My 99 says 4x4 off road and has none of this. No skid plate, no lower gear, same tire size/suspension as the edge models. FX and FX2 badgeing does mean addition of some of the things you mention.

 

The info I posted was out of the 2000 sales brochure. Dug up the one for the '99' and it says - "16" cast alum wheels, Bulge body shock absorbers. P245/75 x 16 OWL tires, chrome bumpers and grill, fog lights, 4x4 off road decal, style manula mirrors, 4.10 rear gear and skid plates". Thats for the '99' XLT. I have learned long time ago that options on these things are never certain. Even standards got changed mid-year. The '98' Sport got the tach as std but only the 4x2. In 2000, all Sports got the tach as standard. Done know why yours is different. Ever check the door data plate?
Dave

 

Your Welcome Ranger Dude . I understand how frustrating it can be to search the internet for accurate information. From 1998-2000 Ford experimented with the pulse vacuum system or PVS (like mfp4073 stated) to engage the hubs for automatic 4WD. My Ranger being a 99 fell into that category. It was not a reliable setup. In short, I had a hard time finding an answer to this simple question; "where can I get a set of manual locking hubs for my 99 Ranger?" A lot of people had answers, but none actually helped me out. Well one answer kinda helped, "check Warn Industries". I emailed Warn Industries and they responded saying they do not have what I want check tellico4x4.com. Tellico4x4 sells AVM hubs the fit my Ranger and they work beautifully. I have used them several times a year for 5+ years without incident. (This is for you 98-00 Ranger owners that would like manual locking hubs 15001.70 - AVM - Ford Ranger Hubs - Ford Ranger Locking Hubs - AVM 470 Manual Hubs : Tellico 4x4) I have so many bookmarks about axles, lockers, and hubs because I like being informed. I'm glad I could share some helpful sites and articles with you and everyone else on this thread.