3rd gen Locking front hubs?

I've read through a couple threads about front manual locking hubs but still not sure if anyone is producing them and if they are, how the reviews on them are?

I don't want to deal with faulty needle bearings and would consider the ECGS bushing should my bearing ever go bad, but I like the idea of CVs that don't spin all the time being that I've got a lift on my truck.

Anyone got any info? Sarcasm/hate is always welcome, as well. It's TW, I get it. Lol

 

On your truck is an automatic disconnect in the front diff, this is toyotas way of limiting wear to the front diff. Used to be you'd unlock the front diff to prevent wear to the front axle and cv boots/axle stub shafts.

I would only bother with manual hubs if I locked my front axle and deleted the axle disconnect.

 

But how does the disconnect prevent wear while not in 4wd? It still allows the axles to rotate

 

I don’t think wear is something to be concerned about. The system has lasted hundreds of thousands of miles with no maintenance, it’s pretty well proven to be reliable as is.

 

Ya the axles spin with the wheels but the drive shaft and drivetrain do not. That's the important stuff.

My Jeep on the other hand has everything spinning all the time no matter what and is super annoying without manual hubs

 

The differential spins freely, the yoke and front driveshaft do not spin when disengaged.

Basically the ADD make the front diff act as an open diff and it spins without load.

Next time you're under your truck try spinning the front drive shaft in 2WD, also spinning the wheels will free wheel independently of each other in 2WD due to the axle disconnect.

 

Does your Jeep have front and rear open diffs? Wait, how would that work with the transfer case?

 

So I'm hearing that it would be like going back in time to add manual locking hubs and that the wear and tear on my parts will be negligible?

 

Hopefully, I'm explaining this right. So on the Jeep in 2WD power is applied to the rear however the front wheels spin which basically cause the axles, diff and driveshaft to spin up to the transfer case. When in 4WD the the transfer case is locked so power is applied front and rear. If I add locking hubs, while in 2WD, the front wheels spin but nothing else does. With the ADD, Toyota wheels spin and the outshafts spin but the dif and driveshaft to the Tcase do not.

It's passed midnight so maybe I messed that up

Yup

 

A great watch to understand Toyota ADD systems:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=47m7QAPrpsI

 

Ya awesome vid.

Can skip to 11:15ish to see details of the front diff and front ADD operation as a whole

 

This video just blew my mind ... but it started to make me wonder why the notorious needle bearing gone bad vibration goes away in 4wd? The differential gear set still spins inside the front diff, which means the needle bearing is still rotating with the CVs whether it's in 2wd or 4wd. So why do the vibes go away?

 

My guess is that it’s because it has a load running into it in 4wd. The load keeps pressure against one side of the bearing so the slop is gone. That slop is the vibration you feel.

 

Manual locking hubs are still useful for a few reasons, one being if you blew a CV on the trail you can unlock the front axle and give you a better chance to get to somewhere easier to repair it (depending on the break, sometimes they can break in a way that binds steering). Reduced wear on CV joints and Boots when the vehicle is lifted. If not lifted as mentioned they will last a few 100K so if the truck is stock its not really a necessary mod.

 

I'm a manual hub type of guy. Really makes sense unless you are constanlty going in and out of 4wd like in snowy suburbs. And if that were the case its really no big deal to lock the hubs when the weather is bad. Less stuff turning seems better to me. I do have other AWD vehicles that go in the opposite direction, but if its part time, why not just limit what turns? Does anyone know how to piece together a kit? Is everything factory Toyota or are there some one-off machined and/or fabricated parts?

 

Username checks out.

 

That's just not a thing anymore. Noone makes locking hubs for this truck, and the amount of modifying to even accept a locking mechanism isn't worth the attempt.

 

It's because in 2wd the needle bearing has high bearing speed but in 4wd it has near zero bearing speed.

In 2wd the diff carrier (ring gear) is not spinning but the differential (side gears and spider gears) inside the carrier is. The cv shaft spinning relative to the stationary carrier is high bearing speed since the bearing is between the cv shaft and the carrier.

In 4wd the carrier is spinning at the speed of the cv shaft (driven together) so there is little to no bearing speed. The only bearing speed in this case comes from any small differential speed such as when you're turning. Has nothing to do with load.

 

But, still… it could be done.

 

Anything can be done,,,, but