Disaster on the Canning Stock Route

Come and Join the Wanneroo Wanderers 4WD Club as they continue their Adventure across Australia after crossing the Simpson Desert. They now head for the Tanami Road and tackle the 1,700km long Canning Stock Route. Nobody would have expected the final outcome as one of the vehicles has a catastrophic failure of the rear axle resulting in the vehicle being abandoned in the middle of nowhere.

[@andrewhallett-patterson9778]

Incredibly lucky that the catastrophic failure didn't result in a loss of control at high speeds or a vehicle rollover. As a workshop manager of Australian mine engineering workshop, and being a senior mechanical engineering myself, this failure has occurred on various sites, resulting in the DMax being excluded pending further investigations. Our own investigations have concluded several faults in the rear suspension/ chassis and differential design and implications. I will state the three major. Firstly, the casting of the axle tubes have indicated that the metallurgy has lead to a very brittle compound that is easily fractured on impact, resulting in hairline fractures forming within the impact zone and spreading outwards approximately 30mm before flexing causing the fractures to migrate in a circular action, encompassing the housing. This leads to the second fault of excessive deformation of the axle. Due to subsequent undersizing, excessive vertical torsion, and unusual tapered design that induces hairline fractures at the wheel end, which is also the narrowest taper point, due to harmonics, and taking into account wheel bearings that deform, allowing axle free play to exceed recommend parameters, failure is sudden and catastrophic. Thirdly, are the airbag placement. They should only be used to support excessive weight on the rear of the vehicle when towing. They should be deflated when not in use, as they severely limit the flexing ability of the chassis by increasing rigidity and causing distortion within the body structure that the vehicle was never designed to achieve. Their placement also restricts the absorption and release of stored momentum within the rear suspension, resulting in undesirable horizontal and vertical movement, excessive torsion and multi axis movement not engineered, nor within, the design of the vehicle. A redesigned rear suspension system is available for civilian vehicles but is not applicable for minesite vehicles. Hope this helps. 👍👍🇦🇺

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi Andrew Hallett-Patterson, I found your comments very informative and will pass on to the owner of the Dmax. While on the subject, is there anything I should look out for on my 2008 Hilux lol. Thanks for watching.

[@andrewhallett-patterson9778]

@@mongreldogproductions Advice...hmmmm.. 1. Fit a Ryco oil catch can kit to avoid blocking the PCV system with oil, and minimising the the oil misting that contaminates the inlet manifold, restricting airflow, generating inaccurate MAP sensor readings that confuse the ECU into thinking the engine is still cold, thus instructing the injectors to hold open for an extended period causing rich running situation and excessive soot production, which will long term cause backpressure throughout the exhaust system. Long term, if this situation is not rectified, engine oil will become extensively contaminated with abrasive soot, which will cause excessive engine wear and sludge the motor. Do not use mineral oil, always use fully synthetic, preferably Penrite due to superior chemical technologies designed for Australian conditions, and do not exceed 10k service. No oil currently on the market is designed to exceed this distance, especially in daily drivers that contaminates build up in due to the oil never reaching operating temperature. 2. We remove the standard Toyota oil filter system, installing a dual bypass system, again supplied by Ryco, and utilising the recommended disposable filters. The bypass system giving the assurance of complete and sustainable filtration if the primary becomes restricted, and enters bypass mode. You will not know if this occurs with the factory system allowing contaminates to continue to circulate. The aftermarket system offers a telltale light system to indicate bypass. 3. Fit a radiator coolant filter to minimise solid particular contamination injection thru the expansion tank due to cap sealing failures. There is nothing available on the market so we engineered our own system that involves adding a bypass to the top radiator hose and the use of a Cummins diesel coolant filter remote mount. Simply, bypass a restricted amount of coolant from the top radiator hose, thru the filter and return back into the system thru the bottom radiator hose. To achieve this we use Davis Craig low coolant radiator hose adapters, modified to accept 3/4 " BSP fittings. This allows the entire coolant volume to be filtered every 2-3 hrs, depending on coolant flow and any other restrictions. 4. Fit a Redarc coolant monitoring system, install a screamer siren and flashing light into the vehicles interior via the external output, and add a 10-20 second timer within the circuit to shutdown the vehicle when activated. The timer allows you to take evasive action to move to safety. The system we install incorporates a safety implementation that will not allow the engine to be restarted until coolant is replaced. There is a over ride system known only to our mechanics. 5. Carefully inspect all mounting hardware of the radiator/condenser as they are prone to failure induced by reduced torsional rigidity engineering with the front radiator structure, resulting in excessive pressure application at attachment points, both on the vehicle and components. 6. Update wheel studs as a Toyota supplier subsituted poor grade high tensile studs for a lower grade, the difference is in the metallurgy. Place with grade 8 mining spec. 7. Carefully inspect Sunraysa rims for rust hidden behind the silicon band that seals the open joint between the rim and centre. Moisture will quickly degrade the surfaces as the area is unpainted, withholds moisture in a warm atmosphere and reacts with the piwdercoating, causing corrosion to spread via osmosis between the substrate and coating. Failure is usually catastrophic. Always use mine spec fully galvanised heavy duty rims to assure this will not occur. These can be powdercoated without chemically destroying the galvanic properties. 8. Springpacks, bushings, and mounting points are all recognised areas of failure due to excessive body flexing caused by overloading, uneven positioning of storage facilities, excessive speeds over corrugated roads, and lack of close maintenance. Fracturing around points of contact are common due to body flexing but rarely fail. Take close notice of damage to underbody sealant near attachment. This can indicate extensive flexing. Please dont take this as gospel in your situation, as all situations are unique. Vehicles on mine sites are in the most extreme environments imaginable and failures not recognised in the civilian world are common. This is why Toyota has developed their mining packs for Hilux and Landcruisers over the past 40 years. Developments and failures onsite ensure the civilian version is virtually indestructable. And for the ultimate off-road vehicle, look to a mining pack as your next purchase. With over 2000 improvements over the civilian versions, and factory fitment of such equipment as extra remote mount batteries and axle portals, they are possibly the ultimate off-road vehicle. 👍👍🇦🇺

[@BenMitro]

Wow, thanks Andrew really appreciate the info - that kind of info (both d-max and hilux from your other comment - very hard to come by for us "civies" unless guys in the know share the info. Again thanks. I guess for me that means steering clear of the M-UX (I am after a s/wagon ) and stick with the mitsubishi challenger or nissan pathfinder as I don't want a big unit like a cruiser or a patrol. If the surfs were more contemporary or on the off chance I find a good one....

[@4bnewb969]

Thanks Andrew. Very Informative for me as I also run a hilux. The interesting thing about the dmax failure is that I am also aware of front end suspension weld failures. They also were xtra cabs so wondering that extra space available in a rear body has people loading the vehicle to close or beyond GVM without realizing.

[@andrewhallett-patterson9778]

@@BenMitro Please do not even think about a M-UX. They are built on the DMax chassis and have inherited the ongoing issues plus lacklustre engineering has crept into the platform causing further issues, the biggest being the non existent reliability of the current automatic transmission and transfer box . As both contain extensive electronics, failure due to heat absorption of components, deformation of the internal wiring loom, fluid absorption of internal components due to chemically incompatable encasement resulting in electrical and mechanical failures, poor heat dissipation and exchange, internal pump failures and a ECU that fails to recognise overtemperature situations due to a software glitz, resulting in catastrophic transmission failure. The transfer case suffers similar lacklustre engineering, with electronic component failures, resulting in 4 wheel drive continuously engaged though the ECU indicates disengagement, bearings that suffer hardness delamination, and case failure due to flex. Unijoints are also an issue, due to metallurgy failures within the manufacturing process. They should be thoroughly inspected, any movement noted and replaced with Hardy Spicer units.👍👍🇦🇺

[@jonnorousseau3096]

Pretty catastrophic diff failure, it's not often you see the diff casing fail along with the half shaft. This is why convoys are the way to go, as somebody who's done some 4×4 traveling in Southern Africa mate you're lucky you've only got dingos to worry about. We've had Elephant, lion and hyenas in our camp site in Botswana

[@blueycarlton]

Yeah, we did it in a convoy of six vehicles, safety in numbers. North to South route a few years ago. As it was, our Prado went into limp home mode early on the Canning. Turned out to be our Scanguage which had slightly moved in the OBD plug, turning the Prado's computer off. Took a while to figure it out with the help of a sat phone and some very clever people in our 4x4 club. I haven't reconnected it since. Spent about 5 days in Rudell Nat.Park which was nice. $3.60 per litre for diesel was not so nice!! Hardly saw any wildlife on the Canning trip.

[@lawnerddownunder3461]

@@blueycarlton is that a version of cutting the wire.to the Check Engine light? 😉

[@lionelwilliams6327]

To answer a few questions raised. Firstly I have traveled the Canning 3 times in the ealy 2000s in a 2000 Gu Patrol 3.0. Always south to north. Whilst Capricorn Roadhouse deliver fuel to a place near well 23 we carried 3 jerry cans and would make well 33 and refuel there. Always a chance someone could steal your unguarded fuel drum and no refund for unused portion. Fuel use does however depend on how you drive. Due to weight on the roof rack I carried the fuel in a plastic heavy duty tub behind the drivers seat. They fitted perfectly and whilst you should never carry petrol in the cab diesel was fine. Be aware if the guy that pumps the fuel at the community near well 33 is not there then you have had to wait for his return which can be days, unless things have changed. With corrugations and vehicle damage, we always had vehicles overtaking us but never overtook anyone as where the corrugations were particularly severe I would have "Old Poo" in 3rd gear and let the engine simply pull it over the humps at its own speed. The speed that we saw some vehicles travelling at was simply stupid and would be one of the two main reasons for vehicle failure. The other of course is weight. On the Patrol I had three heavy duty steel cross bars with a rack bolted to them. On our third and last trip the bracket that bolted to the legs and wrapped around the cross bars had some fractures from weld points. If the welds had been fully across the bracket instead on covering about half then they would have been fine. The roof rack though did not actually "fail". Most non gutter mount roof rack are not rated at any more than 100 kg carrying capacity by their manufacturers which is what my new Everest is rated at. From memory the Patrol with gutter mounts was about 120 kg manufacturer rated capacity. If you look at what roof rack manufacturers like Rhino and Yakima recommend, it is to divide the carrying capacity of their rack by 1.5 if using off road. The Canning certainly is "off road". So the Everest is rated at 100 kg. The Rhino platform I have just purchased weighs 22.5 kg which leaves me 77.5 kg carrying weight if using that same formula for the roof carrying capacity of the vehicle. Lets face it, the mount points of the vehicle are the weakest part of the setup in modern vehicle roofs. The Rhino rates the platform at 80 kg so it is close to the 77.5 kg. That leaves me with 51.66 kg carrying capacity when off road. The second spare for the Patrol weighed 35 kg on its own so you can see what little you "should" be carrying on a roof rack on top of a spare. Interestingly if I purchased a roof rack that was rated at 100 kg but weighed 30 kg I had less load carrying capacity when off road than the Rhino. Now i'm sure that manufacturers of vehicles and roof racks would use a fairly large safety margin in their recommendations but try telling that to an insurance assessor looking at your vehicle that has rolled over.

[@chrisandshazza01]

Bloody great memories there with everyone helping out and a good result. Great the vehicle wasn’t touched. We didn’t make the well 23 fuel dump due to shotty work from an ARB distributor that basically wrecked the mates Hilux. We started rebuilding it at Halls Creek and the trip ended at Well 33. We spoke to Capricorn roadhouse and said if anyone needs our fuel at the fuel dump it’s all there’s - we nearly fell over when 3 of the people who used the fuel got our details from the roadhouse and sent cheques in the mail. Restores your faith in humanity and proves there’s some bloody good people out there. Great video👍👍👍

[@mongreldogproductions]

Glad you liked the vid and sorry to hear your trip did not go smoothly. There are still good human beings in this World and yes, it does restore your faith in humanity. Thanks for watching.

[@pbodymathis]

Great video of some fantastic country! Thanks for posting!

[@johnfinch8173]

In South Africa Isuzu pickups (Utes in Australia) have had a bad history in respect to rear axle breakages even on vehicles that have never been overloaded. Corrugated dirt roads out in the farming areas have had their fair share of Isuzu's dumping a rear wheel assembly exactly like in the above video. At the time the rear axles were manufactured and supplied by Borg Warner in South Africa due to the local content requirement. Ford, Nissan and Mazda 1 Tonne pickups used the exact same base rear axle but the spring seats were closer to the rear wheel. I was a Senior Engineer at Nissan Product Development at the time and we were so concerned that we did a Finite Element Analysis investigation on our vehicles compared to the other manufacturers of course. We found that from the centre of the spring seat to the centre of the scrub radius of the rear tyre was the most dimensionaly compared to market equivalent vehicles. Fitting wider rims and bigger tyres made the matter much worse causing earlier failure modes. At the time during the 90's Isuzu took the financial hit due to a latent defect ruling. By now I was under the impression that Isuzu had corrected the design flaw, but your video shows that this is not the case at all.

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi John Finch, very informative stuff...thanks for your input and thanks for watching. Glad I bought a Hilux.

[@choun2749]

Awesome video/footage!! I felt like I was traveling along. Ty so much for the post!

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi Choun Fitness, glad you like the vid. Thanks for watching.

[@MikeJones-vt9fu]

Great video thanks mate. Big breakdown on a trip like that is a stress out. I read some great suspension and load carrying information on the Beadell Tours web page a while back. Cheers

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi Mike, glad you like the vid...thanks for watching.

[@dunes2dust216]

Great story as usual, thanks for sharing!

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi dunes2dust, glad you like the vid...

[@MrBlinky900]

Always enjoy watching all your videos, thank you for making the time and sharing your great adventures across our incredible country, Safe travels and keep upright. Matt.

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi Mr B, glad you like the content and thanks for watching.

[@johnmettam1573]

Great video, thanks for sharing, and great to hear the recovery was successful.

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi John, Glad you like the vid. Thanks for watching

[@dermulller8591]

As much as I enjoy watching your motorbike tours, your off-bike adventures are awesome, too. Great way of presenting! Thank you so much for sharing!

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi Carsten Mueller, I am humbled by your comments. I’m glad you find them entertaining. Thanks for watching.

[@shawnmoore4292]

A wonderful but challenging trip. Thanks for sharing.

[@mongreldogproductions]

Glad you enjoyed the journey..thanks for watching.

[@markstankiewicz6369]

63 year old mechanic...a lot of our 4x4's have out sourced components from you guest it china , the philippines and other's ,i've never seen a fully manufactured japanese or american or australian vehicle do that its always a spring or a shocky or a drive axle , but i have seen faulty or uncertified steel products slip through from our asian friends, china manufactures for mercedes volvo and many others, common are casting failures like drive axles with slag in the cast or face hardening on gears ect, i got a shock when i followed a serial number on a chinese gear box and found a large factory making components for a large number of big european car and truck company's , i think quality has definitely gone backwards . over the years ........great video thow.

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi Mark Stankiewicz, the video has certainly generated a lot of discussion. Glad you like the Vid. Thanks for watching.

[@chickentube2229]

Loved this short film, history, wildlife and even bush mechanics. love that you are always smiling as well. Keep it up !

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi Allan Snackbar, glad you found the video entertaining. Thanks for watching.

[@Ade4fish]

Thanks for the film. Greatly enjoyed watching.

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi Ade4fish Ade4fish, glad you like the Vid...thanks for watching.

[@johannesschaller5510]

Thanks for a well made and informative video. Might not ever get onto the Canning, but this gives a taste of what the trip would be like. Great to see the D-Max recovered intact.

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi Johannes Schaller glad you like the Vid. It was a good outcome in the end. Thanks for watching.

[@emu4wdadventures631]

Great down to earth vid. Well done. Steve🇦🇺

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi EMU4WD, glad you like the vid...thanks for watching.

[@woolyone2056]

Thanks for posting. Like your way of presenting. Cheers

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi WoolyOne, glad you like the content. Thanks for watching.

[@maxcole1961]

Great production, glad that you recovered the car and gear.

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi Max, i never expected to see the car again....but the fact it remained intact reinforces my faith in human kind. Either that, or nobody saw it (good camo job???). Glad you like the vid.

[@MrTerrymiff]

Adam Plant - used to own the Pink Roadhouse, Oodnadatta - reckoned that the only thing that roof racks should be used for was to stand on to take photographs.

[@billolgaau]

Was it you that put all the Pink signs around the Desert? I spotted one still standing on my last trip a couple of months ago.

[@MrTerrymiff]

@@billolgaau Adam Plant put up all of those signs.

[@billolgaau]

@@MrTerrymiff They were fun to read & full of good info.

[@philbiggs4493]

Great adventure Steve. My Brother in Law did the canning on his TT350 Yamaha about 25 years ago . Made a 50 lt fuel tank and had a drum of fuel dropped of halfway somewhere. I was looking at his photos just the other week . Awesome videos as ever :)

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi Phil, your brother in law has bigger gonads then me....i couldnt imagine doing the Canning on a bike, although if i was 25 years younger it might have been a different story. Glad you like the vid.

[@Clearanceman2]

You wanted adventure, you got adventure! Great job pulling together, it's pretty evident the advantage of not going alone. Very cool that you guys go explore your vast country and have these adventures!

[@mongreldogproductions]

It was an interesting journey. We are blessed here in Oz. We have it all, snow, rainforests, deserts, beaches and more. No passport required. Thanks for watching.

[@Clearanceman2]

@@mongreldogproductions Maybe not all but very interesting. We are lucky here we have very twisty back roads to run street bikes on through the mountains. And fairly steep mountains. The roads are narrow and challenging which I guess a lot of people would see as a disadvantage. Just don't make a mistake, not very forgiving, LOL

[@justgjt]

Great outcome in the end. Could not want for anything more. As always, great adventure Steve. Thanks for sharing 👍🏻

[@mongreldogproductions]

You always look for some action to make the journey a little interesting but nobody anticipated this. Thankfully, no one was left behind lol. Glad you like the vid.

[@terraroamersoz8041]

Hi Steve, great adventure and some drama! Keep them coming, see you out there, cheers Davey.

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi Terra RoamersOZ, glad you like the Vid...thanks for watching.👍

[@fullretardcustomguns837]

It's good no one stole or Vandalised. Thanks for posting, I'm in NM, USA. Australia seems amazing!

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi FRCG, it was a good outcome. Glad you like the vid. I'm sure the US would be an amazing country to travel in as well. Thanks for watching.

[@davestedman1772]

Reason for axle breaking is extra heavy suspension means every bump is like a hammer blow as suspension cannot take up the shock and those chassis are not designed for air bags so ur lucky chassis didnt bend or snap as well

[@gregallen7586]

Spot on, I’ve been told airbags should only be used for levelling when towing. Not at all for vehicle load carrying.

[@aussiesmoko]

Air bags act like jack hammers they pound the road and the chassis just like a jack hammer with the

[@grahambkay]

From my experience air bags should not be used with leaf springs. I have seen too me disastrous results. Mainly bent chassis but I have little doubt they contributed to the axle/diff housing breaking. When I did the Canning there were a number of abandoned vehicles resulting from this very problem.

[@bigsparky8888]

HUGE THANKS FOR SHARING THE WESTERN SIDE OF MAGNIFICENT AUSTRALIA!!!! I did research on your country years ago...followed the RXR tracks North from Alice Springs...Google Earth gave me many sights...but the CRATER is AWSOME...AND WATERING OASIS I NEVER KNEW WAS OUT THERE ...WOWEEEE!!!! THANKS BROTHERS!!!!

[@brettforbes7642]

Wow looks awesome mate good on yous. That’s always been on my bucket list, to travel the out back of OZ!

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi BF, glad you like the vid...thanks for watching

[@seanhollway4774]

Have u been too Australian out back yet 2021 2022

[@SwaggingWithBen]

Well done documenting this trip. Subscribed 👍

[@mongreldogproductions]

Welcome aboard. Glad you like the Channel content.

[@vvogt4252]

Great Video! Thanks for Sharing. Greetings from Pelion, South Carolina USA.

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi V Vogt, thanks for the praise...glad you like the Vid.

[@jimdoolan2277]

Great video really enjoyed it love your work Cheers

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi Jim, glad you like the content and thanks for watching.

[@brentmcd12]

wow! what an epic trip !! these breakdowns are all just part of the adventure just to make it more memorible.. well done !

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi BMc, tough conditions out there...it's not surprising the gear breaks down. Glad you enjoyed the journey. Thanks for watching.

[@MileMunchinAdventures]

Nice job, unexpected issues like that make the adventure so much more interesting. And it also tests your survival instinct.

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi Mile Munchin' Adventures, you’re right...I never know what will unfold when I start these journeys. At least if it comes to survival, I know how to cook roo tail lol.

[@markwng]

First time I have seen your productions. I liked it and will be looking at more of your stuff over time..

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi Mark, welcome to the Channel. Hope you like the content. There is a mixed bag of stuff. Enjoy!

[@BranRistic]

Thanks mate, nice vid, good channel.. So miss my walkabout

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi BR, glad you like the channel content. Thanks for watching.

[@WesternAustraliaNowAndThen]

Wow, bad luck to start with but to recover everything in the end is at least some good news. Only just discovered this channel so looking forward to seeing what else you have here.

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi Western Australia Now and Then, welcome aboard. Thanks for watching.

[@rayzaretzky1606]

Another awesome video Steve.

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi Ray, thinkin’ about Gibb River Road next year. Interested???

[@rayzaretzky1606]

@@mongreldogproductions Hi Steve, certainly would be, am hoping to retire next year so should be able to squeeze it in..

[@MrDigger450]

Great video and drone footage cheers

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi MrDigger450, glad you liked the Vid. Thanks for watching.

[@schaerem]

Came across your channel and enjoy your adventures. Keep up the good work.

[@mongreldogproductions]

Glad you enjoy the Channel content. Thanks for watching.

[@BikerBytes]

Great trip with a good outcome 👍🇦🇺

[@BlenderBends]

Good video. Interesting to see that its real out there and stuff breaks and people have to make some tough calls on leaving gear behind. Its a very unforgiving place. enjoyed watching you off the Bike. Thanks

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi BlenderBends, we saw a few burnt out wrecks along the journey...never thought it could've been one of us that might be next. Glad you like the vid.

[@OL-Tom]

Great video .... Glad they were able to recover the vehicle without any pilfering. That's a tough break like that. I spent time in Exmouth, WA back in 1976-1978 .... Three things I remember, the Red Dust, flies everywhere and lots of Emu Export.

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi L-P, glad you like the vid. Hope there were some good memories of Exmouth. Thanks for watching.

[@noobsoff-road]

Great video. Really enjoyed watching it and glad the outcome was a success....

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi Noobs Off-Road, it may have been better if we all drove out under our own steam but then it wouldn’t have been an adventure. It does make for interesting viewing lol. Thanks for watching.

[@gazzafloss]

Crazy folk get these utes that are designed to carry 1tonne and put 2tonnes or more of bolt on crap onto the rest of the chassis THEN load a whole lot of kit into an ALREADY overloaded vehicle that they expect it to stand up to constant pounding over corrugated tracks, what are they thinking. Lucky to get outta there alive.

[@wanderingambience799]

Yes youre right! That ute was overloaded and especially for rough roads. Also that axle looked corroded and possibly rusted too. Should not have driven that route with that weight.

[@iandaniel2153]

Lajamanu where I lived and worked for two years in the late 70's was where you put KISS into practice though not to the extent in bush mechanic tv series of the early eighties. When travelling the bush bedding would be a swag, groundsheet and tarp off the side of the ute. Always you let people know when and where you were going even if < 10 klms out of town. What was kept on the ute always could fix a tyre, spare belts etc. It was as malcolm douglas doco's (who would always take his dog) would later describe in his travels. The rule of thumb was if you got into trouble you had to be able to get out of it by yourself with no help. As you say these vehicles are under engineered for the weights they carry but am equally amazed shackle plates didn't split and fail before the axle housing. What does stand out are the extra sprung air bags used and what they must be doing to the unsprung weight loads on the suspension with all that extra mass they are designed to stabilise. Perhaps this is where another factor for the metal fatigue lies.

[@ralphblundell9479]

Yeah, then they do a "GVM upgrade" and think it's all good. Think they can overload it even more. Perhaps in a legal sense, but in no way shape of form does it help offroad. THEN add bl**dy airbags when it still sags. All these "tourer bodies" that are all the rage do is encourage people to pack even more stuff in. Apart from the weight of the canopy itself.

[@southernwarrior9302]

Great video mate 🤙🏽

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi SW, thanks for the positive feedback and thanks for watching.

[@TheEarthHistorysConfusing]

Nice share. Looks like you had a great time.

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi ATWH, glad you like the vid....thanks for watching.

[@billolgaau]

I feel for you guys as I have had my problems as I mentioned in an answer below (Busted front suspension 3 times). A lot particularly those overseas do not realize how tough & isolated (Plus Beautiful) it is out there. We drove the Canning North & covered all Wells, plus were lucky enough to drive to the Calvert Hills before it was closed (Beautiful spot with lots of Aboriginal Art work) in 21 days to the Tanami.

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi Bill Bray, we noticed that Well 17 was off limits (near Durba Springs) and we think that may be because of the abundance of art at that site. Pity...it would have been nice to visit both sites. Thanks for watching.

[@billolgaau]

@@mongreldogproductions , We did the Canning in 2005 before the Permits came in. Well 17, was that right next to Derba Springs? (Half a km from Derba on the way in) It's Water 17 as there is no Well - fantastic Art work, Native Bee Hive Honey Shall's & at the end of the Gorge a Rock Pool. In 2016 we did Garry Junction west & East on the Tallawana to Georgia Bore, well 23 & 24 & over to the Garry, Gun Barrell & started on the Conny Sue (Drove it before) but mate got bogged for two days. 13 snatches & 6 winching's to get him out.(BTW That's after we pulled a guy out that had been bogged for two days).

[@PERTHSCOOTER07]

Great video mate.

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi PERTHSCOOTER07, glad you like the Vid.

[@BradGryphonn]

Those corrugations remind me of when I used to drive Coaster busses between Cooktown and Coen (and beyond when the Laura Dance Festival was on). Depending on how bad they were, around 70-90kmh made for the smoothest ride for passengers on the long, straight stretches. I believe most of that stretch is Black-Top now. They were working on it when I left a few years back. I'll be back there one day, permanently.

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi Brad Griffin, 70-90 kph would’ve destroyed the cars over the roughest sections. Glad I was able to take you down memory lane. Thanks for watching.

[@rjl110919581]

thank you for video as good watching

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi Robert Lewis, glad you like the Vid...thanks for watching.

[@mangoMango-ck3et]

Great video,,,this video just reminded myself , that it pays to double check everything on your vehicle, that your vehicle maintenance is spot on,, sobering reminder that anything can happen to anyone, traveling Outback Aussie.. cheers glad it all worked out.

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi m1973M, glad you like the vid....you’re right about not taking too many chances. It’s a jungle out there! Thanks for watching. 👍🇦🇺

[@davidboyce1905]

Good to see no one got hurt and great to see it got recovered with all the gear intact.

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi David, it was an interesting journey with a good outcome in the end. Thanks for watching.

[@JustTex]

Good result in the end but must have been hard to leave the vehicle. Liking their was a group of you. Might need to try this route on the bike some day. Cheers 4 sharing your adventure.

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi just tex, Riders do it on bikes but i think the way to go is by having a support vehicle. It's a tough grind otherwise. Thanks for watching.

[@JustTex]

@@mongreldogproductions That would be smart, it makes the simpson look like a small trip. Cheers

[@dinosshed]

What a ball ache to drop the axle like that. I’ve repaired a similar failure but on a truck, I drive out with my gear in the replacement semi, the driver hooks up and waves goodbye leaving me with the dead one. Exactly the same problem but on a larger scale. I ground the axle and used pipe to centre the two halves in line and then plug welded with a stick. It was the easy part as removing all the dirt from the outer bearing without sufficient means was a proper prick. I did the same repair for the axle housing (full floating) and drove it back cautiously to the shop. Always take welding rods and cables, the start batteries will provide enough grunt to weld.

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi Dino's S, i had the rods but the break was at the u bolts that hold the spring pack on with no way of bracing the housing. I doubt it would have taken the load as we still had 500km of snot to go over. We looked at all the options. Thanks for watching.

[@dinosshed]

For sure it would have taken a few miracles to stitch this one up, it’d be a complete crawl at idle in second gear at best. I don’t think I’d have trusted the vehicle to the rabid passers by and would have found a way if insurance wasn’t covering it. In this situation I’d be removing the rear housing and turning it into a lazy/dead one. Front wheel drive touring anyone? 😉 I very much enjoyed the video, well put together and realistic goals with vehicle types of all different brands. It pays to check over these bits during your stops, sometimes you get to a potential nightmare before it ruins your trip and bank account. Keep up the good work

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi@@dinosshed, thanks for the positive feedback. Watch this space.

[@76aussieguy]

good to hear the vehicle was recovered without further damage

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi 76aussieguy, yes, a good outcome and not one I expected. I was sure the vehicle would’ve been ransacked and torched. Thanks for watching.

[@amosbanjocaretakers3598]

It’s a beautiful country and I need to see a lot more of it, cheers 🍻👍🇦🇺

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi Amos Garner, yes, harsh but beautiful. Glad you like the Vid.

[@Mywayoffthehwy]

Impressive bush mechanics guys. Makes me wish I was filming you for my own WA 4x4 KZbin channel haha. Keep up the great work.

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi Mywayoffthehwy, doing nothing was not an option. The priority was to get it clear of the track. It worked well enough. Glad you like the Vid.

[@gordslater]

Quick way to camouflage a car in sandy or dusty areas is to rub diesel all over it with a clean rag then just chuck dust onto it. Worth the effort to tone down a white one and not too hard to wash off later with a hose or washer. Pay attention to chrome or stainless areas to reduce the shine. Because you're not rubbing grit onto it by hand very little damage is done (if any) to the paintwork. Bonus it takes on the same colour as the local terrain. I've seen guys cutting trees to hide stuff and the effort isn't worth it if it still shines in the sun.

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi Gord Slater, whatever we did must have worked because after three weeks the vehicle had not been touched. I know Steve and Sue draped a tarp over the car and placed mud on it to break up the outline a little. The other saviour was towing it away from the campsite. I know foliage is only good for a few days and then it dies and looks out of whack with the local surroundings.Thanks for watching.

[@toddstephenson7154]

Epic adventure as always, keep up the great work mate

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi Todd Stephenson, thanks for the kudos, glad you like the Vid.

[@patrickjobling8676]

That was great mr mongrel dog .. jolly good carryon pip pips 😁happy trails

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi Rick jobling, glad you like the Vid.

[@harness84_29]

The mechanic at wiluna saved our ass too! I was out there doing telstra inspections for towers. Had to go a little up the stock route. To survey a few. Jundee goldmine was an oasis for us.

[@mrdoodle8581]

Brilliant video, love your work, you really should have more subscribers.IMHO, you are head & shoulders above any other of the Aussie so called hard core outback travellers.Good on ya! BTY, I think you might have bitten off more than the proverbial on this trip, those corrugations looked real bad, no wonder the roof rack decided to part company.

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi Mr Doodle, thanks for the praise...glad you like the Vid. The roof rack had survived Googs Track and the Simpson Desert. I guess the violent pitching from left to right on the Canning was enough to send it over the edge. Thanks for watching.

[@macguru9999]

EXACTLY the same failure happened to my mate and his wife about 80km west of coober pedy. Same Isuzu dmax, snapped rear diff housing and axle. He had a shortwave and arranged a flat-top truck to CP then down to Port Augusta. Isuzu would not cover the repair at all, so they were out of pocket thousands. I would never trust one of these cars to carry more than a few power tools around town.

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi Andrew, I think the general consensus is that the vehicle was probably overloaded and not helped by the fitting of the airbag. Thanks for watching

[@macguru9999]

@@mongreldogproductions My friend's imax was heavily loaded as well

[@Chriswilliams-lx9mx]

Great video by the way,being a motorcycle rider myself I bet that trip would be tough,doing it on your pushbike with trailer probably be they end of ya,I’ll stick to mi pot noodles regarding the Roos tail🤪all the best

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi Chris, the roo tail tasted like chicken...nah, not really. It tasted similar to lamb. I wouldn't consider the trip by motorbike let alone the pushy. Blokes do it but but im too long in the tooth now. I'll leave it to the young blokes.

[@Chriswilliams-lx9mx]

Mongrel Dog Productions gotcha,don’t take this the wrong way😂but if your toes curled up tomorrow you’ve done a hell of a lot more than most,never been to oz,have to put it on my bucket list🚵‍♀️🍷🥩👍all the best from a damp n-wales 🐑🐑💋💋💋it isn’t true mind😂😂

[@MarkPrendergast]

Love your work , bourke has a lot to answer for with the Camels

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi Mark, glad you like the vid. The camels are in good shape after a few good seasons outback...the herds seem to be getting bigger. You often see dead ones (camel shooters???) but there are still big mobs out there. The local communities use them to supplement their diet. The shoulders and hind quarters are the best bits.

[@darrenthomas3188]

Another great video, well done Mongrel Dog

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi Darren Thomas, glad you like the content. Thanks for watching. 👍

[@kippen64]

Great video.

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi Kitty, glad you like the Vid. Thanks for watching.

[@Wilbargosh]

I read a lot of comments on this post. Any chance the Dmax had rear diff lockers that were left on for long periods? Pumped up air bags on an overloaded sprung ute with a wound up rear diff on a corrugated track and overheated shoks….something is likely to break.

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi Paul, I dont think it had diff locks...you wouldn't need it for that type of terrain anyway. He had the bags fitted because they normally tow a big van. The general consensus is/was that the air bags contributed. Thanks for watching.

[@bobbiebigg3]

Dude I did that drive Melbourne to Perth, Australia is beauty. Come to Western Canada and I will take you on a trip that will blow your socks off mate.

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi Bobbie Bigg, Western Canada? I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks for watching.

[@fastmonaro05]

Great video mate. I have an Army mate who bought a big V8 Landcruiser Wagon a few years old and taking his family around Australia. Not sure if he is going that track though. Might be best he gives it a miss. $3.50 Per Liter diesel wow!!!! What rugged but yet strangely beautiful country.

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi Mick Taylor, the Outback keeps drawing me back. It’s the harsh beauty that attracts me and the isolation. One bloke on our trip paid $700 to ‘fill it’ up’...they have it, you need it, you have to pay the price. Glad you like the Vid.

[@BTBSean0]

MDB Great production again ...

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi BehindTheBars, glad you like the Vid. Thanks for watching.

[@peterbaylis2111]

Very Interesting Journey Great to Watch

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi Peter, glad you like the vid…thanks for watching.

[@dashcoja]

What a shame. Having just had a breakdown in a remote area nothing like this, I am curious how they went with their insurance? Were they covered? Who was the insurer? My recovery cost was about $6500 from near Innamincka to Port Augusta, nothing as remote as the CSR. Very curious how that all panned out. Good video and a real reality check for many people in this position. Cheers.

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi dashcoja, the Insurers told us to abandon the vehicle and arranged the recovery a couple of weeks later. It was either that or have a $40,000 total loss at their cost. Thank goodness for satellite phones. Thanks for watching

[@iidentifyasvaccinated8877]

6500 wtf did the truck run on gold.

[@iidentifyasvaccinated8877]

3.40 a ltr i understand now

[@CrusaderSports250]

@@iidentifyasvaccinated8877 it would appear that gold would be cheaper☺☺.

[@BenMitro]

Great video - seeing the broken axle right at the beginning, I was half waiting to hear the hilux collapse while you were filming - I didn't know then that it was the d-max that collapsed until right at the end! It was great news that it was recovered in tact and untouched. Your video presentation is pretty down to earth and refreshing regardless of the mode of transport, and your scenery shoots were pretty schmick too Matt :) Anyhow looking forward to the next adventure and vid.

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi Benny Banger, thankfully not the Hilux. I’m glad you like the video style and content. There’s more to come. Thanks for the praise.

[@Noelius80]

The way you were busting along the tanami and beyond, i am not surprised this failure occured. Good watch tho.

[@richardgiles2484]

You guys sticking together and helping each other reminds of my biking trips over the years. 👏👏

[@mongreldogproductions]

No man gets left behind…. Thanks for watching.

[@bobmenzies2517]

Feel for u! From discovery to recovery in less time than it takes to write. Been there , done that. Not good but glad that everything turned out well. Possible that the airbags were the cause/effect? They don’t allow the suspension to work as well as normal, and u tend to load more as well. Just a thought. Cheers, travel safe

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi Bob, you're not the first bloke to point the finger at the airbags. I've never had any experience with them (other than the truckin' industry) but it seems to me there might be something in it. The air bags were fitted to allow the bloke to tow a big van and help level the suspension (?). Thanks for watching.

[@thehammerwell]

It seems as if tire pressure was a little on the high side. On rough corrugated roads I only run around 20psi on an F250 while towing an offroad camper. And I'll go even lower as it gets rougher.

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi David Tankersley, totally agree...at the roughest point, we were down to 15psi and it was still very uncomfortable. We would air up and down often depending on the conditions. Thanks for watching.

[@kradius2169]

Mongrel ... Wow. Fantastic. Just keeps getting better & better. Thanks.

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi Kradius, high praise indeed. Thank you. Glad you like the Vid.

[@outbacknomad9939]

Great stuff.. Yes nothing worse than brake downs out in that country no quick fix. But wish a welder was at hand . Something so simple in the work shop but so devastating out bush. Glade to see they got there belongings back a shame there trip was cut short.

[@mongreldogproductions]

I had some welding rods with me but i dont think we would've been abler to do a good enough job out there. The diff was drained of oil and was probably cooked as well. I guess we'll never know. Thanks for watching.

[@jonnorousseau3096]

Mate, couldn't agree more, I've owned 4×4 vehicles and done a fair bit of traveling around Southern Africa, Okavango Delta, Victoria Falls etc, done my adventures on land now I'm into blue water cruising yachts, but I digress. The one thing I've always got with me, in either a 4×4 or yacht is my inverter welder, a small argon cylinder, some Tig welding equipment, obviously arc as well, even with that equipment you may not necessarily be able to weld the diff casing, or the half shaft, one is a casting (various alloys) the other is a machined component, alignment could never be guaranteed and you might well do more damage than good, that's a design flaw, accentuated by the use of after market airbags. I work on the premise of have what you don't have as opposed to need what you don't have. And an inverter is right up there on my most important and must have list. PS I did carry spare half shafts, hubs and bearings, ball joints, spare parabolic leaf springs, spate dampers etc in my restored and highly modernised 1980 British military Series 3 109' Landy panel van. If you had the correct welding equipment and a spare half shaft you could possibly have made it to the next town. Mate yachts are a whole different level of self sufficiency, and in much more adverse and remote environments. Maybe why I've progressed on to them, always prepare for the worst, and hope for the best

[@jonnorousseau3096]

Typo "rather have what you don't need, as opposed to need what you don't have"

[@Franksssss]

Great video mate Good spread of 4wd info, historical info and general knowledge eg: what time frame you allowed for the trip on the canning. Pity about the dmax but as someone that builds trays and canopies for a living, i would never fit one to our ranger. They just not designed for the extra overhang and extra crap people pack inside. We go bush quite often in nth qld for varying lengths of time and fit everything we 'need' inside the tub and cabin safely. I think people take to much crap these days

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi stu hes, I totally agree...we all take too much crap that is superfluous to our needs. In my case, I gotta take extra crap to appease the wife to make sure she’s comfortable. Happy wife; happy life. Glad you like the Vid. Thanks for watching.

[@Franksssss]

I know what your saying mate I have 2 daughters also but still dont over pack.

[@Overlandwithjanandmaxine]

Mate, had a broken melted rear axle housing in the tanami desert. Thats totally pain in the arse.

[@AutomotiveKarnage]

Hay mate Hope you read this. My mate and I where the ones who recovered the D Max!! I am currently putting a video together of our trip to go get this vehicle.

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi Automotive Karnage, nice to hear from you...I’ll pass this onto the owner, Steve. Thanks for caring. Hope you like the Vid. 👍

[@andyfarmer1194]

What a great video Thanks for that Must be tough being a passenger on a big trip like that ?

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi Andy, glad you enjoyed the vid....i'd rather be driving than a passenger that's for sure.

[@Iswhatitisssss]

I always think of Malcolm Douglas when I see something on the stock route. I was planing on doing it In my Amarok. Until I realised how much of a POS it was, be lucky to get a day out on the beach in it. Things long gone now ( 10k in engine repairs .) Good watch mate and subscribed

[@mongreldogproductions]

Sorry to hear about your experience with the Amarok but glad you enjoyed the vid. Welcome to the Channel.

[@defendermodsandtravels]

If anyone is interested in understanding more about the axle failure there are a set of videos on my channel looking at this and other failures from a technical viewpoint. They attempt to provide answers to some of the questions raised in the comments here.

[@robdotcom71]

Good to hear it was recovered in one piece and nothing stolen off it.... there's so many wrecks out there that are just shells out there... quite sad really.... you break down and are forced to leave the vehicle only to come back and it's been trashed due to some a-hole stripping it for parts....

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi robdotcom71, yes, we were lucky. We towed it away from the campsite which probably saved it. If it was left at Well 15 my guess is it would’ve been too tempting for some low life. Thanks for watching.

[@zarb88]

Had a friend in a jeep club. Said they would make welds with two batteries jumper cables and clothes hangers. Nothing with any torque just brackets and such. I am always amazed at people’s intentness such as your branch tire. Hope you have better luck next time.

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi larry b, i had welding rods and am familiar with the process of bush welding but that would not have been sufficient in this case. Thanks for watching

[@jimaylward2396]

Now that's what I call an adventure 👏😁☘☘☘

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi Jim, always counting on you to be lurking in the background somewhere. Thanks for watching.

[@jimaylward2396]

@@mongreldogproductions Ha well spotted I just did a little spin around Ireland myself but nowhere near as hard as your trip. But happy enough with it 😉☘☘☘

[@peterraffen3465]

I note that you had air bags between axle and chassi, you might as well have brick in there you have to let the suspension work, I put coil springs in there as helpers, did canning no problems

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi PR, that seems to be the common consensus ...I guess we’ll never know. Hope you like the vid. Thanks for watching. 👍🇦🇺

[@mark2073]

For washboard we call it 4-40. Either go 4 miles per hour or 40, anything between will wreck your car.

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi mark2073, i guess that theory would work in some cases but not all. Generally, you have no option but to 'drive to the conditions' whatever they are. Thanks for watching.

[@MrDhandley]

Air bags and D-Max are a bad combination. The D-Max is only bulletproof if you don’t shoot at it.

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi David Handley, wouldn’t be my first choice...I’ll stick with my Hilux. Thanks for watching.

[@ldnwholesale8552]

Air bags are for overloading, hence the problem.

[@dingodazz3724]

Air Bags and most cars are a bad combination, it puts stresses on the chassis in areas that it's not designed for (usually designed for at each end of the springs in this case, not in the middle of a rise in the chassis) - and also the axle gets direct pressure put on it (normally the springs soften the bumps) - it's a but like driving on the bump stops, just a bit softer but still way too harsh for corrugations.

[@austinshackles549]

Classic comment!

[@davgpol]

I disagree, Airbags are fine for coil springs. Also fine depending on the mounting position in non coil spring vehicles. And if you do fit them, it doesn't mean you can overload the vehicle.

[@dieterleimann1171]

Great Video and some great info for when i do it in the next couple of years. Just as a mater of interest was the damage to the rear axle covered by insurance and recovery as well?

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi Dieter Leimann, the breakdown damage was the responsibility of the owner. The insurers only covered the recovery costs and panel damage when the wheel broke away. The repair (diff, brakes, axle housing) was around $10k. Thanks for watching.

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi @Michael, i cant confirm but i thin kit was a specilist 4WD insurer. We are members of a club and get specific cover to make sure the vehicles are insured for the unexpected, ie, remote locations and water damage in river crossings and the like. You pay a hefty price for it though. Thanks for watching.

[@whathasxgottodowithit3919.]

Those Mosquitos look pretty mean, and hungry :-)

[@teeanahera8949]

Great vid. A little hint if you have Ranger companions in the future, early model Rangers (not sure about later ones) have a wire loom pass over a sharp bracket just behind the radiator and right in front of you as you open the bonnet. Sure enough the loom wears through and exposes the wires to bare metal. Best fix before it happens is to use about 12cm of 32mm irrigation pipe or similar, slice it lengthways and push it over the loom at the affected area. Tape up with the toughest duct tape money can buy.

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi TA, I know they had problems with a fuel sender unit (on an aftermarket tank) which caused some heartache and misery in the middle of bum f*** nowhere on a later trip. I’ll mention this fault to them in the hope we prevent another disaster. Thanks for watching.

[@teeanahera8949]

@@mongreldogproductions thanks mate. Rangers also have non self priming oil pumps so you run the risk of having zero oil circulation if you drain all the oil from the sump, let it drip for a while and then refill. Big oooops.

[@4bnewb969]

Enjoyable video again. Yours are always informative, albeit this time out of someone else’s bad luck. You can prepare for a trip but not sure you could envisage what happened to the DMax. Always curious as I run the same Hilux as yours, how much fuel did you need to carry? Cheers

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi Michael, the Hilux is pretty standard, not too many mods. It has a standard 73 litre tank and i carried 140 litres in jerries for the longest part from Kunawaritji to Wiluna (1,000km). I was probably getting 17 litres/100 km. Glad you like the vid.

[@4bnewb969]

Thanks for the info 👍 You certainly need to do your planning for the Canning. Hopefully you were able to have your roof repaired relatively easy and economically

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi Michael, the roof was an insurance job and is now fixed. I’ll have to get the next roof rack mounted properly (although it was fitted by Rola in the first place...you’d think they knew what they were doing).

[@angusmiddleton7170]

What model Hilux please, I have a 2008 petrol SR, assume that would do CSR with careful set up

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi Rueben Middlestein, mine has the 3 litre turbo diesel. Mine also is the 2008 model. I’m not sure what sort of economy you would get out of the petrol engine. Enjoy your journey. Good luck.

[@ldnwholesale8552]

Drrr, way too much load and then great big heavy tyres. Reduce unsprung weight, dont add to it ! As for roof racks think before they are fitted and you do not want much up top. Though unfortunatly a couple of wheels are usually the first thing up there. And that includes me. Though with a Landcruiser with far stronger roof rails. And alloy wheels too!!

[@MrNobodyMoto]

Tyres didnt look big

[@alexbrown1995]

An excellent production. What did we do before drones? Now, did you stop at Bililuna? If so, was Monday still taking his gear off in public? Really startled us to see him strip off in the main drag there... And I hope you only drove in close convoy for the drone shots, or you would have been changing air filters regularly... Glad it all worked out for the D-Max - we towed a Prado out of the Simmo a few years ago after his clutch went. Took 3 cars to get him over Big Red......

[@mongreldogproductions]

Hi Alex, The roo tail came from Billiluna but i dont know who Monday is/was (sounds like that is a good thing). Some of the drone shots were orchestrated and other then that all vehicles kept a safe distance apart. Glad you like the vid. Thanks for watching

[@alexbrown1995]

@@mongreldogproductions Monday is a local who is mute and brain damaged. He takes all his gear off every time he sees a white woman :-) A sight not to be forgotten, I must say.

[@benwinter2420]

@@alexbrown1995 Monday & polite company don't mix

[@alexbrown1995]

@@benwinter2420 You've encountered him, then?

[@dartmoordave]

D Max has all sorts of axle problems in UK. Fragile as F, not a patch on the old Trooper rear end, apparently they can't handle the torque, according to my unlucky neighbour.

[@andyblack5687]

Apparently it uses a semi-float rear axle, so if an axle shaft breaks like that one did, the entire hub assembly departs from the vehicle, taking the wheel and tire with it. I don't know what kind of axle that was, but most of the Isuzu vehicles that were sold here in the USA used a Dana 44 rear axle. The one in this video was definitely not that. Here guys will often carry a spare set of axle shaft with them. I don't have any spare rear shafts, but I do carry spare front ones. It would be nice if both rear shafts were the same length so you could carry only one with you and use it for either side.

[@dartmoordave]

@@andyblack5687 The dealer wouldn't let on about the problem but one of the fitters alluded to it being a bearing or assembly problem. Too much / too little on the side bearings or just a bad batch of bearings. We have several models here so only national access to the warranty repairs would show any pattern. I think most trucks of this capacity have semi float half shafts, my trooper has(GM) and LR's certainly do. LR's normally twist off the half shaft but at least the hub is retained in a big bearing so a roadside fix is pretty simple.