I was at the beach today, and a new F-350 dually truck with temp tags kept getting stuck in 2WD. The driver kept stopping and seemed to be trying to switch to 4WD, but the front wheels never spun. Since he had aftermarket wheels, I could see if it had manual hubs, but I’m wondering—are they fully push-button now? Does Ford still use manual hubs, or was his truck possibly malfunctioning, or did he just not know how to engage 4WD?
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A pulse vacuum hub lock is what they employ. In the event that the vacuum system fails, the hub’s lock setting allows for a manual bypass. If all goes well, you can lock the hubs using a vacuum and engage the transfer case using the transfer case shift motor by simply turning the rotary knob on the dash.
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You can lock them from inside using the switch—they are vacuum-operated. But if the vacuum ever fails, you can also lock them manually.
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Thanks for the info, I am not very familiar with Fords. Also, I forgot to mention that the photo is just an example, not the actual truck I saw.
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Since I have had a 2004 4x4 F250 for 7 years, this is a ridiculous question. Must I not perform both tasks? I don’t have to go outside and lock them every time, I can just flip the switch inside?
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The lines or hubs need to be changed if you have not serviced them because they probably can’t hold vacuum any more.
As an old-school 4-wheeler, I had the same question. I bought a pre-owned F250 in the spring and was curious about the locking hubs. It seems they are only there in case the electronic locking system fails. 