PORTAL AXLE 101
Four Wheeler|September 2021
Why are they so cool?
Verne Simons
PORTAL AXLE 101

What are portal axles and why are they so cool? That’s a great question, and one we get asked often. So, here’s a look at what makes portal axles so darn cool for off-roading.

Simply put, portal axles use a series of gears and a housing mounted on each axle end or control arms next to the wheel to increase ground clearance under the axle. The design raises the centerline of the axle and axle tubes or control arms, raises the differential relative to the wheel mounting surface, and pushes the wheels down relative to the differential and axle tubes or control arms. It’s like free ground clearance at what is usually the vehicle’s lowest point. And, as you know from spending time on the trail, the lowest fixed point on your vehicle is usually what stops your 4x4 from moving forward when you get stuck. Portal axles are cool, although somewhat complex, answer to a simple problem that we have all had off-road. A portal axle offers the same benefits as running a much larger tire without many of the complications that larger tires would add.

SOURCES

74Weld industrial.74weld.com/

AxleTech axletech.com

Jesse Haines Fabrication jessehainesfab.com/

Tibus Offroad Engineering tibus-offroad.com/

1 Mercedes-Benz Unimogs are the production vehicle that most folks associate with portal axles, and their origins as a tractor that could be driven on the road belie another area where portal axles are common because the ground clearance is needed: agriculture. Still, Unimogs are not the only-production vehicles with portal axles.

This story is from the September 2021 edition of Four Wheeler.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the September 2021 edition of Four Wheeler.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM FOUR WHEELERView All
2022 Summer Safari
Four Wheeler

2022 Summer Safari

NEK Overland led the way into parts of Vermont and a bit of New Hampshire most will never see

time-read
5 mins  |
February 2023
This fourdoor Ford foreshadowed late-model Broncos
Four Wheeler

This fourdoor Ford foreshadowed late-model Broncos

Ddecades ahead of the '20 four-door Bronco, and even preceding the Ford Explorer and Excursion, came an SUV that could have passed for OEM and was built to answer the call for a three-row people-haulin' off-roader.

time-read
3 mins  |
February 2023
JEEP OR BLAZER BUILDING
Four Wheeler

JEEP OR BLAZER BUILDING

I was hoping to pick your brain as to a couple of different builds. I have a '19 Jeep Wrangler JL and a '74 Chevy Blazer. I'm a little baffled as to what to focus on. The '74 full convertible Blazer is my dream vehicle. She's been a long build and now I am thinking of focusing my energy on my wife's '19 Jeep JL. I recently joined a Jeep club and have been going off-road with a few guys. I'm shopping around for lift kits. Would you suggest that my time be spent and focused on the Blazer or enjoy the Jeep? I really can't do both.

time-read
6 mins  |
February 2023
JEEP BEACH 2022
Four Wheeler

JEEP BEACH 2022

10 days, 25,000-plus Jeeps, 225,000-plus spectators

time-read
3 mins  |
February 2023
TAULER JACK
Four Wheeler

TAULER JACK

A new alternative to the old off-road jack

time-read
3 mins  |
February 2023
OVERLAND ADVENTURE 2022:
Four Wheeler

OVERLAND ADVENTURE 2022:

MEET THE PARTICIPANTS 12 outstanding, Mojave-ready over landers

time-read
7 mins  |
February 2023
JEEP GRAND CAMPER
Four Wheeler

JEEP GRAND CAMPER

This custom 1994 Grand Cherokee and homebuilt trailer were made to go camping

time-read
3 mins  |
February 2023
ROCK JUNCTION 2022
Four Wheeler

ROCK JUNCTION 2022

4 days, 23 trails, 1 awesome event

time-read
4 mins  |
February 2023
DECKED OUT SILVERADO
Four Wheeler

DECKED OUT SILVERADO

Is this the ultimate overland accessory for pickups?

time-read
10 mins  |
February 2023
SANDTASTIC!
Four Wheeler

SANDTASTIC!

Dangle the opportunity to put the hammer down on more than a dozen square miles of the largest coastal dune complex in the world, add in partying with family and friends at sand camps, spice it up a bit with a variety of motorsport competition and nightly concerts, and it's easy to see why the five-day

time-read
6 mins  |
February 2023