173 : 1
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| Knuckles Crawls with Marlin Crawler's ToyBox | ||
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173 : 1 |
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After YEARS of wishing and waiting, not to mention crashing and banging through the rocks, my FJ60 Land Cruiser Wagon, a.k.a. "Knuckles", finally has some serious crawler gears. And the installation is so clean!
Marlin Crawler and his crew in Fresno, California installed the ToyBoxTM in my 10/85 FJ60's stock drive train. I had already installed 4.56 gears in the differentials so now my overall gearing looks like this:
Even 76:1 is double my old gearing and provides a practical low range on most trails. The 173:1 compound low will be useful for the really tricky spots where precise control and traction are critical. All this without sacrificing highway manners. The ToyBox allows Knuckles to tackle the most rugged trails while still enjoying a comfortable trip to the trailhead.
It Looks Great TooThe short throw shifter is located in front of the stock console. No sheet metal work was needed on the floorboard and everything fits great. The late model Land Cruiser H42 transmissions have a 3.5 inch extension (because we didn't get a 5th gear in the USA). This piece was removed and the tranny received a new, shorter, 10 spline output shaft. The new output fits directly into the ToyBox. The ToyBox is 7.5 inches long with the necessary adapters so the net gain is only 4-inches. Still the drive shaft lengths had to be changed and the tranny crossmember was modified to provide clearance for the front drive shaft. Of course, the T-case shift linkage must be extended too.
Marlin is My Hero
If you're familiar with Toyota 4x4s and Rock Crawling then you already know Marlin Crawler and his reputation for quality work. Working with Marlin as he performed his magic on my trusty Land Cruiser was a Cruiserhead's dream come true. Thanks Marlin, Andy and the rest of the crew. You guys ROCK!!!
OK that's it for now, I've got trails to crawl...
