# ford super duty locking hubs help please!



## PORTER 05

hey, i got a 2000 ford f 350 diesel 4x4...i need to know alittle more about the hubs, know they need to be locked inorder for the truck to be able to be in 4x4? know wat if you lock then but dont engage the 4x4, can you drive for a few hrs witht he hubs locked but not in 4x4...please help. oh ya and i have the floor mounted manual lever 4x4wat if u dont lock them, and then put the truck in 4x4, wat happens then>>>???


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## CARDOCTOR

i leave the hubs locked when the weather is bad even if im in 2wd.
only thing it will do is decrease your fuel econo and cause a little more wear on the front end. since my wife has problems turning the locks on her 
excursion i usually lock them before the storm


john


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## Plow Meister

PORTER 05 said:


> hey, i got a 2000 ford f 350 diesel 4x4...i need to know alittle more about the hubs, know they need to be locked inorder for the truck to be able to be in 4x4? know wat if you lock then but dont engage the 4x4, can you drive for a few hrs witht he hubs locked but not in 4x4...please help. oh ya and i have the floor mounted manual lever 4x4wat if u dont lock them, and then put the truck in 4x4, wat happens then>>>???


My eyes hurt from trying to read this post

In a nutshell... Lock 'em and leave 'em. Use the lever on the floor to engage the 4wd in the winter. I lock mine in for the first storm and unlock them in the spring time. As said earlier, you will lose some mileage and will wear joints a bit faster but it's no biggie.


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## itsgottobegreen

CARDOCTOR said:


> i since my wife has problems turning the locks on her
> excursion i usually lock them before the storm


Put a set of warn premium locking hubs. My mother (50 years old) can turn them will out a problem.


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## LINY Rob

is it really as easy as it seems to put the Warns in there?

my auto hubs are acting up again, I have taken them out and cleaned them once before and it helped for a while, now it seems like they are not disengaging again


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## greenscapes inc

They are a peace of cake to install, in my opinion the stock ford hubs are terrible and if your plowing snow get some warn.


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## itsgottobegreen

greenscapes said:


> They are a peace of cake to install, in my opinion the stock ford hubs are terrible and if your plowing snow get some warn.


True, but not when you have a dually. Since they don't fit a dually do to the different front axel. Ended up doing custom machining on my hubs for the dump truck.

But they are a blessing compared to my old junky ford ones.


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## douglasl330

Lock em and forget them--or when you put your blade on lock them!---That way your all set to push snow by switching the florr lever!!!!!!!!


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## daninline

I lock them the night before it snows just to save on ware and fuel.

I take them apart every year and re-grease so they won't freeze up.

if you leave the hubs engaged while not in 4x4 all the front end componets will be turning but it will be disengaged in the transfer case.

if you have it 4x4 with out the hubs engaged it will just frewheel but the front and rears turn at the same speed except when going around courners so I woudn't do it but I don't think it will do any damage.

Also if you have CV joints in the front the less you have them spinning during tight turns the better since the dam boots rip.


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## slammin4x4

greenscapes said:


> They are a peace of cake to install, in my opinion the stock ford hubs are terrible and if your plowing snow get some warn.


What is the big advantage of Warns over Ford? Can you tell a difference, or just better quality?


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## LINY Rob

slammin4x4 said:


> What is the big advantage of Warns over Ford? Can you tell a difference, or just better quality?


the difference in price alone is worth the Warns


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## SnoFarmer

PORTER 05 said:


> hey, i got a 2000 ford f 350 diesel 4x4...i need to know Little more about the hubs, know they need to be locked inorder for the truck to be able to be in 4x4? know wat if you lock then but dont engage the 4x4, can you drive for a few hrs witht he hubs locked but not in 4x4...please help. oh ya and i have the floor mounted manual lever 4x4wat if u dont lock them, and then put the truck in 4x4, wat happens then>>>???


You can leave them locked in all year long and drive as normal if you want.
As for shifting the transfer case. You can shift in to and out of 4x4 as long as you are not under heavy acceleration or decelerating fast. you should be able to slip it in and out of gear.
I would unlock the hubs when the weather is clear and lock them in when it starts to snow. It will decrease you mileage and wear out the front drive line faster if you chose to run with them locked in all of the time as your front drive line will be spining all of the time.


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## alternative

Do you need to lock hubs on fords newer model.. i think there is a notch that says AUTO on the hub.. thats where mine are.. and never touched them. What should be done?


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## hotrod7

*locking hubs on ford*

i have a 2003 f250 and when the hubs are in auto what you have is a limited slip, not true four wheel drive, and when in manual you have all four wheels turning at the same time. i plow with the hubs in auto most of the time and works fine.


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## LINY Rob

problem with those auto hubs is one day they will stop working right, then will you want to spend the money on the Ford hubs or buy the Warns?


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## CARDOCTOR

hotrod7 said:


> i have a 2003 f250 and when the hubs are in auto what you have is a limited slip, not true four wheel drive, and when in manual you have all four wheels turning at the same time. i plow with the hubs in auto most of the time and works fine.


manual or auto hubs unless you have posi front and rear you realley dont have true 4wd. the way the hubs lock have no bearing on how the differential works

john


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## alternative

so when plowing they should actually be in LOCK...??


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## LINY Rob

yes, put them in lock

its just so nice when your going from site to site to be able to push the button and have the front free without getting out of the truck


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## CARDOCTOR

id lock them i dont trust the auto mode .havent worked on my wifes excursion since new. 


john


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## alternative

what do you mean its nice to just push a button and have the front free.? is it not free when in Auto? i dont follow. i guess because all my other trucks are GM and there are no hub controls... THanks


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## LINY Rob

im saying if you take out the autos and put warns in there you now have to get out of the truck to unlock the hubs, I really meant so now the hubs are not locked anymore.


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## Plowlikehell

Okay guys, anyone know who makes the auto lock hubs for Ford? I do, its Warn.

The auto lock hubs when serviced properly will give you years of hassle free service. The hubs are actuated by vacuum to lock and unlock. If you develop a leak the hubs will become inop, and will need to be fixed. For all you DYI people, the main problem with the vac hub setup is the O-ring around the lock itself. squeeze the retaining ring and remove the lock. Pay close attention to the corrostion on the hub. clean the hub with 320 paper, and install a new O-ring with grease. retest vehicle.

You can use a hand vacuum pump to diagnois if the wheel end is leaking or not. If you have multiple trucks, you might want to invest in the vac hub lock diagnoistic tools for the Super Duty. There is a kit for 1999-2004, and one from 2005 and up. They work great, and will save you money in the long run. I should know, I designed them.


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## LINY Rob

I have taken mine out and cleaned them, but where would I get this O-Ring your speaking of?

IF Warn makes the hubs for Ford why doesnt Ford make them available as inexpensivly as the Warns? I know I would rather spend the $99 on the warns then the price of the ford autos, someone told me they were close to $400 a piece?


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## Plowlikehell

SnoFarmer said:


> You will have to a better job selling that line to me,
> Mr, sales man.. If you were an engineer/ designer, you would not be the sales man.. Prove me wrong....


Yes I can chew gum and walk at the same time. I have paid my dues as a technician for 20 years. I have been doing service tools now for 10 years, and enjoy every minute of it.

Oh and did I tell ya I plow a little snow also?


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## Plowlikehell

LINY Rob said:


> I have taken mine out and cleaned them, but where would I get this O-Ring your speaking of?
> 
> IF Warn makes the hubs for Ford why doesnt Ford make them available as inexpensivly as the Warns? I know I would rather spend the $99 on the warns then the price of the ford autos, someone told me they were close to $400 a piece?


The dealer sells the O-rings. The O-ring you have is heat rated, make sure you use OEM, or equal.

As for pricing, I dont work for Ford, so I have no clue why they are so pricey. Heck at 400 each, I shouldnt of tossed the ones I had for development. honestly 400 each sounds way too high.

If anyone is interested I will post pics of the tools testing the vacuum hub system.


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## mczoona

*locking hubs*

hi 
I have a 2001 ford excursion auto hubs don't free up sometimes what the best lub. to use on them when I'm cleaning them?


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## LINY Rob

I called the dealer today, they say there are a few o-rings and a needle bearing that should be changed, parts are like $100-$150 depending on your discounts.


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## alternative

i just leave mine in auto. ohwell.


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## THE BOSS 1975

We Lock Our Hubs Just Before The Storm .and For Those Of You Who Leave Them In Auto Try Locking Them You Might Be Amazed By The Difference!!!!


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## Plowlikehell

mczoona said:


> hi
> I have a 2001 ford excursion auto hubs don't free up sometimes what the best lub. to use on them when I'm cleaning them?


Sorry for not replying earlier, but I did ask about the lube. They say to just use wheel bearing grease.


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## Eyesell

I'm still confused, I actually got stuck for the fist time this year, had truck in 4x4 and hubs in auto.

Now let me get this right, having the truck hubs locked ( vs. in auto which is where I usually keep them ) would not have made a difference correct, I mean I felt the front tires spinning and all.

But my questions are the same is the other guy:
1. What exactly do you have to do to swap these out to Warns Hubs
2. How hard is it to maintain the factory hubs, and exactly how is the maintenance performed.

Thanks in advanced !


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## SuperDuty

My 99 SD has the Auto/Locked type of hubs from Ford which I actually don't care for because they are vaccum operated from the control switch on the dash in the truck. II much prefer the stick on the floor. Oh well that's with the next SD!


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## Plowlikehell

Eyesell said:


> I'm still confused, I actually got stuck for the fist time this year, had truck in 4x4 and hubs in auto.
> 
> Now let me get this right, having the truck hubs locked ( vs. in auto which is where I usually keep them ) would not have made a difference correct, I mean I felt the front tires spinning and all.
> 
> But my questions are the same is the other guy:
> 1. What exactly do you have to do to swap these out to Warns Hubs
> 2. How hard is it to maintain the factory hubs, and exactly how is the maintenance performed.
> 
> Thanks in advanced !


1) No clue, but i can find out for you
2) They dont need to be maintained, but if it was me I would check them everytime I did my brakes. Plus check early in the season to make sure they are working properly. The problem with the vac hu system is they like to retain moisture and rust. So you can have rust on the sealing surface from both sides. doesnt take long to pull one, clean the rust, add a new O-ring and reinstall. Also leaving your hubs unlocked all summer can result in the U-joints getting stiff. I always try and use my 4wd onec and a while in the off season to keep everything moving and lubed.


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## Plowlikehell

THE BOSS 1975 said:


> We Lock Our Hubs Just Before The Storm .and For Those Of You Who Leave Them In Auto Try Locking Them You Might Be Amazed By The Difference!!!!


I dont understand this statement. If they are working properly, they work the same as manually locking them. If you do feel a difference, you should have them looked at.


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## Plowlikehell

I talked to the guys at Warn Ind today. The only thing you need to do is add a second snap ring to each of the new manual locks. Tha is due to the large ring land for the factory hub.


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## dirt digger

lock them once a month and drive 10-15 miles to grease them. Especially in the summer time when the truck may not be put into 4 wheel drive as much. It keeps the hubs free...atleast it does in my truck..i lock them once a month and so far 9 years later not a single problem..knock on wood


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## Nascar24

Plowlikehell;269510 said:


> Okay guys, anyone know who makes the auto lock hubs for Ford? I do, its Warn.
> 
> The auto lock hubs when serviced properly will give you years of hassle free service. The hubs are actuated by vacuum to lock and unlock. If you develop a leak the hubs will become inop, and will need to be fixed. For all you DYI people, the main problem with the vac hub setup is the O-ring around the lock itself. squeeze the retaining ring and remove the lock. Pay close attention to the corrostion on the hub. clean the hub with 320 paper, and install a new O-ring with grease. retest vehicle.
> 
> You can use a hand vacuum pump to diagnois if the wheel end is leaking or not. If you have multiple trucks, you might want to invest in the vac hub lock diagnoistic tools for the Super Duty. There is a kit for 1999-2004, and one from 2005 and up. They work great, and will save you money in the long run. I should know, I designed them.


I hate to disagree with anyone and be very vocal about it but.... YOUR DESIGN SUCKS!

Why don't you tell these guys with the Auto Hub issues about the Expensive big rear seals that leak? They also require a special seal driver that no one seems to have, I made my own, turned one out on a lathe in no time! How about the diver-tor valve that is located up behind the battery, that the little poppet valve rusts and causes the system to fail? or the plastic hub that has the internal center vent and the plastic decays and turns them into junk! Vacuum lines that deteriorate and you get intermittently readings!

I also can walk and chew gum at the same time! 25+ years in the automotive industry as a ASE Master Tech, AWS Certified welder and I-Car certified collision tech and I have never seen such a piss poor design! I've pretty much seen a lot of brain farts in my many years but this one is a real stinker!

IMHO and Professional opinion, buy a set of Warn Premium hubs and install them in less than twenty minuets without even jacking up the vehicle! Plug off your vacuum lines and be done! I purchased my set of Warn premium hubs on E-Bay $159 shipped to my house and as they say in Mayne " They work Pissa!


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## f250man

Well I just replaced mine hubs with Mile Marker hubs all stainless steel inside and out. No more plastic Ford junk. And they do cost $ 290.00 a piece plus tax at the dealer thats why I went aftermarket. I lock them at the same time the plow goes on and all I have to do is pull the trusty lever back and Im ready to go plowing.


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## Plowlikehell

Nascar24;380419 said:


> I hate to disagree with anyone and be very vocal about it but.... YOUR DESIGN SUCKS!
> 
> Why don't you tell these guys with the Auto Hub issues about the Expensive big rear seals that leak? They also require a special seal driver that no one seems to have, I made my own, turned one out on a lathe in no time! How about the diver-tor valve that is located up behind the battery, that the little poppet valve rusts and causes the system to fail? or the plastic hub that has the internal center vent and the plastic decays and turns them into junk! Vacuum lines that deteriorate and you get intermittently readings!
> 
> I also can walk and chew gum at the same time! 25+ years in the automotive industry as a ASE Master Tech, AWS Certified welder and I-Car certified collision tech and I have never seen such a piss poor design! I've pretty much seen a lot of brain farts in my many years but this one is a real stinker!
> 
> IMHO and Professional opinion, buy a set of Warn Premium hubs and install them in less than twenty minuets without even jacking up the vehicle! Plug off your vacuum lines and be done! I purchased my set of Warn premium hubs on E-Bay $159 shipped to my house and as they say in Mayne " They work Pissa!


WoW, I posted on this over a year ago. Please reread what I posted. I designed the service tools you say no one can find. Call 1800 ROTUNDA, and follow the promps. If you feel going back 20 years with manual locking hubs, be my guest. Next thing your going to complain about is those pesky fuel injectors, and how good carburators were. I have also paid my dues, and have been a master certified technician since 1982. Good job machining a tool on a lathe to install those back seals. Now for the bad news, those seals need to be set to a certain depth to make them live. If the seal is off, you will wear them out premature. But no need now, you have manual locks.

Have a nice day


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## vwovw

mine must not be working either. i can REALLY tell the difference in the auto-- lock. sad thing is my 99 f250 v10 with the hubs locked, cooper st tires. can be beat by my wifes 06 f150 v8. and she can't manually lock hers...just on her dash.
can i buy better hubs for hers? and then i should go with the warns?....but do i hook up the vacuums?


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## Nascar24

Plowlikehell;380500 said:


> WoW, I posted on this over a year ago. Please reread what I posted. I designed the service tools you say no one can find. Call 1800 ROTUNDA, and follow the promps. If you feel going back 20 years with manual locking hubs, be my guest. Next thing your going to complain about is those pesky fuel injectors, and how good carburators were. I have also paid my dues, and have been a master certified technician since 1982. Good job machining a tool on a lathe to install those back seals. Now for the bad news, those seals need to be set to a certain depth to make them live. If the seal is off, you will wear them out premature. But no need now, you have manual locks.
> 
> Have a nice day


I'll never complain about Fuel Injection, best thing that ever happened in the Automotive and Trucking industries. As far as going back twenty years , If the so called more advanced design DOESN"T WORK with any kind of longeviety what the hell good is it! I truly believe all the other auto manufacturers have does a much better job than Ford when it comes to an automatic four wheel drive. Ford has made some real big mistakes over the past few years, ones that are going to make them go the way of Packard and Studebaker. Loyale Ford buyers like myself will be leaving in droves because of their bonehead moves! If Ford wants market shares back, give us reliability and if it means going back to a tried and true system like manual hubs and a real Power Stroke rather than the 6.0 Power Joke, they better hurry up, their ship is sinking like the Edmund Fitzgerald!

So I'm not really an analog man living in a digital world like you may think!

As far as the depth setting on the rear seals, I was well aware of that when I designed my seal driver, unlike the Ford Rotunda set! Yea thats right I took my driver and made it univerasl and designed it so I can actually adjust the depth so it can be used on more than one application. In Fact Snap On and OTC have both made inquires about the seal driver set that I have, I told the both of them put a real nice offer on the table and I might let them take a look at it, otherwise forget it!, Inquires keep coming, but no offer so no lookie! I have serveral friends that operate their own repair shops, many occasions I will assist them in diagonising these Ford Pieces of dung, and assist with the reassembly, Seal driver works extremely well and never another issue, most of their techs want me to make them one or market it, I'd just a soon leave it in my bottom draw then sell it for peanuts to a big tool company. And by the way three local guys are Ford Dealers that have come to love this one!

Jay


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## Plowlikehell

Nascar24;380731 said:


> . In Fact Snap On and OTC have both made inquires about the seal driver set that I have, I told the both of them put a real nice offer on the table and I might let them take a look at it, otherwise forget it!, Inquires keep coming, but no offer so no lookie! I have serveral friends that operate their own repair shops, many occasions I will assist them in diagonising these Ford Pieces of dung, and assist with the reassembly, Seal driver works extremely well and never another issue, most of their techs want me to make them one or market it, I'd just a soon leave it in my bottom draw then sell it for peanuts to a big tool company. And by the way three local guys are Ford Dealers that have come to love this one!
> 
> Jay


Jay...
Enjoy!

BTW. Who did you talk to at OTC? This should be interesting :waving:


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## vwovw

my fords bigger than yours.


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## Nascar24

Tom from S&L Marketing, OK

AND HAVE A NICE DAY!

Jay


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## Plowlikehell

Well?

I'm waiting............


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## Nascar24

I think I posted all that I need to at this point! see reply #44

I would like to suggest that we just let this non sense go, its apparent to me that you and I are not going to agree with the quality of Ford design on the Auto Locking hub system. I believe that you provide a quality service to your employer and our auto industry, and believe me I respect that, but I also believe that we should have enough respect to professionally agree to disagree because I don't think we will ever share the same opinion on the performance of this system, besides without piss poor designs, where would we both be? You'd be an unemployed Tech/ Engineer and I wouldn't have a long line of clients who need to have their vehicles repaired and future techs to train. 

Oh by the way, I wish Ford would just copy the Command trac system that your Cherokee probably has, its a bullet proof system!

Have a nice day!

Jay


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## ltlm

go to www.valleytruckparts.com


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## Plowlikehell

Nascar24;380937 said:


> I think I posted all that I need to at this point! see reply #44
> 
> I would like to suggest that we just let this non sense go, its apparent to me that you and I are not going to agree with the quality of Ford design on the Auto Locking hub system. I believe that you provide a quality service to your employer and our auto industry, and believe me I respect that, but I also believe that we should have enough respect to professionally agree to disagree because I don't think we will ever share the same opinion on the performance of this system, besides without piss poor designs, where would we both be? You'd be an unemployed Tech/ Engineer and I wouldn't have a long line of clients who need to have their vehicles repaired and future techs to train.
> 
> Oh by the way, I wish Ford would just copy the Command trac system that your Cherokee probably has, its a bullet proof system!
> 
> Have a nice day!
> 
> Jay


Hi Jay,
Post 44 is not OTC or Snap On, so dont give out a buisness name without proof. I work for OTC, and any new Ford tool idea brought in goes by my desk. We would never build two different tools that do the same job. Your bashing of the tools that aid in diagnostics was uncalled for. After sending out all the diagnostic tools, warranty dropped due to proper diag of the problem. That crappy rear seal warranty dropped ALOT due to tech's not jumping the gun and replacing everything. If the system was bullet proof, i would be out of a job, LOL.

As for the system on my jeep. It has failed so many times, I pushed the lock ring over and locked it in. No more broken forks, bad switches, or bad vacuum lines.

Jay, 
Keep up the good work.


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