By James Oxley

      Anyone who has ever had to remove, install, or even just move around a NP 205 transfer case knows how heavy they are. I'd estimate easily over 100 lbs.  It is easy enough usually to get one jack under the bottom of theTC, but getting something to hold up the angled end that mounts to the tranny is very difficult.  I was tired of fighting the TC  trying to get it back into the truck, so I decided to make a cradle that would hold the TC in the position it sits when installed in the truck. I ended up taking a couple quick measurements, buying/making the parts and tac welding it together while the parts were snugged up against the TC. Two standard floor jacks are used without the jack cradles. These are the parts I used.

1. Plate, Passenger side, 9-3/4 X 6 X 1/4

2. Plate, bottom, 5 X 6 X 1/4

3. Plate, Drivers side, 5 X 6 X 1/4

4. Angle iron,  back 13.5L X 1 X 1 X 1/8

5. Angle iron , front, 3 parts. 3.5 X 1 X 1 X 1/8 

6. Pipe, 1 Dia X 1

7. Pipe, 1 DIa X 7.5

8. Pipe  1-1/4 X 3

    Here is how it goes together. Front View

Top view

Bottom view

 

  Angle view

And here it is in action.

  A couple of notes;

1. You have to stagger front to back where each jack is going to end up raising the cradle (where pipes are welded on). The jack wheels end up too close together and interfere with each other otherwise. I staggered the passenger side jack point behind the lower jack point. I recommend putting the passenger side jack point ahead of the lower jack point. Doing it this way will balance the TC better.  I still need at least a small amount of pressure to keep the adapter tube up when installing TC or TC wants to roll over forward.

2. Keep in mind drain plug when welding on rear angle iron support.

3. 3 front supports need to be welded on forward (1/2 on-1/2 off) of the supporting plates.  It is best to check these by pre-fitting cradle as TC crossmember is right in this location.

4. Larger short tube is welded over smaller long tube to keep tube from sliding through hole in upper part of most floor jacks. If your floor jacks have the upper support pin right under this hole, that outer tube may not be necessary.

     I was able to remove my NP 205 by myself with this tool. With the help of a friend, it was raised, in place and bolts started in all of 4 minutes. Much better than the half hour (min) of struggling and usually one busted knuckle/head that I had to endure in the past :-)

                                                                  James Oxley