RATIO ON A TRANSFER CASE---NEED SCHOOLED

I have a transfer case with a 1.62 RATIO...Would you fellas explain what this translates into and or means????

Also this case sits behind a 5 speed transmission. I am going to get a different transfer case out of maybe a Steiger--chances are the ratio will be some different. I can't find a replacement transfer case like the original.

If I have a lower or higher RATIO what will that mean as far as road speed and power. Thank you for any help.............

The way I understand that is this. Input is 1 full turn to out put of 1.62 turns and to me sounds like an over drive unit

According to my limited understanding of such things if you have a 1 to 1 ratio the shafts turn at the same speed. If you have a 1 to 2 ratio the output shaft turns twice the speed of the input shaft. Usually they are a more random sounding number than that. If you put in a transfer case with a ratio that is 50% higher than the one that it replaces you will go 50% faster in all gears. General faster gearing=less drawbar pull if everything else is the same.
Zach

If the terminology is the same as automotive transfer cases the ratio refers to a "gear down", not a "gear up". For example, many pickups have a transfer case ratio around 2.5:1 in low. This means that the output speed is reduced by this ratio - 2000rpm input would result in an 800rpm output using this 2.5:1 example. However, in a tractor they could have used a step-up ratio to reduce torque loads on the drivetrain then use deep-reduction final drives to reduce the speed at the wheels. Is this a single-speed transfer case or a multi-speed unit? If it is a two-speed and is direct drive in low and running through the gear ratio in high than it is a step-up ratio and vice versa.

You probably want something fairly close to what you have to prevent ending up with some transmission gears that are of little usefulness by being too slow or fast, especially if this is a single-speed transfer case. In low gear most tractors have more wheel torque than they can use anyway due to limited traction so gearing down more will not gain you anything in terms of pulling power. You'll just end up using a higher gear in the transmission to do the same work and will be slower going down the road. On the flip side, if you gear up too much it would mean first gear might be too fast for some jobs and high gear could be dangerously fast.

The case I presently have is a 2 speed drop box behind a 5 speed transmission with a 1.62 ratio in the transfer case. Was wondering what I would have if I went with a 1 speed transfer case behind the 5 speed transmission..........

Being a two-speed dropbox I would guess that the "non ratio gear" is straight through, in other words, a one-to-one drive. So, you have five speeds in high and five in low for a total of ten. A single speed transfer case would leave you with only five speeds to work with. Depending on whether the 1.62 is a step-up or a step-down ratio you would either be losing gears on the slow end or the high end but either way you'd be giving something up. There's just no way to replace a two-speed gearbox with a single ratio and have the same overall spread you have today.

Do the front and rear output shafts turn at the same speed, or is the ratio actually the difference in speed between the outputs?

An example of this might be a MFWD tractor that has small tires on the front and large ones on the rear.

Thanks Brendon---The case I have is almost impossible to find and it has two bad gears and we have found them at the cheapest for the two at 3400.00..It is a Rockwell T 226---ADS on google claim they have them and or the parts, but call and they just laugh, Sooooo I am looking at transfer cases out of Steigers, but haven't been able to find the RATIO of the Steiger cases. Guys send me pics of the cases, but don't seem to have any ratio numbers. Not sure what to do...............

Bob--this tractor has the same size on the front and rear. It is a M R S Mississippi Road Service with a 4-71 Detroit. It spent its life in South Dakota. The transfer case was able to take the front axle out of 4x4---I think the Steiger cases are full time 4x4
It just has a 5 speed Fuller as the tranny.....Tractor lived south of you

being it's a 2 speed case it should be 1 to 1 in high and and 1.62 to 1 in low, meaning high is direct,low is 1.62 turns of the input shaft to turn the output shaft 1 turn,not being able to see it sounds like the case that was used in cranes,skidders,loaders,military trucks ect. ,I would say there were some different ratios and I've seen several modifications added to them,those cases had a top shaft for input, a middle shaft for gear ratios and a bottom shaft for output and fwd,the fwd shaft used a direct jaw coupling to connect to the bottom output shaft for fwd it turned at the same speed as the output shaft,i've seen them used backwards for and overdrive also,as you mentioned you can use another brand case if the ratios are close,but beware a lot of the military truck cases had an under driven sprag locking system for the fwd they wouldn't work good in a tractor,if your case is apart count the gear teeth and see if it's 1:1 in high 1.62:1 in low,or if it's together put it in high and mark the top and bottom shaft turn the top shaft 1 complete turn and see if the bottom turns 1 complete turn if so you have 1:1 in high.

gbs--thanks for the great information. I realize this is difficult to answer. I just want to use this tractor to plow some snow. If I went with just a 1 speed transfer case that some Steiger tractors use what do you think I would have as far as road speed and power for pushing snow. As my tranny is a 5 speed Fuller would I have what is in the high speed range????

Well, I suggest that you consider just how important is the >exact< ratio? If you find a transfer case that will fit, and the ratio is a bit different, will it make a lot of difference to you in your usage of that piece of equipment? Would you have normally used some of the gears on the low side? Would you have the need for those gears in your usage?
Going to a single ratio transfer case will definitely cause you to lose the 5 lower gears. If you feel that you would never have used them, then it is a reasonable option. Otherwise, if ratio is not critically important to be the same, I would look for a more reasonably priced unit with perhaps a different ratio. After all, the lower ranges were not put there for no reason at all.

(quoted from post at 19:15:31 04/29/15) Thanks Brendon---The case I have is almost impossible to find and it has two bad gears and we have found them at the cheapest for the two at 3400.00..It is a Rockwell T 226---ADS on google claim they have them and or the parts, but call and they just laugh, Sooooo I am looking at transfer cases out of Steigers, but haven't been able to find the RATIO of the Steiger cases. Guys send me pics of the cases, but don't seem to have any ratio numbers. Not sure what to do...............

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Based on your descriptions of the gearbox I'm guessing in "high" it is a straight through drive and in "low" it is running through the 1.62:1 reduction. Are the gears that are bad in the reduction ratio or in the front axle drive system? If they are the reduction gears can they simply be removed and the transfer case locked into the straight through speed? This is assuming the configuration is like a typical transfer case where the rear axle output is in line with the input and the power to the rear axle does not go through any gears when in high range. If it is a "side drive" transfer case like a Dana 18 where the front and rear axle outputs are in line with each other this may not work as power is always going through a gearset.

jimg.allentown--thank you for the good info. This is an industrial tractor that was built to haul a self loading dirt pan with elevators. As I think you are saying the low range in the transfer case was probably used for the greater power and torque to haul and load the earth pan in road construction etc. As I will only be using the tractor to use a 10 ft.front snow plow blade the regular 5 speeds would be what I would be using----NOT the lower 5 speeds.
As long as we know that the 2 speed transfer case is the regular 5 speeds and the lower is the slower more powerful side of the case.........

There should be #'s after T226. What are they?
Is it 1.96:1 or 1:1.96? One is up, one is down.
Your T-case is also a drop box, meaning the output shafts are lower than input,
not straight thru ? should be.

T 226 C 1

I don't find a C 1 in the parts book.
It does describe the gears, maybe another
variation used them, the basic cases are similiar.