Well i agree with most of whats been said so far. Manual transfer cases and hubs are great. Standard tranny's are even great, although the autos now are coming close to being an even match. But thats where i end my agreement. Drum brakes over disc brakes, have you ever towed 10000 lbs behind your truck with drum brakes, and if so, did you start brakeing ten miles in advance. Disc brakes are much easier to maintain, caliper slides and pads. And EFI, anyone who runs there truck off road can tell you the advantages of efi. No stumbling at off camber angles, instant throttle response, better fuel milage, all things lost whith a carb. Not to mention for anyone who lives in a cold weather climate, starting efi compared to a carb thats been sitting for a couple days is a god send. Anyhow.....i'm going to leave this as my opinion,,,and since i can't convince you all anyhow, your entitled to your opinion. But i'm sorry to say for those of you who still like your drum brakes and carbs, i don't think the dealer will be able to order them special order any time soon.

Ryan

 

I have seen a lot of articles about those actuators failing to engage transfer cases and auto hubs not "sensing" they should engage... funny thing, I reach down and give my transfer case shifter a tug , twist my hubs, and i'm pullin the guy looking at his lil pushbutton and shakin his head... I did have the pivot bolt fall out at around 400,000 miles, i shoved a screwdriver in, shifted, and offroaded all weekend.

 

That is one problem I had in my dads bronco with auto hubs I got stuck in the snow, and tried to rock to get out. The hubs would unlock then lock again in reverse, made the stuck situation even worse.

This year is the first year in a long time we've had snowfall. I'm a fan of levers/manhubs, but can appreciate a dial/autohubs-axles when driving in varying road conditions when I don't need to be i 4x4, or need to make a tight turn.

I've had 4x4's in the past, and in the last few years haven't been able to use them simple because of no snow. Unfortunately I don't have the REAL need for 4x4 because I don't live in the mountains/woods or work on a construction site. Besides those conditions, I can't see the bonafide NEED for 4x4. So a quick click of the wrist, and go in the snow, or off the boat ramp. Even when i go camping I rarely can use 4x4 even if I LOOK for situations to use it in. And I'm not about to go recreational off roading because I'm not gonna mess up my $20k used truck investment. Call me a weenie, but its my daily driver, and I use the truck for hauling all sorts of parts, boxes and other crap. My F-150 is the first vehicle i've owned where I don't feel cramped either.

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 05-Jan-03 AT 05:16 PM (EST)]I'm in farming I use 4wd a lot but it is intermittent use, road to off-road and back again. Manual hubs are a pain in the ***, always having to get out in the mud to lock and unlock and they slow you down, so I just left them in and put up with the extra wear and tear and poor gas milage. Auto locking hubs are great they save repair cost and fuel economy. The first ones that came out truely are junk they have given me a lot of problems but at least they are easier to repair then u joints. They also do not provied down hill engine braking on steep terrain so in low range on low traction down hills your back tires skid and they also unlock in reverse. I evnually went back to manual hubs when I got fed up with the down-side. My new hubs are locked with vacum so I don't have to get out they stay locked in reverse and they fully unlock at the spindel, all done from the driver seat. I really like them, I'll keep you posted on durability. As far as the T case goes I don't really care but at least with my push button system I know that if I loan my truck to some one they can't grind the T-case like they did with my manual box. I base my opinion on my expeience as a dailly user, If I was a week-end warrior user I might prefer a fully manual system.

 

your lucky then....my dad had his shifter motor thing go out 2 times on his 200 f-250...and both times it was when he needed 4x4..needless to say he has the manual shifter....so you know it will go in when u need it

 

> And EFI, anyone who runs there truck off road can tell you
> the advantages of efi. No stumbling at off camber angles,

They can also tell you the disadvantages when your TFI module suddenly goes for no reason at all and you are left to either replace it (if you had enough foresight to pack all your spare parts tools and scanners) or you had to walk miles out to get a new one. Then try to replace it in the freezing cold at the back of your engine/distributor with no gloves on.

As you replace it with fingers you can not feel, you can always be thankful that it was not your in-the-tank fuel pump that went instead.

 

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by MustangGT221
[B]Everyone's opionion is very valid, but I dont think we need to argue which one is better. Everyone has their own opinion on which one they like better and maybe we should keep it that way, I see an argument coming on that probably isn't helpful.

I know which one is better, hands down, when you are moving (driving) and suddenly find yourself with an unexpected yet very serious traction issue...

 

I had a guy trying to tell he how there were no differences between a manual and an automatic 4x4 setup in terms of reliability/get you out when you need it. I brought up the question of:
"Well, what if the shifter motor fails or a vacuum line breaks when you need it, then where are you?"
His response: "What do you do if your manual linkage breaks or binds or a hub goes out?"
My response: "You get under the truck with a screwdriver or a pair of pliers, put it in 4x, lock the hubs, and drive out. If a hub goes out you throw a drive plate on." (My dad had a set of front axle drive plates from when he had his IH Scout, so i have them now)
***silence*** "But the automatic sysytem is still better."

No arguement IMO.

Justin

 

One thing I hate about push button 4x4 is they often won't engage when they are really cold. There are kits to replace the actuator with a cable, no electronics . . . just a solid pull and you're in. It got to 24 below here yesterday and my girlfriends Ranger wouldn't go into 4wd. Little light just kept blinking and the rear wheels kept spinning. Hopped in my truck and pulled the shifter. Done! Of course the extreme cold crapped out my battery so my woman had to give me a jump . . . hate it when that happens!

 

The only "opinion" thats supreme is mine, and I say push buttons suck hawg.

Hows that for an intellectual response

 

Bwahahaha! Don't be so modest Pro . . . tell us how you really feel about it!

 

Everybody knows I'm known for my modest and inoffensive nature

 

When it comes to cold temperature durability, and, actual hard use, nothing beats a set of drive flanges and a manual shifted transfer case.... My stupid stock plastic dial warn hubs froze a couple months back... had to heat up the wheel hub with the tiger torch, lock them and let them freeze again...
I leave them locked in all winter, with my truck I'm in and out of 4x4 so much I'd have a shift motor worn out on a week, I have to slip it into 4-hi just to get around without spinning away from every stop sign and, I've got 1000 LBS in the bed... No such thing as seeing clean, dry pavement here during the winter though...

 

Let me tell you that salespeople have been selling that line about going to ESOF only trucks for a few years. Makes me wonder if they're not being trained to say that.

I got into an argument and showed the manual xfer case to a dolt of a salesman when I bought my truck. I didn't buy the truck from that moron or that dealership. I get a bit peeved when I research a purchase and get told my information is wrong (from you posters and the Ford websites). I just have to let people know they are stupid in front of a few co-workers sometimes.

Mechanical systems with fewer parts are better than electro-mechanical systems with more parts. I'm an electrician and hobby mechanic, I'd think I'd know.

-Kerry