I am having difficulty shifting from 4H to 4L and then back again. We live up north and have been getting some serious snow and I can easily shift into 4H and then back out, but the few times I have needed 4L, it is really stiff and hard to get the gears to shift; once there, again difficulty shifting back. Any suggestions would be great!!

 

Manual or Auto transmission?

Are you SURE you need to be in 4L? 4L has a maximum recommended speed of slightly faster than a crawl...

In my Auto, the secret is to get rolling in 4Hi, take foot off gas, drop auto trans into NEUTRAL, and while still rolling slowly (5mph or less), slide the 4WD lever to the RIGHT, then PULL DOWN and toward you . It drops right in every time.

The key is to have your transmission in Neutral and be rolling ...

 

x2 - although at 5mph you'll grind a bit. The slower the better but hit it before you come to a dead stop or you'll end up fighting it in.

 

That will work for an Auto.

If you have a manual you can do it from a dead stop. While stopped with the clutch pushed in put the transfer case in N. Now with the tranny in either 1st or reverse pull back on the transfer case shifter and let the clutch out a hair. It should pop right in.

The problem is the gears in the transfer case need to line up right. If you turn them slightly and slowly like I describe they will line up and go right in.

 

I have a manual, and prefer switching directly from 4-hi to 4-lo while barely inching forward. As CJK mentioned, 5mph is too fast. What I prefer is to bump it just a bit from a dead stop then engage. I also engage from a dead stop, but the owner manual does suggest some slight forward movement.

Gotta love 4-lo

 

What these guys said is right on, but if you're ever unsure in the moment refer to the owners manual, it has the entire process spelled out explicitly.

 

I have a manual and it's not any harder to change from 4h to 4l at stand still vs forward crawl.

 

I have the manual and found that, as stated before, while inching ahead I move it as fast as absolutely possible into 4L. DO NOT DILLY-DALLY even for a second. When you decide to go into 4L pull it in like you mean it! When I first got it I tried to casually put it in 4L and it ground gears on me. I got mad, put it in 4H, moved ahead slow and slammed it into 4L. She liked it rough! Let us know how you make out! Take care... Mike

 

Manuals are easier to get into 4 low 'cause you can ease out on the clutch to get the gears to mesh. An auto doesn't allow for that - it's either in gear or not, no easing it in!

 

hey i have an auto i do it from a stand still but like the other one said dont play with it pull it into gear from 4h then pull it into 4L im guessing because your in wi you got to be pulling your ice fisning house