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4H on dry roads, 2H with locked hubs...Will they cause damage?

5K views 15 replies 11 participants last post by  adfields 
#1 ·
I have another 4x4 question. The owner's manual says I may cause damage to my truck if I drive in 2H with the hubs locked. I have also heard that driving on dry pavement in 4H will cause damage as well.

I live and work in the mountains, and i prefer driving in 4H as I leave my job and drive through town on the icy roads, and I also need 4H to climb up the icy hill to my house at the end of my trip. However, the 30 miles of highway between have variable conditions. They could be totally dry for 5 miles and then a snowy mess for the next 5.

Call me lazy, but I get annoyed by having to pull over on a busy highway, get out, and unlock my hubs to go into 2H. Then I'm fishtailing like mad as I leave the snowy shoulder and get up to speed on the dry pavement.

What is the best thing to do in my situation? I would prefer to drive in 4H all the time, but if this will cause damage on the dry road then obviously I need a different plan. If so, then it would be nice to "shift on the fly" from 4H to 2H as different highway conditions warrant, but will this also cause damage? Or should I just nut up and lock/unlock my hubs multiple times during my commute?

Thanks!
 
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#2 ·
I'm not sure about the PS's but I know with other trucks, leaving the hubs locked in and not in 4x4 makes all the axle parts spin (shafts, ring, pinion, all teh way back to the trans case) causing premature wear on the parts, and possible subsequent failure. Whereas if u leave them unlocked, none if the above mentioned parts move, lessening the total wear on them.

At least thats how it worked on my toyota, but like I said I have never taken the front part of my Ford apart to know for sure. maybe someone else can back up or refute my theory.
 
#3 ·
Just leave the hubs locked and shift the T-case when the weather is marginal. I lock all the hubs on my trucks at the first snow and don't unlock them for 5 months or more. The use of the parts that sit idle when they are not locked is better for them than sitting still and rusting in my experience. You do use more fuel with the hubs locked than free.
 
#8 ·
I agree....



We don't get nearly the snow that they do in Alaska, but if the weather looks nasty, I take the truck and lock the hubs and run in 2H for my 70 mile commute. I only put her in 4H when the conditions warrant. No issues as of yet. I try to avoid the full lock turn on dry pavement when in this mode, but you can't always do that.

Hell, If I had to pull over on the side of the road, lock the hubs, and then engage the T-case every time I wanted to use 4X4, I'd trade the truck in on something different because that would suck @$$!
 
#4 ·
Long stretches of dry in 4x isnt really good, but leaving the hubs locked in doesnt hurt. My dads had the hubs on his 88 F250 locked in since the day he bought it and they are rarely unlocked. No problems with routine maintenance. Your crazier than hell if you pull over to unlock on the side of a highway then start going...thats just askin for a wreck
 
#5 ·
well i rarley lock my hubs in unless i go into 4L when the roads are bad i just go into 4H and dont lock the hubs in i have done it on the interstate and everything and it hasent seemed to hurt it and i just changed the oil and there no metal shaveings or anything
 
#6 ·
You must have the shift on the fly hubs?
 
#7 ·
yes i do i have the switch on the dash i guess i was under the impression that you could do it when there was a four wheel drive stick also but turns out that i am mistaken haha but thanks
 
#10 ·
what year truck? my 04 has an auto setting on the hubs
 
#11 ·
Ok I have a 2002 F-250 with 158,000 miles on it. I have been leaving my hubs locked in for the past two years from Oct. 1st till April 1st. I have yet to have any mechanical failure from doing this. The only thing I have found is about a 1-2mpg loss from leaving the hubs locked in. Now how that happens I don't know. I would guess from having the axle rotating causing more resistance. But as for damage being done. I have not had any damage done from this. In fact I just replaced my front wheel bearing assemblies. They had 157,000 miles on the originals. Maybe I got more miles out of my hubs from leaving the hubs locked in. I don't know but I know I will keep doing this practice.

I however do not drive on dry pavement in 4H only in 2H but living in Michigan I made 4H at any time. Plus I have done this because my auto does not work properly. Plus Ford Hubs are known to fail.
 
#12 ·
so what is the diff. between auto and lock on your hubs? is lock in case the the auto fails from the shift on the fly?
 
#13 ·
Thats about right. The auto hubs are not a positive lock like turning the knob is. The first auto hubs were auto only and many guys had trouble with them and wanted standard hubs. Ford came up with a way to make us old school guys happy as well as the soccer mom with the same hub!
 
#14 ·
I took my 06 to the dealership with a fuel mileage concern and they told me my hubs were locked in. I thought this was a joke since I bought the truck in Florida in April, never looked at the hubs and then drove it to SC then on to NV while pulling a 5th wheel, that's over 3,500 miles in one shot in 4 days time. They told me there was no real reason to panic that it most likely didn't do any damage, and I haven't noticed anything different about the driveability. By the way the mileage did not increase once they were unlocked.
 
#15 ·
I dont understand how it will hurt if its dry wtas the difference in driving when the roads are wet or not :dunno:
 
#16 ·
With the hubs and T-case locked in on dry pavement you will get heat damage. This is due to the fact that all 4 tires are not precisely the same size and there is nothing to compensate for that when in lock. Off road the slip of the tires on the suffice and the slow speed prevent excess heat buildup, same with a snow covered highway but a dry paved road will damage what ever your week link happens to be.
 
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