Do the aftermarket auto 4x4 hubs for the 70s trucks actually work? I’ve heard from a few people that they’re pretty faulty.

 

I can only speak from my experience. I had/ have Warn hubs on my 2 Jeeps, and my 76 Chevy both in it;' 1/2 ton version then it's 3/4 ton version, never had a problem with very hard wheeling. Yes I pushed them hard. Matter of fact I broke the stub axle, sheered it right off at the end of the splines on my Chevy and it didn't hurt the hub.
I have Mile Marker hubs on my 93 F-250, haven't had any problems with them either.

 

ya really can't go wrong with Warn premium or milemarker locking hubs

 

The OP is asking about aftermarket AUTO hubs. I think both responses are talking about aftermarket MANUAL hubs.

I don't know anything about current aftermarket auto hubs. I don't think there are many options (definitely could be wrong about that and my guess is that what you can find is the same brand as what Ford used OEM in the '80s and '90s (and again, wouldn't shock me if I was wrong about that.

As far as whether the OEM (Borg-Warner?) hubs are any good, most say "no", but in reality they aren't terrible for most use. If you reverse direction in 4WD a lot (like rocking it to get out of snow or mud, or if using the truck to plow snow or something) they can be pretty easy to break. They disengage every time you reverse direction and then reengage if you're still in 4WD. That means you can spin the back tires during the short time you are in 2WD and then hammer the hubs when they reengage. They don't like that. Manual hubs are probably stronger and aren't susceptible to the hammering from reversing direction. But if you are careful when you reverse direction (or don't do it much) the automatics are pretty strong.

The other thing about the OEM automatics is that they can stick if they get gummed up. Manuals can too, but manuals will usually stick engaged, and I don't know that autos do that. I've certainly read about people who couldn't get their auto hubs to engage when they needed them. The main thing to prevent this is not to over-grease them. It might be important which grease you use, but I don't know about that. And if you are running them in mud or under water, or if you have a bumch of years on them it might be good to take them apart and clean and regrease them. But don't over grease.


Warn did have an automatic hub that they sold in the '70s. I don't think it's available anymore, but if you do find some vintage ones the only thing I know about them is that they only transferred power from the axle to the tire, not from the tire to the axle. So in compression braking it went back into 2WD. You could manually engage them if you wanted them to stay engaged. I'd guess they are also susceptible to the hammering from reengagement, but again, just a guess.

 

i was not aware ford offered auto hubs in the 70's.

i would not use them on a new truck, so i definitely would not put them on an old truck.

 

I completely read right over the word auto. never even saw it.
I guess that's because I prefer to twist my own **** and know they are engaged.

 

I don't think they did. I think the Borg-Warner(?) auto hubs that came out in the '80s were the first auto hubs offered OEM. But I think you could put them on a '70s axle if you wanted. And I know the Warn Lock-O-Matics were available aftermarket in the '70s (but not OEM).

I put manual hubs on my '95 F-150 that came with autos, so I don't disagree with you. But I don't think auto hubs are as bad as the rap they usually get. I think what I said above is fair. They can be problematic, but if you are careful with them they can do their job too.

 

Just my 2 cents on the subject (not really even worth that, lol)

My 76 F100 came with full time hubs. It was a 390 NP435 with a Dana 21 TFC. I bought it from the original owner who said it was factory(I have never tried to verify this and have no reason to think it’s false, but could be). He, then his son and then myself abused it as a farm truck in La with constant mud and pasture use. It still runs now and have never had issues with it the hubs. Maybe I was just lucky in that regard.

My 95 F350 came with auto hubs and after multiple issues, I changed them to warn premiums and have never had issues with it since (sold it in 17 with 115k miles, most on the warn twistys).

FWIW, I’ve used both warn and MM hubs with great success. I also swap out any OEM to these when I get a new Dent project.

 

What do you mean by "full-time hubs"? Are you talking about the hubs that came with full time 4WD systems in the '70s, hubs that were always locked and couldn't be unlocked?Those could well have been stock, even with a part-time 4WD transfer case. I think "locking" hubs (or maybe more accurately, "unlocking' hubs) might have come as an option in the '70s.