manual hubs ?

[Jim Davis]

I had manual locking hubs put in my 94 Ranger. Will it cause unnecessary wear to leave them locked when the transfer case is disengaged?

 

[rumblecloud]

Short answer: Yes.
When the hubs are locked. the front axle(s) are engaged as are the differential, and driveshaft.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Locking them in when you think you might be needing them is fine.

I would not leave them locked in full time.

 

[Jim Davis]

Thanks. Haven't done it, so trouble avoided.

 

[4x4junkie]

I had manual locking hubs put in my 94 Ranger. Will it cause unnecessary wear to leave them locked when the transfer case is disengaged?

Technically, yes.
However any additional wear is likely to be small since there is no loading of the front driveline in 2WD.

Lots of people in bad-winter states lock their hubs in at first snow, and then leave them locked all winter (shifting the t-case in & out of 4WD as needed). This won't hurt anything but maybe your MPG slightly (shouldn't be by more than 1 MPG). I would still suggest unlocking them if you have to be on a highway doing 60+ MPH for more than a couple miles.

 

[scotts90ranger]

Yeah, there's times when I forget to unlock the hubs and I think the front driveshaft is starting to wobble a little... and I forget a lot on the F350 since it doesn't get driven much and the front shaft U joint caps don't really require tools other than getting the snap rings off to change That reminds me, I need to keep an eye out for a spare front shaft for that beast...

 

[don4331]

Back in the good olde day, the big 3 all build full time 4wd that had drive flanges in the front hubs instead of locking hubs. We drove the trucks for 1,000s of miles (even Canada was imperial then) at 60+mph without truck exploding under us. To best of my knowledge Jeep Wranglers still have u-joints in front axles and their unit bearing hubs are "locked in". <I will concede Ford's IFS has 1 more u-joint than the old/Jeep solid axles do, but angle on it during regular driving should be fairly low, so there shouldn't be much wear>.

Note: All '01+ Rangers run with front hubs locked in all the time.

Given the OEM emphasis on fuel mileage, the delta in drag has to be very small (or we would be seeing better mousetrap for locking front hubs).

Unlock them when you don't foresee a need for 4WD, lock'em when 4WD could provide insurance as then its only quick push of button/pull of lever.

 

[wildbill23c]

Honestly the "wear" is so negligible you'll never notice it by leaving the hubs locked in. The hubs on my Bronco 2 get locked in usually around October or November, whenever the first snow is, and usually remain locked in until April, or sometimes in the summer when I remember they're locked in. I drive it on the highway all the time with the hubs locked. Doesn't hurt anything, as far as fuel economy, who knows its not fuel efficient in the first place its a square on wheels LOL. The front drive shaft, and the differential and half shafts of course will be spinning all the time but they're also getting lubricated so really there isn't any additional wear that you'll ever notice unless you already have worn out drive train components in the first place. You really are supposed to put the thing in 4WD once in a while anyways so locking the hubs in and leaving them just keeps things lubricated. The only thing you may have to do is change the oil in the front diff a little more frequently than never LOL.

 

[RangerNumber3]

Truck will steer better on dry pavement in a tight turn with them unlocked.

 

[Blmpkn]

Hey... didn't this guy do Garfield?

 

[wildbill23c]

Truck will steer better on dry pavement in a tight turn with them unlocked.

I actually don't notice any difference in turning locked VS unlocked....there is if you are in 4WD, but in 2WD there isn't any noticeable difference maybe in a full size like the F-Series, but the RBV's don't seem to really have any noticeable difference in steering effort, or turning radius.

 

[dvdswan]

Technically, you should have your hubs locked and drive for about 10 miles a month just to maintain front end lubrication. You do not need the t/case in 4H for this.