Portal axles aren’t just for Unimogs. Old Volkswagen swing-axle models had their own version called drop boxes or reduction boxes. They bolt onto the end of the axle and use a gear set to lower the wheel hub while lifting the whole vehicle. You get extra ground clearance without bigger tires and a built-in torque multiplier for slow crawling. VW guys used these to turn stock bugs and buses into trail rigs long before portal hubs became popular. Simple mechanical trick with a big payoff off road.

There are advanced and disadvantages to starting with a small vehicle for a rockcrawling project. @luvtheluv has a solid axle full-size Chevy he wheeled before @rockhoundoffroad built this creation. It was more comfortable inside and had more storage space, but it was also harder to see out of and had more sheetmetal to smash than his Luv does. I think the smaller truck is the right choice for Fordyce. #harrysituations #rockhoundoffroad #rockcrawler #offroad #fordycetrail | Harry Situations