Forgive my ignorance, but isn't that the same story if you manually turn the hub switch? Wouldn't you still need the axle to rotate to engage? That's all I was really getting at, that the manual turn of the hub is the same as the auto engage...but maybe not? I've never really dug into the hub function to be honest. Never needed to, but its got my curiosity now!

 

 

From what the dealer told me when I purchased is to lock the hubs when using 4 low. 4 high is designed to work with the shift on the fly. The second week I had buried my truck in mud on our ranch. When I noticed I was losing traction I went to 4 high and made it a little ways further than I did in 2wd. When I finally came to a stop I got out and tried to dig and stuff sticks to get out my wife got behind the wheel, and I can say the front wheels were spinning in 4 high hubs not locked. Placed a few more sticks and dug a lil more locked hubs and went to 4 low to try not to dig the tires any deeper. Either way I was already screwed I got a few more feet but unfortunately it was to late and if I kept goin I would only be getting further away from solid ground. I walked several miles in the dark at 10 at night to get cell service and called my dad to bring the tractor in the morning. We had to stay the night luckily I had plenty of fuel to keep warm.
I have since had my camper on soft ground and the truck loses traction in 2 wd I shift to 4 high and there is no longer a problem. So they will engage with out locking the hub. This year we've had plenty of rain and lots of mud when you go off the pavement. Now I get in the habit as I do with my older 250 and once I see something that I think will be an issue I get out and lock the hubs right away in case I need to go into 4wd. I'd rahter do it on solid ground than in mud or bad snow, keeps the interior cleaner. And I will always disengage them once I hit pavement.

 

Thanks for all the replies ! lots of great info. So my answer is basically, without any mods, I can never use 4 low and have the front wheels disengaged, correct? ( for moving a heavy TT around a tricky campsite for example )

 

Correct, assuming you have the ESOF system I believe your truck will have.

 

Depending on where the wheels are (turning or stopped, on a spline or not) when you engage 4x4 by turning the dashboard ****, the hubs may lock in nearly instantly or may need a revolution or two to lock. However, by turning the dashboard ****, the transfer case engages the front shaft to turn the front axle...which causes the axle end to turn, which allows the splines to align and lock, even if the front wheels are not turning at all. I've gotten "stuck" in 2WD many times and engaged 4x4 from a stop. The back wheels will start to turn, than the front wheels will abruptly lock and you will get unstuck. Its a bad idea to use a lot of throttle right after engaging the dashboard **** until you are certain the hubs are locked and 4x4 is fully engaged. But there is no issue with engaging 4x4 from a stop, even if you are stuck.

Your dealer is completely wrong. Allowing the hubs to auto-lock accomplishes exactly the same thing as manually locking them. One method is not stronger than the other, nor does manually locking somehow give you more traction. Assuming the auto-locking hubs are functioning properly, you can use high or low to you heart's content. The purpose of the manual lock setting is only to override if the auto-lock fails.

 

OK, then to gain the ability to be able to use 4 low to maneuver a heavy trailer into an awkward campsite and have the front wheels unlocked , what are the pros and cons of after market manual locking hubs, and the method described here ? Gas: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...l-gassers.html

 

Using the mod method you linked, there are zero cons except for having to make a parts store run and take an hour of time or so to install. The pluses are that you can have full normal factory operation to automatically lock your hubs and use high or low 4WD...and at the flip of a switch use your dashboard **** to have low range extra torque but without the front wheels engaged for easy turning.

Installing aftermarket manual hubs has many more downsides including higher cost and now needing to get out and lock your hubs every time you want 4x4...plus loss of factory warranty on the front hubs.

 

I noticed the two threads posted are different in one Thread uses the Red wire (positive) and and the other Thread uses the multi color wire (ground). Which is best ???????

 

 

 

So this is why the "manual" hub options are Auto and Lock? I've never really delved into it. Mine are always in Auto. When I flip the switch on crappy winter roads I'm in four wheel. I haven't seen a need to lock anything yet. What actually does the Lock setting do? I'm sure it's in the manual but I didn't dig that out today. Maybe I should, first snow of the season here today!

 

It is pretty simple. With the hubs in Auto, when you use the ESOF, and select either 4 high or 4 low, vacuum is sent to the hubs and engages them. The Lock setting on the hub, puts it in the lock position regardless of the status of the vacuum system. As was said earlier, it give the ability to engage the hubs, if/when the vacuum system fails.

This guy does a really good job of explaining the vacuum system:

 

There's my answer. Thanks!

 

Thanks for the info.