Has anyone read the new write-up in the article section on how a guy with a Ranger converted his "Pulse Vacumn" hublocks over to manual ones? i wonder if the F150 uses a system like this? I sure wish it had a system like my old 96 had........manual hubs!! CMon Ford anything that requires Vacum is sure to fail prematurely. I wonder why the Superduty's have the manual option?

 

The F150 is a vacuum actuation. The plastic vacuum lines run up from each wheel and the eventually terminate to a solenoid on the firewall behind the battery. Its up high and fairly easy to find.

 

there is a product called 4x4 Posi-Lock that cnverts the vacuum system to a cable actuated system. To engage the front axle you pull a handle mounted under your dash and turn the handle to lock it in position, then you shift the transfer case into 4wd. I'm not sure if they have an application for the new F-150's, you'd have to check out their website. Another option would be to get a kit that permantely locks your front axle, but I wouldn't recomend doing that on a daily driver because the extra rotating parts will kill your fuel mileage and cause more wear and tear on front end components. The reason the F-150's don't have a manual hub option anymore is because the majority of the people that buy 1/2 ton trucks these days are people that want a truck because it is a status symbol and they want the truck to be as car like as possible, and they are too lazy to reach down and pull a lever, let alone get out and lock hubs in. The auto companys know that these people are a huge share of the market so they accomodate these people and the rest of us that actually use our trucks have to live with less than bulletproof designs or modify the vehicles to our liking or buy a heavy duty truck. Also, the vacuum system on the 97-current F-150's is actually a quite reliable system, I've owned 3 F-150's with the new system and have only had one problem and that was because I was busting alot of deep drifts and got snow and ice packed in every nook and cranny of the underside of my truck and some of the ice prevented the lever that locks the axle to move. I think the system on the new trucks isn't as bulletpoof as a manual set up, but it's far better than the auto hub set up that Ford use to push.

 

I think the 97-04 heritage used a center disconnect type system. These new 04-up use vacumn hubs. Theses don't have a lever in the actual axle setup. I just keep haering about alll these issues with the vacumn lines breaking and partially engaging the hubs

 

The 04-thru current hubs use vacuum to UNLOCK, that is good because if the vacuum line or solenoid fails it defaults to the locked posistion so you would still have 4x4, the superdutys were made the opposite way, it took vacuum to lock them in.

 

I wish they were manual locking hubs too. I've already had to replace both hubs along with the 4x4 switch and vacuum lines. My problem is rust somehow got into the vacuume lines? What a PITA!!