Older or Newer?

[James86]

What is with all the extra crap in the modern 4 wheel drive systems? My '04 Ranger has a motor on the transfer case and a gadget with a bunch of hoses under the hood. The old-fashioned second lever to shift the transfer case was a lot simpler, more reliable and surely less expensive to build.

What gadget under the hood? I wouldn't think it'd be the vacuum solenoid like my 99 since they dropped PVH around '01 or so I'm told. Before electronics, they tried running things off vacuum, and that wasn't perfect either. My dad's 77 corvette (the headlights) and our 86 wagoneer (the axle disconnect) are clear examples of that...

 

[MrRangerSir]

Even the 2012 YAMAHA snowmachines have POWER STEERING!! THE HELL IS UP WITH THAT!?!?!

Come on now, I'm 100 pounds and I can still throw my 1998 700 triple around in the powder.

I hear you. I ride the mother of all heavy sleds, a 2007 Apex and turning the bars is not the problem. Still, I'm over 200 lb and a day riding that beast will tire me out. What Yamaha is doing is marketing to the masses. My sled will corner much better should I shift the weight over the skis, but the effort to turn the bars increases as well. Compared to the smaller and lighter sleds of yesteryear, it's easy to perceive a loss of maneuverability, but I'll take the time to set up my sled to my liking. Since the typical new sled buyer wants perfection right out of the box, it's easy to set it up nose heavy and hide the high bar effort with power steering.

 

[Original_Ranger84]

YOu guys may complain but at the end of the day after you have thrashed your trucks off road or the street and your tired and beat its sure nice to step into a newer vehicle and not have to put out much effort and relax on the drive home.

But I think its getting out of hand too, I went from my 84 ranger with power steering and brakes to my 99 with the same things and I swapped out the auto 4x4 stuff for manual. Its the same thing but more refined. Power steering would be nice on my 4wheeler though it would make plowing my drive way that much easier!

 

[Mark_88]

I like some modern conveniences, like indoor plumbing and forced air furnaces (I actually lived without both) but my truck is basic...and I built it that way..

It had PS, auto, and A/C with Fi and even pOwer seats!

I took all that out...it's carbed too...it wa my first build and I wanted it nice and simple...ecen dumped those exta 2 cylinders...

I Like it...and if I rebuild another one I might even put in a hand crank...lol!

 

[trail B2]

One of the thing I like best about my B2 is the thing is simple.Manual locks windows, tranny,Transfer case.Piston goes down tire goes around.I do like power steering and brakes though and fuel injection is more reliable on bad terrain plus better on gas.If I have a long way to go love that heated leather duramax on the highway gets better mileage than the B2 anyway.

 

[adsm08]

I don't mind modern conveniences in vehicles. They are ok as long as they work. I prefer to keep my older stuff because it is simpler to work on. At the end of the day, I just don't want to mess with a lot of complex crap.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

YOu guys may complain but at the end of the day after you have thrashed your trucks off road or the street and your tired and beat its sure nice to step into a newer vehicle and not have to put out much effort and relax on the drive home.

I agree.

Cruise and AC are nice to have, PW and PL are nice to have too. My Ranger has none of the above though. Our F-250 service truck at work doesn't have PW or PL though, it sucks climbing a mile and half over there to unlock the door or roll down the window. My Ranger isn't a big deal though, I can almost hit the other door with my elbow without moving out of my seat.

I don't really know why anybody would want manual brakes or steering on a pickup. The brakes just all around suck, the steering... Dad has two pickups with manual steering (an IH and a Dodge), you have to spin the steering wheel like ship and if you don't time it right you go into the other lane.

 

[adsm08]

What is with all the extra crap in the modern 4 wheel drive systems? My '04 Ranger has a motor on the transfer case and a gadget with a bunch of hoses under the hood.

Even the electronic shift 4x4 systems are too complex for my taste.

The way I see it, if you have to pull the stick or flip the switch, you still have to decide it's time to use 4x4, roughly the same amount of physical effort. But for low range with the electronic system, you have to know what all needs to be pushed in instead of just coming to a stop. More thinking. And then, at the end of it, with the electronic one, you still have to pray that it engaged at the end.

With my manual t-case I can feel in the stick that it engaged.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Even the electronic shift 4x4 systems are too complex for my taste.

The way I see it, if you have to pull the stick or flip the switch, you still have to decide it's time to use 4x4, roughly the same amount of physical effort. But for low range with the electronic system, you have to know what all needs to be pushed in instead of just coming to a stop. More thinking. And then, at the end of it, with the electronic one, you still have to pray that it engaged at the end.

With my manual t-case I can feel in the stick that it engaged.

For quite a bit of the summer I was wishing I had electric shift in my Ranger. I dunno how many RBV's I crawled under trying to find the one special little 2" removable lever...

 

[adsm08]

Well when you don't loose the pieces...


I am converting my B2 to manual t-case but leaving the auto hubs. It will (I'm sure to the dismay of many) become my kiddie carrier when the wife and I start having kids. In the winter I will want the ability to rip-stick the 4x4, but I don't want to have to leave the kids alone in the car to go lock the hubs.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Well when you don't loose the pieces...


I am converting my B2 to manual t-case but leaving the auto hubs. It will (I'm sure to the dismay of many) become my kiddie carrier when the wife and I start having kids. In the winter I will want the ability to rip-stick the 4x4, but I don't want to have to leave the kids alone in the car to go lock the hubs.

Never had the pieces to start with.

A C5 uses a different linkage than my previous A4LD. The lever and gate were easy to find but most trucks with the right lever on the t-case is not removable. It was a select few years that had the correct lever that could be swapped.

 

[adsm08]

It was a select few years that had the correct lever that could be swapped.

I can understand that. I've had the same problems rounding up my conversion pieces because they were apparently quite specific to the FM146, and that wasn't used that long.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I can understand that. I've had the same problems rounding up my conversion pieces because they were apparently quite specific to the FM146, and that wasn't used that long.

From what I have found the FM146 uses the same stuff as the A4LD/M5OD trucks.

http://www.therangerstation.com/forums/showthread.php?t=103015&page=2

 

[Ak907Girl]

my ranger has power nothing, except my AWESOME deck and Xplode speakers. lol My little truck Bumps for being pretty darn basic. and I LOVE IT!

 

[mp3deviant721]

Older cars and trucks are better and easier to work on. Newer cars are just getting too computerized. "Smart" cars are dumb. I like my 95, fairly basic vehicle, gets the job done.