Manual locking hubs 87 B2

[groovtubin]

Has anyone here installed them? What do you do w/overhead 4wd console, after the fact, just leave alone, or disable computer?

 

[tw205]

With auto locking hubs, the hub engages when the axle twists. The axle twists when the transfer case is shifted into 4L or 4H. With manual hubs you have to step out of your rig and turn the knob on the wheel hub. The overhead consol only controls shifting of the transfer case. So you will need it to stay functional. All my rigs have manual hubs. I either bought them that way or switched them from auto locking.
Just my preference. I find them more reliable.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Yeah, auto or manual hubs have nothing to do with the auto or manual transfer case. If I remember right, the only vehicles I’ve had with auto hubs were my 88 B2 and my F-150. 88 was auto everything with the overhead push button console and I put manual hubs on, everything else I left alone. I may or may not convert to manual transfer case at some point. My F-150 was manual everything but the hubs. One of which didn’t work so no 4x4. They are both manual now. My 92 is auto everything but the hubs, came from Ford like that. I had an 89 B2 at college that was an Eddie Bauer… with manual transfer case and manual hubs.

 

[groovtubin]

With auto locking hubs, the hub engages when the axle twists. The axle twists when the transfer case is shifted into 4L or 4H. With manual hubs you have to step out of your rig and turn the knob on the wheel hub. The overhead consol only controls shifting of the transfer case. So you will need it to stay functional. All my rigs have manual hubs. I either bought them that way or switched them from auto locking.
Just my preference. I find them more reliable.

Thank you! Appreciate the reply! Is there a manual hub you can recommend?

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Factory hubs were made by Warn. Factory hubs are what’s on most of my trucks. If your front axle is stock, it will be a Dana-28 (12 bolts hold the pumpkin to the axle beam when viewed from the front). Your options for that are pretty much Factory or Warn. I may have a set around here somewhere, if I think about it when it stops raining I’ll try looking around. The hub itself gets changed along with the spindle nuts for the bearings. You could also source a set from a junkyard. Bronco II and Ranger are fair game as long as the axle is the same as yours.

If you have a D-35 front (think 1990 was the first year for those) it will be a 10 bolt holding the pumpkin to the axle beam when viewed from the front, you can use Factory, Warn, or Warn hubs for a Jeep D-35 which are a little stronger than the normal hubs. The axle shafts are thicker than the D-28, so you have to get the correct hubs for your axle. Hybrid front axles (3.0l trucks) have D-35 everything except the smooth pumpkin has D-28 inners and the shafts are necked down where they go in the pumpkin. So the hubs on those are D-35. Most 1990 Bronco II, 4.0l Rangers and all Explorers until they went IFS used the D-35. Somewhere mid 90s they went to D-35 for all Rangers, not exactly sure when though.

 

[4x4prepper]

Mile Marker hubs are about $100 cheaper then WARN, if you can find them. The new WARN hubs I bought a little while ago look beefier then the factory ones. The knobs are certainly better.

 

[wildbill23c]

Mile Marker hubs are about $100 cheaper then WARN, if you can find them. The new WARN hubs I bought a little while ago look beefier then the factory ones. The knobs are certainly better.

That's what I have on my Bronco 2, but my Bronco 2 had manual hubs to begin with...sounds like the OP has auto-locking hubs so it requires some other parts to convert from auto-locking to manual...but definitely worth the conversion....but then again that push button electronic shift transfer case crap ain't all that great either especially when everything gets old.

 

[Terry]

Has anyone here installed them? What do you do w/overhead 4wd console, after the fact, just leave alone, or disable computer?

I don't think that if you have the stock d28 on your rig it will have auto hubs? I would go on the tech page and identify what your axle is. I am not aware of auto hubs before 1990. I have had several 86 thru 88 4 x 4's and have not had an auto hub? I would not spend any money until you are sure of what axle you have. If you in fact have a d28, I would not spend much money on it. I have only done stock rebuilds on mine as that you can't get ring gears or much else.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

I don't think that if you have the stock d28 on your rig it will have auto hubs? I would go on the tech page and identify what your axle is. I am not aware of auto hubs before 1990. I have had several 86 thru 88 4 x 4's and have not had an auto hub? I would not spend any money until you are sure of what axle you have. If you in fact have a d28, I would not spend much money on it. I have only done stock rebuilds on mine as that you can't get ring gears or much else.

Auto hubs did exist on older D-28 trucks, I had them on the D-28 in my 88 Eddie Bauer B2, and they were on an 87 B2 that I stripped for parts. I believe they are collecting dust somewhere in my shed and I believe they had worked when I took them off. All of my trucks have manual hubs or live axle though. I don’t trust auto hubs.

 

[Rimjam]

Please don't everyone throw away your D28 auto hubs. I'll probably need some more one day. Only use 4wd around the farm, always slow speed, can't use it on dry pavement. Like being able to just push a button & get more traction, no getting out to lock hubs, no stepping in cow poop, no getting rained on. Did have to service the transfer case shift motor once.

 

[4x4prepper]

My 1986 or 1988 (I forget) B2 and 1997 Ranger had autohubs, right in the manual they tell you they are not intended for heavy duty use on a ... farm :-D

 

[Rimjam]

Maybe I'm just lucky ..... no issues with the auto hubs for 25 years.

 

[Bronco ii Man]

Auto hub’s just don’t take the abuse like manual hub’s! It’s not that they are bad! I still have them on my 85 Bronco ii and never had a problem with them! Of course I don’t beat the brakes off of it either! You don’t want to be revving 4 grand and having the 4x4 kicking in and making your auto hub’s lock! No they will not last! They break and then people called them junk. But no they ain’t junk, they wasn’t designed to be abused! From what I have learnt from research, they work by the spinning of the axle! Therefore the harder it spins and slam’s those gears together and causing wear, something is gonna break sooner than later! Like I said earlier, mine have never missed a beat! Worked every time I ever needed them too. Don’t get me wrong, I’m changing mine to manual hub’s! Just because I have them and you never know! Might get a wild hair one of these days!!! Lol
Just my PO and .02 cents!!