I got new 4.56s front and rear. can I just leave the front hubs engaged but 4x4 off to give the front diff some nice even wear before I wheel the piss out of it?
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DRY????
No way.
Jack it up WITH FULL LUBRICANT and run it in 1st gear with the throttle at idle for a few minutes, very first thing. Then drive it lightly for 100 miles. Then change the gear oil.
For the front, you can "break it in" like you suggest, just backwards. Leave the hubs open and put it in 4WD. It's not really necessary but won't hurt anything.
For the rear gears you can also jack it up and run them dry for 10-20 minutes. With the truck idling and in low gear. Once that is done recheck backlash adjust if needed and you're done.
You'll need to adjust more than backlash if you run them dry. Do you run your engine dry too ??