Okay, this is going to sound stupid, but here goes:
Can I run my d44 with the hubs locked without damage? It's supposed to snow here, and some streets will get plowed and some won't. There's lots of stupidly steep hills, so I would like to run with the hubs locked and just shift in and out of 4high.
All my other trucks have had auto-lock hubs...
darrell

 

it shouldnt hurt you might turn like crap but i dont see it hurting nothing.

 

As a part of routine maintenance your supposed to lock em in and drive it at least a mile per month for lubrication.

 

go for it,it wont hurt a thing.just watch tight turns on dry stuff

 

I run mine locked all winter. Really only makes a difference when I engage the t-case, in which case on dry turns it bucks like a horse.

 

Make sure the needle bearings are in good shape. I don't think anybody ever greases them, and I haven't gotten a 4x4 yet that didn't make a ton of noise from them.

 

yellow truck - I lived in Calgary for 10 years (back in the days of *real* winters!). I could see running with 4high for about 8 months each year

ford_six - I just had my hubs serviced -- would that include checking and greasing the needle bearings?

darrell

 

i dont think they greasing or looked at the needle bearings sense there in your drive line.

i used to run my hubs looked all the time. on dry hard surfaces it turned hard but it did not hurt anything at all. O and there a little loud but nothing to worry about. just dont take tight fast turns thats the only that may tear it apart.

 

I know that on my 66 F100 4x4, if I run the hubs locked, it does not like to run over 40mph. Same with my 80 Bronco, they both vibrate real bad over 40.

 

run with em locked wont hurt a thing. some truck including mine did not have lock out hubs from the factory i put mine on in 94 so it ran around for 22 years locked in all the time. Oh and frankensteined there are needle bearings in the hub as well right in side the back of the spindle.

 

The ones I was referring to are the ones inside the spindle that support the stub shaft. Very rarely serviced, and the seal behind them is garbage.

 

are you talking about the u-joint on the axle. ya they have needles. those never get checked. and they are a bear to replace. but there are no needles in the hub it self there a bearing and race combo. if you have a diagram i would love to see me be wrong. i love to be wrong cus then i learn something new.