I was wondering which is a better 4x4 system in the Ford pickups the button/switch on the dash or the shifter on the floor?

 

The only difference is one has a switch operated shift motor, the other is operated by you. I suppose over the long haul, the floor shifter would require less maintenance, although I don't think that the electronic shift has too many maintenance issues.

 

I would prefer a manual shift myself but the electronic shift t-cases have had very few problems. I wouldn't own a awd t-case, I've seen alot of failures with some of the awd systems.

 

with the button you can shift it in up too 55mph but the hubs are vac operated with the system hey truck which did you get

 

I have the floor shifter. I used it once and it was grinding to get in gear. I may have did it wrong. I will have to use it more. I kind of liked the switch/pushbutton. I don’t 4 wheel that much. The floor shifter does take up some floor space.

 

I perfer the lever. It is in or out. The electric shift motors are more prone to failure than the stick.

Regards

Jean Marc Chartier

 

I have the switch and it works great (3 years so far) It is great when you need a little extra traction say on a wet grass hill you just flip the switch to 4h to get to where you are going then flip it back to 2h! As long as you use it at least once a month you should never have any problems.

Just my .02 and just so you know I had a shifter on my last truck and it worked great as well.

 

Thanks for the info.

 

now my last truck a 2000 4x4 ranger had the dial 4x4 selector...2 years with no problems from it.......but i think like anything else electronics "will" fail............something will wear out in the long run..............now i have the floor shift 4x4 in my 150 and i love it..to me its a positive engagement of the 4x unit......nothing to go wrong " in my mind that is" it was the same in my Nissan......positive shift into 4 hi even 4 low......and remember with a switch u will have to wait a few extra seconds for the engagement.........i always had to wait about 5 to 10 extra seconds b-4 i could move.........with the floor shift its instant 4 wheel....just my experiences with both types of 4x engagements....peace

 

wyoming

I don't mean to burst your bubble but switching into 4-Hi does nothing different with the floor shifter as opposed to the switch, they both simply activate the solenoid/lock the chain sprocket. It isn't until you go to 4-Lo with the manual that you physically do something different than switch (you will move it physically, the switch will do it electronically).

If you think about it in our center disconnect system, 4-Hi (the gear) is always engaged (not the system, just the one-to-one 4-Hi gear). That's why you only have to move the stick a tiny bit to engage Hi (all you are doing is making a connection for a solenoid), and that's why you have to slap it over to the left and pull it down to get it in neutral - it is automatically in 4-Hi all the time. Your chain sprocket is simply disengaged, keeping the front driveshaft from turning.....Thereby, you are not in 4x4 all the time, but the 4-Hi gear is engaged all the time. Hope that makes sense...

 

was just wondering why the call the button style. shift on the fly. are they really the same transfer case. just wondering.

 

i just looked in the book. and you are right cpadpl. they are both called shift on the fly. and operate just like he said. dang learn something every day. this is a good place for info.

 

cpadpl,

Are you sure. The way I see it, both T-cases use 2 shift forks. One is a Lock-up Fork, it pushes the Lock-up Hub assy onto the driven gear. The other is a Reduction Shift Fork assy, it pushes the Reduction Hub into the Carrier assy. When you pull back on the stick you are moving the Lock up Fork. When you turn the **** the Electric Shift Motor moves the Lock-up Fork.
The main differences between the two cases is that one shifts with a stick and the other uses a shift motor. The electric has no neutral.

Regards

Jean Marc Chartier

 

Also if you read the section about towing the truck, the knobber is only good for 45 miles and the stick with a lil disconnecting of some selenoid is suppose to be unlimited, good for those that want to tow behind a motorhome or such.

 

JMC

Well it doesn't do a lot for my confidence that you don't agree with me, because you are usually right.

My understanding is also that there are two shifter forks, however one is in the front differential. The shifter fork in the T-case simply lies between the high-range input gear and low-range input gear. The transmission output shaft is splined to the transfer case main drive gears. The main drive gears are in constant mesh with the idler cluster gears. The idler turns freely in needle bearings on the idler shaft. So this is just like a regular tranny setup, say like a tranny with just 1st and 2nd gear. The "lock-up hub assy" is simply a sliding clutch splined to the output shaft. I'm confused as to why you would need two shifter forks for that setup.

It also seems to make sense step-wise, because if the chain sprocket is not locked the front driveshaft won't turn. Why would an extra step be added to shift into 4-Hi, when, without any harm it could already be in 4-Hi ready to go, since Hi is a direct drive ratio?

Also, the difference should be evident in shifting the floor shifter (at least it is on mine). If there are two shifter forks in action, why does it take less than a 1/2 inch of movement to get from 2x2 into 4-Hi, but then take an unbelieveable amount of travel to get to neutral and then to 4-Lo (we are simply shifting from say 1st to 2nd)?? I posit because with the floor shifter (or the switch) the sliding clutch is already in 4-Hi, now the T-case locks the chain sprocket driving the front shaft driving the front shaft (which the clutch is splined to). Then power is applied to the solenoids, and the shifter fork in the front diff locks the right shaft to the right internals.

I actually think this is the best evidence. How do you reconcile the discrepancy in "travel" shifting from 2x2 to 4-Hi and from 4-Hi to 4-Lo? The transfer case is just like a mini-tranny with main drive input gears in constant mesh counter gears. Imagine tapping the **** on a regular manual tranny to get it into 3rd gear, but having to pull back 4 inches to get it into 4th gear...Doesn't make sense to me...What am I missing?