Dana 20 question

[Henrietta]

I am unsure if my 20 is working right or not, or if the problem I think I have is actually a problem. It is a J shift. Can you go from 4 high to 4 low or vice versa, 4L to 4H without backing up? I know I have to put it in neutral to shift. But when I am on left side I have to back up (like i was gonna unlock hubs) to move it from 4h to 4l or from 4l to 4h. Is this normal? If I go directly to 4H or directly to 4L it works fine, but i can't go from 4L to 4H or from 4H to 4L.

 

[DirtDonk]

That's pretty standard operating procedure actually. Yes, you "should" be able to shift without backing up, but often times there is just enough binding going on inside (due to slight variations in front-to-rear things) to make you have to back up. Sometimes a LOT. Especially with the J-shift it seems.
Nature of the beast.
In fact, you're less likely to have to back up to unlock the hubs than moving the shifter in most cases. If you manage to unlock the hubs first, you should find it easier to shift the case. If, however, you do the case first (which is the normally recommended method), then you shouldn't have to do any special maneuvering to unlock the hubs.
Hope that helps.

Paul