difference between 2wd and 4wd steering box?

[Cornfield creations]

Is there a difference between a 2wd and a 4wd steering gearbox. I thought I heard that the 2wd turns quicker? We have a parts 2wd with low miles and I was considering swapping them if it is quicker and tighter.

 

[mikey_d05]

Only difference is the shaft....and the shafts swap back and forth anyways. Careful though, there's a certain year that they switched over to different fittings.

 

[4X4HIGH]

With a 2wd steering box the pitman arm moves side to side and the 4wd moves front to back. The sector shaft is different which won't allow you to just swap pitman arms. The 4wd box has a through bolt holding the pitman arm onto the sector shaft whereas a 2wd bos uses a nut and washer to hold it on. You need a 2wd steering box if you're doing crossover steering otherwise the 2wd box won't work unless you install a 4wd sector shaft. I believe the year difference for the fitting change was 1980 and earlier for the flare fitting hose and 1981 and later for the metric O-ring style hose.

 

[Cornfield creations]

thanks guys!

 

[TravisO]

...You need a 2wd steering box if you're doing crossover steering...

Or a 2WD sector shaft installed in a 4WD box.
Travis

 

[pauly383]

The only difference is the sector shaft is splines 360 degrees on the 2wd box , allowing the pitman arm to be clocked where it needs to be for crossover steering .

On a 4wd box it is only splined on part of the shaft , and has a cutout for a keeper bolt . So it cannot be clocked .

I have seen a pitman arm cast for a 4wd box that is clocked for crossover . Search its on CK5 .

The actual range of motion is the same on both boxes , take off both pitman arms and mark a dot on the edge , and turn the input shaft on each box , they will both rotate the same way .

 

[R72K5]

yep

but its also simple to just swap the shafts

same casting box

good luck

 

[4X4HIGH]

yep

but its also simple to just swap the shafts

same casting box

good luck

You need to make sure they are both of the same ratio box before you swap shafts as the rack nut and sector shaft are different between standard ratio and variable ratio. Also i'm sure that everyone who has changed just the shaft haven't ran into any troubles YET but the sector shaft does take a wear pattern to the rack nut and after i tore apart several steering box's i would not change just the sector shaft, but that's just me.

 

[destinbeachman]

So a drop isn't required when running a crossover/high steer setup?The standard 2WD arm works?

 

[4X4HIGH]

Yes, you will need a dropped arm, ORD sells them, i think it is from some Ford IIRC.

 

[destinbeachman]

Yeah,there's always one more piece neccessary,doesn't matter what kind of project you have going.I'll probably get ORD to just send everything I need at once,from the arms to a rebuilt pump.Thanks for the info.-Allen