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Benefits of a twin stick shifter

Skiddy

Bronco Guru
Joined
Oct 8, 2003
Messages
11,557
Now why would anyone want to do something like that? Well because it has a very cool factor.:cool:

Pros: You can shift your front and rear independently
Pros: If you break your front or rear u-joint you can get home or
back to camp
Pros: If it’s snowy/icy and you have a locker in the rear you can
shift the rear into neutral and drive in front wheel drive, if
open differential a lot less squirrly
Pros: If you happen to get sideways on a hill or around an obstacle
you can shift the rear into neutral and just use front wheel
drive to pull you around
Pros: You can put both in neutral and no one will be able to figure
out how to steel it.;D Use your e-brake when doing this
Pros: Very simple to install on the J-shift transfer case
Pros: Will work with an auto or manual transmission
Pros: You can drive around in rear low two wheel drive, which
is fun when just poking along.
Pros: A lot easier to shift than the old single J shifter



Cons: You will have to widen your tunnel cover a little.
Cons: A little more difficult to install on a T-shift transfer case.
Cons: If your not careful you can mix up your hi and low and have a
real bucking Bronco:eek:



The shift pattern is: Left stick is for the front all the way back is Hi
Middle is Neutral
All the way forward is Low
Right stick is same, when normal driving you will want
your Left stick (front) in neutral and the right (rear) in
Hi
If you have anything to add to this FAQ please respond
below


By Kenny Ramsey

Here is what the shift rails will look like before and after you cut them this is for the J-shift T-case only.
 

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Last edited:

Bart

Contributor
Bronco Guru
Joined
Dec 12, 2001
Messages
1,678
Loc.
Buffalo Gap, Texas
Ken, one con that comes to mind immediately is that the twin sticks will pop outta gear, usually just when you need them the most. I use two boongie cords to keep mine in low range.
The pro is that it's much easier to shift the front end in and out on the fly. A full stop and the rear goes from low to high without any effort.
 
OP
OP
Skiddy

Skiddy

Bronco Guru
Joined
Oct 8, 2003
Messages
11,557
Normally that is caused by week detent springs and since it is easier to shift with twin sticks makes it seem that way.
 

blubuckaroo

Grease Monkey
Joined
Jun 11, 2007
Messages
11,795
Loc.
Ridgefield WA
"j"

I have a "J" shifter box. I understand that there is a lot of discontent with this shifter but I can tell say this for sure. It's the fastest shifter for going from 2H to 4H or the reverse. If you keep it clean and lubed it does its job superbly! I can be traveling 50mph on a dirt road and slip it right into 4H! The reason many people have problems is the mismatch Ford put into the differential gear ratios. The 3.50 rear doesn't match with the 3.54 front and the 4.09 rear doesn't match the 4.11 front. This puts the transfer case in a bind. Sometimes it needs to be driven in reverse to get it out of 4L. That isn't a problem with the shifter but with Ford using the wrong gear sets!
 
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OP
Skiddy

Skiddy

Bronco Guru
Joined
Oct 8, 2003
Messages
11,557
I have a "J" shifter box. I understand that there is a lot of discontent with this shifter but I can tell say this for sure. It's the fastest shifter for going from 2H to 4H or the reverse. If you keep it clean and lubed it does its job superbly! I can be traveling 50mph on a dirt road and slip it right into 4H! The reason many people have problems is the mismatch Ford put into the differential gear ratios. The 3.50 rear doesn't match with the 3.54 front and the 4.09 rear doesn't match the 4.11 front. This puts the transfer case in a bind. Sometimes it needs to be driven in reverse to get it out of 4L. That isn't a problem with the shifter but with Ford using the wrong gear sets!

I can do the same with my twin sticks, however after the J shifter gets older and worn they don't want to work as well.
The gear ratios don't match exactly because the front is a dana and rear is a ford 9". Also you always want your front just a little higher than the rear, I forgot the exact reasons but if you ask saddleup or others that are more experienced with gear mismached you can find why. Just my lil bit of .02, I know not much;D
 

BroncoDawg

Sr. Member
Joined
Mar 4, 2005
Messages
672
Loc.
Bishop, CA
FYI: Front and rear gears are mismatched deliberately to account for the different distance that the front and rear wheels travel when turning. The rears turn less than the front because they follow on a shorter arc. If the gears were the same they would really bind up.
 

bronko69er

EB Addict
Joined
Oct 16, 2006
Messages
4,599
Loc.
Renton, WA
FYI: Front and rear gears are mismatched deliberately to account for the different distance that the front and rear wheels travel when turning. The rears turn less than the front because they follow on a shorter arc. If the gears were the same they would really bind up.

By this logic then they would "really bind up" when going straight......
I'm not convinced.
 

truck174ff

Full Member
Joined
Apr 4, 2007
Messages
292
Loc.
st. cloud fl
T shifter

This is why I like the T verses having the J and wanting to go to a twin stick, however the twin does have its place but the guys that are just wanting it for 2 low the T already has it set for you and the gears are a little lower. 2 low is in between neutral an 4 low, try it you will feel it slip in and I run mine on the trail that way some times and don't seem to have any problems with it popping out.:eek:
 

bronko69er

EB Addict
Joined
Oct 16, 2006
Messages
4,599
Loc.
Renton, WA
This is why I like the T verses having the J and wanting to go to a twin stick, however the twin does have its place but the guys that are just wanting it for 2 low the T already has it set for you and the gears are a little lower. 2 low is in between neutral an 4 low, try it you will feel it slip in and I run mine on the trail that way some times and don't seem to have any problems with it popping out.:eek:

You still cant have front wheel drive only with rear in reverse (a benefit of twin sticks).
 

Larry B

Full Member
Joined
Mar 4, 2009
Messages
305
Loc.
Medford
By this logic then they would "really bind up" when going straight......
I'm not convinced.

They do build up. That is why you don't use 4 wheel on dry hard pavement and sometimes have to back up to shift back into high range.
I have been told when the ratio are the same you set up a gear noise then nothing then gear noise agine. I think the scouts has this problem. I never drove one though.

Does the twin sticks on a J box interfer with a hurst shifter on the 3 speed.
 

Hank Dodge

Jr. Member
Joined
Sep 15, 2009
Messages
66
OK....Now I'm a bit confused. I just bought a twin-stick from Wild Horses because my J-shifter is a pain to shift. The guy there told me that I'm not going to be able to engauge the front axle only? He said that the Model 20 did not allow it to work that way. Just curious, my buddy has a Jeep with a Currie twin-stick assembly and it is kinda' neat sometimes to be able to just have the front end pulling. I'd like to have that option in my Bronco.

Can someone set me staight on this? I have not installed this unit in my rig yet.
 
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OP
Skiddy

Skiddy

Bronco Guru
Joined
Oct 8, 2003
Messages
11,557
OK....Now I'm a bit confused. I just bought a twin-stick from Wild Horses because my J-shifter is a pain to shift. The guy there told me that I'm not going to be able to engauge the front axle only? He said that the Model 20 did not allow it to work that way. Just curious, my buddy has a Jeep with a Currie twin-stick assembly and it is kinda' neat sometimes to be able to just have the front end pulling. I'd like to have that option in my Bronco.

Can someone set me staight on this? I have not installed this unit in my rig yet.

yes you will be able to just run front axle only, just have to cut the flags like in the pics. not sure why they would tell you that.
 

BroncoBat6

New Member
Joined
Dec 11, 2009
Messages
4
duff's twin sticks

Hey man i really enjoy your info on the twin sticks for duff. but i have a problem and thought you may could help me or heard of this problem before. so i purchased the twin sticks to replace the old J shifter but i have the 3 speed hurst shifter from duff and the rear linkage from the 3 speed is against the nut on the twin stick and keeping the hurst shifter from working!!! have any suggestion on this matter?? been playing with this problem for 2 days and its about to drive me to drinking:mad:
 
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OP
Skiddy

Skiddy

Bronco Guru
Joined
Oct 8, 2003
Messages
11,557
Thank you but don't start drinking yet wait till your done;D sounds like you will need to bend the linkage on the hurst shifter just a little or maybe shim it out some. i have an auto now so i am not sure. if you don't get it figured out post the question in the tech section and you will have a solid answer before you know it.;)
 
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