Locking Hubs through winter months

[OL Crony]

last year i got my auto lockers replaced with warn manual locks. now that we've come into the winter months, i've been keeping them locked up when severe winter weather is expected or we are experiencing consistent winter storms. when its dry and i don't expect to need my 4 wheel drive i unlock them. also when i am planning a longer trip when i don't expect to use the 4x4 either.

a guy here at work told me that was not a good strategy because he ruined something on his truck when he did that. he traveled a long distance to work and back and kept the hubs locked all the time, wet or dry. i am just a mile or so away from work and do very little driving otherwise.

can some one explain to me what happens when you lock the hubs and why it is detrimental to the truck to drive with them locked? thanks very much for your time.



az

 

[jimbo74]

it may cuase some binding... but is for the most part ok, as long as you arent going like 100 mph... it will screy your mpg, though as there is a whole nother drivetrain spinning..... i left mine locked at thaven last year..... and was blazing down the highway at about 80 for 10 or so miles one way, and nothing happened to my truck.....

 

[JDraper]

Leaving the hubs locked on dry pavement with the truck in 4wd puts a severe stress on the drivetrain. When you have the hubs locked and turn the wheels, one of the wheels has to slide to turn a corner. On dirt, snow or other slippery surfaces, that's fine, but because of the grip the tires have on dry pavement, the drivetrain binds up and this puts a tremendous amount of torque into the drivetrain. This can break hubs, driveshafts, differentials, xfer cases, u-joints, etc. I would highly recommend NOT leaving them locked in if you drive on paved roads. Over time you WILL break something. If you really don't want to take the 30 seconds to walk around to the passenger's side to unlock that hub, just unlock the driver's side and this will take the strain off the system.

 

[OL Crony]

WOW!!!

thanks for the response.

this i like scared straight - the automotive series.

i was conscious about the hubs before - and now i am sure that i will take the few extra seconds to flip those switches.

 

[DesertSpive]

Locking your hubs ahead of time when you know that you will be experiencing sever weather is OK. It does put some stress and drag on the driveline, but it is not severe. You will note a small mileage loss.

Locking your hubs and drivingaround is no different than the set up on newer Rangers and Explorers where everything in the front end turns anyway (we have no hubs). There will not be any bind, as long as you do not put it in 4WD on hard and dry pavement, etc. I know people who lock the hubs in September and unlock them in March, especially in very cold climates.

When I had a TTB Ranger, I would lock my hubs when I would go to the snow. Or leave them locked for a weekend 4WD trip when I knew there would be some highway between the dirt.

--Sean

 

[JDraper]

Of course my silly brain just "locked in" on the hubs being in and missed his comment on not being in 4wd. As Desert Spive said, keeping them locked but not in 4wd won't do any damage, it just spins the components.

 

[OL Crony]

thanks for straightening things out. this site has been such help in the past and i hope for many years into the future.

 

[tkauf]

locking hubs manual

I can't imagine anything being broken by running with the hubs locked in and 2/ Hi. The hubs will drive the entire front drive train and spin everything back to the transfer case. You will use more gas. I had a 4 runner for six years with manual hubs, ran it all the time with hubs locked when conditions warrented it. I shifted from 2/Hi to 4/Hi as needed.

Correct me if I am wrong, but regarding the comment of unlocking one hub and leaving the other locked in; would that not spin the front driveshaft and spin the unlocked side in the opposite direction?

Years ago there were no Warn hubs and 4/WDR vehicles turned the front axle and drive assembly all the time whether under power or not.

Driving locked in and in 4/WDR on dry pavement will screw things up especially around corners. The outer front wheel travels farther than the rear wheel. Hence the front driveline rotates at a different RPM then the back driveline. The binding occurs in the transfer case. The all wheel drive models have a differential built into the transfer case to take care of this binding. If you drive one and lock the transfer case on dry pavement you will experience the same binding and hopping as a conventional 4/WDR.

Tom

 

[JDraper]

Re: locking hubs manual

Originally posted by tkauf

....Correct me if I am wrong, but regarding the comment of unlocking one hub and leaving the other locked in; would that not spin the front driveshaft and spin the unlocked side in the opposite direction?


Tom

It would if the front driveshaft stays still (assuming an open differential). One of the two shafts (driveshaft or unlocked axle shaft) is gonna spin.

 

[MattHarrell]

So, the bottom line is that I'm safe to lock my hubs as long as I don't engage the transfer case on dry pavement? I can handle that. In this area we have a number of alternating bad and good road conditions so being able to lock the hubs and just flip the button when I need would be great.

 

[jimbo74]

Originally posted by MattHarrell
So, the bottom line is that I'm safe to lock my hubs as long as I don't engage the transfer case on dry pavement? I can handle that. In this area we have a number of alternating bad and good road conditions so being able to lock the hubs and just flip the button when I need would be great.

yes.... leaving the fronts locked with an open front diff is fine for driving around in 4x2

even on dry pavement, shifting into 4x4 is still bad, but can be done, just watch the turns.. thats how icheck to see if my 4x4 is working before a trip, if i put it in 4x4 and crank the wheel all the way to one side and let it idle in gear and i dont move, i know its working... if on dry pavement, just be careful, that has a tendency to bust ujoints or the like....

 

[JDraper]

Yep, you can do that without a problem. I actually do that with my Sammy when there is drifting snow on our roads. The Sammy is helpless in 2wd on anything but bare pavement.