Picture this...

[Disco_Stu]

You're driving along, windows down tunes on just enjoying the weather. Only 300 yards from home on your way to have some lunch.
All of a sudden, you feel a bit of vibration from under the truck, "ooh, that's new, have to have a look at those UJ's again" methinks.

5 seconds later, BANG. Stop, Stop, STOP, don't hit the wall, phew, just missed it.

That's what it feels like when your rear axle snaps Sad

Or at least the trailing arm bracket anyway.

So, damage:

Rear arch chewed up
Prop bent from ground impact
Axle <edit>
Cut me toe cos I was wearing flip flops....
And who knows what else till I get it home and have a better look.

Sometimes I really love my disco. This ain't one of those times...

Stu.

[simon15]

ouch that dont look good. :o

glad your ok bar your toes glad it only happened at relatively low speeds it could of been a lot lot worse.. :shock:

[Disco_Stu]

ouch that dont look good. :o

glad your ok bar your toes glad it only happened at relatively low speeds it could of been a lot lot worse.. :shock:

Dead right mate. Just got back from runcorn and was doin 80mph on the linkway....

Stu

[Eeyore]

Good grief!  :shock:

Very glad you're okay.

If you can get any close up piccies of the bit that broke, I'd be very intertested indeed.

......just nipping out to check my radius arms, back in mo!

Cheers
 8)
Eeyore

[thermidorthelobster]

You could do the same to the other one and have a LWB Disco?

[muddyjames]

that doesnt look good at all. How can a axle snap though? Is it just down to the axle rusting away?

[Disco_Stu]

Ill be bringing it home in a little while and will have a better pic for you.

If you look at your axle, underneath are the brackets where the trailing arm attaches, a swing bracket.
Mine still has the bracket attached to the arm, but the axle is no longer attached to the bracket, and I would guess at corrosion, the axle is pretty bad allover. Hole in diff pan, both spring mounts, generally scabby.

Stu.

[SEDDEY]

Glad to know I am not the only one this has happened to.
I was on the way home from work and it felt just like a tyre going flat. Got out had a look.... nothing seemed wrong! Set off again, next thing I know is the truck is doing a great impression of a crab with the back end heading across the road.
I was lucky, no damage to any body work. Oh, and isn't that blue BT rope bill for getting home in an emergency!!

Great this was £11 a piece for the new brackets..... fitted 2.

[suggs]

blimey, i only lost a trailing arm bush and that turned the Disco into a rollercoaster, god knows what yours must have been like..

[Disco_Stu]

Well, its been a long evening. Managed to make a start about 8'oclock and just got tidied up and showered now.

The axles off, close ups of broken area and general job below.

Job was pretty staraight forward but the top link balljoint was a bitch to split, managed it without damage in the end thankfully.

My replacement axle is now going to cost £100 apparently. Dont you hate it when people talk tall? Get it you for £40 mate, yeh right  

Might aswell rebush the rear end while I'm at it. So, deflex, OE, or polys?  :shock:

Stu

[Disco_Stu]

more pics

[muddyjames]

At least you can pretty safely say nobody will pinch it or nick the wheels off it tonight!!!!

Is the reason you want to MOT the triumph to get the number plate off and on the landy?

[daveyravey]

:shock:  I think i'm gonna inspect mine too   :shock:

In saying that, it's mot time soon & i'll have the back end in bits to replace the suspension, brakes & bushes.

[Dave J]

Hi Stu

you're lucky to walk away from that, would not like to think what would  have happened at speed, does not bear thinking about.

if you need a hand give me a shout, im only round the corner

Dave

[extreme90]

keep std lr one peice bush's
poly or deflexor what ever polyurethane bush you buy are all like me rear end

been there, tried then when there was the craze bout fitting them

worst 100 quid ive ever spent
back to std bush's now
dan

[SEDDEY]

The most worrying thing, well two of them,

1. Two days before I was on the motorway donig .... mph officer!!

2. Only passed its MOT about a month before!!

If it had gone on the motorway, that would have been an interesting time, for quite a few people.

Stu, why change the whole axle? The replacement brackets are £11 ish from Land Ranger at Atherton, usually in store. (that says a lot!!!!)

[SEDDEY]

The most worrying thing, well two of them,

1. Two days before I was on the motorway doing .... mph officer!!

2. Only passed its MOT about a month before!!

If it had gone on the motorway, that would have been an interesting time, for quite a few people.

Stu, why change the whole axle? The replacement brackets are £11 ish from Land Ranger at Atherton, usually in store. (that says a lot!!!!)

[SEDDEY]

sorry got giddy with the submit button !

[Disco_Stu]

I appreciate what you say regarding new brackets.

So that would be 2 spring seat brackets, 1 trailing arm bracket and a novice welder doin the job. £100 for peace of mind seems like a bargain at the mo :)

Stu.

[Lostboy]

Funny... mine did that.

Is that a suspension lift I see... mine is lifted as well... I wonder if there is a connection?

[SEDDEY]

Mines not lifted, so i don't think so. Just down to age and rust!!!!

[davidlandy]

sometimes the cause of that can be that the axle bracket can hit the raduis arm under full movement.  I think that some axles have a little cut out on them to allow more movement.

looks like a nasty thing to happen on the road - glad it didnt send you out of control

[Disco_Stu]

Well, the story so far :)

Got an axle from a 200Tdi, have a to do quite a bit of messing around to get it to go with 300 componets like prop, mud sheilds and brake caliper bolts but its finally ready to go back on the truck.

Had to change a wheel bearing but had a spare so lucky there. I've cut the mudsheild brackets of the axle to fit the 300 shields, totally different and the originals were goosed. Swapped a break pipe and wire brushed it clean then gone a bit daft with yellow hammerite. Its cool :)

I've got deflex bushes and extended brake hoses arriving tomorrow so with a bit of luck and no more bloody problems I might be on the road on saturday. ;)

Stu.

Ps. Just looked at the pictures and i didnt mean to leave the manual there, it was just a dry spot. Honest.  I did this without looking.

[Disco_Stu]

Hi all. Juist a quick update on the update!

In my previous post I said I hoped to be on the road by the weekend, well, that didnt happen.
It wasnt a difficult bush or an impossible top link that put the kibosh on my plans tho...

It was this little princess, arriving at 4.30pm today after 30 hrs hard graft by the missus. Two weeks early, Daisy, for tis her name, weighed in at a healthy 7lb and is quite possibly the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.

Stu.

[J B]

many congrats mate,  :lol:  :lol:  8)

[suggs]

weldone mate to you both, ive got one due to land in December

going back to the car, you may have to play about with the rear prop as 300's have that silly rubber bush and 200's have a proper UJ..


cheers

[Dave J]

All the best to you all, that great news Stu =D>

[Disco_Stu]

Thanks guys, much appreciated. She's a cracker.

I agree about the prop, I went back to the bloke and got the prop aswell so no faffing around swapping fittings.

Stu.

[SEDDEY]

Congratz to the both of you. And you thought you had problems with a land rover..... the problems and expense starts now.

Don't tell my daughter, cause I deny it, they are worth it!