AWD BW4404

[lugnut1009]

You won’t get unlocking hubs.

Oh I know I’d have to change quite a lot of front end components out to achieve it, but that would be on my “want” list.

 

[CDW6212R]

Oh I know I’d have to change quite a lot of front end components out to achieve it, but that would be on my “want” list.

Skip the locking manual hubs, Jamie will tell you soon, adamantly, that they aren't very reliable. He has tried them and tested them enough to know. The drag from the front axles and diff, are so little you won't notice the difference. The real drag is the binding of the front tires against the rears through the TC, in turns. I think it's too minor to worry about, but most people believe it costs some mileage.

 

[C420sailor]

This really makes me want to cruise to the JY this week to find a 4406. Rear shaft is due for joints anyway

 

[Mbrooks420]

I like the functionality of the AWD. I’m definitely in the minority. I’ve been planning to start gathering up a kit to have these parts laying around for when they’re hard to come by. I’d also like to grab a lower mile 4404 to have as a core to rebuild.

 

[CDW6212R]

The components to rebuild the AWD TC's cost at least $450. That's what it was almost two years ago when I collected them for my locked up unit. There was only one available viscous coupling at the time, it was about $275 then.

 

[lugnut1009]

Yeah the ones I’ve found are around $300. Then a bearing and seal kit is another $125, and I haven’t priced a chain. But can’t imagine rebuilding it and not replacing the chain.

 

[CDW6212R]

The chain was about $90 as I recall, the bearing and seal kit too. Prices have gone up, the early rebuilt units were $800ish, and two years ago they were close to $1100. Now I don't want to know, inflation is going to squeeze us more and more.

 

[lugnut1009]

The problem here is I’m confident I can rebuild it and have a good working unit. If I buy a used one, it could fail at anytime. I don’t know if these are known for lasting a long time. And I’m sure it depends on how they were maintained and treated too. It’s all a gamble.

 

[CDW6212R]

Very good, check into the costs now, and give it a go. I plan to do my bad one when I get time to work on that truck. There is one thread here that described much of the rebuild of the 4404, it was over ten years ago I think. I think mainly the bearings would be the hardest to R&R.

 

[410Fortune]

Converting to 98-99 ranger knuckles so i you can get the power vacuum hub parts and then install the aftermarket hubs is a huge waste of money and time imo
If the aftermaket hubs were any good then maybe it would be worth it, but the rugged ridge parts are a joke, the factory vacuum setup would be better. Ford stopped putting them on the rangers in 99 for a reason! Not needed!! Not a good setup

The 4404 has it place, street, strip, ralleycross maybe but I still think on all of those situations a true 50/50 4x4 system you control is far superior

Anything that uses a clutch to divide power is a power user and slippage generated heat = wasted energy. In this case it costs you fuel and wear and tear

The 4406 conversion will pay for itself in time especially with these fuel and tires prices

Anyone who has a gen ii 5.0 that went 4406 will agree, once you have it there is no going back makes it really really hard to like the 4404

Side note:
We are staying in town now because our road got so bad it needs tracked atv’s to commute, it wil take me a week or so to repair our Polaris ranger crew northstar and install the tracks (threw a belt half way up the road at night in the blizzard w 6 people on board fun fun), the driveway at our in town place also has 3’ of snow on it and the John deer snowblower wouldn’t start so I jumped the 3’ ice burm the city left us (in
My bii first time the front tires caught air in about 20 years!) and tracked up the driveway in my bii using the v8 and both lockers to dig for about an hour. Then I shoveled a narrow spot in the ice burm so we could get in. I was able to park my bii, the wife’s FJ cruiser and my dil 98 explorer w the 5.0 and 4406 in the driveway. The 5.0 sport trac with the 4404 and awd has to park on the street…. It simply will get suck even in this flat driveway

I am not rebuilding the 1980’s John deer walk behind snowblower carb…..

Snowpocolypse 2022

 

[lugnut1009]

Converting to 98-99 ranger knuckles so i you can get the power vacuum hub parts and then install the aftermarket hubs is a huge waste of money and time imo
If the aftermaket hubs were any good then maybe it would be worth it, but the rugged ridge parts are a joke, the factory vacuum setup would be better. Ford stopped putting them on the rangers in 99 for a reason! Not needed!! Not a good setup

The 4404 has it place, street, strip, ralleycross maybe but I still think on all of those situations a true 50/50 4x4 system you control is far superior

Anything that uses a clutch to divide power is a power user and slippage generated heat = wasted energy. In this case it costs you fuel and wear and tear

The 4406 conversion will pay for itself in time especially with these fuel and tires prices

Anyone who has a gen ii 5.0 that went 4406 will agree, once you have it there is no going back makes it really really hard to like the 4404

Side note:
We are staying in town now because our road got so bad it needs tracked atv’s to commute, it wil take me a week or so to repair our Polaris ranger crew northstar and install the tracks (threw a belt half way up the road at night in the blizzard w 6 people on board fun fun), the driveway at our in town place also has 3’ of snow on it and the John deer snowblower wouldn’t start so I jumped the 3’ ice burm the city left us (in
My bii first time the front tires caught air in about 20 years!) and tracked up the driveway in my bii using the v8 and both lockers to dig for about an hour. Then I shoveled a narrow spot in the ice burm so we could get in. I was able to park my bii, the wife’s FJ cruiser and my dil 98 explorer w the 5.0 and 4406 in the driveway. The 5.0 sport trac with the 4404 and awd has to park on the street…. It simply will get suck even in this flat driveway

I am not rebuilding the 1980’s John deer walk behind snowblower carb…..

Snowpocolypse 2022

Man and I thought my road was in bad shape

I would LOVE to do the 4406 conversion rather than the 4404. But this is my daily for now, and I don't want to have any downtime in it. When its warm again and a week of good weather I could ride my motorcycle to work daily and do it then.

So from what I've read, the 4406 is a simple bolt on replacement, you have to cut a hole in the floorboard to mount the shifter, an expedition front driveshaft fits right in, but the rear you have to make a custom shaft for? Honestly no more than I use 4wd, I'd rather throw in a 2wd 4R70W and ditch the rest of the AWD system than try to go through all that. Just sayin...

 

[410Fortune]

It is a conversion they do cost $$$$ and take work and time! It is not for everyone!

Installing a rwd 4r70w and deleting the front diff cv axles is likely about the same amount t if work and $$$$. Will need a trans filter and 12-14 quarts of Mercon v, rwd rear driveshaft
You will need rwd knuckles and wheel bearings good time to do ball joints, tie rod ends, brakes etc you see where I am going with this

There are rear d shafts that will fit without mods I just do not have that info
Memorized, 97-98 expedition 4.6 and some f150

Half dozen in one hand 6 in the other… apples to apples conversions are never just simple even the simple ones

 

[CDW6212R]

Converting to 98-99 ranger knuckles so i you can get the power vacuum hub parts and then install the aftermarket hubs is a huge waste of money and time imo
If the aftermaket hubs were any good then maybe it would be worth it, but the rugged ridge parts are a joke, the factory vacuum setup would be better. Ford stopped putting them on the rangers in 99 for a reason! Not needed!! Not a good setup

The 4404 has it place, street, strip, ralleycross maybe but I still think on all of those situations a true 50/50 4x4 system you control is far superior

Anything that uses a clutch to divide power is a power user and slippage generated heat = wasted energy. In this case it costs you fuel and wear and tear

The 4406 conversion will pay for itself in time especially with these fuel and tires prices

Anyone who has a gen ii 5.0 that went 4406 will agree, once you have it there is no going back makes it really really hard to like the 4404

Side note:
We are staying in town now because our road got so bad it needs tracked atv’s to commute, it wil take me a week or so to repair our Polaris ranger crew northstar and install the tracks (threw a belt half way up the road at night in the blizzard w 6 people on board fun fun), the driveway at our in town place also has 3’ of snow on it and the John deer snowblower wouldn’t start so I jumped the 3’ ice burm the city left us (in
My bii first time the front tires caught air in about 20 years!) and tracked up the driveway in my bii using the v8 and both lockers to dig for about an hour. Then I shoveled a narrow spot in the ice burm so we could get in. I was able to park my bii, the wife’s FJ cruiser and my dil 98 explorer w the 5.0 and 4406 in the driveway. The 5.0 sport trac with the 4404 and awd has to park on the street…. It simply will get suck even in this flat driveway

I am not rebuilding the 1980’s John deer walk behind snowblower carb…..

Snowpocolypse 2022

Ouch, sorry to hear about that terrible snow storm Jamie. I hope you and your family stay warm and safe. What will you do to improve your driveway, is this snow a wild happening that isn't likely to come again?

 

[Mbrooks420]

Nothing worse than your redundant equipment failing at the same time.

 

[c96drumm]

I absolutely despise the 70/30 split full time awd, it eats fuel and wears front tires, wheel bearings like nobody’s business. The first time you drive a 5.0 that was converted to true rwd 4hi 4lo you will understand. The steering gets lighter, the passing power is greater, the mpg improves, and best of all your tires will last twice as long.

Must be something wrong with mine. 353K miles. Does NOT do any of that stuff you say it does. I get 19-20 mpg, tires last 60-80K miles, I've replaced exactly ONE wheel bearing. Traction in mud and snow is excellent.

 

[410Fortune]

The snow is normal for this area and something I look forward to!

We are always improving our “road” yes
That is why I have a dozer, excavator and tractor. Our “driveway” is a two +mile old
Logging road built in the 80’s that follows the river along the base of the mountains. We have a few “seasons” back here like dust, mud, slush, water, and of course snow. I go four wheeling every single day in multiple Machines and I never even leave our neighborhood! That is awesome because in Colorado the bronco ii was pounding a lot of pavement.
We are still learning how to deal with living back in the woods off grid. Family is fine we are totally spoiled rotten. When I cannot keep the road open we simply put tracks on our atv and utv and park at the bottom of the road. It is much easier to just drive in and out so the goal is to keep the road open best we can.
I am Learning that my plow truck is completely out matched back here, once the snow burms gets up over the plow it is useless. I will likely sell it and instead build a snowblower for the front of my bronco or dozer
We have been here 4 years now this is the first year I have been able to keep us on tires most of the season, until this one storm! The plow truck was having fuel feed issues (two tanks selector
Valve) and was stuck on the road for one day.. that was enough to overtake the road. If you remember when we left Colorado we were Able to buy two houses up here in Idaho the off grid “compound”’as they call it and a “city” house. My whole immediate family moved up here over the last 4 years, everyone but my brother who remains in Hollywood, so we have options. The problem with improving the road is it then makes it too easy!! Plus you can put a ton of money into a road just to watch it all wash away or sink into the mud, so it must be done correctly. There are 12 properties back here but only two of us are Full time, everyone else is seasonal. I could build a nice road just to have one neighbor jack it all up. Working to get everyone on the same page. We have collected some road
Fabric now and a bunch of culverts. One of our new neighbors also brought a large 4wd articulating grader to the party, that is the one piece of equipment that is really needed now. We have dozers, excavators and dump trucks.. now a grader. Some of the older dudes have lots of experience at this stuff but again they are seasonal and recreate back here so they can only do so much.
I hate to let the plow truck go as it is a serious ford beast, but it is what it is. The plow truck is a 86 f250 Bigfoot cruiser (400
Made) with a now 472 big block c6 auto and a boss v plow, she lives on 4 chains and never leaves the property. I had big plans for that truck…we got it with the house, but she uses 10-20 gallons of fuel each day of Plowing and with a storm like this it mine as well be a matchbox car. The Dana 50 ttb I broke the last two seasons has now been upgraded to all one ton running gear (stupid Dana 44/50 Hybrid stuff) I have her running awesome, plow mount completely rebuilt last season this is one badass truck! Now having fuel system issues, Mechanical pump pulling from two tanks… I picked up a single 38 gallon tank for the rear and an electric pump was just getting ready to upgrade. Now I am thinking I need either a road grader or just a big Snowblower.. my neighbor (and best buddy!) has been back here 14 years, he is one year younger than me and he has lots of good ideas. Snowblower is the way to keep this road open… the dozer works also, but still requires lots Of pushing and needs a wider blade… bronco ii would be badass with a home built self powered snowblower attached to the front nothing like just throwing the snow into the river instead of trying to push the road open all the time. Plus from my heated drivers seat in my beloved underdog bronco ii? Life cannot get much better! Oh wait it could if I was actually riding sleds instead of battling the road

Man and machine vs the forest
The forest fights back!
I Would not trade this for the world!!!

Want to see some pictures? Way off topic here but lots of fun for sure! I think I used my arb lockers about 15 times before
Moving here, now I have probably used them 15 times this month
Whatever doesn’t kill you

 

[lugnut1009]

I don’t know how y’all make it up North. Down here in Mississippi I hate it when the temp falls down near freezing, much less any ice or snow!

 

[C420sailor]

I used to live in Meridian, MS. It was nice to still have seasons, but not have to deal with snow.

 

[CDW6212R]

The snow is normal for this area and something I look forward to!

We are always improving our “road” yes
That is why I have a dozer, excavator and tractor. Our “driveway” is a two +mile old
Logging road built in the 80’s that follows the river along the base of the mountains. We have a few “seasons” back here like dust, mud, slush, water, and of course snow. I go four wheeling every single day in multiple Machines and I never even leave our neighborhood! That is awesome because in Colorado the bronco ii was pounding a lot of pavement.
We are still learning how to deal with living back in the woods off grid. Family is fine we are totally spoiled rotten. When I cannot keep the road open we simply put tracks on our atv and utv and park at the bottom of the road. It is much easier to just drive in and out so the goal is to keep the road open best we can.
I am Learning that my plow truck is completely out matched back here, once the snow burms gets up over the plow it is useless. I will likely sell it and instead build a snowblower for the front of my bronco or dozer
We have been here 4 years now this is the first year I have been able to keep us on tires most of the season, until this one storm! The plow truck was having fuel feed issues (two tanks selector
Valve) and was stuck on the road for one day.. that was enough to overtake the road. If you remember when we left Colorado we were Able to buy two houses up here in Idaho the off grid “compound”’as they call it and a “city” house. My whole immediate family moved up here over the last 4 years, everyone but my brother who remains in Hollywood, so we have options. The problem with improving the road is it then makes it too easy!! Plus you can put a ton of money into a road just to watch it all wash away or sink into the mud, so it must be done correctly. There are 12 properties back here but only two of us are Full time, everyone else is seasonal. I could build a nice road just to have one neighbor jack it all up. Working to get everyone on the same page. We have collected some road
Fabric now and a bunch of culverts. One of our new neighbors also brought a large 4wd articulating grader to the party, that is the one piece of equipment that is really needed now. We have dozers, excavators and dump trucks.. now a grader. Some of the older dudes have lots of experience at this stuff but again they are seasonal and recreate back here so they can only do so much.
I hate to let the plow truck go as it is a serious ford beast, but it is what it is. The plow truck is a 86 f250 Bigfoot cruiser (400
Made) with a now 472 big block c6 auto and a boss v plow, she lives on 4 chains and never leaves the property. I had big plans for that truck…we got it with the house, but she uses 10-20 gallons of fuel each day of Plowing and with a storm like this it mine as well be a matchbox car. The Dana 50 ttb I broke the last two seasons has now been upgraded to all one ton running gear (stupid Dana 44/50 Hybrid stuff) I have her running awesome, plow mount completely rebuilt last season this is one badass truck! Now having fuel system issues, Mechanical pump pulling from two tanks… I picked up a single 38 gallon tank for the rear and an electric pump was just getting ready to upgrade. Now I am thinking I need either a road grader or just a big Snowblower.. my neighbor (and best buddy!) has been back here 14 years, he is one year younger than me and he has lots of good ideas. Snowblower is the way to keep this road open… the dozer works also, but still requires lots Of pushing and needs a wider blade… bronco ii would be badass with a home built self powered snowblower attached to the front nothing like just throwing the snow into the river instead of trying to push the road open all the time. Plus from my heated drivers seat in my beloved underdog bronco ii? Life cannot get much better! Oh wait it could if I was actually riding sleds instead of battling the road

Man and machine vs the forest
The forest fights back!
I Would not trade this for the world!!!

Want to see some pictures? Way off topic here but lots of fun for sure! I think I used my arb lockers about 15 times before
Moving here, now I have probably used them 15 times this month
Whatever doesn’t kill you

Excellent, you enjoy it there, so I say great and congratulations. Keep at it and have a good time, I hope the neighbors will appreciate your hard work.

 

[steveatthebeach]

The snow is normal for this area and something I look forward to!

We are always improving our “road” yes
That is why I have a dozer, excavator and tractor. Our “driveway” is a two +mile old
Logging road built in the 80’s that follows the river along the base of the mountains. We have a few “seasons” back here like dust, mud, slush, water, and of course snow. I go four wheeling every single day in multiple Machines and I never even leave our neighborhood! That is awesome because in Colorado the bronco ii was pounding a lot of pavement.
We are still learning how to deal with living back in the woods off grid. Family is fine we are totally spoiled rotten. When I cannot keep the road open we simply put tracks on our atv and utv and park at the bottom of the road. It is much easier to just drive in and out so the goal is to keep the road open best we can.
I am Learning that my plow truck is completely out matched back here, once the snow burms gets up over the plow it is useless. I will likely sell it and instead build a snowblower for the front of my bronco or dozer
We have been here 4 years now this is the first year I have been able to keep us on tires most of the season, until this one storm! The plow truck was having fuel feed issues (two tanks selector
Valve) and was stuck on the road for one day.. that was enough to overtake the road. If you remember when we left Colorado we were Able to buy two houses up here in Idaho the off grid “compound”’as they call it and a “city” house. My whole immediate family moved up here over the last 4 years, everyone but my brother who remains in Hollywood, so we have options. The problem with improving the road is it then makes it too easy!! Plus you can put a ton of money into a road just to watch it all wash away or sink into the mud, so it must be done correctly. There are 12 properties back here but only two of us are Full time, everyone else is seasonal. I could build a nice road just to have one neighbor jack it all up. Working to get everyone on the same page. We have collected some road
Fabric now and a bunch of culverts. One of our new neighbors also brought a large 4wd articulating grader to the party, that is the one piece of equipment that is really needed now. We have dozers, excavators and dump trucks.. now a grader. Some of the older dudes have lots of experience at this stuff but again they are seasonal and recreate back here so they can only do so much.
I hate to let the plow truck go as it is a serious ford beast, but it is what it is. The plow truck is a 86 f250 Bigfoot cruiser (400
Made) with a now 472 big block c6 auto and a boss v plow, she lives on 4 chains and never leaves the property. I had big plans for that truck…we got it with the house, but she uses 10-20 gallons of fuel each day of Plowing and with a storm like this it mine as well be a matchbox car. The Dana 50 ttb I broke the last two seasons has now been upgraded to all one ton running gear (stupid Dana 44/50 Hybrid stuff) I have her running awesome, plow mount completely rebuilt last season this is one badass truck! Now having fuel system issues, Mechanical pump pulling from two tanks… I picked up a single 38 gallon tank for the rear and an electric pump was just getting ready to upgrade. Now I am thinking I need either a road grader or just a big Snowblower.. my neighbor (and best buddy!) has been back here 14 years, he is one year younger than me and he has lots of good ideas. Snowblower is the way to keep this road open… the dozer works also, but still requires lots Of pushing and needs a wider blade… bronco ii would be badass with a home built self powered snowblower attached to the front nothing like just throwing the snow into the river instead of trying to push the road open all the time. Plus from my heated drivers seat in my beloved underdog bronco ii? Life cannot get much better! Oh wait it could if I was actually riding sleds instead of battling the road

Man and machine vs the forest
The forest fights back!
I Would not trade this for the world!!!

Want to see some pictures? Way off topic here but lots of fun for sure! I think I used my arb lockers about 15 times before
Moving here, now I have probably used them 15 times this month
Whatever doesn’t kill you

Snow? That’s a 4 letter word in my book. Time spent in the Middle East taught me that. Bring on the heat!