plowing with exporer

[tanbuddy]

Can the transfer case in a 2000 exp take the abuse of plowing snow? I don't think its a chain drive like my ranger, I have a feeling the clutch that transmits power to the front will not like it.
Also, is it normal for the power steering to act weird for abot 20 miles if you coast with the engine off and steer? Felt like it had air in the lines until it worked its way out

 

[corkey]

all explorers are chain drive t case,,

and yes, power steering used without the pump going, will get air it, drive around in figure 8's in a parking lot till it gets the air out,

 

[corkey]

look under your thread for a section that is labelled similar threads, , if the question has been discussed before, it will be in there,,

 

[tanbuddy]

I searched, seems like some guys are using it. I would just be doing my drive way, but that is 1/4 mile long.
I might be confused as to how the t-case in these works. I know in my ranger when its locked in, the front and rear are locked together. With the auto track i though there was a chain like you said, but a clutch was there to grab the front end when the back slips in auto mode. If there would be some pics of the inside of one of these that would be cool.

 

[1996BLKBauer]

My buddy used to have a plow on his '95 Explorer, I have never seen brand new ball joints wear out so fast, he MAYBE got half a season, Plowing is very abusive on our trucks, they just are not cut out for the task, I HIGHLY suggest a poly plow if anything. Also, we have sort of a hybrid T-case, it is Chain driven in 4H, and 4L, but there is a viscous clutch in there for the Auto mode, that locks up when slippage occurs. On the other hand AWD Explorers, sort of have a 3rd differential, because it allows both the front a rear wheels to spin at different speeds, when turning and such. they also have a viscous clutch setup, so it will lock up with slipping, they are more fragile then the true 4wd cases, but they are still pretty stout. If you want a true T-case, go for a BW4406 T-case out of a F-150, and swap it in, there are a ton of threads for that.