On 2006-06-25, Austin Shackles <
[email protected]> wrote:
> I guess it depends on your terrain as well.
I don't think there's anything that doesn't!
> Mostly people "fail to proceed" on either steep uphills or serious
> gloop, and especially in the former case there's not much weight on
> the front end. In a really big mudhole then the difference between
> 5 and 6 wheel drive is not likely to be a major deciding factor
> although there are always going to be conditions where it makes a
> decisive difference as you point out.
In the case of my pinz, it's about half a tonne heavier than a 110,
but there's a greater concentration of weight at the front due to the
cab location although the engine would weight a lot less especially
with no water cooling. Behind the cab, which ends about where a 110
steering wheel is, there's just drivetrain, bodywork and chassis, all
supported by twice as many wheels as the 110 has. The front wheels in
such a situation would give a fair amount of additional grip as the
rear wheels have less downwards pressure on them so spin much more
readily. I can wheelspin the rears on gravel without trouble even
with a weedy 87BHP and about 133ft/lb (I think).
One of the situations where the front got me out was in a gloop-filled
trench that I wanted to get out of, one front wheel on the side of the
trench was enough to lift the truck up the side, whereas without the
diff lock, the other wheel ate the torque. The rears were just
pushing me forwards and backwards, I couldn't steer out without the
diff lock. There have been a few times when I reckon steering would
have been hard without both fronts playing a part in it, this is
particularly useful when you've got four wheels at the rear in a rut,
making steering harder than it might otherwise be. Climbing out of
ruts is much easier when both fronts are scrabbling for grip rather
than just one.
The other time was when climbing a hill through trees with big
potholes in the path on crumbly ground, the rears spun when the front
reached a big pothole as the wheel just waved in the air and soaked up
all the drive to the front axle.
> Look at it another way, would you pay an extr 500 quid for the last
> difflock, say?
If I was making an expedition vehicle that had already cost me a
reasonable amount, then yes, even if weight distribution wasn't so
nose-heavy as it is in an unladen pinz. I'd see if I could get a
discount for bulk from the supplier ;-)
--
Blast off and strike the evil Bydo empire!
