I don't mind doing maintenance on those hubs. I have peace of mind that my factory hub bearing won't go bad in a most inconvenient area and at the most inconvenient time. Reliability to me is of utmost importance so if I have to do extra maintenance, then so be it.

 

2 super duties and 175k miles on auto. Never an issue with the '05 or '15. If and when they go I'll most likely replace with another pair of stock auto hubs. Just too convenient not having to lock them manually.

 

My F450 and old Broncos have manual hubs.

I would never recommend them for the type of winter and on-off road driving I do.

My Chevy and Ram have manual transfer cases and the automatic axle disconnect systems, which are an improvement, but I'd vote for a system like my old Expedition for all around use.