Marlin Crawler Dual Transfer Case Install (Parts 1 & 2)
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infamousRNR
Senior Member
the modifications just keep getting sicker folks
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The Crawler box (with optional 4.7 gears in the added reduction box) is certainly a better, more flexible solution. Even if the combined ~12:1 is a bit comically low.
At least I assumed it would mostly be a party trick, not actually useful on the trail. But this summer on a steep downhill ledge (Rose Garden Hill near Moab) my wife was able to just idle down in 1st gear (manual trans '96) and never needed to touch the brakes. So much gear multiplication going on that the truck just does whatever the engine is doing, pays practically no attention to the drivetrain load, pushing or pulling.
The availability of those gearboxes and the input shaft (turbo 1st gen?) made me go a different way on my '99. A Northwest Fabworks Ecocrawler kit. It uses the planetary reduction gears from a common as dirt 3rd gen transfer case. No waiting around for rare parts (my wife was lucky when she ordered her Marlin kit and got a built box with it). It's not quite as neat, however, since it will just have two different 2.57 reduction gears, so just a 3 speed transfer case (1, 2.57/2.57, and 6.6 combined) instead of a 4 speed (1, 2.57, 4.7, 12).
I haven't installed it yet, but it looks a little more involved than the Marlin install can be. On the Marlin kit, you can leave the original transfer case largely alone if you're not doing a triple stick as well. Taking that little 'pill' out that prevents 2LO means taking it apart a little bit.
At least I assumed it would mostly be a party trick, not actually useful on the trail. But this summer on a steep downhill ledge (Rose Garden Hill near Moab) my wife was able to just idle down in 1st gear (manual trans '96) and never needed to touch the brakes. So much gear multiplication going on that the truck just does whatever the engine is doing, pays practically no attention to the drivetrain load, pushing or pulling.
The availability of those gearboxes and the input shaft (turbo 1st gen?) made me go a different way on my '99. A Northwest Fabworks Ecocrawler kit. It uses the planetary reduction gears from a common as dirt 3rd gen transfer case. No waiting around for rare parts (my wife was lucky when she ordered her Marlin kit and got a built box with it). It's not quite as neat, however, since it will just have two different 2.57 reduction gears, so just a 3 speed transfer case (1, 2.57/2.57, and 6.6 combined) instead of a 4 speed (1, 2.57, 4.7, 12).
I haven't installed it yet, but it looks a little more involved than the Marlin install can be. On the Marlin kit, you can leave the original transfer case largely alone if you're not doing a triple stick as well. Taking that little 'pill' out that prevents 2LO means taking it apart a little bit.
Thats exactly how I would describe it. I have 4.7s on an auto and have yet to find a situation where its needed. My crawl box has also started to pop out of gear every now and then in the past 2 years.
Awesome videos, I wish they were around when I did mine.
Would you find a 2.57/2.57 combo rather than a 4.7/2.57 combo more suitable to an automatic?
If I were to do it again, I would probably have done it that way. But I got a really good deal on a set of 4.7s.
busmup808
New member
I really would of liked to go the route you went, but unfortunately I was deep into the Marlin parts 2years ago, compared to ordering the route you went and having it completed before the end of this year. I do have a 5spd from a 98 that I wanted to convert if the auto trans took a shit.
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RandyBobandy
New member
Once Tim runs out of videos to do I’m going to come out to California and we can do a video of me and Tim smoking pcp and searching for the Loch Ness monster
theesotericone
New member
I'm auto with 2.28/2.57. It's perfect. The torque converter effectively doubles the crawl ratio. Math wise I'm 87:1 in lo/lo. Because of the torque converter it feels like 174:1. I've driven a buddies 1st Gen Taco with 4.5/2.57. In lo/lo and first gear I can't really tell the difference between his rig and mine.
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