Locking Hub Articles?

[afgunn]

I am confused. There are 3 articles in Axle Tech about converting to manual locking hubs. Only the first one indicates that my 2011 would need to replace the CV axles. Do the other 2 not apply to my year? There is nothing in the last to indicating as to what years they apply. Also, in the first article the writer admits to having the PLASTIC hub coming off after hitting a pothole. Are there better manual hubs that are not PLASTIC?
Manual Hub Conversion For 2001-Up Ford Ranger
Automatic to Manual Hub Swap
Automatic To Manual Hub Conversion

 

[franklin2]

The last two articles are for the older trucks that had hubs. They had automatic hubs, and they are converting to manual hubs.

You have a later truck, you do not have hubs at all. Your truck is just like any front wheel drive car. The axle is splined solid into your your wheel bearing. You can see in the first article, 3 paragraphs down from the top they explain they went to this system in mid 2000.

That is why you need new axles, so you can re-configure the system to have hubs that you can lock in and out.

 

[Josh B]

Why no articles about automatic hubs?

 

[franklin2]

Why no articles about automatic hubs?

People generally in the day did not like auto hubs. Some people had problems with them engaging, and I will admit, if you engage your 4x4 and start horsing around with the vehicle and the auto hubs suddenly engage, you can break stuff or think the frontend is going to fall out. Just like manual 4x4 hubs, you should try to predict that you might need 4x4 before you get into trouble, and engage it beforehand. Saves a lot of problems.

Back in the day everyone thought only real 4x4's had solid axles and manual hubs. When the TTB frontends came out they were generally hated by the 4x4 crowd, along with auto hubs. If they only knew the choices they would have later, with vacuum hubs that don't work, spindley cv joints and axles and aluminum diff housings.

 

[sgtsandman]

I am confused. There are 3 articles in Axle Tech about converting to manual locking hubs. Only the first one indicates that my 2011 would need to replace the CV axles. Do the other 2 not apply to my year? There is nothing in the last to indicating as to what years they apply. Also, in the first article the writer admits to having the PLASTIC hub coming off after hitting a pothole. Are there better manual hubs that are not PLASTIC?
Manual Hub Conversion For 2001-Up Ford Ranger
Automatic to Manual Hub Swap
Automatic To Manual Hub Conversion

What is your thinking and goal(s) for the conversion?

If less wear and tear and fuel savings, there is some but minimal. Fuel savings is 1/2 of an mpg and when 4X4 is bot engaged, what little force that is applied is on the back side of the gear teeth. So wear is minimal and on the non-critical side of the gears. Plus it keeps the front drive shaft moving, which prevents the u-joints moving, preventing them locking up from rust.

If you are looking at strength, the manual locking hub is weaker than what you already have.

The potential plus side is the manual hubs may give out before the CV shafts will. So the repair may be easier and quicker.

Either way, if you are looking to install a locker, you aren’t going to minimize breaking something.

If you want to make the front axle do more work and make it have more grip, a limited slip will be a better choice if you can find one. The LSD will let go before something expensive breaks.

The other option is a solid axle swap if you really want a front locker.

 

[afgunn]

I see the locking hubs range in price from $30 to $100+/-. I ASSUME the less expensive ones are plastic as in the article above and the $100+/- are metal? Can someone speak authoritative on this? What would be a quality locking hub? Warner?
Thanks in advance!

 

[RonD]

In 1998 Ford changed 4x4 Rangers from TTB(Twin Traction Beam) to SLA(Short arm Long Arm) front axles
In 1998 4x4s the front also lost Coil Springs which were replaced with Torsion Bars

There is only one manual hub that can be used on 1998-2000 Ranger 4x4s to replace the PVH automatic hubs
The AVM 470
AVM is a Brazilian Company that makes manual hubs for pretty much every car/truck maker, as OEM or 3rd party

AVM made these for Mile Marker and Rugged Ridge for sale in the US/Canada, they can also be bought as AVM now
Not sure if there is a "quality" difference from brand to brand since they are all made by AVM

In 2001 Rangers got Live Axle, front axles bolted to the hubs, used thru 2011 on 4x4s

You can change your 2011 setup to a 1998-2000 setup and then use PVH or Manual AVM hubs
PVH would require more parts and a bit more work and probably not worth the effort, lol