well the tallies are in and I suck again. peter94 is dead on. If you break one drive shaft the other should still work, unless the engagement on the front axle is messed up. Sorry for the mis-info.

 

Yeah, i'm guessing he has the automatic hubs that automatically engage, except your truck needs to be moving for the hubs to engage. So when he put it in 4x4 the hubs werent engaged and it was just spinning the DS/ axles. I wish i knew EXACTLY how those automatic hubs work, i have a pair, i should take a detailed look at them sometime.

 

a couple people that have them that I know have to roll forward with the window down to hear them engage. Takes a couple revolutions. I like the manuals better. less to go wrong.

 

That's true. I used to ask myself why anybody would want manual hubs. Now I know the benefit.

 

yeah, actually, they are the same, if not more convienient than the automatic ones. Just cause the fact that, when a snow storm is coming, i just lock in the hubs, but leave the truck in 2x, then when it hits, put the truck in 4x, drive around in 4x when needed, then put the truck in 2x if i go on the highway, and if i need the 4x again, all i have to do is engage. With the automatic ones, sure, you just push the button, no need to get out and lock them in, but then you start to back up, and your rear end slides cause there is so much snow its acting like wheel chocks to your front tires, and your front tires have not automatically locked in yet, well, you finally get moving and your front tires locked in, and get backed out of your driveway, well, you put it in drive and your front hubs have to unlock and re lock because thats what they do when you change directions, then you go on your highway trip, take it out of 4x, get back home and have to do all the messing around with backing the truck up 15-20 feet to unlock the hubs, then take it out of 4x4, and now your hubs are disengaged, and your back in 2x, then pull forward and re-park your truck. To me, it just seems simpler to turn the **** on the hub and know for sure its locked, then when you get out and head in, to turn them the opposite way and you now know they are unlocked.

 

I'm actually a good candidate for the automatic hub, because my need is for occasional snow days, plus, the 4x4 looks gooder. My Ranger is the 6' bed, the unextended cab, the 4.0, the stick, the black. The monster.
But if the driveshaft breaks you are stranded.

 

lol, actually, you could have probably still made it with the ds thing. If you could have somehow moved the truck forward while putting it in 4x4 you would have engaged the front hubs and probably been alright. I liked my auto ones better too, until they broke, now i love my manual ones. But to each his own.

 

I had the same problem with the rear shaft on my 91 ranger 4x4, the driveshaft shop I took mine to said it is a common problem, of course I live in the rust belt.... BTW, when mine snapped I took the rear shaft off and drove home in FWD.