4 wheel drive, manual hubs..please help me
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4 wheel drive, manual hubs..please help me
Hi All,
I have a F3500, with manual hubs and a switch to turn from 2 wheel drive to 4 wheel drive, high and low. I need info on what is right and what is wrong about locking the hubs -- how fast can I go while hubs are locked and are in 4 wheel drive. Can I just put it in 2 wheel drive while on the road and leave the hubs locked? Is leaving hubs locked until I get home even if the roads get better along the way bad? I here many differences from people on what they do and I just don't want to hurt anything on my truck. Any help is appreciated. Thanks
I have a F3500, with manual hubs and a switch to turn from 2 wheel drive to 4 wheel drive, high and low. I need info on what is right and what is wrong about locking the hubs -- how fast can I go while hubs are locked and are in 4 wheel drive. Can I just put it in 2 wheel drive while on the road and leave the hubs locked? Is leaving hubs locked until I get home even if the roads get better along the way bad? I here many differences from people on what they do and I just don't want to hurt anything on my truck. Any help is appreciated. Thanks
Postmaster
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 4,968
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From: So Cal
Since you have a switch, not a shift lever for 2wd/4wd, my comments are general since I only know about my 94 F250 with manual hubs and a shift lever for 4WD. I am assuming a switched 4wd and a levered 4wd act the same once you are rolling. I could be WRONG.
First, you can drive many miles with hubs unlocked and shift lever in 4WD. I do this if I expect nasty road conditions but start out in 2WD. I can then shift into 4WD on the fly when required. My 94 manual says something like shift into 4WD at speeds less than 35mph. I find that also shifting the main tranny into neutral and then shifting the transfer case into 4WD results in smoother shifting.
The manual also recommends occasionally drivng a few miles in hubs locked/2wd or hubs unlocked/4wd to help lubricate the parts.
You don't want to be in 4WD on dry roads or even just wet. You need slippage when in 4WD to allow the wheels to turn at different speeds in a turn. If you drive around a lot in 4WD on dry roads you will wear out clutches and get a choppy ride.
Good Luck,
Jim Henderson
First, you can drive many miles with hubs unlocked and shift lever in 4WD. I do this if I expect nasty road conditions but start out in 2WD. I can then shift into 4WD on the fly when required. My 94 manual says something like shift into 4WD at speeds less than 35mph. I find that also shifting the main tranny into neutral and then shifting the transfer case into 4WD results in smoother shifting.
The manual also recommends occasionally drivng a few miles in hubs locked/2wd or hubs unlocked/4wd to help lubricate the parts.
You don't want to be in 4WD on dry roads or even just wet. You need slippage when in 4WD to allow the wheels to turn at different speeds in a turn. If you drive around a lot in 4WD on dry roads you will wear out clutches and get a choppy ride.
Good Luck,
Jim Henderson
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thanks
Thank you...I have been reading things on this site and I think it is safe to leave my hubs locked if I am expecting nasty weather and then turn the 4 wheel drive switch in my truck if it does get nasty. If you think otherwise , let me know.
thanks
thanks
FTE Leadership Emeritus
Joined: Jul 2002
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From: Long Island USA
It's not going to hurt anything, except maybe your mileage (slightly).
Are you sure they are manual hubs? The auto-locking hubs work on vacuum, and also have a **** on them in case the vacuum system fails.
Tuned
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 348
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If you have the manual/auto-locking hubs, the stock hubs that come with the electric ****, shift on the fly 4x4 system, then you should exercise them occasionally by locking them in while in 2wd and then putting them back in the auto/free setting. Otherwise, they may tend to not lock automatically when you turn the ****.
It won't do any damage to exercise them like that. When expecting nasty roads or going off-road, I lock mine in and keep the **** in the 2wd so that I'm positive they'll lock when I turn the **** and engage the x-fer case. I don't know about max speeds, but I don't drive over 55 when I have the hubs locked, just to be safe.
It won't do any damage to exercise them like that. When expecting nasty roads or going off-road, I lock mine in and keep the **** in the 2wd so that I'm positive they'll lock when I turn the **** and engage the x-fer case. I don't know about max speeds, but I don't drive over 55 when I have the hubs locked, just to be safe.
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