....what does this mean?

 

Manual hubs for a 4 wheel drive means you must get out of the truck and manually lock your hubs on the front wheels. The auto hubs will lock in automatically for you while driving the vehichile by swithcing a lever on the dash board. Some people perfer the manual over auto hubs because of some issues in regards to the hubs not locking automatically or not unlocking automatically. It is a personal preference you decide what you want.

 

Is it possible to use the selectable auto/manual hubs with the floor mounted transfer case lever on an 06 F-350? I had an 04 with these hubs and the electric dash switch, but I wanted the floor lever on my new one.

 

In regards to ESOF, is switching to manual the same as 4wd-Hi or 4wd-Low?

 

Switching the hubs to the "manual" position is the same as locking the hubs. It is just a backup in case your automatic system quits working. It works for both 4wd-Hi and Low.

 

I currently have a vac leak in my driver side hub and this keeps my ESOF from working, so I have my hubs manually locked in to give me the option of 4 wheel drive if I need it. This morning 6 new inches of snow in West MI, I needed it.

 

I leave my hubs locked all winter long, that way if I need it, all I have to do is pull back on the lever and I am in 4wd. But in the summer I only lock them in when I need them. Lever=manual hubs, dash switch= auto hubs. I like the reliablity of less things to go wrong with the manual hubs, but it's personal preferance.

 

ESOF hubs do not have a MANUAL position. They have AUTO and LOCKED.

Manual hubs (MSOS) have FREE and LOCKED.

In your ESOF truck, two things need to happen when you turn the 4 wheels drive switch to 4H. First, an electric motor changes the transfer case to 4H. Second, a vacuum pulse locks the fron hubs. The transfer case sends power to the front driveshaft, thru the front differential and to the front axles. The hubs lock the front wheels to the front axles.

In a manual (or MSOS) truck, you turn the hubs to LOCK and shift the transfer case manually to 4H.

The ESOF hubs have a LOCKED position for two reasons. First, if your vacuum system fails you can manually lock your hubs and still have 4 wheel drive. Also, you can lock the hubs if the engine isn't running.

Many owners change the automatic hubs to aftermarket manual hubs. The ESOF hubs are prone to failure and you won't know it until you need the hubs to lock.

As stated, MSOS isn't as bad as you might think. It's snowy here, so my hubs are locked. They have been for about 3 weeks now. If I need 4 wheel drive I just reach down and pull the lever back one notch. You get a little more driveline noise and mileage goes down a little, but I don't have to get out of the truck when I need all 4 wheels turning.

 

Thanks for the info. If using manual hubs, I'd still use the switch in the cab that I'd normally use to engage ESOF for 4WD, correct?

 

Yes, if you switched to manual hubs you would still use the switch to engage 4 wheel drive. The process wouldn't lock the hubs, but you would have been smart enough to lock your own hubs before you left home, because you're just that kind of smart guy!

 

Excellent. Thanks redford.

 

I thought there was a little more to this.

It was my understanding that when using the Auto hubs, the front wheels needed to move in order to lock when switching to 4x4. If you are going to shift on the fly then that is great however,

If you are already stuck, and your rear wheels have no traction, the front hubs wont lock since the front wheel will not turn. This is when the Manual LOCK position is also handy.

Am I correct or have I been mislead??

 

You are absolutely correct. The "shift on the fly" part of ESOF means basically, you can, while moving, turn the switch and it'll go into 4HI.

If you're not moving, and you're lucky, the hubs will lock. But they usually won't, and they WILL bang or grind if they don't lock right away.

 

Guys I have been stuck in my truck and not being able to move. I turn the switch to 4x4 and my truck will pull itself out of the mud. The auto would be useless if you could not do this.

 

From what I understand, this is true for the old style automatic hubs (the kind where you have to back up in order to disconnect). The vacuum hubs do not require vehicle movement for engagement/disengagement, which is why Ford went to this design.