Do any of u guys leave your front hubs locked all winter? The upper NY winters are brutal.

 

winters are not that bad in upstate ny, its about the same as here in ontario. i think i only used 4x4 once or twice last winter and even then i could have done it in rwd. have fun reversing and backing out of parking spots with locked hubs all winter.

 

yea only lock them in if you know youre going to need 4x4 other wise you are just creating useless drag

 

Yes. But I don't have an option...live axle.

 

Yep, and I love it. Live axle ftw. Wouldn't want anything else.

 

x2

 

x3.

Don't get me wrong I like on my F250 "knowing" that they are locked with the manual hubs, but for a daily driver I loved that I could just flip the switch in the ranger from inside and be done with it.

Ifs it's a hardcore offroad rig, then yeah get the manual hubs. But if not, the live axle setup on the rangers are much better then most designs. Beats the hell out of the standard vacuum hubs thats for sure. To me its the best middle of the spectrum route.

The only design I like better is the superduty-new f series trucks. You can run auto and stay inside the truck, if you find that for some reason it isn't working well, you get out and can manually lock it. But for the money they cost, I expect that.

 

I have a 6" rule, if we get six inches and up and no plow or tracks yet 4X4 otherwise 2wd. I'm cheap and hate wasting gas. I need to clarify this, it is only my opinion and only my thoughts on the matter,everyone else is entitled to their opinion.

 

Well said! I don't need it with 6" of snow but I use it.LOL!

 

Yea if there is snow on the roads I'm in 4wd...better safe than sorry

 

I just skipped a page of **** to come here and say this:

Its 4 wheel drive, not 4 wheel stop.

I saw somewhere the Alaskan (Red_AK_Ranger) leaves his locked in all the time in the winter. Its in a thread somewhere, but i'm not looking for it.

As for me, My hubs are inside of my plastic wheel center covers. I just drive around with a cheater screwdriver i bought (Screwdriver with an allen-head) for when it gets dicey. I just pull off to the side of the road and spend the minute and a half to engage the hubs. I usually only engage them when i feel like the BFG's won't have the best traction in the world.

Would i engage them in 6" of snow, Sure. After i turn the wheel to opposite lock and hold just for fun.

 

all the needless BS cleaned out of this thread...keep it on topic

 

Keep them locked, it's better to err on the side of caution. Do you really wanna get out of your truck in freezing weather and lock them? Just be prepared for a larger turning radius.

Having your truck in 4wd does help stopping. It adds resistance on the front end as power is transmitted there.

 

The whole 4wd not 4 wheel stop thing is meant for those guys that think just because you have 4 wheel drive means you can go anywhere in anything.

 

this is my last warning...you guys derail this thread one more time/bash other members infractions will be given

 

Some folks want a boot up their ***.

And I have lots of boots.

 

so do i lol

 

To re-iterate my thoughts before i was rudely interrupted.

I don't think i need to say it, but traction plays a big part of the equation as well. (Yes i know you asked about leaving the hubs locked, but i feel you can't mention 4wd snow driving without talking about traction) If you've got good tires that have decent traction in the winter, I'd think about leaving it locked it.

But you've got to weigh the pro's and cons of it. Is it worth getting less MPGs just for the ease of having 4x4 on the fly? That'd be the main one for me.

 

oh lord, now the whole mpg with locked hubs thing gets brought up.

i have a live axle and get the same mileage as 2wd trucks. it doesnt effect mpg....

 

Alex, I agree with you're "4wd doesn't mean I'm unstoppable" comment and I'm glad u agree with where I was coming from.

 

Last Winter was a breeze I only used 4wd once.We only had one 12" snow. Hopefully same thing this year.

 

I usually only locked the hubs when I knew it was going to snow but that is also because i have a locker in the front and dont want to put uneccesary ware on it.

 

honestly, just leave them unlocked. youll know when you need it. then go lock them. i leave my diesel's hubs unlocked all the time. if its going to snow, lock them. but even then, unless theres a lot of snow on the road. probably wont even need 4wd.

 

Wow. New staff is a bit touchy....

I kid, I kid.

Looks like this one was removed, but I'll repost it because it was relevant.

And as 6.2 stated above, the "loss" isn't even really noticeable. Especially since you are going to lose a load more MPG just in the engine being colder.

 

Darn. Missed out on getting my two cents in in regards to people being badasses because of where they're from. Shoot.


In closing, leave 'em unlocked til you know there's gonna be some 4wd action needed. If the times and weather continue to stay, leave 'em locked in. 2000+ trucks don't have hubs to engage so it's a moot point to us. 100% engaged all the time.....and takes care of a factory VERY weak point.