Reverse gearing

[Crow_Hunter]

As part of my ongoing quest to learn everything there is to know about the SXS world so that I can find more to gripe and moan about, I have noticed something.

No one, with any type of machine is satisfied with reverse, no matter the brand.

Pretty much no company seems to be making a reverse gear that people like. I don't know about P500 owners though, they are an odd lot.

Wolverine - too high
Teryx - too high
Pioneer 700 and 1000 - too high
Defender - no one talks about but it seemed to be higher than the Pioneer 1000
Ranger/RZR - No one gets to find out because they break their chain...

Is there a reason for this that we, the general public, don't understand for this seeming across the board design characteristic?

You would think that someone, by sheer accident would get a gear ratio that people really like, but everyone complains that their reverse is geared too high.

Anyone care to hypothesize why that is?

 

[Admin]

 

[joeymt33]

When they are too low, people claim that they need to be higher so they can have more wheel speed for the times they are stuck in the mud and need to back up.

 

[sharp]

I haven't noticed reverse much, I usually just punch it and go forward!

 

[sporttrac4x4]

As part of my ongoing quest to learn everything there is to know about the SXS world so that I can find more to gripe and moan about, I have noticed something.

No one, with any type of machine is satisfied with reverse, no matter the brand.

Pretty much no company seems to be making a reverse gear that people like. I don't know about P500 owners though, they are an odd lot.

Wolverine - too high
Teryx - too high
Pioneer 700 and 1000 - too high
Defender - no one talks about but it seemed to be higher than the Pioneer 1000
Ranger/RZR - No one gets to find out because they break their chain...

Is there a reason for this that we, the general public, don't understand for this seeming across the board design characteristic?

You would think that someone, by sheer accident would get a gear ratio that people really like, but everyone complains that their reverse is geared too high.

Anyone care to hypothesize why that is?

If it had a lower gear then they wouldn't have to put a cut out on it and it would work out great

 

[Crow_Hunter]

When they are too low, people claim that they need to be higher so they can have more wheel speed for the times they are stuck in the mud and need to back up.

So the designers are stuck between a rock and a hard place and can't please anyone?

I would have thought though that wheel speed can be increased by applying more throttle or gearing increased by adding larger tires but lowest gear ratio is pretty much fixed unless you drop a tire size.

Seems that having a really low granny gear first/reverse (P500?) with the option to increase that gearing via increasing tire diameter (P500 again) would be the best solution especially since that seems to be what most people do. I have very seldom read about anyone deciding to add a smaller than stock tire until someone suggested it to me, everyone always seems to go larger.

But there may be more to it and less simple than I am understanding it to be. Like the need to change clutches or sheaves or other such things.

 

[Crow_Hunter]

I haven't noticed reverse much, I usually just punch it and go forward!

I haven't really noticed it either but in most conversations you will read, "It's really great, blah, blah, blah but I wish it had a lower reverse gear".

Every design.

I just found it odd and was wondering why that is.

 

[sharp]

A rock and a hard place? Sounds like a good place t ride!

 

[sharp]

I haven't really noticed it either but in most conversations you will read, "It's really great, blah, blah, blah but I wish it had a lower reverse gear".

Every design.

I just found it odd and was wondering why that is.

I don't ride conversations, I just figure it out for myself!

 

[joeymt33]

So the designers are stuck between a rock and a hard place and can't please anyone?

I would have thought though that wheel speed can be increased by applying more throttle or gearing increased by adding larger tires but lowest gear ratio is pretty much fixed unless you drop a tire size.

Seems that having a really low granny gear first/reverse (P500?) with the option to increase that gearing via increasing tire diameter (P500 again) would be the best solution especially since that seems to be what most people do. I have very seldom read about anyone deciding to add a smaller than stock tire until someone suggested it to me, everyone always seems to go larger.

But there may be more to it and less simple than I am understanding it to be. Like the need to change clutches or sheaves or other such things.

The answer would be to have the reverse gear multiplied by the sub transmission just like all the forward gears.

 

[Crow_Hunter]

The answer would be to have the reverse gear multiplied by the sub transmission just like all the forward gears.

Hmm, interesting.

I didn't realize that it wasn't so it is basically High Range 1st gear then.

Are the belted machines setup the same way?

 

[joeymt33]

Not sure but when you think about your truck, the reverse gear is multiplied when in low range so you actually have two reverse ratios to use.

 

[Plumber101010]

I too have never understood complaints about reverse, because it's just not a gear you spend much time in. I use it occasionally when I'm too lazy to turn around in my driveway and just back up to my first turn around. Seems sufficient enough.

I also agree there's probably no pleasing in that category. Trying to pick one gear to please everybody will never happen.

Too low to get power and torque and others would say it's too slow and they want to go faster.

Too high and others would say they need more torque and low power to move trailers.

It's a lose lose and Joey is 100% correct, there would have to be two reverse gears to correspond with high and low mode to please everybody.

I know the reverse in my Duramax truck is the lowest of all gears and I use it for pulling. Unless you have an old manual shift truck with a granny gear

 

[Plumber101010]

Not sure but when you think about your truck, the reverse gear is multiplied when in low range so you actually have two reverse ratios to use.

Is that true? I just assumed in my Duramax that reverse was the same gear and the only difference in the low range was I was using 4 wheels to back up vs 2?

I never really thought about it any further than that. Now you got me thinking harder than I need to think about such things..