Allen Foraker

For the past two summers, we have been on Apache Lake every other weekend and been in that cove several times. I had often wondered if I could get to it in my jeep. Thanks for posting the pics.

Matt, if one has to access private property to get to it, then I whole-heartedly agree with you. It just appears to be in the NF. Thanks for the pics, nice area! It would appear by the good condition of the cabin that it is on private property, John-Q-Public idiot has not been there to trash it up yet. Allen

Care to be more specific on where it is?

I am curious, what made you decide to veer left off of the main tracks? Just trying the ditch on for size? Allen

The young techies finally got the video together and here it is:

More pics.

We took a ride over Rug Road last weekend (10/09-11). Me (with the CJ), Sully (with the 66 Bronco) and Wayne (the ATV) came in from Aravaipa on Friday and camped in Virgus canyon. The next morning, Saturday, we went up to the saddle between Table Top and Little Table Top and waited for the other 5 rigs to come in from Mammoth. We didn't have the optical equipment to capture their trip down Carpet Hill, but we had radio contact with them. Boy was the radio traffic fun to listen to. The guys coming down Carpet Hill had a Nissan EXTerra, Chevy half ton extended cab, F-150 extended cab, 2008 Jeep Sahara (stock) and a 1976 Chevy Suburban (lifted with 35" tires but no lockers). All but the Suburban were quite new with no added off road equipment other than over sized tires, but there were factory style lockers of some sorts in all the others. The ride down Carpet Hill bothered the Suburban driver but the others were quite comfortable with it. The Suburban was having carb issues and it kept stalling on him, I think that is what bugged him the most. The 5 guys coming in had a couple of GoPros and are compiling an album to post on YouTube, it should be up soon. I took a bunch of stills and will try to post them below. The trip ended well with no breakdowns and only ONE, very short pull, of the Suburban up a small obstacle coming out of Virgus canyon. If his engine could have stayed running I don't think he would have needed the pull. Anyhow, here are some pics (I hope).

Quandry solved! The transfer case is in fact a perfectly operating Dana 20. The Shifter plate is of factory installation. The problem lies in the connecting rod from the bottom of the shifter to the cross-over bar that connects the two T-case shifting rails. The rod is just a tad too long, possibly replaced from another model year of Bronco. The solution was to file out the back of the slot in the shifter plate to allow the shifter a little more rearward movement. With the shifter locked in it's rear slot (normally assigned to 4HI) the longer connecting rod would not allow the front axle shifting rail to move forward into position. A little more movement space in the shifting plate slot cured the problem. Thanks for the research assistance provided by those who bothered. The confusion of the 3 slots in the shifter plate was discovered that the center positional slot, being wider, allows the shifter to move from 2HI to N without using the button to unlock the shifter. Allen

I am going to try to get into the linkage this afternoon, my friend works mids. I am really convinced there is nothing wrong with the T-case and the issue is somewhere in the linkage. I just can't get past there only being 3 positional locks on the shifter plate/pawl. This shifter plate I think is what is preventing the front axle rail from being fully engaged by stopping the travel of the shifter handle. When we tried to move the rail manually, we didn't disconnect the linkage and that may have been what prevented it's movement. I will be back, hopefully with a discovery and a solution. I found an article on the Inet where a guy bought an early Bronco T-handle shifter cover box that mounts on the floorboard and has the shift pattern on it. The photo of the box clearly shows a 4HI position. I am curious to see if the shifter plate has been changed, reversed or modified by someone "not" in the know. Allen Allen

I will get with the Bronco owner this weekend and try to get some pics of the shifter plate and a better read of the transfer case model.

Scott, hubs locked, manual 3 speed (in gear), front end off the floor, shifter covers/boots removed, clear vision of the shift rails/rods. The T-Handle shifter does not have a position for 4 HI and no alcohol involved in the inspection. The front axle shift rod AND the shifter do not have a 4 HI position. This is where I am stumped, I have never seen a Dana 20 with this configuration. The only way the shifter can move from full rear locked position (2HI) is forward into N, then a slight bump forward into 2 LO, and on forward to 4 LO. The 2HI position has a positive lock in the shift plate, depress the button and move the shifter forward one position into N which has an extended slot for the lock (the forward end of the slot allows the 2LO from N without depressing the button, then after pressing the button again, the lock releases and you can move the shifter forward into the 4LO position. There are only 3 positional slots in the locking plate and only 2 positions on the front axle shift rail. Thanks for researching the problem and posting the links, but those issues are not present in this Bronco. I do appreciate your help in trying to figure this one out. This has to be a factory install due to the mechanics of the parts involved.

Very comprehensive list, thanks for posting. My CJ is old enough that Bailing wire and Gorilla Duct tape usually keeps it running, but I do carry spare U-joints...Oh, and an extra Muffler Bearing, just in case nothing else works. Allen

A friend has a 1966 Bronco with what is thought to be a Dana 20 transfer case with the T-Handle shifter. With the front end off the floor we were trying to determine what his front differential consisted of. We thought we had put the shifter in the 4 Hi position but the front drive line was still able to turn freely. First thought was that the linkage was askew and not allowing the front axle shifting rod to fully engage. After removing the shifter boots, both transmission and transfer case, where we could see what was happening, we found this: The transfer case shift plate (that regulates the position of the T-Handle shifter) only has 3 positions in it-meaning that the handle can only be placed in one of 3 positions- 4 lo, N, and 2 hi. Thinking something else was askew, we carefully observed the transfer case shifting rods in their movement related to the shift lever. Everything matched up great. However, the front axle shift rod only has 2 positions, not 3,( 2 hi and N). Thinking that the linkage was loose, we attempted to move the front axle shift rod into 4 hi by hand only to find that it would not move. Now we are thinking that there is a problem inside, but referring back to the shifter plate, there is no location for 4 hi. I have rebuilt Dana 20's before and am quite familiar with their internal gears. This Bronco appears to NOT have 4 HI. I cannot find anything referencing this type of shift pattern on any Dana 20 and have never heard of a 4X4 not having 4 HI. Has anyone out there ever heard of or experienced this model of transfer case? Thanks for any info/history on this issue. Allen

I am curious to see just where they are going to build on the Cross F ranch. Most of it is Nat. Forest, State and BLM ground. There isn't 3,200 acres of private property to build on and it is highly unlikely that the state will allow the use of it's land for firearms training. On Edit: I learned this weekend (10/10/15) that there is that much private ground there, but that it is quite spread around in small parcels over the entire Public Grounds allotment. The Aravaipa locals were able to squash the proposed plan.

theKsmith, thanks for the tip on rug hill. The jeep currently has a posi 44 in the rearend and I have a Lock Rite enroute for the 30 front along with a 15" steering wheel so I can turn it with the front engaged (it has a 13" in it now). I put twin sticks and a 3:15-1 gear pack in the transfer case a few years ago but kept the locking pins inplace. The exhaust has lived this long because, until I hooked up with the buddy with the Bronco, I hadn't found anyone around here that can go jeeping with me in places where I could tear it off. I don't get rambunctious with it, especially if I am out alone. Allen