I am using a computer. Its odd because sometimes my response is outside the quote box and other times its inside it. lol

I am computer illiterate by the way.

Hopefully this one worked. I hit the quote button and it brought up your entire post. I deleted the last sentence in your post because it does not apply to my response. hopefully your quote will show up in the box and my written response will be below it outside of the quote box.

Your reply with quote needs to be outside the quote html tags.

As for free hubs not making a difference on a Gen I, the Gen I only has freewheel hubs. The question then is are they auto or manual. The Gen II has fixed flanges and a CAD, central axle disconnect. You need a setup like the CAD, or more specifically, the fixed flanges, in order to have the shift-on-the-fly of the Gen II.

To further MontyMcV's answer, the Gen 2 spins its half shafts whether it is in 2WD or 4WD, in other words, all the time. Putting manual hubs on one lets the shafts become disconnected from the hubs until you need 4WD and you lock them. It might be good for an additional MPG.

The Gen 1 is best described above.

John B.

The above is correct, but the important part that affects fuel mileage and parts longevity is that in a Gen II the front axles and differential are being turned by the front wheels whenever the vehicle is moving. Manual hubs allow the wheels to be disconnected, eliminating that extra parasitic drag and wear on the axles.

The starting torque is slightly higher with autohubs than manuals, but the difference is miniscule. There has to be some resistance in the a-hubs to lock them up and unlock them.

I think I understand.

Mine are the auto hubs.

It looks like it would not really be worth it to swap them out with manual hubs if these turn out to be worn.

Some have trouble with the auto hubs coming unlocked when reversing often. I've never had that problem, even when rocking to get out of a stuck in softie stuff. Those folks tend to opt for the manual hubs.

Eddy,

There is something to be said for the feature of having the auto mode. Its nice not to have to get out of the truck.

I will have to make sure once I get them serviced to make sure I engage the 4x4 once every few weeks to make sure I keep them working correctly and smooth.

The 4x4 on this truck was probably used only once in 5 years and it was by me recently. In the 13 years my dad owned it the 4x4 was probably only engaged 2 or 3 times

My buddies Ford truck had a 4x4 issue that I just fixed about 1 month ago. It was due to never being used IMO. The 4x4 vacuum pump/motor that engages the linkage was seized up. I PB blasted it to death and used a long screw driver and manually forced it back and forth over and over and kept spraying it. Eventually I got it working perfectly. I suspect it was only seized due to never being used.

Well fellas I finally worked on those hubs and they seemed fine. The bolts all came out like butter. To be certain they were not the cause I swapped the hubs from one side to the other side after I was sure they were fine and the truck still pulled to the left in an extreme manner. I need some new front end parts but I see no cause for it to pull that bad and when the 4x4 is engaged it stops pulling. errrrr.

The Toe checked out great so unless I have a camber issue I am at a loss why it would pull that bad. The front axels are not turning when in 4x2 and like I said I swapped the hubs from one side to the other and the pull is the same. The only thing I did before all this happened was add grease to all the front end parts because most had no grease in them.

Any more ideas what could cause it to pull so extreme when in 4x2 but not 4x4?

I even took the tire off the side that was pulling and put the spare on. Same result. When I say it pulls I mean it will go around corners on its own. It will put you in the ditch inside of 100 feet if you let go of the wheel. The steering wheel has to be held way past center to maintain straight line. Could the alignment be that bad?

A side note. If I am turning into the garage or unleveled ground the front end makes load creeking noises like something is moving. Cab mounts look ok and when following the truck it looks to track down the road correctly. No dog walking.

Ideas?

Try jacking up the rear end and spinning the wheels, maybe you have a rear brake or bearing hanging up, let us know. METALMOVER