conman365

I believe the ford 4x4s had vacuum locking hubs

jcgonzal

well i've had the hubs on my '93 apart quite a few times, and there are no vacuum lines involved. it's all mechanical, but to tell ya the truth i don't exactly know how they work either. i've heard nothing but bad things about the automatically locking hubs, but until mine fail i guess i'll stick with them.

owl458w

Guys,

Ford autolocking hubs work by mechanical torque. When the transfer case is engaged, the torque on the front axle twists the internal componants of the hub lockinging them into place,.(sort of like twisting on a bottle cap). As long as the hub receives torque from the transfer case, the hub will remain locked, even while in reverse. Once the transfer case is disengaged, the drive shaft to the front differental stops supplying torque to the front axles, and they become free spinning. Now, when you back up about ten feet, the front hubs receive torque from the wheel instead of the axle and unlock the hub. All componants of the front drive train stop moving. This reduces wear and tear on the front drive train, and allows the front wheels to free wheel instead of spinning the front drive train. This is one of the advantages over manual hubs, that will continue to spin the front drive train as long as the hubs are manually locked in place even tho the transfer case is disengaged.

mikentiff

is it true manual hubs make you get better mileage.....they are right about getting stuck i got stick in a snow drift and my buddy with manual hubs drove right through

mitchalvin

If you unlock the hubs by reversing direction then you will get the same mileage regardless of the type of hubs used. Dodge, Chevy and others went away from manual hubs because they did not really mater for Cafe mileage. This was a case of using the cheapest parts available.

mikentiff

do manual hubs work better because my friend with the same truck didn't

|WYG|SS

my truck was auto hubs stock from the factory but now i got manual hubs when i bought the truck in june of 08. i would like to switch back to manual hubs if i could but i kind of like the advantages of manual.
-you know they will be locked it
- you can just throw it in 4wd and dont have to wait for them to lock.
- you can lock them in with out putting truck in 4x4 to keep the gear oil moving in the differential.

dissadvatages
-having to get out to lock them in.

mikentiff

does it drive like it's in 4wd if they are locked but not in 4x4 did u notice better mileage

|WYG|SS

it does drive like your in 4x4 when their locked in. but not sure about better milleage if not locked in. i could see no change in mpg between auto or manual when not engaged.
i have never driven a truck with auto locking hubs.

mikentiff

I have to keep turning my front wheels to keep it locked in because I have limited slip up front I was told would the manual hubs fix that......where can i get some good ones that aren't alot