do they make a lockout kit for the new style hubs? just wondering about doing it for milage and less wear? any thoughts?

 

You're asking about a kit to manually engage and disengage the hubs? How is that going to improve mileage and wear? These auto hubs do not use centrifugal clutches like they used to-- they're vacuum actuated. So switching the switch on your dash simply locks them the same way your hand would, except with vacuum. No real benefits can be had for putting manual hubs on the truck.

 

I know there are conversion kits for jeeps to go from vaccume to manual operation. You may want to look into 4x4 sites as that is where they are usually.

You may also want to check Warn, I think they are one of the bigger manufacture of hubs.

 

Back in the days of old there were full-time four wheel drive and regular part-time or two wheel drive transfer cases. None of the front drive components turned when driving in 2 wheel drive - not even the transfer case internals.
I put a part-time conversion kit in the full time four wheel drive transfer case of a 1974 Blazer I had.
I also installed manual locking hubs.
I never thought about gas mileage back then, I did it to save wear and tear on the front drive shaft U joint and constant velocity joint.

 

I had the vacuum line pop off on my Jeep Cherokee one day many years ago while I was wheeling in the mud. Had to get pulled the whole way out, until I could get to a spot to figure out what happened.

I can see that as a reason to replace them, but for everyday use, I don't think it would be worth it. I also don't know how they're hooked up in the ford. In the Jeep it was pretty vulnerable.

 

so what your saying is the front drive shaft and axles is not turning till you flip the switch?

never had a f150 before. always had 250 and 350's with manual lockouts and hubs

 

That is correct... you should be able to get under the truck and rotate the front driveshaft by hand when it is parked to confirm it is not connected to anything when in 2wd...

 

On these Ford trucks there are 2 points in the driveline that engage and disengage when you operate the 4wd controls: the transfer case and the hubs. When in 2wd, both are unlocked, so the entire front drivetrain does NOT turn while driving down the road. When you flip the switch, the transfer case engages the front driveshaft, which will turn the front axle shafts, which then get locked to the wheels when the hubs engage (via vacuum).

 

My previous truck a 2005 Dodge Ram 1500 didn't have vacuum lines to the hubs. It did have electronic shift on the fly 4 wheel drive.

How did the hubs work on this truck?

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centrifugal_clutch