Function of a Transfer Case

By Fred Gagnon


A number of cars are built with a 4-wheel or all-wheel drive system. These drive systems utilize various mechanical parts with a purpose to work easily. One single part is the transfer case. A transfer case, commonly known as a transfer gearbox or transfer box, is a casing device that works jointly with the transmission in 4-wheel drive and all-wheel drive cars.

The transfer case links to the transmission and front and rear car axles via drive shafts. Drive shafts are physical parts that permit rotation and deliver torque, or the force of momentum, to attached elements. The transfer case takes power out of the transmission and sends out that power to the front and rear axles using the shafts. It will help enable all 4 wheels to get torque concurrently.

A transfer case could be gear driven or chain driven. Chain-driven transfer cases employ a chain to safely move one axle, but can sometimes move the two axles. Chain-driven transfer cases work with separate roller chains, or chains made from pin links and chain links, to manage the front axle and the rear axle, therefore permitting the case to move the two axles or one on their own. Gear-driven transfer cases employ gear sets to transfer power to either the front drive shaft, or both front and rear drive shafts. Nevertheless, most up-to-date transfer cases actually are chain driven.

Transfer cases typically contain a minimum of one set of low-range gears. These gears are driven by a shifter or switch, and are meant to accelerate torque, or the force of motion, to the axles while decreasing the car. Low-range gears are often meant for such uses as load-pulling and rock crawling, or off-road driving on coarse or raised terrain.

Motorists can handle the functionality of the transfer case by having a gear stick lever. This lever makes it possible for the driver to position the transfer case into two-wheel drive or four-wheel drive. Some other automobiles make use of an electronic switch instead of a shifter.




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