3WD
 

I was buried by the city plow this week, so in order to pull out, had to step outside and lock the hubs. Once locked and in 4WD, no problem to pull out. But so as I got out, I stopped again to unlock the hubs because the roads were pretty clear and with clear roads I get binding with 17" wheels even on normal 90 turns. so then it dawned on me...why not lock 1 hub during snow season so that I get 1 front wheel drive engaged and with only 1 wheel locked, there should be no binding.

thoughts.

Because power will always find the path of least resistance.

If you know how open differentials work, you'll understand what that means.

Having fragged a hub while way up on the side of a mountain on a snowy trail, I can honestly tell you from the voice of experience that 3 wheel drive does not work. You're better off staying in 2WD.

Think of it this way.....your front differential is an open differential. It will send the majority of torque to the axle that is spinning the fastest. If only one front hub is locked, guess which axle will be spinning faster?

(Yup, the unlocked axle).

^^^^^^^^ DING DING DING WE HAVE A WINNER!!!

Its your front fighting with the rear on turns. Not left to right

Don't really know. It was once explained to me that when hubs are locked, during a turn, the inside wheel spins slower than the outside and the binding is the difference.

The rear does not have the problem due to the rear being limited slip.

Limited slip front sounds like the real cure.

X1.........

If the hubs are locked but the transfer case is in two wheel drive there should not be any binding while turning, so don't run with the tranfer in four wheel drive unless you need it and you should eliminate your binding issues. This way all you need to do is select which drive you want from WITHIN the cab and your don't need to get out and lock in the front end.

In the first explanation you're confusing with how a locker works. Something like a Detroit works by allowing a wheel to overrun, but not turn slower than the other. The ratcheting noise is an unpowered wheel precessing the powered wheel. With a locker you can't have the powered wheel turn slower than the unpowered wheel. An open diff is the opposite, the wheel with least resistance will take the most power. So if the outer wheel doesn't precess, the inner wheel turns slower than it's speed over the ground and scuffs (or binds if traction can't be overcome).

The front is open already, there's no way for it TO bind because there's no way to lock the wheels together. The hubs lock that wheels to their axle shafts, the speeds of which are differentiated in the.... differential. If you added a limited slip, then depending on the design, as it grabs it will actually slow down the inner wheel down, which is what you're trying to avoid. The rear doesn't have this problem because limited slip differentials mimic open differentials until there is a power bias to engage the clutch packs and lock in the unpowered wheel.

If you think you have binding issues with an open differential, do NOT add a traction device to the differential. That's the exact opposite of what you think you're accomplishing.

now I am really confused.

In locked 4WD on clean blacktop everyone I know gets a noise and vibration at the front and I am not going to pretend to know why. So my questions was simple why not just lock one of the wheels and in my mind that would be the only wheel to get power in the front. But what i am hearing now is that the unlocked axle will spin away and the locked axle will do nothing.

so the get out and switch from unlock to lock and back to unlock will have to continue if I ever need to use 4WD on mixed unclean and clean black top.

Some one once told me there was a good reason to have the ability to lock and unlock the front. not sure I understood that either.

But thanks everyone for trying to stop my head from spining.

any binding your feeling in the front end, with your transfer case 'officially' in 2WD, your feeling in the U-joints.. which will partially depend on their condition, but they will put up with it just fine.. your not going down the road at 60 mph when your parellel parking lol.

If your constantly having to get out and unlock the hubs because of some intense binding, then your transfer case is probably stuck in 4WD. My 94 F-150 would not disengage 4WD unless I unlocked the hubs, wasnt a tire size issue or any of the stuff people recommend about going in reverse either, something inside was just broke and it wouldnt disengage unless it was 100% free up front.

So question is are you being a touch sensitive about feeling your u-joints moving, or is your transfer case broken? lol

During this past winter season i drove with the hubs engaged all season so i didnt have to keep jumping out to engage when i needed 4wd. No binding at all.

Isn't 4WD "Low" kind of a locker as far as the transfer case goes? In 4WD "High", the transfer would act as a differential between the front and back.. right?

The transfer case is not a differential. When in 2WD it sends all torque to the rear drive shaft, When in 4 wheel drive (Hi or Lo) it splits the torque 50/50 front to rear, always acting like a locker.

Search here for driveline binding in the electronic locking differential. It'll give you a better understanding on how 4wd works.

I have a locker in the front diff. works nice if you lock one hub which I do once in a while.
Can't do it without some kind of different diff. Driveline bind with open diff normal truck is between the front and rear wheels in the transfer case when turning on high traction ground. Some 4wd vehicles like my aerostar have a diff in the transfer case allowing for no bind between front and rear.