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BroncoRick

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Not sure if this has been done to death yet here on the forums, but I watched the Ford video here:




...and there were a few very interesting shots of the underside. I see some things that are interesting and some that are curious.

First we see something which is very familiar to the Jeep JK. This isn't too big of a surprise, I remember 10-12 years ago on the allpar forums, some old JTE engineers saying that Ford picked up some of the Jeep Truck guys during the financial crisis and that the hard points on the Bronco would be very similar to the JK...

We have an exhaust crossover that is very similar to the Pentastar on the JK, so assumedly this would be a V-configuration engine. I imagine this would be one of Ford's EcoBoost plants.

Right behind that, we can see what is likely the transmission mount crossmember, that attaches to either side of the framerails. Behind that, on the passenger side, is the gas tank skid plate, looking very similar to the JK in configuration.

Ford Bronco Let's overanalyze the mule undercarriage Screen Shot 2020-03-30 at 4.52.35 PM



Let's have a closer look. That transmission crossmember is interesting. We see the frame-side mounts for it which are quite different from the JK or JL. They are welded to the bottom of the frame rails, and then extend quite far outwards to brace the crossmember from either side. This looks more beefy, and superior to the JK/JL crossmember, but it will depend on the guage thickness of the bracket, the crossmember itself, and also whether the brackets are braced from the inside of the framerail as well. The crossmember itself was a weak point on the Jeep JK, and this one on the Bronco similarly looks like it will be easily upgraded to a HD aftermarket unit if need be.

The gas tank skid plate looks mostly adequate. We can also see the transfer case skid plate on the driver side, behind the crossmember, looking very similar to the JK.

There are not a lot of protruding fastener heads on the skid plates, and the framerails similarly look pretty clean. The skid plate attachments and bracing also look smoother and less likely to get hung up on the rocks than the Jeep JL's, which were generally a regression from the JK.

We also see a body mount at the top of the frame. Interestingly, it looks to have some sort of bracing on the bottom of the frame, which might strengthen the bracket from underside hits from rocks. We can also see the rock rail attachments, but hard to deduce anything from this as the tub is not production on this mule.

Ford Bronco Let's overanalyze the mule undercarriage Screen Shot 2020-03-30 at 4.52.50 PM



In the next frame, we start to see what's going on behind the transfer case. I would have expected to see a rear driveshaft, but can't see one yet. The tube running out from behind the transfer case skid would seem to be the rear exhaust pipe, since it has a bend just after that transfer case skid. It seems exposed there, like it should instead be tucked up against the inside of the driver side frame rail.

On top of that tube, there is something else protected by a skid plate. Evap canister? Secondary battery? Something else?

The gas tank looks so similar to the JK here that it seems likely this thing will have 19-21 gal tank capacity.


Ford Bronco Let's overanalyze the mule undercarriage Screen Shot 2020-03-30 at 4.53.52 PM


Next frame, still don't see the rear driveshaft. The back of the gas tank tapers towards the center of the vehicle, unlike the JK.

The frame side rear control arm brackets are now in view, and look nice and boxed and smooth for crawling.

What's that blueish thing on the driver side just under the control arm?

Ford Bronco Let's overanalyze the mule undercarriage Screen Shot 2020-03-30 at 4.55.03 PM


Here's the bluish thing again, just to the left of the control arm. Is this the jounce bumper? I'm a longtime Jeep guy, so this looks unusual to me, but maybe this is the way Ford does things. Even though it's tucked between the wheel and control arm, it hangs down quite low and looks exposed.

It's impossible to tell what that rear axle is, but it looks like it's high pinion. It certainly doesn't look, like there are bolt heads or access from the pinion side, so probably not a 9-inch 3rd-member style design that was such a popular rear axle on older Jeeps (part of me wanted to see that just for the cool factor of being able to swap out the whole internals, but hopefully this axle is stout enough and will have a strong aftermarket).

Ford Bronco Let's overanalyze the mule undercarriage Screen Shot 2020-03-30 at 4.56.32 PM



Overall, this looks very promising to me and I can't wait to see more.
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Jalisurr

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Nice analysis. A couple points.

What's that blueish thing on the driver side just under the control arm?

Screen Shot 2020-03-30 at 4.55.03 PM.png


Here's the bluish thing again, just to the left of the control arm. Is this the jounce bumper? I'm a longtime Jeep guy, so this looks unusual to me, but maybe this is the way Ford does things. Even though it's tucked between the wheel and control arm, it hangs down quite low and looks exposed.
I'm pretty sure that's the shock. You can see the bracket for it in the photos on this thread, and it's the lowest thing in that area.
Ford Bronco Let's overanalyze the mule undercarriage 1585609286317


It's impossible to tell what that rear axle is, but it looks like it's high pinion. It certainly doesn't look, like there are bolt heads or access from the pinion side, so probably not a 9-inch 3rd-member style design that was such a popular rear axle on older Jeeps (part of me wanted to see that just for the cool factor of being able to swap out the whole internals, but hopefully this axle is stout enough and will have a strong aftermarket).
One thing we know for a fact is the axles will be supplied by Dana.
 

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Looks to me like there is a plate either hiding or protecting the front lower side of the rear shock and maybe a hint these are coil overs.

The camo spy shots didn’t show the boxing for the control arm attach points, this makes me feel better about their protection.
 
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BroncoRick

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Nice analysis. A couple points.


I'm pretty sure that's the shock. You can see the bracket for it in the photos on this thread, and it's the lowest thing in that area.
1585609286317.png



One thing we know for a fact is the axles will be supplied by Dana.
Wow, that pic is very telling. There's no coil spring perches on that rear axle at all. On a Jeep JK or JL the spring perches are inboard of the frame, and between the control arm mounts/ shock mounts, and the differential centersection.

In this photo, there is nothing... no rear coil springs, no coil spring perch on the axle.

Additionally, if you look at the underside of the frame rail, it's totally clean... no mount for any jounce bumper / bumpstop above the axle at all!

One would have to guess that the lower mount on the axle is indeed a mount for a coilover shock.

Now the axle.... the centersection cover, if you zoom in on it, clearly is labeled "M251". That's a Dana Spicer designation for rear axles. The current Jeep JL rear axles are "M200" (standard rear "Dana 44") and the "M220" (Rubicon and max-tow "Dana 44").

I believe that the designation refers to the size of the ring gear... i.e. a M200 has a 200mm ring gear and a M220 has a 220mm ring gear. This would imply that this Bronco axle has a 251mm ring gear which would give it a torque capacity of over 11,000 Nm and far over that of the Jeep JL. Well, that's if I'm reading that label right and it is, infact, a M251. It could read "M231", but it looks like a 5 to me.

For comparison, F350's and F250's have designations like M275 and M300.

This is all very exciting! It implies a potentially strong rear axle and likely engine options with lots of HP and torque to suit.

Additionally, it looks like in this photo, the gas tank on this model does not have a skid, but rather retaining straps holding up a poly tank. That may mean that not all models get a full set of skid plates.
 

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Wow, that pic is very telling. There's no coil spring perches on that rear axle at all. On a Jeep JK or JL the spring perches are inboard of the frame, and between the control arm mounts/ shock mounts, and the differential centersection.

In this photo, there is nothing... no rear coil springs, no coil spring perch on the axle.

Additionally, if you look at the underside of the frame rail, it's totally clean... no mount for any jounce bumper / bumpstop above the axle at all!

One would have to guess that the lower mount on the axle is indeed a mount for a coilover shock.

Now the axle.... the centersection cover, if you zoom in on it, clearly is labeled "M251". That's a Dana Spicer designation for rear axles. The current Jeep JL rear axles are "M200" (standard rear "Dana 44") and the "M220" (Rubicon and max-tow "Dana 44").

I believe that the designation refers to the size of the ring gear... i.e. a M200 has a 200mm ring gear and a M220 has a 220mm ring gear. This would imply that this Bronco axle has a 251mm ring gear which would give it a torque capacity of over 11,000 Nm and far over that of the Jeep JL. Well, that's if I'm reading that label right and it is, infact, a M251. It could read "M231", but it looks like a 5 to me.

For comparison, F350's and F250's have designations like M275 and M300.

This is all very exciting! It implies a potentially strong rear axle and likely engine options with lots of HP and torque to suit.

Additionally, it looks like in this photo, the gas tank on this model does not have a skid, but rather retaining straps holding up a poly tank. That may mean that not all models get a full set of skid plates.
Very insightful, thanks!

That photo was from one of the less rugged prototypes on all-season tires:
Ford Bronco Let's overanalyze the mule undercarriage 1585620191230


It also had somewhat different front suspension compared to the later rugged prototypes:
Ford Bronco Let's overanalyze the mule undercarriage 1585620246337

vs rugged:
Ford Bronco Let's overanalyze the mule undercarriage 1585620341684
 

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What am I seeing here?
Ford Bronco Let's overanalyze the mule undercarriage 2021 Bronco diff

That pinion area looks long as heck, if that is what I'm seeing.....and then the multi-bolt "termination" of whatever that is.
 

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231 mm would be 9.09" and 251 mm would be 9.88". That's decently beefy. The Pajero rear is 9.5"

I'm not super familiar with driveline components but I do know that overbuilt (the Toyota way) is better than underbuilt (the Jeep way).
 

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@BroncoRick

Thanks for the informative and well analyzed information. In a time when everyone is doom and gloomy (understandably), it is nice to read something that provokes thought.
 

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What am I seeing here?
Ford Bronco Let's overanalyze the mule undercarriage 2021 Bronco diff

That pinion area looks long as heck, if that is what I'm seeing.....and then the multi-bolt "termination" of whatever that is.
No drain plug under that diff, unless there is one in front. New Gripe: Guess we have to take the cover off every time, or get a cover with a drain plug.

Having both a TJ with no plug, and a JK with drain plugs, guess which one gets it’s differential fluid changed more often?
 

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What am I seeing here?
Ford Bronco Let's overanalyze the mule undercarriage 2021 Bronco diff

That pinion area looks long as heck, if that is what I'm seeing.....and then the multi-bolt "termination" of whatever that is.
Looks like a pretty robust driveshaft flange...

That cover has a couple extra bolts over an 8.8 too.
 
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Wow, that pic is very telling. There's no coil spring perches on that rear axle at all. On a Jeep JK or JL the spring perches are inboard of the frame, and between the control arm mounts/ shock mounts, and the differential centersection.

In this photo, there is nothing... no rear coil springs, no coil spring perch on the axle.
I noticed this when the undercarriage pics first leaked. If you have the time look up the Raptor Ranger. The rear axle on the Raptor Ranger actually uses a coilover setup. So there isn't a separate shock and coil spring. Im very interested on how the setup is going to work. It cleans up the axle some. It will be cool to see how well is flexes.
 
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BroncoRick

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I noticed this when the undercarriage pics first leaked. If you have the time look up the Raptor Ranger. The rear axle on the Raptor Ranger actually uses a coilover setup. So there isn't a separate shock and coil spring. Im very interested on how the setup is going to work. It cleans up the axle some. It will be cool to see how well is flexes.
You're right! The Ranger Raptor does have rear coilovers; the link setup is a bit different due to the Ranger's diff cover link setup. But this would lend more info towards the Bronco having a rear coilover as the redesigned Ranger is supposed to share some things with the Bronco, right? I agree it will be interesting to see this setup in action.
 
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BroncoRick

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Looks like a pretty robust driveshaft flange...

That cover has a couple extra bolts over an 8.8 too.
Yep, pinion flange with the driveshaft bolted to it, very similar to JK/JL driveshafts, and a number of other vehicles.
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