Sorry if this has been discussed, I searched but didn't find it. I'm still torn between getting a 4 speed with hi/low transfer case or a 5 speed +EL with no low range. Does one have a better low range crawling ratio than the other? Will either work better than the other with small ATV tires and crawling around offroad?
If your not going to run 80 KMH+ for extended periods, then a 5spd is pointless. The EL gear works but it's not great. I have a 5spd because my truck is my daily driver... The EL may be slightly steeper. I have also driven a '96 DK51T Autozam 4spd, which is a DD51T made for Autozam. The EL does not give you a usable next low gear. If you run out of gear and need to shift with the EL, 1st is not steep enough to be usable as a crawler. With the 4spd with high/low it might be slightly higher ratio but you have 4 low range gears you can shift through
The 4 speed has the same gear ratio as the 5 on gears 1 thru 4. Low range adds another 2:1 reduction on all gears. I believe 1st 4.3:1 2nd 3.(something):1 3rd 2.3:1 4th 1:1 5th 0.8:1 EL is around 6.2:1 This is just approximate. I used to have a list of the exact ratios but can no longer find it. Low range first gear is the lowest ratio you can get at around 8.6:1 ish. This is for a dd51t but I bet it's similar for others.
