When to lock hubs or not

[Rapidz]

Hi:
My wife and I are having a debate when to lock the hubs. She wants to keep the hubs locked on wet roads so that she can go into 4WD at a moment's notice. She said the Sportsmobile Ford is designed for that. She wanted to drive 50 mph for 150 miles with locked hubs.
I don't believe in locking hubs until necessary. I lock and unlock them as I drive and conditions change.
I don't lock the hubs at highway speeds. If they are locked, I slow to 40 mph.
Rapids

[billwilson]

my rig
2001 quigly v-10 eb 350 runs funky at highway speeds
i know this from the ONLY time i forgot

[Roonie]

It does no harm to run around with the hubs locked and front drive disengaged for the short term. Over the longrun, though, you'll average worse gas mileage, and have increased wear and tear on the drive train components and tires. Also highway speed doesn't matter.

During the winter months and when I head up to go skiing I lock the hubs before I leave so I can switch it into 4WD when I hit the snow without having to stop and get out. Before WARN invented hubs this was how 4WD vehicles ran all the time. Most folks I know who have or had hubs would engage them for the winter and then disengage them at the end of the season. No problems.

[jage]

Originally Posted by Roonie

Over the longrun, though, you'll average worse gas mileage, and have increased wear and tear on the drive train components and tires. Also highway speed doesn't matter.

Ditto that, as long as the transfer case is disengaged you're putting more wear and tear, but you probably would never notice any except what it causes in your arms. Over the lifetime of the van, sure it adds up, but putting 5,000 miles on the components isn't going to change anything.

Add to that, we lock the hubs every few months when not 4x4ing and drive around a bit, simply because it lubricates everything, ensures things will work when needed. As for highway, I'll shift in an out as needed if the road is mixed conditions.

Hate to say it, but your wife is right. No, I take that back, it was a lot of fun to say!

[EMrider]

When we enter snow country, I lock the hubs and unlock them once we're down the hill. I've done hundreds of miles with them locked, including a lot of 70mph driving on the highway. Being able to just shift the transfer case into 4x4 is great.

Look on the bright side, your wife knows enough about this stuff to have an opinion. After 60k miles, my wife still asks what 'those sticks' on the floor do.
R

[Rapidz]

Thanks for the imput. It puts my mind at rest and we won't argue all across southeast Oregon on U.S. 95 when the weather is bad.
And yes, I'll tell my wife that you guys said she's right.
By the way, she knows 4WD. She worked for the Forest Service a few years.
Happy trails,
Rapidz

[geoffff]

The other thing you might notice is this -- I've had diff fluid "puke" out the breather hose into my left-front wheel well when driving long distances at 70+ MPH with the hubs locked.

-- Geoff

[Roonie]

Originally Posted by geoffff

The other thing you might notice is this -- I've had diff fluid "puke" out the breather hose into my left-front wheel well when driving long distances at 70+ MPH with the hubs locked.

-- Geoff

Yes. It seems to do it at 70+ mph. I added a long breather tube that goes all the way into my engine compartment and it still pukes the fluid and makes a mess. Recently changed the fluid in front diff and it still does it.

[oldfart3]

I got T-boned at an intersection a few years ago by a subcompact about 400 miles from home. The impact was just in front of the right rear wheel, and the car submarined the rocker panel, hit the rear wheel, and slid the right side of the rear axle back far enough to disconnect the driveshaft splines and drop the shaft onto the road, which damaged the front U-joint. The local dealer wanted me to leave the van for a month or two to be fixed, which was unacceptable. With the help of the local shade tree mechanic, I removed the driveshaft, loosened the U-Bolts, pulled the axle back into place with a ComeAlong, retightened the U-bolts, disengaged the rear axle (SMB 4WD), engaged the front axle and hubs, and drove home in front wheel drive. I definitely didn't lock the front locker for the trip.
I did keep the speed down, and drove very cautiously, but it worked just fine and we're still going strong.
John T.

[geoffff]

Wow.