Shifting Linkage

[Mr. Argo]

Hello All,

I have a 97 Max IV. I just traded for it and it's my first 6x6. The bar that runs from the front of the max to the back connecting the shift lever to the transmission is bowed like a boomerang not allowing it to shift. It appears to me I could straighten it and maybe reinforce with like a pipe sleeve? Is this just a simple rod as it appears or is there more than meets the eye here? Thoughts? TIA

[eresle]

It should be straight but you might want to explore why it bent in the first place. Someone must have leaned on it quite hard to get the transmission into gear for it to bend.....
As a thought, if you disconnect both the rods that run back to the transmission (pop them off the diamond shaped plates each side of the transmission) you could try shifting each side in and out of gear by moving the diamond shaped plates by hand. If nothing is moving you might have a bigger problem then bent rods....