Road
Testing
Well, I must have gotten every thing back together right, because
I didn’t hear any unusual noises from the drivetrain! After
driving around in 2 wheelhigh for awhile, I shifted the transfer
case into 2 wheel low. Wow! What a difference this 4 to 1 low
range makes! I can’t even walk that slow!
With a T-18
transmission first gear ration of 6.32, 4.88 ring & pinion
gears, and the original Dana low range of 2.62:1, I had a crawl
ratio of just over 80 to 1. With the new LoMax gears, that crawl
ratio is over 123 to 1!
With the type
of wheeling I usually do, requiring some momentum and wheel speed,
I’ll have to learn how to drive all over again, but I’m
looking forward to it! There’s no question in my mind that
I’ll be in much more control when I’m going slow!
Note: Remember
earlier when we were installing the 2 new heavier detent springs,
I said to read Road Testing comments first? Well, this is because
you may not want to install them if you are not using a twin stick
setup, for one. Also, if you are using twin sticks, but have not
experienced problems with the t-case popping out of gear, you
may wish not to install them, as well. The reason is that they
definitely make it a bit more difficult to shift into the various
ranges, and even more so if you’re using a modified Spicer
18 transfer case twin stick setup like mine.
The passenger
side lever, which engages the front axle, is about 5 inches shorter
than the driver side lever, decreasing the amount of leverage
significantly. Personally, with a little practice, I was able
to shift into whatever range I needed without much difficulty
at all. I like the added pressure provided by the new springs,
and feel it will eliminate my popping out of gear problem. We’ll
know much better after the off-road testing!
Off-Road
Testing
To test my new LoMax gears off-road, I attended a Southern High
Rollers (www.southernhighrollers.com) club run to Shiloh
RidgeOHV Park near Alto, Texas. Shiloh doesn’t
offer much extreme wheeling, but I thought it would be a good
place to check out my new 123 to 1 crawl ratio and re-learn how
to drive my Jeep. It also offers some fairly steep descents to
test those detent springs!
To state the
obvious, on terrain where I had all the traction I wanted, such
as rocks, the gears are a significant advantage over stock, giving
me much more time to control my Jeep and pick the best line possible
without slipping the clutch or stopping.
On
loose or wet terrain, such as wet rocks or hill climbs, I just
shifted to 2nd gear, which with a 3.09:1 ratio, still gives me
a decent 60:1 crawl ratio. In the following photos, the ground
was somewhat moist, not allowing enough traction to utilize first
gear. Second gear, with a little momentum and wheel speed was
needed.
Another consideration
here is going downhill. Going too slow can be as much of a problem
as going too fast (well, almost), causing the tires to slide,
resulting in a loss of steering control. Most declines required
use of either 2nd or 3rd gears, but definitely not 1st! It’s
just too low!
The following
comparison chart helped me considerably:
|
T-18
Transmission Gear Ratios |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
Rev |
T-Case
Ratios |
6.32 |
3.09 |
1.69 |
1.00 |
7.44 |
Stock |
2.62 |
80.80 |
39.50 |
21.60 |
12.78 |
95.12 |
LoMax |
4.00 |
123.36 |
60.31 |
32.98 |
19.52 |
145.22 |
As you can
see, in situations where I used to use 2nd gear, 3rd gear is now
more appropriate, providing the momentum and/or wheel speed to
overcome the obstacle. Closer comparisons are between 3rd and
4th gears.
Regarding
transfer case operation, I experienced absolutely NO popping out
of gear! In fact, by the end of the day, I forgot that I had even
had the problem with the original detent springs. Yes, it was
still just a little difficult shifting the front axle into either
high or low range. I now believe most of this is due to the much
shorter Spicer 18 shifter and the actual location of the levers,
which is 5 ½ inches rearwards of stock due to the transmission
to transfer case adapter required to mate up my T-18 to the Dana
300.
Also, compared
to several other 4:1 transfer cases on this trip, these LoMax
gears are quiet! Even in low range and 4th gear, there was no
discernable noise from the transfer case! In my opinion, this
speaks to the quality of the design and workmanship that JB Conversions
has put into these gears. There’s no question they’ve
got a winner in my book!
RESOURCE |
JB
Conversions, Inc.
P.O. Box 2683
Sulphur, LA 70664-2683
Phone: 337-625-2379
www.jbconversions.com
|
|
Jack
Brinks is an avid four wheeler and contributor here at
ROCKCRAWLER.com. Jack resides north of Houston,
TX and frequents many events in the Southwest.
Contact
Jack at jb77cj7@aol.com |