What if MFTA offered an FG with the 6 sp manual transmission and 2 sp transfer case?

[Czechsix]

@gr8adv - I too have a 2004, but the idea of a larger cab ( I am 6' 3") and more torque sound appealing to me. I would prefer a 2005-2007 model so I don't need to worry about extra exhaust stuff,ULSD or DEF. I have it on good authority that MFTA is going to release a 2017 with a manual and ditch the duonic. Further they are bringing back the 2 sp transfer case. While many don't use low range, I find it very helpful in some off road situations where I want to go slow and deliberate.

That would be awesome. Like you, I find it very helpful in some situations, and I'd defintely pay a premium to get it again. I don't find the duonic itself to be that much of a hindrance, though. I'd be OK with the duonic and a two speed xfer.

I'm right at 6'2", no issues with cab head room. Especially with something like stock seats or the Stratos offering.

 

[dtruzinski]

That would be awesome. Like you, I find it very helpful in some situations, and I'd defintely pay a premium to get it again. I don't find the duonic itself to be that much of a hindrance, though. I'd be OK with the duonic and a two speed xfer.

I'm right at 6'2", no issues with cab head room. Especially with something like stock seats or the Stratos offering.

Headroom is probably not the best description...I am uncomfortable driving long distances. It is a combination of better placement of the shift (4wd) lever, shifter, more room to maneuver the seat back and a little more glass in the front. The extra room and power of the 2005-2007 was worth me searching hard for a 2007. I have purchased one and now will have an awesome 2004 truck and a 2007 expo vehicles best of both worlds. Anyone interested in a project to move a custom camper on a 3pt mount from a 2004 FG to a 2007 FG. Better than that, anyone know of a shop within 300 miles of Livingston MT that would be interested in this job?

 

[DzlToy]

6 speed auto trans from the 2WD trucks is a derivative of Aisin's AS68RC.

With a tail-shaft change (about $1500 - 2000 in parts and labour), an NV271/273 transfer case will bolt right up to the Aisin, just like it does in the Dodge Cummins trucks. The newer trucks actually have Magna-Steyr transfer cases, as New Venture Gear has gone the way of the carrier pigeon.

This leaves you with a two wheel drive low range for backing trailers and such or you can do a sold axle conversion on your 2WD FE and have a real 4WD truck with a real auto trans and a real transfer case, instead of the soccer mom mobile that MFTB has sent to the US for the last few years.

54:1 is not that great of a crawl ratio, especially not for a heavy "lumbering" truck that has a tendency to bounce and sway off road with a camper box on it's back. We are not talking about 3,000 pound competition rock buggies here. Something in the range of 125:1 to 150:1 would be an outstanding crawl ratio for technical off road work. Do you need that low of a gear all the time? Of course not, but you have six gears to choose from in your transmission, so put your real T-case in low low (5:44:1 to 11.70:1) and select the transmission gear that gives you the speed appropriate for what you are doing.

It is patently obvious that the people who designed the Canter are not serious off roaders or things like, "wet clutch transmissions" and "AWD transfer cases with no low range" would not be spec'd for this truck or any truck for that matter. They are simply out of their element.

A torque converter lock up switch would allow for engine braking to slow the truck when off roading, instead of using the wheel brakes, which again, can cause a heavy truck to shift or slide unexpectedly. This is not an option that I know of in the Canter.

To see how super low gears adds control off road, watch this video. A mate of mine has a 223:1 low range and it is amazing what his truck will crawl up or descend at IDLE with no brakes needed. Maybe Fuso will pay attention and spec the new trucks properly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJgQKqjVoAg

no flying rocks, no bounce or sway, no spinning tires and I presume that one would not encounter an obstacle such as that in an FG.

 

[Czechsix]

The Canter was never designed to be a "serious off roader", from the get go. Any more so than many of the Unimog models weren't designed for serious off road use.

What they were designed for was inclement weather, city use in snow and ice, load carriers on muddy or loose surfaced roads. So for their intended purposes, meeting the requirements of the majority of the buyers, they're exactly what will sell well, in most areas.

For those of us that need more capabilities in extreme areas, well, that's why fab shops and all sorts of mods are out there.