I'm looking at buying an "02" f250 4x4. This beast has a floor shifter for the transfer case. I did not know they still made them. Is is a shift on the fly, or, am I supposed to stop to put it in 4x4? This did not seem reasonable to pull to the side, stop, and shift on the side of an interstate in a blizzard! The dealer did not know the answer.

 

In my opinion, it is the only wat to buy a 4x4
Yes you can shift between 2 hi and 4 hi as long as your front hubs are engaged.
For 4 low, you must be at a complete stop and in neutral.

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 22-Sep-02 AT 08:08 PM (EST)]
>Yes you can shift betweenX22 2 hi and 4 hi as long as your
>front hubs are engaged.

In an 2002, how would I ensure the hubs were engaged? Not like the old days of getting out and locking the hubs

 

>In an 2002, how would I ensure the hubs were engeged? Not
>like the old days of getting out and locking the hubs


My hubs on both my SD's are manual,!! but one is a 99 and the other is a 01, I assume you have auto hubs? they work on vaccum, but I thought also they had manual overide on them incase the "auto" part doesn't work.

 

>In an 2002, how would I ensure the hubs were engaged? Not like the old days of getting out and locking the hubs

Yes. Just like the old days...

 

Hang on here! Even my 97 2500 shifts on the floor and no where else when moving! The fords don't?

 

Those Chevies had a lever but vacuum hubs.

The Dana 60 you wear has manual hubs. This can be viewed as good and bad.

Good because the front inner axles & front driveshaft do not turn when in 2WD (like Dodge) therefore saving the added wear and tear on the drivetrain and reduced fuel consumption.

Bad if it is snowing and you forgot to lock in your hubs. But then again...small price to pay for reliabilty, huh?

Just lock them in when the weather is known to be inclement.

Or get a truck with auto hubs and transfer case..."Shift On The Fly".

Be advised some of us (and maybe even me sometimes... ) feel that the first word: "Shift" can be replaced with a more deragatory and maybe a more fitting word* that also starts with 'S'.

(*Hint: You want to avoid this when walking through a cow pasture...)

 

Your 97 may be telling you it's in 4x4 sitting still, but it's not till the wheels have turned and the hubs have lined up and engaged. With lockouts you can egage them at a true stand still, cause you are doing that part. Only good if you have been enough of an idiot to need 4x4 but not locked your hubs in. If it's snowing, muddy any other reason, lock 'em. Also I have used the hubs to unlock one wheel that was in the air on my '75 Bronco, so it will put power to the one on the ground. I don't plan on doing that kind of stuff on my '02 Superduty, that's the point of owning the Bronco. Mine new truck has the SOTF, but just cause I bought it off the lot. I have always said push buttons are for stereos.

 

My SD has the shift from the floor and I can't move mine to 4-HI unless I'm at a stop. Is there someething wrong or is that operation correct? It engages fine at that point, but I thought I could engage while in motion.

 

I truly enjoy the SOTF. But you can also engage manually if neccessary. Or if it makes you feel more comfortable. A buddy had a '96 Z71 that refused to go 4 wheels when below 35 degrees. He coulda really used those manual hubs before he had to pulled from the snowbank


-CRJ
2k X lmt on Weld 16 x 10 Typhoons w/ 35 x 12.5 AT's. Pro Comp/Liftmaster 6" lift and 6x Rancho 9000's, Superchips 1715 tuner, K&N intake, AirRaid throttle body spacer, cat back 3" sst exhaust into FM70 big block, 2.5" dual out.

 

Maybe this has been answered but I am going to ask it anyway:

Can I lock my manual locking front hubs and drive as much as I want in 2 wheel drive? Does this harm anything? I would then only have to stop to shift the transfer case to 4hi or 4lo.


When on two wheels-
FXSTC
Mesa- AZ

2003, F-350, Lariat, V10, CC, LWB, Dark Shadow Grey, 6sp Manual, "get off your lazy *ss" FX4, 4.30, Camper Pkg, Sirius Satellite Radio, Borla cat-back, Granatelli MAF, K&N Gen II FIPK, et. al., ad infinitum, ad nauseum...

 

>Can I lock my manual locking front hubs and drive as much as
>I want in 2 wheel drive?

Yes but you'll get binding in tight turns and reduced fuel economy and increased driveline wear. But it is a good thing to do once a month to help keep things lubed inside the axle.

>Does this harm anything?

See above.

>I would then only have to stop to shift the transfer case to 4hi or
>4lo.

You should only have to stop to put into 4LO.

 

>>Can I lock my manual locking front hubs and drive as much as
>>I want in 2 wheel drive?
>
>Yes but you'll get binding in tight turns and reduced fuel
>economy and increased driveline wear. But it is a good thing
>to do once a month to help keep things lubed inside the
>axle.

I have shift-on-the-fly and manually locked the hubs yesterday. I
noticed NO binding or vibration, either at 75MPH or turning in a
parking lot with the wheel turned right or left all the way to the
lock. It's a '01 F250 w/1850 miles on it, dana 50 front axle.

I doubt it will have any long-term effects. It MIGHT cause slightly
more drag on acceleration but I doubt it's enough to notice. I think
the above person is talking about full-time-4wd, not just locking
the front hubs.

If locking your hubs in 2WD causes binding, I suggest you check the
front u-joints and see if they are bad. Even my '74 F250 w/dana 44
front axle doesn't bind or cause any noticable vibration, and I have
a full-time front axle on it (no lock *****).

>>Does this harm anything?
>
>See above.

All it does is keep your axle lube mixed and coating everything
internally. Ford recommends locking the hubs every 30 days just
to keep everything moving once in a while, at least for my '74
they did - I've read elsewhere on this board that 30 days is a good
idea for superduties too.

art k.

 

>I have shift-on-the-fly and manually locked the hubs
>yesterday. I noticed NO binding or vibration, either at 75MPH or turning in a parking lot with the wheel turned right or left all the way to the lock. It's a '01 F250 w/1850 miles on it, dana 50 front
>axle.
>
>I doubt it will have any long-term effects. It MIGHT cause slightly
>more drag on acceleration but I doubt it's enough to notice. I think
>the above person is talking about full-time-4wd, not just locking
>the front hubs.

By locking the hubs, you are now causing the entire front axle assembly, which has more moving parts, to operate much the same as the rear axle assembly. Both drive shafts/u-joints are turning, and the front differential is operating as a rear one without limited slip would. So, you should not feel much more binding than you would from the rear, as without the transfer case engaged you are simply operating another open diff. You should notice a "heavier" or "sluggish" feeling to the front end, with steering taking a little more effort. Continuous driving with the hubs locked WILL cause accelerated wear of all front driveline components, from u-joints to steering components. It WILL result in increased drag, especially as temperatures drop, and trust me, you WILL see the difference at the gas pump.

>>>Does this harm anything?
>>See above.

A Dana 50/Dana 60 is pretty tough, and you should get a lot of miles out of it, but why have all those parts turning if you don't need to? Lock your hubs manually if you think you're going to need 4X4 imminently, or on a pretty continuous basis, otherwise, IMHO, you're justing wasting power and money, and causing unneccessary wear on your truck.

>Ford recommends locking the hubs every 30 days just to keep >everything moving once in a while, at least for my '74
>they did - I've read elsewhere on this board that 30 days is a good
>idea for superduties too.

This is excellent advise.

Waxy