you 4x4 guys. do you miss manual locking hubs?

[vash]

my last set of locking hubs was on my CJ7. i didnt mind stepping out to lock them. i also liked that feeling of nudging the transfer case lever from 2hi to 4hi..you know that move where you have to ease the clutch out a tiny bit to get the stars to align and the T-case clicks into 4wd?.

i was always smart enough not to wait until my jeep was buried in mud to have to access those Warn hubs.

i miss them. am i seeing things? i sometimes see relatively new Ford 3/4 ton trucks with manually locking hubs. are my eyes failing me?

this push button or flip knob 4x4 stuff is "ok"..but i do miss the old format

[Nostril Cheese]

I dont miss them.

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by vash

...i was always smart enough not to wait until my jeep was buried in mud to have to access those Warn hubs.
...

I wasn't as smart as you were with my CJ5 . I remember having to go into R just a bit on occasion to get the 4L to engage....good times!

[Rick V]

My old truck has solid hubs, always locked in. I love 'um

[jpk]

Yeah, I miss setting ignition points and manually adjusting drum brakes for wear too. Come to think of it, why did they ever get rid of the starting cranks and fuel mixture / ignition advance controls on the steering wheel? Motoring was so much more interactive back then...

[herr_oberst]

Don't miss 'em cuz I still have 'em. I'm not hard core 4x4 so they work fine for me.

[wdfifteen]

I don't miss them. I don't miss all the damn levers on the floor either.

[Aragorn]

Let's see. 1) Stop the vehicle. Get out and step in either a foot of snow or slush soaking my shoes. 2) Squat down to lock the hubs. 3) Fall backward on my a$$. 4)Get up and not thinking placing a knee down for balance and get the front of my pants wet. 5) Place my hands on top of the tire to get up. 6) Wipe wet hands on pants and then realize they had mud on them. 7) Get back in vehicle. Realize I didn't do the other side. Repeat 2 though 7 all over again.

No I don't miss locking hubs....

[911boost]

My 2012 F350 has automatic hubs, but you can also lock them manually if something happens to the autoatic system. A feature I really like.

Bil

[SteamWolf]

hell no.
my Jackaroo had them, but my Lada Niva didn't, nor did my Discovery. No locking hubs FTW.

[LJ851]

I don't miss them, i still have them. I did replace the solid always locked hubs with unlock able ones.



Lots of knobs and levers too.

[vash]

Originally Posted by Aragorn

Let's see. 1) Stop the vehicle. Get out and step in either a foot of snow or slush soaking my shoes. 2) Squat down to lock the hubs. 3) Fall backward on my a$$. 4)Get up and not thinking placing a knee down for balance and get the front of my pants wet. 5) Place my hands on top of the tire to get up. 6) Wipe wet hands on pants and then realize they had mud on them. 7) Get back in vehicle. Realize I didn't do the other side. Repeat 2 though 7 all over again.

No I don't miss locking hubs....

you did taint the romance..hahhaha.

i did watch my buddy yelling at that flashing 4x4 light on is tacoma when his transfer case actuator didnt actuate. it was funny, until i had to back down the hill because he was in my way. in the dark.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by Aragorn

Let's see. 1) Stop the vehicle. Get out and step in either a foot of snow or slush soaking my shoes. 2) Squat down to lock the hubs. 3) Fall backward on my a$$. 4)Get up and not thinking placing a knee down for balance and get the front of my pants wet. 5) Place my hands on top of the tire to get up. 6) Wipe wet hands on pants and then realize they had mud on them. 7) Get back in vehicle. Realize I didn't do the other side. Repeat 2 though 7 all over again.

No I don't miss locking hubs....

That covers it pretty well! Plus my wife would NEVER be able to figure out manual hubs, and our 4x4 truck is her driver.

[ckelly78z]

My 99 Superduty has them and I just unlocked them this afternoon about an hour ago....no more snow/ice for a few days. I can feel a slight vibration when they are locked in, but still in 2WD.

I also had an 85 CJ-7 with bigger tires and it would require driving backwards with the steering turned to get it out of 4WD.......not fun

[Rick V]

I just grab the redneck ramhead and ease it backwards and let her eat.

[onewhippedpuppy]

I had an '85 Ram, same blue interior! I was t-boned by a monster '70s Thunderbird on the ice and couldn't afford to get it fixed, so I drove it around without a working passenger side door for about 3 months.

[RWebb]

I dont miss getting out in the cold wet slush-mud either. Last time I did it was in the Gros Ventre (Wyoming) on the way to a cabin and I got to see a grizzly give my azz the hairy eyeball while I was stuck in the half-frozen slush up nearly to my knees. Told my student that next time he was going to do it.

[pete3799]

Don't miss them.
I'm constantly in and out of 4W drive here.
Even if the roads are good my driveway is a challenge.

[look 171]

I had a couple early 80's toyota trucks. Go out, lock em' up and hit the dirt. This way, I always knew they were done. A few years later I go and get a beater Land Cruiser with auto locking hubs. What a joy that was to not have to get out and lock em' up in the rain and the mud. Now, I would not buy a 4wd vehicle without auto locking hubs unless a hardcore rock crawler. The rock crawler isn't happening any time soon or at all.

[JTO]

Yeah I miss them and "real" 4X4s. My wife's Toyota sucks with VSC etc. If you get in a slippery spot like deep snow, VSC cuts power so you lose momentum and get stuck. Its dicey. Loved my old '75 F250 High Boy with full-time NP205 transfer case. It didn't get stuck.
Troy