1994 4WD Ranger Hubs

[chadzeilenga]

Hello,
I'm working on a 1994 4WD Ranger for a friend. The ranger has the automatic front hubs which are controlled from a switch inside the cab. The last shop he took the truck to told him that one of the hubs was bad and that they needed to be replaced as a pair and then wanted to charge him $500 ea to do them.

I was wondering if there were any other 4WD Fords that would interchange with this? I looked at the local JY and there were only 2WD Rangers in there. Are these Hubs worth getting from a JY and putting on or should I just pick up new ones and do it?

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

the hubs most certainly do NOT have to be changed as a pair. if only one is broken, only one needs to be replaced.

however...i would suggest taking his auto hubs (both of them) and placing them squarely into the nearest garbage bin. or, wipe the grease off of them and use them as handy (and stable!) paper weights...because thats about all they are worth. fords auto hubs are absolute rubbish. you can replace them now, but believe me they will fail again. and most likely when he needs them most.

for about half of the price of ONE new automatic hub, you can buy a PAIR of WARN manual hubs. the increase in strength and reliability is tenfold....not to mention if one of the manual hubs does fail for some reason, they are much cheaper to replace later on down the road.

keep in mind that if you go this route you will also need to obtain the spindle nuts and washers from a truck with manual hubs as the automatic hub spindle nuts wont clear the manual hubs. id try calling around and see if you can find a junkyard that will ship these parts to you (they are small and light).

swapping over to the manual hubs is easy, but it does require use of the special spindle nut tool in order to properly torque the outer nut.

 

[TRX501RYAN]

the hubs most certainly do NOT have to be changed as a pair. if only one is broken, only one needs to be replaced.

however...i would suggest taking his auto hubs (both of them) and placing them squarely into the nearest garbage bin. or, wipe the grease off of them and use them as handy (and stable!) paper weights...because thats about all they are worth. fords auto hubs are absolute rubbish. you can replace them now, but believe me they will fail again. and most likely when he needs them most.

for about half of the price of ONE new automatic hub, you can buy a PAIR of WARN manual hubs. the increase in strength and reliability is tenfold....not to mention if one of the manual hubs does fail for some reason, they are much cheaper to replace later on down the road.

keep in mind that if you go this route you will also need to obtain the spindle nuts and washers from a truck with manual hubs as the automatic hub spindle nuts wont clear the manual hubs. id try calling around and see if you can find a junkyard that will ship these parts to you (they are small and light).

swapping over to the manual hubs is easy, but it does require use of the special spindle nut tool in order to properly torque the outer nut.

To add, you can also order the conversion kit, there right around 30$ not a huge deal, by the time you start calling around its just as easy,

I went with mile marker hubs on my truck, best way to go imo

 

[chadzeilenga]

Bolt in?

Is the swap from Auto Hubs to Manual Hubs pretty straight forward or is there modifications to the existing rotor that need to be done?
I've never had a truck with manual hubs, how do I turn them on & off when they are on there?

 

[railman]

like one of the previous posts said, you just need to change the spindle lock nuts out for the manual ones.

you can order the Warn hubs from this site, or they carry them at Advance Auto Parts as well as the nuts

as far as useing them, you have a little knob on the end of the hub that you rotate from Free to Locked, as easy as that

l8r, John

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

the conversion to manual hubs is a sinch. its 100% bolt in. there are no modifications...just switching of parts.

as said before, the manual hubs require you to get out and "lock in" each wheel before using 4wd. really not too big of a deal. if i know im going to be getting dirty, i usually lock mine in before i leave the pavement, that way i dont have to get my feet muddy later when the going gets tough (it doesnt hurt the truck to drive with the hubs locked and transfer case in 2wd).

another advantage to manual hubs is 2 wheel drive low range. with the hubs unlocked and transfer case in low range, you have all the benifits of the deeper gearing, but you can use it on high traction surfaces like pavement.