4x4 ?
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Senior User
Joined: Jun 2010
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4x4 ?
im wondering how fast you should drive when in 4x4 hi it snowin like a sob and no plows are running so a ran it 50 is that bad o and these trucks work great for pullin idiots out of snow banks
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Senior User
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 271
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thats wat i was thinkin but i heard just leavin them locked is bad on the hubs so i prolly wont do that but man we have a lil less than a foot and people are going 20-25 on the highway i was not happy
Cargo Master
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 3,409
Likes: 1
From: back in SE Iowa
i almost always stop before putting it in 4x4 ,why run the risk of breaking something and being stuck.i have ran down the interstate at 70 because i forgot i was in 4x4.but i have never ever shifter on the fly like that.i will shift while slowly rolling like 10 mph maybe.if im runnning into weather or have bad weather coming i leave the hubs locked then when the weather gets good i unlock them
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Senior User
Joined: Jun 2010
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o iv never put it in on the fly when i need it i m always stopped before and alright for now ill just leave it in 4 hi and just cruise till they actually plow and maybe they will even throw gravel down lol thanks you guys
Senior User
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 419
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From: Timmins, Ontario, Canada
Any speed in 4HI. Just not clear dry pavement.
Engaging on the fly is completely fine, if your hubs are locked the driveline is already turning so there is no effect on control or wear. This is in the manuals as well.
Leaving hubs locked is dependent on your uses. There is more wear if they are turning but no grease circulation if they aren't.
It is defintely SAFE to leave them locked, and its a question of LONG TERM WEAR leaving them locked, dont be afraid that there will suddenly be damage to your driveline.
Engaging on the fly is completely fine, if your hubs are locked the driveline is already turning so there is no effect on control or wear. This is in the manuals as well.
Leaving hubs locked is dependent on your uses. There is more wear if they are turning but no grease circulation if they aren't.
It is defintely SAFE to leave them locked, and its a question of LONG TERM WEAR leaving them locked, dont be afraid that there will suddenly be damage to your driveline.
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Bleed Ford Blue
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 13,578
Likes: 157
From: Anchorage Alaska
mine stays locked in 4x4 from october-april as we have snow/ice covered roads which we dont salt/sand. also i've done speeds of 75mph+ with no issues.
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Post Fiend
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 8,005
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From: Ottawa, Ontario
I have never shifted on the fly. Always was completelly stoped, get out, lock the hubs, and shift it. When done using 4x4, Shift back in 2wd and get out unlock my hubs.
I've always done it like that!
I've always done it like that!
Elder User
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 867
Likes: 3
From: North Bend
Engaging on the fly is completely fine, if your hubs are locked the driveline is already turning so there is no effect on control or wear. This is in the manuals as well.
I have the ZF tranny and leave them locked if on snow, and of course sometimes the snow is gone and then you've got pavement, so you have to drop it out of 4wheel, which is easy and fine while driving. Never had a problem, and of course the driveline is already spinning the same rate so there isn't any wear at he Tcase or anything.
man we have a lil less than a foot and people are going 20-25 on the highway i was not happy
Posting Guru
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 2,322
Likes: 2
From: Dairy, OR
First off for manual hubs it is a good idea to lock them in even in the summer and drive a bit just to circulate the grease. For those of us that drive regularly and long distance in bad conditions... It just sounds foolish to us when you say "i stop to engage it" 
I have had my truck in a slide going sideways at around 40 and the only thing that saved my *** is my fast hand on the 4x4 shifter! Not using 4x4 on the the fly and not keeping the hubs locked in when you live in snow country is as silly to me as the guy who buys a truck and never intends to haul anything in the bed or hitched up to it. Trucks are made to work and 4x4 is ment to be used on the fly!
I have had my truck in a slide going sideways at around 40 and the only thing that saved my *** is my fast hand on the 4x4 shifter! Not using 4x4 on the the fly and not keeping the hubs locked in when you live in snow country is as silly to me as the guy who buys a truck and never intends to haul anything in the bed or hitched up to it. Trucks are made to work and 4x4 is ment to be used on the fly!
Cargo Master
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 3,409
Likes: 1
From: back in SE Iowa
Yeah I'm in Western WA and even though it rains 9 months out of the year even in rain people here freak out and forget how to drive, give them a little snow and it's like the world coming to an end. I LOVE I-90 in the snow cause everyone sticks to one stupid lane and I get to pass them on the left all day long.
i heard people were freaking out on the "wet side" after this last storm and the snow stuck
Post Fiend
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 21,285
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From: Nutter Fort, WV
The only thing about shifting while moving, if you are spinning, let off the throttle to stop spinning before engaging 4x4.
As long as the front hubs are locked in, you are not spinning or sliding, shifting in and out of 4x4 on the fly should be simple.
Front and rear drivelines are both spinning the same speed.
No speed limit for 4x4 mechanically, but if the road is slick enough to be in 4x4, you probably won't be driving that fast anyway.
Running with the hubs locked in, a little lower MPG numbers and a few more parts getting wear that would not be if the hubs were turned out.
But the option of pulling into 4x4 at a moments notice while rolling versus stopping and turning the hubs in then 4x4 could be the difference between wrecking or not wrecking.
If I expect bad roads, my hubs are locked.
When I get to the bad roads, just a click of the lever and I am still motoring down the highway at what ever speed I was running.
Road clears, just a click of the lever and I am still rolling at what ever speed I was running.
PS, in the summer you should lock the front hubs and drive several miles at least once a month to keep the axle components lubed up.]
If you wait till you need 4x4, you may find it don't work becuase one of the U joints froze up.
As long as the front hubs are locked in, you are not spinning or sliding, shifting in and out of 4x4 on the fly should be simple.
Front and rear drivelines are both spinning the same speed.
No speed limit for 4x4 mechanically, but if the road is slick enough to be in 4x4, you probably won't be driving that fast anyway.
Running with the hubs locked in, a little lower MPG numbers and a few more parts getting wear that would not be if the hubs were turned out.
But the option of pulling into 4x4 at a moments notice while rolling versus stopping and turning the hubs in then 4x4 could be the difference between wrecking or not wrecking.
If I expect bad roads, my hubs are locked.
When I get to the bad roads, just a click of the lever and I am still motoring down the highway at what ever speed I was running.
Road clears, just a click of the lever and I am still rolling at what ever speed I was running.
PS, in the summer you should lock the front hubs and drive several miles at least once a month to keep the axle components lubed up.]
If you wait till you need 4x4, you may find it don't work becuase one of the U joints froze up.
Senior User
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 419
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From: Timmins, Ontario, Canada
X2, even X4 if I can. I should've specified that! I've actually wrecked an axleshaft on my 150 engaging in a slippery turn.