Hubs were locked all this time........

[Carolina1010]

Hi guys,
I finally found a few free minutes and decided to try out the 4x4
Thing is, I have been unhappy with fuel mileage so far and when I found a good field road to play on I got out to lock the hubs and wouldn't ya know it, they were already in the locked position.
I've read where this will have an adverse effect on fuel mileage. Which I'm kinda happy about.
But now I'm worried I may have hurt something, or at the very least accelerated the wear on some parts.
I don't have any weird noises or vibrations.........lol, well, none any weirder than normal anyway.
What do you guys think, should I be ok or am I in line for a painful lesson right mow?

 

[NY Tom]

In my experience with regular pickup trucks you can drive around hubs locked and it just increases wear on the rotating parts of the drivetrain but no damage.

It reduces fuel mileage of course. I don't think you should be worried. In some ways I feel it might be good for the front driveshaft to turn now and then to keep the bearing lube distributed.

 

[Recovry4x4]

It will hurt nothing. Lock outs didn't always exist. Coast wear on those parts will be negligible at best. It does give you a great reason to get in there and do a bearing inspection/ repack.

 

[LT67]

As long as there's gear oil in the axle housing, you're good to go

 

[LanceRobson]

Ad as a bonus the steering should be a lot smoother and less jerky now.

Best regards to all,


Lance

 

[Carolina1010]

Ad as a bonus the steering should be a lot smoother and less jerky now.

Best regards to all,


Lance

YES!!.......LOL,that's the biggest difference so far, im looking forward to filling her up and getting a new base line for the mileage

 

[Sharecropper]

I’ve always locked my hubs occasionally just to keep things lubed up.

 

[royalflush55]

I’ve always locked my hubs occasionally just to keep things lubed up.

Me too for about 42 years now!

 

[Keith_J]

Once a month for a few days keeps lube distributed and seals exercised. Now driving in 4H on hard roads will cause wear with hubs locked.

Driving a few miles with hubs disengaged in 4H isn't a problem either, the relative rotation in the hubs is similar, just different direction. And you get all the bearing and seal benefits of running with hubs locked in 2 wheel drive.