Upgraded IWE gear replacement interest

[raptorpaul]

Updates?

 

[Doc Constantine]

It's really the only solution I can find right now short of fixing the 4 wheel drive 1-2 times a year. That solution is going to suck pretty quick once my warranty expires.

It blows my mind that this is such a prolific problem with no solution (other than the RCV "get rid of them" approach).

I agree with the fact that it's a shit system and something better would be great. However it's really not that hard to replace them, we did one of mine on a trailhead @ Snoball this year. One had just started to click, but we decided to get it out of the way. A few hand tools and it was done in 35 minutes with full aftermarket suspension, if you have stock I've heard it can be done in 10-15. I don't see why this can't become part of a preventative maintenance routine, if you are blowing them this often. Once you get a pair from Dorman they should have a lifetime warranty, so there is zero part cost after that. I was considering getting the RCV's, but now that I know how easy it is to replace I'll just carry spares. It should be mentioned that I drive mostly southwest, my first replacement was after 7 years and 110k miles, so I don't need my 4x4 like you must.

 

[Dane]

I agree with the fact that it's a shit system and something better would be great. However it's really not that hard to replace them, we did one of mine on a trailhead @ Snoball this year. One had just started to click, but we decided to get it out of the way. A few hand tools and it was done in 35 minutes with full aftermarket suspension, if you have stock I've heard it can be done in 10-15. I don't see why this can't become part of a preventative maintenance routine, if you are blowing them this often. Once you get a pair from Dorman they should have a lifetime warranty, so there is zero part cost after that. I was considering getting the RCV's, but now that I know how easy it is to replace I'll just carry spares. It should be mentioned that I drive mostly southwest, my first replacement was after 7 years and 110k miles, so I don't need my 4x4 like you must.

Happen to have a link to these ones from Dorman with a lifetime warranty?

 

[t_j]

Happen to have a link to these ones from Dorman with a lifetime warranty?

They are all made by dorman (yes even the ford ones), the easiest way to get the warranty however is to get one through your local big name parts house (autozone, orielys, napa) and keep the receipt, just return it to the store and they will warranty it there and then no need to send them off to dorman if you buy say through amazon.

 

[SVT_Aaron]

So anything new on the update, I'd probably in line for this too.


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[Dane]

So anything new on the update, I'd probably in line for this too.


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I'm kinda starting to assume that Haynes has not been successful in this endeavour. It's too bad, I can almost guarantee that anyone who successfully puts this upgrade together is going to have a BIG order!

Still, an update would be nice...

 

[HAYNES OFFROAD]

My apologies for lack of update.

As of now, it does not look like this is making it to production. The cost to outsource manufacturing is just astronomical. We've looked into several options (companies and procedure) for manufacturing our product to our exact specs, and none have turned up a figure that will make this affordable for 95% of raptor owners (even with massive bulk order discounts). I will not consider a overseas company to do make these as I value quality above all. We are not RCV that specializes in cutting gears in house, thus we have to outsource.

This does not mean I have stopped looking into having these manufactured. I currently still have schematics out with 2 other companies for a quote.

Overall it's unfortunate, as we finally had a breakthrough after I hired a metallurgical engineer to take a look at our designs. In layman's terms, we had finally achieved both a alloy and heat treatment that allows us to have super strong/hard teeth to keep from shearing, and a "softer" (relatively to the teeth) core to keep the unit from cracking under impact loads. We've been testing this prototype for over 10k miles, with about 1,200 of them in hard 4wd/off-road. After removal, we have observed zero excessive wear (within 0.00013 of our original specs, baseline OEM/dorman after 1500 miles averaged 0.00086 out of original spec, if not broken).

After the last 5 quotes, the lowest prices to have these manufactured are over $1k /pair with a bulk order of 100 units (at just my cost! Just absurd...). There's just no way I can market these until I get to a retail price point under $500/pair, which is still steep in my own opinion. At this point I don't know if these manufacturers just don't want to make these or if I am doing something wrong.

Sorry for the bad news guys, I'm just as disappointed as many of you are. I've sank a LOT of money into these....

 

[Palerider]

I'm just one of those simple "Laymen" and have zero experience in anything involved with the business side of manufacturing but is selling your design an option? To RCV possibly? Just curious.

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[HAYNES OFFROAD]

I'm just one of those simple "Laymen" and have zero experience in anything involved with the business side of manufacturing but is selling your design an option? To RCV possibly? Just curious.

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It is something we have thought about... And may be our last resort option. Problem is, that doesn't guarantee that my design would be used as I would have zero control over it at that point. I also would also at least need to sell for the amount that I have into it, if not very close (obviously a profit would be fantastic, but it would also have to sell). I would imagine a company such as RCV would rather save money by designing their own version, instead of buying, if they were even interested in such a project.

 

[Palerider]

It is something we have thought about... And may be our last resort option. Problem is, that doesn't guarantee that my design would be used as I would have zero control over it at that point. I also would also at least need to sell for the amount that I have into it, if not very close (obviously a profit would be fantastic, but it would also have to sell). I would imagine a company such as RCV would rather save money by designing their own version, instead of buying, if they were even interested in such a project.

Understandable. Things just aren't looking very positive it would seem.

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