D18 twin stick "pill"

What are the pros and cons of removing the pill that floats between the 2 sticks on a dana 18 Tcase? I know you get rear wheel drive low but is that it? What happens if you get your shifters messedup and get the front in low and the rear in high or something like that? driveshafts ujoint Tcase explode?

 

Personally I remove the interlock "pill" from all my 18 transfer cases that have twin shifters. It gives me the ability of 2 low without having to unlock my hubs. On dry trails around here there are times when you need to go slow but do not need 4 wd, in fact 4 wd would create problems. I also have lockers front and rear so that makes the issues even worse. I also have 2 low for moving trailers around and other sundry uses without having the front turning. The biggest downsides are the transfer case needs to come apart to remove it which is no big deal if you are resealing/rebuilding it, and you do have to be careful in 2 low as all the torque is going to the rear axle instead of being divided so there is the potential for damage if reasonable care is not taken.
I really like being able to keep my hubs locked in on the trail and simply manipulate the shifters for whatever my needs are.

 

I removed the pill so I can get 2 low. An example of why this works well would be backing up (in a tight spot around a corner) to hook up to a trailer. 2 low gives you the best control and no binding of your drive train.

I also use 2 low on dry trails like Nick said.

Be careful with the torque (like Nick said!).

 

I do the majority of my wheeling in 2 lo and only engage the front end when I really need it. With a Power Lok in the front axle it makes steering on the trail much easier.

 

How do you like the Power Lok in the front? Do you have a front dana 25 or 27? I would love to have a selectable locker but the wallet doesn't permit that. I also had a thought about welding up the front spiders and then removing the pill (football?) And that would kind of be like having a selectable locker(I use "kind of" lightly, and I will probably catch some crap for that last sentence)

Back on subject: Has anybody seen the outcome of a Tcase that has been damaged due to cross shifting? I am still on the fence on whether or not to put it back in.

 

Love it for the vast majority of four wheeling situations except snow or a twisty,muddy trail. In those cases it doesn't want to steer.

Dana 25.

That's the problem, there are no selectable lockers available for the Dana 25/27 axle.

No, it wouldn't.
Even though you can disengage the front axle from the transfer case the axle itself is still locked and will try to push through turns on loose surfaces because the two wheels can't differentiate speeds.

Like anything else, a little common sense will save you from breaking parts. Just don't try to shift into low range while doing much more than a crawl and it'll be fine.

 

Any other opinions on welding up the front spiders? Corveep makes a good point that the front 2 wheels will still be turning the same speed even if there is no power going to them. Corveep, how much did you pay for your power lock and where did you get it? It is only locked when there is power going to it, am I correct? I may have to start a new thread on this subject!

 

I got it for $50 from a fellow member at Jeeps Unlimited.
And for the most part it unlocks off the throttle, depending on the shape its in. A freshly rebuilt one will have a little spring tension between the two axle shafts so on surfaces with very little to no traction, like ice, it doesn't want to unlock and can push the front. With one that has some miles on it and is looser, the pushing won't be as noticeable.

 

If you weld the spiders, you have created a spool. Basically, the spiders are what allow a diff to let the tires turn at different speeds. If you weld the spiders, the front tires will travel at the same speeds. Hard to corner that way, as on side will skid steer. It will work somewhat on dirt, not on pavement. Even on dirt, it wood suck unless your using it for straight pulling like a tractor pull. Take the interlock football out. It won't hurt anything. Leave it in, it won't help anything much. Can't go wrong either way. Mines out.