where a trailer was fitted with a drive axle driven by the power take off on the Landrover.

Royce

I would be concerned about the departure angle. You could end up with the rear drive wheel totally off the ground making the car a front wheel drive for a while. And if Murphy is around you could get stuck when the front ones are having trouble at the same time. I wouldn't like to take it up that bad steep and rocky section on the Ingeegoodbe Track down near the Snowy River.

For load carrying, towing heavy loads and hard surfaces I can see some advantage. But for the hills I would question the usefullness.

Phil