February 06, 2012
By Jeff Weakley
Lyle McCandless of Swamp Buggies of Florida shows off a new belt-drive transfer case at the Florida Sportsman Expo in Fort Myers on Feb. 4. It uses a carbon fiber belt warranted to 1,000 horsepower by Gates Rubber Company. Operation is “whisper quiet,” says McCandless. “Traditional transfer cases make a noise, a whine, and government users, park service, Fish and Wildlife Commission, and hunters have all complained about it. For this new belt-drive case, we're buying parts from Gates, and doing all the fabrication in our shop. We make these in 2:1, 2 ½:1 and 3:1 gear reduction. It's a dry case, with grease bearings top and bottom, and runs on the belt and pulleys.” The box without pulleys runs $2,000; pulleys are $150-200; a disk brake kit is also available for $650. For information about Swamp Buggies of Florida, click here.
