Simple 4 x 4 question

[westfield]

I recently changed my auto hubs to manual hubs...Today for the first time I locked them manually, got back in the x and pushed the 4x4 button to activate the shift motor...4x4 now works like a charm ! Here's my question..

While in 4-wheel drive and I want to go back to 2-wheel, would it be safe to push the button and shift the motor back to 2-while and get to the locking hubs later ?

 

[jd4242]

Yes but wouldn't advise high speeds or hard turns on road.also you do know both have to be locked in

 

[westfield]

Thak you and yes I locked both wheels in and unlocked both when done...What a pleasure without those auto hubs

 

[jd4242]

Yes it is.little pain locking them in and out but worth it.i have a locker so i only lock one in so it stays ready for 4x4.but i like to take it in and out of 4x4 on trails or beach when 4x4 is not needed.save wear and tear plus you run cooler

 

[Roadrunner777]

Very interesting question... I'm in snow country and I'll lock mine the first time I drive before or during a snowstorm. I will leave them locked until it looks like my driving routine is free of snow and ice. With them locked, I will be in and out of 4x4 mode maybe 4 or 5 times a day. I do that because I just rebuilt all that stuff and it binds up in tight parking.

So, given locked hubs but not in 4x4 mode, what is really going on? The wheels turn the hub, which turns the axle. Going straight, the axles turn together, causing the front driveshaft to rotate. Total moving parts, 5 U-joints, 6 bearings. Basically zero load on all of it, so there isn't wear, per se. But, there is friction, which will cost you a few MPG at the pumps. It also causes my cruise control some grief. I may be adding some wear to the equation, not sure, but I don't use 4x4 at all from April through October, so I guess it all works out.

Incidently, something that you might use on a dark night... clockwise engages hubs, counter-clockwise disengages.

 

[safn1949]

I also live in MN and drive most of the winter with the hubs locked,I have replaced all of the bearings and all but 1 u-joint.Just got tired of spinning out when I try to take off.

But I also only drive 4-5000 miles a year.

 

[wood1]

Me too, leave them locked all winter and shift into 2wd when the roads are clear.

 

[DeRocha]

As mentioned by the others there is no Problem with leaving your HUBs locked all the time. The ability to unlock them saves a slight amount of fuel along with an almost negligible amount of wear and tear on the front drive-line components. Many people in the Snow belt leave them locked all winter.

I basically follow RoadRunner's example.. If the weather looks like it may require 4x4 I lock the hubs. If it doesn't then I unlock them to save some fuel. I am not the least bit concerned with wear and tear, as that is what these components are for.

 

[Backwoods "X"]

Look at the newer factory set-ups on just about ANY make, and the VAST majority of them do not use a locking hub. They use a unit-bearing. That should tell you something right there about running with the front "locked in". Not all of the offerings have an axle disconnect, either. Jeep Cherokees have been that way since AT LEAST 88, with the NP 242 Full time capable Xcase, and then starting around 91, with the part time 231. I think that if there was a MAJOR issue with running a "locked" front axle year 'round, that the manufacturers would have NOT offered such a setup. Oh, and lets' not forget the "Old School" trucks that used drive flanges... All 4 of them.

 

[racer_x_one]

I do the same as Roadrunner and DeRocha, locked in most of the winter.