off-road performance
Back in 2013, Artec Industries embarked on a mission to create robust armor products tailored for the hardcore off-road crowd. Their adventure began with their very first Jeep Wrangler JK, fondly named the ARTECON. Initially, they experimented with steel as the go-to material. However, it didn’t take long to uncover steel’s inherent drawbacks: it was heavy, a pain to install, prone to overheating, a gas guzzler, and susceptible to rust.
Today’s 4x4s have become extremely specialized. At one end of the spectrum are one-off, purpose-built, non-street-legal rock buggies. These are the cream of the rock crop. Most have tube chassis with what seems like nearly 360 degrees of axle articulation. Often the transfer cases are doubled up to produce crawl ratios way beyond the once magical 100:1. They’re obviously awesome, and capable of handling boulders as if they were speed bumps.
The gear driven RF1A Toyota transfer case found in 1979-1995 4 cylinder pickups and 4Runners fits the needs of many wheelers. It offers a strong, lightweight package with growing aftermarket support. These transfer cases have been used in numerous pickups, 4Runners, buggies, and even Jeeps! Everything from dual transfer case adapters, low range gear sets, twin sticks, and low profile crossmembers are available for Toyota transfer cases from a bevy of aftermarket sources. The RF1A is lighter and less expensive than a Dana 300, though they are not as easy to “clock” and do not allow front wheel drive operation.
