Manual locking hubs...

I remember years ago as a kid seeing people get out of the truck and manually locking hubs on a truck. If I understand correctly, the idea was the leaving them unlocked most of the time, they were disconnected from the axles up front and could free-wheel, less drag and wear?

Is that still a thing? How does that work for 5th gen 4Runners?

Thanks for putting up with my questions.

 

No need to worry, 5th Gens do not have manually locking hubs.

 

Perfect, thx!

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/free-wheel-manual-hubs-conversion-kit.511528/#post-16083978

There’s been an off and on discussion of manual hubs for Tacoma’s on TW. A lot of old guys like me wax sentimental about wheeling in the old days, and young guys can’t wait to prove themselves worthy by locking up a hub. I’ve never had any problems with locking hubs on old Toyota’s, and I’ve never had any problems with the current setup either. Probably most of my life I’ve had to get out and lock up hubs. They did tend to get pretty stiff in the cold and the mud. The only problem I’ve ever had though, was on a Ford with auto locking hubs that wouldn’t unlock - or only one would unlock. When you’re miles from nowhere and finally on the highway ready to go home, the last thing you need is having one hub locked, and a few hundred miles of paved road up ahead.

 

They do still exist, but not on our trucks

 

I wish the 4runner had manual locking hubs....I know you can get them for it, but I'm not that ambitious

 

Well theres a shocker...

 

I’m pretty sure you can still get locking hubs on the bigger Ford p/u’s. Pretty cool, if you like manual features, like some on here do.

 

The locking hubs on the super dutys are there incase the vacuum actuated hub cannot get a seal. Ask me how I know...
I now have Warn locking hubs in my '04. You must still turn the knob on the dash; then lock the hubs to get 4x4. You can then turn the dash switch on & off when needing 4x4 or not. Much better than a stupid rubber axle seal that always falls out & then the vacuum is gone...
Ryan.

 

Manual locking hubs would be the cat's meow so we could pull the lever/turn the dial on any road surface to get those actuators moving more frequently as long as the hubs were unlocked.

If memory serves me this 2019 4Runner is the first 4x4 vehicle I've owned that didn't have manual locking hubs.
I wish Toyota would offer manual hubs as an order option.

Question: If one gets stuck and then tries to engage 4WD, will it engage or do you need forward/backward motion to engage 4WD?

 

The first Toyota I owned was a 1986 pickup, it had manual locking hubs. The previous number of Ford pickups we had on the farm (dating from 1959-1979) all had manual locking hubs. They were "what they had" at the time, and as I recall they were fairly trouble free, some guys still managed to wreck them. @xyzzy, getting stuck and then engaging 4WD! Your supposed to engage 4WD before you get stuck! Then you don't have those problems.... Just kidding, sometimes it goes that way. I do notice with the newer 4WD drives, that the electric switch is not always a quick engagement, we have the "lever" on our ORP, it seems to be more positive than the "switch."

 

I have manual locking hubs on my 2015 F-250. It also has an electronic locker on the rear. If it wasn’t so heavy it would be a decent off road vehicle.

 

A friend of mine has the plainest F-250 ever, it is a 2015 and has lockouts also. His does not have the electronic locker though.

 

If it doesn’t engage on its own right away, It will engage with a little throttle input. Or putting it in reverse then drive again.