Rockland Standard Gear's NP231 Transfer Case - Brutally Strong

With everything disconnected, we removed the lower transmission mount plate then removed the six 9/16-inch nuts that hold on the transfer case.	The transfer case simply pulls free of the transmission once the nuts are removed, but it is pretty heavy so we made sure to have somewhere to set it down before removing it. Some oil may flow out of the transmission when the transfer case is removed.	We took the front driveshaft yoke, shift linkage, and position switch from the old transfer case.
Rockland fits this special front output shaft with a larger gear to handle the heavy-duty chain. The stock yoke is plenty strong, so it was reused to simplify maintenance.	The single biggest weakness in the stock case is the small Morse chain used to power the front wheels. This new Rockland unit is almost 1/2 inch wider and vastly stronger.	The stock three-pinion planetary was replaced with the much stronger six-pinion planetary on the right. This dramatically reduces the chance of a Low-range failure.
The rear output shaft gets this bigger gear to accommodate the new chain's size. It was also shortened to increase driveshaft length and eliminate the slip yoke.	The stock folded-steel Low-range selector fork was replaced with this forged-aluminum one for easier, more direct actuation and better stick feel. The difference is surprisingly noticeable.	Eliminating the factory slip yoke allows us to use a longer CV driveshaft like this one from 4 Wheel Parts. The longer shaft reduces driveline angles and vibrations and will allow us to remove the skidplate lowering blocks that our Jeep required with its 3.5-inch lift.