It is well known that shifting of 4-wheel drive vehicles is accomplished by the actuation of a single pivot arm extending outwardly from the transfer case housing and to which is attached one end of a selector rod, the other end of the rod being connected to an arm actuator which is a part of a vehicle shift lever assembly mounted directly on the transfer case housing. The vehicle shift lever assembly includes a shift lever which extends upwardly into the driver's compartment, much like the conventional floor shift lever which extends from the vehicle's primary transmission.
Problems have arisen in that frequently, the transfer case is not mounted directly under the place in file vehicle where the shift lever is to be located. In fact, it has been suggested that the shifter mechanism be mounted to the floor pan rather than on the transmission. Thus, the geometry of the shifter parts have to be changed for every different position of the transfer case relative to the shifter mechanism. Accordingly, the change in the geometry of the shifter requires a change in a number of the parts of the shifter. This creates the problem of having to inventory a large number of parts for each shifter so as to accommodate the relative different positions of the transfer case with respect to the shifter assembly.
In any shifter or transmission control mechanism, it is desirable to provide as simple an operating mechanism as possible. Many different shifters have been designed to provide a straight line shifter, that is, one in which it is not necessary to move the shift lever transversely of the forward and rearward direction for shifting the transmission to the various modes as referred to above. Two such examples of shifters of this type are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,961,890 issued to Marshall and U.S. Pat. No. 3,765,261 issued to Robbins. These two patents disclose shifters mounted on a transfer case housing. Further, such shifters are very complicated and cumbersome, thus lacking the simplicity which has been a long-felt need in the industry. In addition, the shifting mechanism includes actuator rods which lack the flexibility and advantages of the present invention.