Topic: Which is better w56a or w56b

[OVRAROK]

I know the w56a has the aluminum mid plate.., and the w56b has the steel mid plate..
I'm curious if anybody has a preference.., and if so..why..TIA..

[emsvitil]

The A is slightly lighter, but the B is obviously better......................



(because that's what I have)

[Gnarly4X]

Marlin, Mike, and company should way in on the answer.

In my experience the synchros is what seemed to be the part that wears out sooner.

I just don't recall any Toyota guys saying "Oh crap, I blew up my W56-A".

Like bearings, I believe the most common wear factor in a tranny is debri.

I'm running Mobile 1 Synthetic in my W56-B.  I ran Redline MTL in my '85.

I don't recall what the manual recommends on gear oil change, but looking back I'd change it every 2 or 3 years.   Why?  Well, out running trails twice a month in very harsh environments probably allows some "debri" getting into the tranny and t-case...  mud, dust, water, snow, sand.  Plus the extra off-road forces and pressures the tranny is exposed to.

So what does "better" mean?

Gnarls.

[cbeers]

Hello Ebrake and to land
This is good because in order to go duals with a 1989 transmission, it's preferred to use 1 top shift and 1 forward shift t/case (what's the difference?). So you've got that covered which is nice.
This question could be argued two ways: Either a 1985 W56-A / 1986-88 W56-B (W56-A being my my favorite of all W56's) or a 1993-1995 W56-E (-A, -B, -E; What am I talking about?).

I prefer the W56-A/B type because it is designed for use with a top shift transfer case (however one could mate a top shift t/case to any W56 of his choosing so long as he sealed off any vacant shift hole). I personally like the 1985 W56-A because it is the only W56 that has an aluminum center section which I argue has that Cool factor and it'll be a bit lighter.

As for the W56-E, technically speaking it's the best W56's you can get:
- It has bronze shift shaft bushings (that Toyota began using starting with the W56-D) that results in smoother shifting (which you could also argue is susceptible to wear and installation/rebuild error).
- It has a redesigned 5th gear synchro that yields the smoothest engaging 5th gear of all W56's (which you could argue is a more complicated/expensive design to service).
- It (along with the W56-D) has a breather vent installed into the shifter base (not found on earlier W56's) (which you could argue is a way for moisture to get in via water crossings or would make for quite a mess in a vehicle roll over).
- Because it was manufactured last, you'll be more likely to find a good useable core with fewer miles.
Everything with this sentence was going good until you said "chain driven t-case". This, Sir, is not a W56 but rather a W59, which is found behind RZ-powered T100/Tacoma/4Runner. It is a great transmission with many shared internals from the W56, however the chain drive t/case has a different bolt pattern requiring a special adapter to convert its tailhousing bolt pattern for use with a gear drive t/case (and currently we are not making any 27-4GT adapters, but we do have plans to bring them back but not for a while). So it can be used but it will cost more and will require additional parts to convert for Rock Crawling.
In my opinion the answer is a W56-A or W56-B simply because they are designed to use a top-shift t/case: Single, independent shifter bases, shift handles spaced out evenly, less likely for shifter interference, Crawl Box and T/Case would share the same shift design (both top shift) so in the event something broke you could simply swap parts and still make it home. Not that the forward shifting W56-C/D/E variants are bad, it's simply my opinion that I prefer top shifting Crawl Boxes and T/Cases for simplicity sake.

You could have also asked, "What is the best transmission in general for a crawler?" and I'd argue this differently with a L52-HD as the #1 choice for it's compactness (however it lacks ultimate strength) or a Turbo R151F as the #2 choice for it's brute strength and lowest gear ratio of any state-side manual Toyota transmission (4.31:1 vs. 3.93/3.95:1) (however it's the longest and heaviest transmission of them all). Case in point, back in the Formula Toyota hayday the majority of competition rigs ran our Heavy Duty L52-HD transmission because it allowed 4-inches of saved drivetrain length that gave teams design space for altering their vehicle's balance as they saw fit (we moved our entire drivetrain 4" back for better balance).

These were light weight rigs so strength wasn't such an issue. (For reference on strength, see "Marlin's personal opinion on Transmission Strength Comparison" in the first post of this thread.) As for my personal 511:1 Triple Ultimate Marlin Crawler-equipped rig, I run a W56-A-HD because the ladies are far more likely to ride with me when they hear my transmission is FULLY aluminum

Regards,
BigMike

[OVRAROK [OP]]

I have both A and B on the bench at the moment..will weigh..

[OVRAROK [OP]]

Here's is the difference...

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

[cbeers]

wow!

and i got a magic turtle...thanks Dave 

CB

[Gnarly4X]

5.1 lbs. can be a significant amount of weight in a 3200 lb. or 3500 lb. pickup.

Gnarls.

[emsvitil]

61 lbs. can be a significant amount of weight 3200 or 3500 pickup.

Gnarls.

Where did you come up with 61lbs?

I see 5.1..........     


Is the plate steel or just cast iron?

[Gnarly4X]

Where did you come up with 61lbs?

I see 5.1..........     


Is the plate steel or just cast iron?

LOL!!  Well CRAP!!.... I guess I just can't type and I can't do simple arithmetic!

I was trying to be facetious about the weight difference.

Can I blame it on my old age?

Or... M.C.I. ... Mild Cognitive Impairment.

I forget the decimal point!

I had a really bad day yesterday.   

Gnarls.