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Does 4WD shifting get easier?

fun2drum

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Experience part of wheeling. Think ahead of where you are going or where you are going to be. Last thing you want is to need 4L and can’t there because of where you are at.

Be in the right gear before you get there 👍🏻

Same can be said for lockers.
I’d rather go 4H until I need 4L. NC beach sand is best traveled in 4H. I can shift to 4H without rolling in the unlikely event I need to. Sorry, I was thinking out loud and being a little tongue in cheek with my previous post.

Edit for typo: I meant to say "I can shift to 4L without rolling".
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5chema

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Rolling very slowly in N while shifting is gonna be difficult in some of the 4L situations I can see myself getting into. As in soft beach sand where further forward motion is unlikely.
Experience part of wheeling. Think ahead of where you are going or where you are going to be. Last thing you want is to need 4L and can’t there because of where you are at.
I’d rather go 4H until I need 4L. NC beach sand is best traveled in 4H. I can shift to 4H without rolling in the unlikely event I need to.
Yes, with a bit of practice you can use the transfer case while rolling but at full stop as well. It’s just a matter of switching between D and N and releasing the brake at the right time. To test it in your driveway, just use the hand brake to make it as if you were stuck. It appears to me that the transfer case needs some freedom to align all the gears.
 

Weasel Caesar

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You do NOT have to be moving to get into 4L, but it can help in some instances, especially when new and stiff. I've had to use 4L only a few times-- and in all instances I was full-stop. In fact, the first time I engaged it was on a hill. Pulled up on it in 4h, bogged down a bit midway, assumed I'd have to back down and get more speed (sandy desert area), but thought, why not? Longer wheel-base than my old 97 wrangler. Decided to try it. Applied brake, put it in neutral, popped in 4L - stiff, but not (in my opinion) difficult - and pulled right up that hill with no issues. My old 97 wrangler would have bogged down for sure. The Rubicorn? Zipped up that hill in a spray of sand and clay like a filthy mountain goat. I honestly don't know why some people are having issues-- I mean, it was stiff, but I never felt like it was fighting me or anything, and never once did I think I was going to break the lever or what-have-you. Every other time has been in a "oops. I'm stuck" scenario where I needed a little more torque. Pop in neutral, shift to 4L, grind out of there, pop back to 4h. I get the "be in the gear you need" mentality, 100%, but so far in my experience with THIS vehicle, I've never had the luxury, haha. But it's always worked! No complaints. Moving a few mph will help, but isn't strictly necessary.
 

Blade1668

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Now from my point of view on it, yes the JT shifts "hard" into 4H compared to my other Jeeps and for that matter about every other 4wd I've driven. Mine has gotten smoother with use, over last year.
 

eyekode

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New first time jeep owner here. Both my wife and I thought it took way too much effort at first. But when we went to the mountains and needed it every day it got easier. I do think part of it is technique/feel/speed. We needed 4H every day to get up a snowy hill and after the first few times it became second nature. Maybe I just got used to it? Not sure :)
 

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Mine was stiff at first, too. But with use it loosened up quite a bit. I actually make it a habit to shift into 4H on a regular basis just to keep oil on everything. I have a manual, no need to shift into neutral between 4H & 4L. Shifting out of 4L is where I had trouble until I learned that you really need to go THROUGH the neutral zone to 4H before shifting sideways and forward. Keep working it and it will smooth out.

To me, the best and smoothest transfer case shifters ever were the old 2 lever ones used up until ‘71. The taller stick for 2WD to 4WD, and the shorter one for high and low.
 

CerealBlast

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I don't think anyone mentioned this yet, but make sure you are under 72km/h when shifting into 4H and you should also hold the shift knob into position until it's engaged. :)
 

CallMeJoe

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Yes. Both my JL and now the JT have been "sticky" to shift when new but both got much easier as I used them. The first few times going from 4 hi to 4 low, I thought I might need a young priest and an old priest to help. As many have said, it takes a little patience and practice to learn.
One thing I haven't heard mentioned here is temperature. Here in Wi, the transfer case is much more cranky and hard to shift when it's cold, but then, so am I. We're a good match.
 

Bbannongmu

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Many good points. I have found that mine shifts a lot easier after a year of use. Cold weather can make it a little harder too. Owners manual info below for the good of the order.

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TroutFishingInAmerica

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Mine was really hard going into 4L at first. I would hit some dirt roads on a regular basis just to work it in and out of 4L. It really smoothed out, made a huge difference on mine. LOT less effort, and much better feel.
 

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Lateralus

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The first time I tested 4H, like others said, I thought I was going to break the lever. I've had to use 4H many times in the last 2 weeks and it has become easier.

Iam assuming going into 4 wheel drive is a mechanical operation as opposed to an electrical one which alot of vehicles do now. If so Iam glad the jeep is still mechanical. Or maybe its hybrid because of the axle disconnect on the front diffs now?
 

rr11

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All mechanical shifters take a little force, in the winter the lube in the Tcase is cold which doesn't make shifting easer.
 

KurtP

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*Waves*

I am a new Gladiator owner living outside of DC. We just picked it up at the end of November, so I have yet to enjoy any off-roading adventures. Also, I'm a pretty scrappy female with two shoulder surgeries under my belt. We were warned that shifting into 4H or L would be "tight," and my husband tried it once to make sure that it worked. He said that he really had to put his body into it. Does it loosen up the more you do it, or am I destined to struggle here?

Thanks for the help - hope everyone is safe out there in this crazy weather.
Mine got unbelievably easier/smoother after a few uses and a few thousand miles.
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