Tell me everything about free-wheeling hubs

[TOOLman]

I'm hopefully going to buy a '55 Willys-Overland Utility Wagon in a couple of days. It has manual free-wheeling hubs, and since my ZJ has a Quadra-Trac t-case, this is something completely new to me.

If I understand things correctly, you usually engage the hubs before venturing off-road, then shift into 4WD on-the-fly when the need arises. When 4WD is engaged, you can't turn much unless on a slippery surface such as mud or ice.

I'd like to learn as much as possible out these contraptions, so any solid facts you can give me will be greatly appreciated. There are a couple of ?'s I've thought of already:


Is it safe to drive for some distance in 2WD with the hubs engaged, and, if so, for how long?
What if I'm on dry dirt, rocks or similar? Will I damage the axles and the t-case if I try to turn in 4WD?
Do the hubs need any special maintenance?


Hmmm, it feels a little embarrassing to be asking newbie questions like this after driving a Jeep for over two years. :oops:

TiA /Tommy

[Chris S]

The problems you listed only apply if you have a very tight locker or a spool in the front.
If it is open-dif then there are no problems running in 2wd with the hubs locked and no turning issues.

The hubs I've seen (not many) have grease seals that need re-packed every few years.

[TOOLman]

Thanks, Chris.

This one doesn't have any lockers, but I might want to add those further on.

Here's a really stupid follow-up question: what's a spool (in this context)? :?:(

[Yucca-man]

Spool - A mechanical replacement for a differential carrier assembly, locking both axleshafts together. Great for the dragstrip, okay for four-wheeling, annoying for grocery-getting.

Chris' point about locking the hubs and then two-wheeling is good. I did that in my CJ5 and had no noticeable problems.

[Warlock]

My work truck had manual hubs. I left them engaged for most of the winter. Damn hard to turn them when they freeze up from a North Dakota blizzard. It doesn't effect them with open diff's, as was mentioned.

You will not damage the hubs any more than automatic hubs when turning on dry surfaces. At least from my experience.

And the grease does need to be repacked every so often. Other than that, I can't think of any special maintenece that I did.