Hi Everyone - I am looking at buying a 2006-2007 Diesel Ford F 250/350 4x4. I noticed they come with manual locking hubs. How do these work? The trucks have a knob on the inside to turn between 2x4, 4Hi, 4Lo. They also have the knobs on the wheel hubs. when you go to shift into 4Hi do you have to turn the knob on the inside then get out and manually lock the hubs? What if you leave the hubs locked all the time and just use the inside knob to shift between 4Hi and 2x4? Do you ever have a hard time getting the truck in and out of 4x4 with the manual hubs? I am use to the push button so just wanted to find out more info. Thanks

Manual hubs should only be locked in when you are going to use 4wd, otherwise it will be alot of wear and tear on your complete front axle system, not to mention gas consumption goes up.

As far as which to lock in first, I always locked in the hubs and then shifted the transfer case to 4wd.

On occasion you may have difficulty getting the hub to lock in or out, the selector will not turn. If this happens, move the truck a foot or two and it will usually free it up and then it will go to the other position.

Just remember, if the selector goes halfway and then stops, make sure you put it back into the position it was in before you move the vehicle. You could mess up the mechanism driving with a partially locked hub. Also never drive with one hub locked and one hub unlocked. More bad juu juu.

If you ever have to rebuild them, just take your time, it really isn't that hard, probably about as difficult as drum brakes. You just need to pay attention to what you are doing

ditto starfisher

I would lock the manual hubs as soon as I hit dirt. Leave them and then switch to/from 4wd as needed from inside.

The problem with manual hubs is remembering to lock/un lock them. The nice thing about them is you know when they are engaged or not. With the auto locking hubs in 4x4s these days, sometimes I'm not sure. And I have still had problems switching to/from 4wd.

Yes, you have to manually lock the hubs when you want to use 4 wheel drive.

The purpose of the locking hubs is to reduce wear on the driveline - If the hubs are left locked in 2wd, then the rolling front wheel will drive the front axles, front differential and front driveshaft - which wastes gas and causes wear on those parts. When unlocked, it disconnects the front wheel from the axle.

I think most other companies have gone to automatic locking hubs, but I still do see manuals on Fords.

My '02 F-250 has manual hubs. Never ever have they been hard to turn. In the winter on bad days I lock the hubs then just shift into 4WD on the fly when necessary. Been times I've forgotten to unlock them and drove like that for a few days. You'll figure out you forgot to unlock them on sharp turns, like into a driveway, because the U-joints will "tell" you so!

I really don't think it matters which you do first, shifter or hubs, but usually I do the hubs first

Sea Fever,

If the truck comes with hubs marked FREE and LOCK, then yes you will need to spin the hubs into the lock position to actually have 4 wheel drive.

If you have the "typical" factory/OEM Ford hubs on the F250, then they should have 2 positions. Lock and Auto.

Auto means just what it implies. No input from the driver. Just turn the inside knob to 4hi, and continue to drive. The hubs will engage after the tire has rolled a slight distance. When not needed, simply return the knob to the 2hi position, and the hubs will disengage after rolling a slight distance once again. This will be all that's needed 99.99% of the time, and can be done at speed and at anytime. Great for roads with stretches of snow and ice.

Lock position comes into play when you no longer have any movement from the front tires, and you are STILL in 2hi!! As in no more forward travel on a slick ramp, you stopped in talcum powder type sand, you didn't flip it to 4hi BEFORE entering the sticky black mud hole. In these situations you find yourself stuck in one spot with no chance of travel. Now you can get out of the truck and manually engage the hubs, and they will be ready to go NOW. No tire movement need.

If you stay ahead of the situations, then you can just flip the switch in an out and not be concerned about the hubs. The lock position becomes your emergency backup.

4lo is another animal all together. Truck must be stopped, and tranny in neutral, with foot on the brake. This prevents you from accidently fliping right past 4hi, and finding yourself trying to grind the gears into the lower ratio. If you are cruising down the road, miss the 4hi position, and spin the knob all the way into 4lo, don't worry. It will only go into 4hi, since you are moving and in drive.

Hope this helps, more than confuses further,

The manual locking hubs and shift it yourself 4x4 is the most basic system out there, and those who understand mechanical things like them because you can get it to do what you want without electronic intervention. Now as good as electroinics have been in engine management and ABS, the record of electronics in 4x4 engagement has been less that completely satisfactory. Some systems work OK others, sporadically.
As far as auto locking front hubs, again they work OK sometimes, but sometimes not. Later model Jeeps (last 15 years or so) have gone to basically a permenantly locked hub design, where the front axle spins all the time. Although this may increase wear and tear, and fuel comsumption, it is very simple and experience with this on Cherokees, Wranglers and Grand Cherokees proves that the axle parts really don't wear out abnormally fast, and the system works great, as far as it always engaging when you want. Mine has 111000 miles on it with all the OE ujoints and it gets a lot of use in winter here.

WHen we were rebuilding the Suburban I broke a small part on one of the auto locking hubs. We swapped them out for Warn manual hubs. Most feel the manual are stronger.

The 2500 we just bought is fully automoatic as are most 4wd vehicles today.

SRB, good point on the difference between lock/auto and lock/free.

If that is a 6.0L, I'd get an OASIS report from Ford for the particular VIN of the truck before you buy it. A lot of those were a lemon.