So hang on, you should use low ratio on hard surfaces!! Why is that not printed in 48 point font on the front of the owner manual or on one of those numerous stickers telling me the truck might fall over if driven or that objects in the mirror is behind me!
I've recently started using low ratio to drive up our driveway....... I think I'll be stopping now.
I do miss my Patrol.
That's a good point, and I think they had to be brief about it because even text like "Objects in the rear view mirror may appear closer than they are" is not only long for a driver to read while they're driving, but it makes a bloody long song title too.
I suppose it's better than "Objects in the rear view mirror might be behind you if they're small but if they're really, really big then they might be beside you and very close so you should take care". Let's see Jim Steinman write a song about that ... I doubt Meatloaf could remember the title, let alone the lyrics any more, he's shot so many 8 balls he doesn't even remember where the bloody audience is.
But yes, that transfer chain does suffer every time. There's a good reason why.
When your vehicle goes around a bend, not only do the left-side wheels follow a different-sized circle to the right side, but the rear wheels generally follow a smaller circle than the front. That means the front wheels have to turn over more times than the rear - and since the transfer chain is a solid link, something in the drive train has to give.
On loose surfaces the 'give' comes from the surface itself, the tyres slip a little and all is good.
On firm surfaces the tyres grip well, so either you have to push it hard enough to allow the drive train to break that grip, or something inside has to give. That could be chain stretching (common) or other things like CVs and axles (not common at all).
