portal axles

LeTech and the term “portal axle” are often used in one breath. But the portal axle isn’t our invention. On the contrary, the principle of the portal axle has been used in vehicle construction for quite some time; the design has been used in a similar way in “Unimog”, and “Lapplander” vehicles.

We receive questions about the meaning of the term “portal axle” almost every day. Wikipedia has a compact explanation: “A portal axle is an off-road vehicle suspension and drive technology where the axle tube or the half-shaft is off-set from the centre of the wheel hub and where driving power is transferred to each wheel via a simple gearbox, built onto each hub. This gives two advantages: ground clearance is increased, particularly beneath the low-slung differential housing of the main axles – secondly, any hub reduction gearing allows the axle half-shafts to drive the same power but at reduced torque. This reduces load on the axle crown wheel and differential. The portal gear configuration is also sometimes called a drop gear or drop gear set configuration. Compared to a normal layout, portal axles enable the vehicle to gain a higher ground clearance, as both the axle tube and differential casing are tucked up higher under the vehicle.