bullet proof T20 ???

[Robinhood02]

eh peeps , ive just been messing around with 3 different T20s tryin to get things adjusted and operating properly, if the darn things are so bullet proof how come there are some 400 threds in the trani section and about 300 of them are about the T20 ??? whats up is the T20 really the best all-round trani out there for this type of use or are there better ones

[bierbower37]

Hey those that sell parts for the thing sure think its great. To me its a failed system the more I read and understand it. And robinhood you really made me think with that post cant wait to see some opinons come out on this one.

[Tom]

Has to be the fact that there are more T-20's.I wonder how many Borg Warner made over the years for the other makers?Didn't RI buy the rights to it at some point?

[jeffery9076]

T-20

my word t-20 solid trans handle 100 horses mine lasted 38 years and still is going good today with some relined bands and looked brand new when i had it apart. And they still use them today

[racerone3]

I'v rebuilt 4 T-20's this summer, and besides wear items and seals, I've replaced one bearing, 1 detent spring, and a couple shift pins. any damage i've seen was inflicted by human error, and not the fault of the trans it's self. I have a hard time blaming a chunk of cast aluminum and steel, when someone fills it to THE TOP with gear oil, runs it with no friction material (wonder why it won't turn... oh well, i'll just pull the sticks harder), or bottoms out the band adjusters and then gives them another half turn for good measure. not much is bullet proof... we keep making better bullets, but NOTHING is idiot proof. that being said, I spent more on gears alone for the argo trans i rebuilt a few years ago than i have spent on bands, seals and parts for all 4 t-20's

EDIT: I also had to replace an outer drum, and 3 sun gears in my hustler trans. it would seem that the big ugly tag on the dash which tells you not to shift while the vehicle is in motion wasn't quite big and ugly enough.

in defense of the argo trany i had to rebuild, it too had been abused. run low on oil, and killed the bushings in the planetary set.

the same things apply to anything mechanical. go fill your trucks power steering with brake fluid, your rear end with atf, and adjust your drum brakes all the way out till the shoes ride the drums constantly. then go drive for a while and see how long those items last. while your at it, throw your automatic transmission in park or reverse while coasting to a stop.

[thejunkman]

you cant beat a t-20 i feel it still dominates the admiral tranny in new argos its a true all wheel drive the admiral isnt.

[Robinhood02]

what , with the new argo trani it is still differential steering ?? i thought they went to a clutch system similar to the T20 ,at least thats what it looks like from the outside, but you are right i dont remember seeing any linkage to the trani, so its still the same old trani just in a different houseing ??

[mudbug3]

What I,ve been told is that the new Admiral trans in the Argo Frontier ,and also the Argo Avenger is still an ' OPEN ' transmission, but its much more efficent in transfering power to the wheels.

[Roger S]

It never was a limited slip, unless you count limiting the slip with the sticks. We discussed this earlier in another thread, and I thought the conclusion was the Admiral trans was geared steering, ie, true full time all wheel drive.. never was one side put in nuetral or freewheeling.

[Tom]

It's a open diff,not the same as limited slip or locker.Power will flow to the side with least traction.As far as the new admiral tranny being more efficient,ODG added more gears=more drag=need more engine.I am not knocking ODG at all.That type of set up(diff steering)has been around alot longer than the t-20.Just my thoughts.As far as what is better?Who really knows.At this point,some Hydraulic jocky should chime in.If we are not careful this might turn into mines better ordeal,and you know how those end up.

[thejunkman]

there is more drag than odgs regular tranny they use but its still not both sides pulling i had trouble with one in deep snow in high range it just would not turn going slow.

[soutthpaw]

Well based on what is out there and available, for a mechanical driven trans I think the T-20 is hard to beat. My PPT has a unique trans that uses 2 renault clutches on either side with disc brakes and now I finally got it dialed in and figured out how to adjust it, it works pretty good but there is a lot of resistance on hard surfaces that will almost kill the engine due to load. it needs a bigger engine. If you want a more bullet proof trans then get a Bobcat or similar skid steer hydraulic transmission system.. Owning a couple of bobcats, I can tell you that they hold up to abuse far better than any mechanical trans. there is a reason Hydratek and Mudd Ox are using hydraulics... the down side is cost $$ Hydraulics are expensive however you never have a direct mechanical load applied to the gears that you do in a mechanical system. There is always a fluid cushion to absorb sudden shock loads that tear up parts in a mechanical trans. the worst you do if you overload the system is kill the engine. so you just release the pressure and turn the ign key and you are good to go...