The lever to engage the 4wd was always a took a little bit of muscle to engage, but now it is really hard and I have actually pulled off the ****!

If there anything I can lubricant? How can I make it easier to shift?

1997 F150
4.6 V8
4x4
53000 miles

 

Some people have said that the linkages start to freeze up over time. You might try some PB Blaster or similar on all the moving parts on the linkages.

 

Crawl under the truck,,shoot all the shifter linkage with your favorite penatrating oil,,at the same time have a friend in the truck moving the shifter to all positions,,while spraying,,should free up easy !
Just a note,,I believe the shifter moves sideways some too,,ya gotta figure that out too.