Lock hubs??

I think its a good idea to lock them in and drive a couple miles every month or two. No science to this idea.

Psych, 95 T100

Just picked up my 98 4WD Tacoma from a repair. The right hub had frozen and had to be replaced. I bought the truck for going skiing but have more or less given up that sport, so I rarely use the 4WD anymore.

My question: should I drive with the hubs locked (they're manually locking ones) every so often, to keep that from happening again (assuming "inactivity" was the cause)? If so, how often and how long?

Thanks.

Peter Giotta

Locking and unlocking them is all the exercise they need if the hubs are lubed properly. Once the hubs are locked, or unlocked, they are passive. You can drive all day and it will make no difference. Not the same as putting it into 4WD where the front differential gets the lube stirred up.

I'm assuming that you lube the whole truck when you are supposed to , at least every three months. There are numerous grease fitting.

Toyota also recommends that you lock the hubs and engage the 4 wheel drive at least one a month for 10 miles or so.

Have two feet of new snow today on top of the 3 feet we got two weeks ago. Heading out on my board soon.

Not exactly because the are never really passive. When unlocked they have to hold gear that engages hub centered and lets it spin freely relative to rotating hub (actually the hub spins around it) in a bushing or bearing to keep axle from spinning. When engaged, it connects wheel to axle via stub shaft in splindle which is now turning as is the axle shafts, differentail, drive shaft and their respective ujoints and this will have a impact on MPG and to some degree some effect on steering "feel' too though it may be slight.

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This is not really needed because if it was true I have a 18 year old

4x4 that realy sees 4x4 and if it followed this rule it would have been 12 months times 18 years or 216 times I should have done this and for a total of about 2200 miles too. I doubt it even has 1/4 of that but I do tear down and inspect and repack hubs ever 5 years or so. I might use 4x4 once a year in it these day and every time I have tried it has always worked. Proper servicing keeps them viable because even if you use it if it is not properly serviced, they will not work as designed. One BIG mistake people make with them is over packing them with grease and then the "freeze" up in really cold weather. Use a good waterproof grease and use it sparingly.

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As a practical matter, IF the hubs are locked and the vehicle is moving, the transfer case is spinning around whether 4WD is selected or not.

If the hubs are locked, the tires will drive the driveshaft, which will turn the tcase internals.

Does this help the hubs? Probably not.

I keep the hubs locked on my Jeep about 99% of the time. This causes the front drivetrain to be spun as I drive, but it allows me to select 4WD at any time.

Your fuel consumtion must suffer surely doing that.

Perhaps. But most of my Jeep miles are offroad, and that takes a hit on fuel mileage more than chugging around with the hubs locked.

Not to mention unneeded wear and tear too. Most modern Tcases have a syncroizer to allow shift on the fly anyway at reasonable speeds. I have a 89 GM Suburban that has automatic locking hubs and they always work when asked to (though rarely called upon) and I can shift on the fly with it but even then I would never shift into 4x4 at high speed anyway so I am not sure what he thinks he is gaining? It serves little purpose other than maybe ego and first time he gets into a high speed spin in 4x4 he will wish he never had. I watched two wranglers spin out and crash a minute apart on the same stretch of road several winters ago. Both learned the hard way that you do not drive fast in

4x4 on slick roads. Both were totaled by the way and one guy was pretty busted up too because the second one ran into the first one in the median and the badly injured party was in the first one that got broadsided. Luck for him it was passanger side that got hit because it was crushed into center hump and had it impacted the drivers side where he was he would not have survived and it would have been a real mess. I got there within a few seconds of the second crash and was the first and only person to help them for several minutes. The busted up guy did not look life threatening so I kept him calm and helped plug the leaks until help arrived. I still remember how gratefull he was for my help but I did it because someone needed help not for kodu's or thanks. It was not the first time I did that but hopefully maybe the last time I have too.

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By "he", you mean me.

If I can go so fast as to have a problem with spinning, I would not be using

4WD. When I think I need 4WD, I'm well on my way to being stuck any how, so speed is not an issue.

I try so hard to convince my wife that she dosen't need 4WD @ 45 MPH, and if she thinks she does, she should simply slow down.

I gave up!

How true but many think it is a magic cure all and makes them safe when in reality it increases the chance of control loose at speed and you get in a good spin in 4x4 you are screwed unless you can keep a calm head and get it out of 4x4 and try to regain control before you buy the farm. Vehicles with true fulltime 4x4 with a differentail between axle are much better manored at speed. Few vehicles have this today though but it was popular in the 70's. Jeep oftered a form of it for many years after that in some vehicles that could select fulltime

4x4 or conventional 4x4 drive. When I was plowing for several days after our last big storm a few weeks ago I stopped to get something to eat at a sit down resturant and breifly talked with a trucker that had just come down from NewYork after their big snow and he told me that SUV's where in the ditch everywhere up there and on the way here because owners drive them in 4x4 thinking they are safe and find out otherwise. I have been driving 4x4's for over 35 years now and know their limitations well and I have owned fulltime and conventional systems too (I still have a old 79 J20 with quadratrac which is a lot more predictable at speed in 4x4 than convential 4x4). I do get a laugh though at new comers that want everyone to know they have a 4x4 and think they have all the answers too. I drive in the worst road conditons possible at times because of plowing and ice control obligations and I have never taken a trip to the ditch transporting to them in over 20 years of plowing and driving in ice storms. What is my secret? I have good low tech bias ply traction studded tires with proper weight ballast and I transport in 2wd 99% of the time. When I have to use 4x4 it is at speeds below 30 or so and if road is good enough to go faster it is good enough for 2wd too.

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