Overdrives - GKN vs Roverdrive

[The Gryphon]

Sorry if this has already been asked before.

I’m in the market for an Overdrive for my 300TDi 110 (R380 box). As far as I’m aware there are only two on the market GKN and the Rocky Mountain Roverdrive.

I do like the fact the Roverdrive is entirely mechanical, I have herd some bad stories concerning electrical problems with the GKN unit.
But the GKN can be used like a splitter box on 3rd and 4th gear, handy for me as I sometimes two very heavy, above the legal limit, tractor trailers behind my 110.

Now the question is which one do I buy?

Dose anyone here have nay experience of either unit?

[TerryS]

The GKN has gotten good reviews but they are quite expensive stateside. My mate in Scotland has one on his 110, but I can't get the bugger to ship one over here. With the present exchange, it's half again as expensive here. I was not aware that Roverdrive would work on an LT-230. I'll look into that. As fas as I have been told, The GKN, as supplied by Rovers North, will only fit the 1.4:1 LT-230, but you may have access to different input gears that RN doesn't supply. The solinoid which engages it looks just like the old one used on the Laycock overdrives from Jags and Healeys. I remember (rare moments of lucidity) that it required regularly pulling the coil and cleaning the plunger as they got stuck from road dirt.

[The Gryphon]

Thanks for the input, unfortunately both units are the wrong side of £1k in the UK so i dread to think how expensive they are in the USA.

Rockey mountain are bringing out an updated version (Roverdrive DX) to fit the LT-230 Transfer box this year. The beauty is its still manual, just an extra gear leaver…. And you can never have too many gear leavers in a land rover.

One thing that concerns me about the GKN units, and you have confirmed them here is the amount of electronics in them.
At the end of the day the unit will be slung under a working defender that spends most of its life on job sites (think muddy fields and yards) then the rest on motorways.
If they gum up with day to day road dirt I dread to think what having half of Cheshire stuck under the vehicle will do to it.

Also funny you should mention the laycock units as I have herd a few people mention that the GKN unit is the same castings just slightly redesigned to fit the landy.

[TerryS]

To be honest, I wouldn't be frightened off by the electrics of the GKN. It's only a magnetic solinoid, and I don't think it would require a degree in Mech Eng. to change it to a cable operated linkage. Roverdrives in series trucks have a very good reputation, which is way more than can be said for the company. They have difficulty meeting many obligations.