Full time locked hubs

My M38A1 has full time locked front hubs and I have no interest in installing manual locking hubs. I use it more than 95% of the time on the trail. Most of it's pavement action is flat towing.

I've flat towed it a plenty as is and I know there is a little more wear and tear on the axle shafts and diff gears because of that. Unfortunately I don't have the luxury of a trailer.

Please tell me if I'm taking a drag on the old crack pipe but I was wondering, for a long tow, if I was to remove the splined outer flange that locks the axles shafts and bolt on a dummy flange without the splines wouldn't I be better off?

I assume the dummy flange would have to completely encase the axle shaft to keep dirt and water out but that shouldn't be too difficult.

Does that make any practical sense?

 

Just put lockouts on it and be done...IMO

 

The manual hubs stick out a little farther than the locked hubs. On some trails narrow is definitely better and I've seen manual hubs that blowed up real good on the trail. Also, they look better...IMO.

I guess what I mean by dummy flange would be more like a hub cover that's shaped like the casing of a manual locking hub. It would bolt to the outside of the hub and won't touch the axles shaft or spindle so a seal or bearing won't be needed. Disconnecting the front drive shaft won't stop the axle and diff gears from turning and with the TC in neutral the front driveshaft won't spin.

 

Nick, for the longer trips that I flat tow, I wouldn't mind having to turn 12 bolts; then I don't have to turn the hubs in or out when on the trail.

 

Just seems like a pain to have to scrape/ re-apply sealer every time, and lock washers would need to be replaced every few times... All VS. turning a dial. You won't blow up a lockout with the 4cy.

 

All of these are interesting points and I've already considered most of them. The original question is, if I choose not to go with manual looking hubs, would my convoluted way be better than leaving them locked when flat towing?

 

Don why don't you get a set of locking hubs to TOW with then switch them out with the flanges when you get to the trail.......all the benefits of less moving parts with the pro's of your hubs for the trail..........plus you'd have trail spares for yourself or anyone else

 

Jim, it seems like it would be much easier to just swap the flanges than putting on and and taking off a set of hubs just to unlock them once. As far as the trail spares, I'm planing on having a spare splined flange with me.

Tim, dropping the front driveshaft won't stop the axles shafts and gears from turning, will it? and yes, I'll drop the rear shaft but with the TC in neutral there isn't a reason to drop the front one.

 

Putting a set of hubs on is no different than swapping flanges..

 

I'm not trying to :dead horse: but I have limited experience with locking hubs so I'm trying to learn.

Removing and installing a flange involves 6 bolts with lock washers and a sealing compound.

With the hubs you have the bolts, washers and sealer but you also have some Allen head screws and a snap ring. Is that right? or am I seeing it as more complicated than it actually is.

 

You can take lock outs off with 6 bolts or in my case 6 nuts

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Tim, the dust caps on my A1 are steel and look like a ten gallon hat with a bowler style brim (sort of ), are reusable and unless I missed something they don't have a snap ring.

Jim, I have a set of Warn premium hubs on my work bench and they have a snap ring. In order to get to the snap ring you have remove the plate that the dial is on by removing the Allen head screws. As I said before, I have limited experience in regards to locking hubs and don't have much of a basis for comparison. Maybe you have a style that's different from mine?