HELP LOTS OF SNOW do you think this will work?

[splferrell]

I went to the junk yard and bought so hubs for $70 they broke in about 15 mins, the snow here is about 7in and three foot drifts and i have know money, i was thinking about drilling through the hub and the shaft and stiking a nut and bolt through it to make it lock. do you think this will work? also how does the rear end work i see two wires going to the pig is this suppose to make the rear end lock when it's in 4wd cause when i'm in 4wd it does one wheel pill in the rear end. nd know when the passenger wheel is spining and the driver side is not it's making a noise in 4wd or 2wd? any suggestions will be helpful. i'm not worried about the shafts and the hubs because i'm plan on replacing them when i get money, and if i buy wharn hubs is it bad to leave your hubs locked all the time, why do you have to unlock them

 

[8450]

the wires are the ABS sensor on the ring gear. the reason its one wheeling is the clutches are probably shot inside the rear.i dont get what you're talking about on the hubs so i dont know about that,.and unlocking the hubs is better than leaving them locked,cause you get less wear and better gas mileage

 

[IZwack]

also how does the rear end work i see two wires going to the pig is this suppose to make the rear end lock when it's in 4wd cause when i'm in 4wd it does one wheel pill in the rear end.

The rear differential unit is not controllable and from your description, it sounds like you have an "open" differential -- although a worn-out "limited slip" unit could exhibit the same "one wheeled peel out" behavior. The wires you mentioned might be the ABS sensor and the breather tube.


IMHO, the best thing you could do at this point is to drive slowly and carefully. Until you can replace the hubs, play it safe or else you might end up in a worse situation than just a busted pair of hubs.

 

[splferrell]

 

[splferrell]

the best thing you could do at this point is to drive slowly and carefully

my truck won't drive i went about 4 feet and got stuck

 

[kert0307]

then throw some weight in the back, like 2wd trucks do till you can get manual hubs (they are a lot stronger than the autos)

 

[pope_face]

As far as the bolt idea goes... I suppose you could do it... not that it would be a good idea. You'd probably have to change the entire hubs afterwards... not to mention the grim getting in there while "unlocked"... and finally the difficulty in locking them... you'd have to put it in neutral and roll backwards/forwards until the holes lined up... it just wouldn't be worth the effort, I think. I suggest either get the Warn hubs now, or stick in 2WD with extra weight...

 

[DeRocha]

As the others have already mentioned the wires on top of the rear diff are for the ABS sensor. You must likely have an open differential which sends power to the wheel with least resistance (that is why you see the the one wheel burn outs). As such whatever tire has the least traction will get the post power... If one wheel is on solid pavement and the other is in the air the one in the air gets 100% of the power (not fair ) but that's how open diffs work... It is possible you have a Limited slip diff, but if you did it would appear it is broken.

I could see drilling the hubs to get them to lock in an emergency situation, but in your situation It isn't recommended. The reasons pope_face gave are on the money; you'd be driving around with the entire front end locked all the time which cause your avg mpg to drop by a few miles along with additional wear and tear on the front driveline components. Also drilling through the hub may damage it and the axle shaft which would then also need to be replaced. Having said that it is still fine to drive around all the time with your front hubs locked. Lots of people who live in snowy areas keep their hubs locked all the time and just engage 4x4 when needed..

 

[IZwack]

then throw some weight in the back

x2 -- weigh down the back since you're sure the back axle is pushing.

 

[ErickSaint]

I did a switch to manual hubs earlier in the season before the weather got bad. Total cost from Summit with the conversion kit was right around $170, this was for Mile Marker hubs and not Warns, I believe the Warns were a bit more. And if you search around others have posted a number for nut kit from another dana setup that costs about $8. Where as if you drill things out, it will work but at a much greater cost in the long run, parts wise.

I have been driving with my hubs locked since the beginning of december. It has been snowing every few days lately so when I need the 4wd I just hit the button. As said in previous posts the only ill effect as of right now is lowered gas mileage, but I'm in need of a tune up anyway so the mileage was already questionable.

 

[sn0border88]

It wouldnt work, you axles need to slide in and out a little when you turn. But have fun watching the whole front end getting destoryed. Not to mention when you break it all then you will need to replace hubs, u-joints, stub shafts and god knows whatever else will go with it and you realize that now you need to buy all that stuff instead of waiting another week and buying another set of hubs. Junkyards around here sell locking hubs for $6 a piece, I found a few sets of warns on RBV's and kept them as spares. Hell, people almost give away stock ford hubs.

 

[pope_face]

I'm going to interrupt for a minute... but what does RBV stand for?

 

[kert0307]

ranger based vehical?

 

[Minivek]

Borrow some real winter tires for the time being, go to a garage and have your tires studded, weight on the rear wheels. You could sipe your own tires with just a utility knife, helps provide traction. or try taking the hubs off and locking the cam so it can't disengage, I'm sure it can be done, just no sure it's worth it. Then all you'd have to do is use your pushbutton 4x4 to go in and out of 4x4. Also try returning those hubs to the scrap yard, cuz 15 minutes isn't standard lifetime a a used part, it was most likely broken to start out with, try to trade for some other locks. Also are you sure It's the hubs and not just the shifter motor??

 

[Minivek]

also, put that weight right in front or right over the rear wheels, cuz if you put the weight behind the wheels, you'll unload the front some and cause funky steering in deep snow.

 

[bikeboarder]

here if you have a welder this could work

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=167817&page=1

 

[sn0border88]

ranger based vehicle: ranger, b2 and explorer.

 

[pope_face]

Awesome... I wouldn't have figured that out...

<Is happy to own an RBV>

 

[IZwack]

<-- thinks he acquired RBV after a one-night stand

 

[pope_face]

<-- thinks he acquired RBV after a one-night stand

Hahahaha...