Re: Competion for ORD\'s Doubler?
I've shopped around a little and here are the big things we like to point out that we have, and not everyone else does:
-Hardened shaft. Our shafts are cut from new stock, and hardened after they're splined so they don't have problems with spline or bearing wear. And being cut from new, we don't have to worry about finding stock shafts, verifying condition, checking for the ever present step on the clutchring teeth, etc. We have one customer that built his own adapter and ran a 27 spline soft shaft in a big heavy truck and actually broke it (in Pritchett) but he said the if it hadn't been torqued in two, the splines were just about wiped off anyway. Every shaft we've sold has been hardened because of that type of problem. And although it's not a huge deal, there's a small percentage of strength gain by not having the oiling hole in the center of the shaft.
-Strength. We only sell 31 and 32 spline shafts. We've had a couple of broken Doubler shafts and NP205 input gears in the smaller sizes and now that's not an option. Yes it's a pain to convert your 205 to a 32 spline input but it won't break. That's all there is to it.
-Length. Our overall adapter thickness is about as short as it gets and the GEN2 design adapter eliminates the factory adapter so there's less space taken up under the truck and there's one less expensive factory part to buy and break.
-No blind bolts in the adapter. All our our fasteners are accessible from the outside. Bolts loosen up, especially on vehicles with major vibrating components like meaty tires, bent/beat/high angle driveshafts, etc. If you can't see the fasteners it can be a problem. We had a customer actually pull his entire 205 out over EJS this year because of some shifting problems and it turns out the bolts at the front face of the 205 had loosened up. He didn't do a very good job diagnosing the problem but it could have been solved very simply on the side of the trail - without pulling the t-cases as a 240 lb. unit.
We've also gone to through bolts where possible and we send nylock nuts so it has less possibility of loosening up. The front face of the 205 gets studs to help keep everything tight and to make it easier to install.
-Full complement of bearings. This gives best life for all the components. Also the way the bearings are mounted gives us the best control over the bearings location and this controls the shaft as positively as possible.
-Bombproof adapter. All of our adapters have been in the "overkill" strength catagory and the billet alum. adapters are no exception. We have absolutely no doubts about the strength of our housing. It's a one piece design with beefy ribs everywhere, cut from a solid block of 6061T6. Mounting options are almost unlimited since the adapter can be drilled and tapped just about anywhere for mounting bolts or to attach mounting brackets. With a welded steel adapter you can weld to it but it's possible you'll warp the plate when you weld to it.
-And speaking of alignment, our adapters are all machined to more than adequate tolerances and being cut from billet, there's not possibility of warpage of any kind. Our older steel adapters were actually a 3 step process: machine the individual parts for a precise fit, weld together, machine again for final alignment since the welding always warped the adapter.
-Variety. Want to mount a Ford 203 to a GM 205? How about a Dodge 203 to a Ford 205? Want that 205 rotated up? These are all standard adapters that we cut on a regular basis. All the bugs are worked out and we often have the kits in stock.
-Details. We ship all the gaskets and seals you need, along with the breather fitting (which screws into the adapter so you don't have to drill and tap holes yourself), a PTO cover with the oil fill plug, and the above mentioned bolts and studs.
-Details. Want a bolt on shifter kit? How about a 3 stick shifter? Need an input gear for the 203? Need a complete 203? Need a complete 205? How about 205 parts? NO PROBLEM.
-Have questions about putting your combination together? Search here, search POR, or better yet, just call, that's what we do.
-And last but probaby least: bling. No matter what, you gotta admit, that's a cool looking adapter.
There it is, all the chest thumping I can do. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
