Brittany Waldrep

Archive for October, 2009

‘Hunters and fishermen need to know that a transmission will last the life of vehicle—if it’s cooled properly,” Appelgate says. “Unfortunately, the way your guys use their trucks—grinding slowly over offroad trails, climbing steep hills, towing boats and trailers—places a great deal of stress on the transmission. Stress creates heat, and heat is the number one killer of automatic transmissions. That’s the main reason why so many 1il prematurely But that can be prevented.”
How?
“The primary way to control heat is with an auxiliary transmission oil cooler. Any good unit that can circulate transmission fluid efficiently will do the job.Asd when the fluid stays cool, the transmission enjoys a long life.”
I interrupt. “All right. I hear you. But over the years I’ve talked to many outdoorsmen who believe such equipment really isn’t necessary. They say, ‘I don’t stress the vehicle enough to need one. And besides, the truck comes with a cooler. The dealer’s just trying to rip me off for another option.’”
“Yeah.Well, we at B&M for the most part disagree. First, just doing what you guys do—hunting and fishing—stresses the transmission in ways many outdoorsmen don’t consider. For example, when you climb a steep offroad trail, you often get a lot of wheelspin, which generates extra heat in the transmission fluld.That’s why even though original-equipment transmission radiator technology has come a long way, we still recommend an auxiliary cooler.
“Still not convinced? Think of it this way. It’s really no more than an inexpensive insurance policy. Our cooler costs about $60 retail. Compare that to as much as $2,000 for a rebuilt transmission.”
Appelgate’s eyes have lit up. He’s in his element. “In addition, (here are a few other things—besides ongoing maintenance, such as changing the fluid and making sure the filter is clean, which many people ignore completely—that anyone can do to increase the life of the transmission. “Next on the list is to install a deep transmission oil pan. A deep pan allows the transmission to benefit from another 3 to 4 quarts of fluid. If you can circulate a larger quantity of transmission fluid, you greatly increase the ability of the transmission to stay cool.”
Though a deeper pan means a small loss in ground clearance, most 4×4s are high enough so the loss doesn’t affect offroad performance. It’s a worthwhile compromise.