I am looking at different shifters for my duster and I was wondering what the difference was between a gate operated and ratchet operated shifter. also, what type of shifter do you use or prefer in your car?
. . . . um . . . come to think of it I really don't know the diff. I have a B&M Pro stick, it's kinda cool I'm still gettin used to it and it's kind of a ***** using both hands to get into reverse, I used to have a B&M Z-gate, not the prettiest thing but it worked damn good and only required one hand.
Here is what i've found so far regarding gate/ratchet:
Gate Operated - Gate shifters use a "gate" to move the shifter through the gears. The gate is normally designed so it will only move one gear at a time. Starting all the way back in first gear you would push the shifter over and up into second. The handle will stay in that position. From there, the shifter would move over before it could be moved up into third. The shifter moves vertical and horizontal. Some shifter sticks stay in same position after shift, depending on model.
Ratchet Operated - Ratchet shifters move one gear position at a time. Push it forward or pull it back and it only moves one position. You need to ratchet it again to move into the next position. Starting all the way back in first gear, you push the shifter forward into second. When you release the shifter, the handle comes back into a neutral position waiting for the next shift. You push it ahead again and you're in third gear and the handle comes back for the next gear. So it's always push, release, push, release. Some ratchet operated shifter has 2 settings: trigger operated (Park drive) and ratchet operated (N 1, which you just push up without having to use the trigger). The shifter only moves vertical.
Trigger Operated To shift the transmission out of park, you must pull up on the trigger in order to be able to move the stick, (simple on some shifters and other shifters require 2 hands to move out of park/reverse).
When you say you have to use both hands to get into reverse, do you mean you have to pull the little trigger with one hand and shift with the other hand?