Warning!

[Notlongnow]

Warning, do not be tempted to use aftermarket balls swivels in your front end - they break!

I am trying to add a picture, but not really sure how.

[fc101]

More information needed - which ones?

Not all aftermarket balls break - so which ones you talking about.

[Notlongnow]

I don't know. They were fitted by a respected LR Indy, so they will have been from a mainstream source.

[fc101]

Originals break too.  What were the circumstances of the ball breaking - what was the vehicle doing - what was its load?

[Notlongnow]

If it had been overweight or doing outlandish things, I wouldn't have made this post. Weight was 3.94 tons plus two people, driving on good dirt road, no heroics, just motoring.
I have never had originals break on my 101, my several Series Landies, my S2B, my two Defenders, my several Range Rovers, my Disco 1 or Disco 4. Some of these vehicles did get used seriously.

[STDDIVER]

Thanks for the information - to quote Cliffy - "Fore warned is fore armed"  - There are always potential problems with all things mechanical, I just wasn't thinking of carrying every conceivable spare part on the big trip ... ... hmmm ... ... could it be issues with the installation?    I have had components on vehicles well over torqued and stretched to uggery.    STDDIVER 

[Notlongnow]

Yes, STDDIVER, it could have been issues with the installation, but I doubt it. The bloke who did it has a good reputation, and other work he has done for me has been good. But you never know.....

I think it is hard to carry every possible spare, and sure as eggs the one part you don't carry will be the one to fail. Tools are probably more important really.

[STDDIVER]

Yes too true - can't carry them all!  Last trip to Corowa (short one 1,900 km round trip) took a 6x6 with lots of spares - and tools - never needed them after day one fixing a faulty alternator, and that included a two day fun trek into the high country.  Better safe than sorry!   Still it makes the pre trip inspection and servicing more critical. 

[fc101]

I assume it broke at the narrowest point between the ball itself and flange that bolts it to the rest of the axle housing.

As mentioned - most unlikely to be an assembly/installation fault as the item is just too beefy for that to happen.

Will be one of three causes - i; a manufacturing fault causing a crack to develop, ii, overloading or the part being overstressed (discounted as above) or iii; in the past ii has happened but not broke but a fatigue crack has started and then some time later the crack has grown to the point of failure.

In the case of OEM failures these have all been because of some incident that has started a fatigue crack which fails months later - normally when the vehicle is loaded and in rough conditions.

The last occasion I know of was on a late model Defender that was being to drive around the world - the crack in the neck was observed when in a remote location and was welded up at a village blacksmith - of course with no consideration of the metallurgical issues of welding - having no choice that got the work done and continued on and of course it failed when they were in one of the .....Stan countries in Central Asia.

So when OEM fails it is as a result of factors not normally connected to manufacture but who knows with aftermarket.  If a brand was known it would help people to know what to steer clear of.

Surely the mechanic who did the work knows what brand they used.

Garry

[Notlongnow]

Hi Garry, Sorry, I didn't look closely enough at the break before the tow truck came, so I am not sure exactly where it broke. I took your suggestion and asked the person who fitted it what the brand was. His son is now in his business, and his son replied that Daddy didn't fit new balls, only the pins. Strange, the balls changed from oily silver to dark grey while in his workshop...... and his invoice charged me for two kits of FTC5105 at $331.82 each.
It's all very strange......

[fc101]

Yes I agree, very odd.  Often balls are available on an exchange basis where the old one ones are reconditioned by filling the pits and then having them re-chromed.

Anyway - I hope you get it all fixed OK.

Garry

[Notlongnow]

Just to be absolutely clear, my Perentie was fixed by a different business, this one in North-West Sydney, with the work done by the son of a proprietor, and he did an excellent job. Replaced everything in doubt, nothing left to chance, neat and clean work. And they squeezed it in, though they were already flat-out with other work.

[john.k]

Looks more like the lower swivel taper roller has disintegrated,or its mounting stud broken .The wheel is still held in a fashion,not collapsed flat out......I was taken to the small claims over something like this ,when actually the hub had broken into two pieces ,through the inner bearing race......."If it can break on a Rover ,it will"

[Notlongnow]

I looked through my photos of 'the event' and found this - it was the ball that broke, away from the upper and lower swivel pins. As for Land Rover bits breaking... maybe I have been lucky. Probably over a million k's in Land Rovers over fifty years and this was only the second time one came home on a truck. The other was a V8 Disco with a failed crank position sensor......and I didn't have a spare.

[fc101]

Wow - I would not have expected it to break there