How to use 4WD

[BRONCOchild]

My '73 is 4wd, automatic tranny. I've wheeled before, but it was in a toyota 4-runner with little to no effort in having to master the ins- and outs of 4wheeling.

I've been itching to take my step-son 4-wheeling, but need some 4wd teaching. We will be doing simple terrain, but need to know:

-when to engage hubs
-different gears and when to use them
-how to disengage hubs
-plus, any other info

Thanks,.

 

[cody72sport]

engage the hubs before shifting into 4wd, use 4 low if any hills are involved, 4 high i usually use for sand that isnt too deep. if you are going downhill keep it in first gear to engine brake

 

[70_Steve]

When we're headed out somewhere, at some point we'll stop to air down the tires. That's usually when I lock in the hubs. Typically after that we won't be driving that fast, so having the hubs locked in isn't an issue. I don't usually unlock the hubs until all the 4x4ing is done. We may still be aired down, but if the only thing left is several miles of dirt that only require 2HI, then I unlock.

Practice and experience will tell you when to use HI and LO range, and when to use 2WD and 4WD. I run an NV4500 transmission with a 5.6-1 first gear, so quite often I'm still in 2HI after everyone else is in 4LO.

 

[Bronco Junkie]

I usually just put my truck in low gear and I can get through most obsticles (I have Detroit locker in rear). If I come to something harder then I will get out and lock the hubs. I find it fun to see how far I can go before I need to lock the hubs. Getting out of low is a bit more work (at least for me). If it does not disengage out of low after use, put it in reverse a back up 20-30 feet and try it again. Sometimes it takes me a few times to get it out.

 

[surveyor5]

Always lock your hubs before any water crossing! Don't ask me how I know!
Mike

 

[TwoDalesDad]

Also...don't stop and open your doors..while crossing streams with water running....if you have to get out quick....use the window exit....

 

[Broncobowsher]

Lock hubs before you get out. In the midwest it was common to lock the hubs the first snow fall and not unlock them until spring. If all the drivetrain parts are in good order you theroeticly never need to unlock them ever. But unlocking them does reduce drag and wear during normal 2WD use.

2Hi-4Hi-2Hi
Once the hubs are locked you can shift between 2WD and 4WD high range at will. Key points are that you don't have tires spinning while trying to do so. The actual going in and out of 4WD tends to trick people that don't have a strong mechanical background. To get it to go in the internal gears have to line up. So it is common for it to not want to drop right into 4WD about half the time. driving there is a normal speed variation between front and rear axles, and it is very minimal. So it is usually easier to shift into 4WD while moving. Now the front and rear axles are locked into the same speed. That natural speed variation is taken up with tire scrub. That is why you don't want to run 4WD with good traction. Just making a turn into the driveway is as hard as doing a full throttle launch at a drag strip (due to the bind). but if that drag strip is covered in 6" of mud there is plenty of room for easy tire slip. So when things are slick the tires slip easy enough and there are no sever stresses. Finally getting out of 4WD is another tricky bit. Those natural speed variations and stresses between the axles put pressure on the gears in the transfer case. They don't like to slide when there is pressure on them. So getting from 4WD to 2WD requires a little throttle blipping while trying to shift most of the time. The blip of the throttle putts stresses one way and when you release they go the other, in the transition between the two there is slack in the gears that allow them to shift.

Low range- when you should be going slow.
You stated automatic. Basicly when 1st gear isn't low enough and you are working the torque convertor hard you should be in low range. It gives a lot more control over your driving. By using real gearing to multiply torque instead of a lot of torque convertor the transmission wil stay a lot cooler.
With an automatic there is a challenge when shifting between high and low ranges of the transfer case. In gear you have pressure on the gears (like going from 4WD to 2WD mentioned above), so don't try it while in gear. Nuetral often doesn't work due to the nature of the clutch packs in the transmission. The transmission in nuetral will still have a little driving force, so once the transfer case goes into nuetral the input to the transfer case (output from the transmission) will spin up to engine speed in about 1 second. Now the transfer case won't go into gear because spinning gears won't engage each other. Don't try putting it in park because the parking pawl will see the output shaft spinning as if you were doing about 30 MPH down the road. At this point turn the engine off and then put the transfer case in gear. My best method when I had my auto was to shift the trans into park but stay on the brakes so the park pawl does not load up. then shift between high and low ranges. If the transfer case hanges in nuetral let off the brakes a little and let the gears realign, then it will go into gear. There are a few other ways that come with experience (the 4MPH roll, shift trans to nuetral, change ranges in the transfer case, go back into drive). But if all goes wrong, always shut off the engine before trying to put the transmission into park.

 

[lowbush]

Broncobowsher posted some good advice, the only thing I would add, is when in doubt go to neutral, you cant mess anything up going from neutral to 2WD or 4WD, if from neutral you can't get into the gear you want and ease the truck forward or backward slowly, and try again. Don't force it and don't try to shift into it while rolling, when people get a feel for it they can shift into it while rolling but that comes when you get the feel for it. If you get on the trail and forget, just remember go to neutral and stop the truck. I personally run in 2WD on the back axle, with unlocked hubs until the terrain starts looking really bad. Then again I am running 44 inch Super Swampers so I stay in 2WD most of the time. As well FL is mostly mud so I like the handling of 2WD and unlocked hubs while moving at moderately high speed through the mud. I run a twin stick as well so when I am heading uphill I engage the front axle to pull myself up, and give me more claw on the front end, while leaving the back axle in neutral, there are several reasons I do this, the first being if the front axle leaves the ground I loose power, this can prevent you from powering yourself into a backwards endover because you front is off the ground but the back is still climbing, the second reason I do it, is because if I snap the drive shaft, I can use the other to bind the driveling and keep from toppling down the incline. In my experience climbing an incline is the most dangerous part of 4 wheeling, until you get into stuff that requires the wheels leaving the ground. Finally, When I am going down hill I engage the back axle and leave the front in neutral to give me better downhill handling, again it also leaves me with a drive-shaft with no load on it, should the one with load on it fail.

 

[BeardedBlues]

One of the more important things, that I have not seen anyone mention yet is, just after locking the hubs....shout "Hey Ya'll, Watch This".

 

[70_Steve]

One of the more important things, that I have not seen anyone mention yet is, just after locking the hubs....shout "Hey Ya'll, Watch This".

I thought that was supposed to be "Hey Ya'll, Hold my {insert tasty beverage name here} and Watch This!"

 

[Pa PITT]

... My Bronco is the NP435 trans also the 4bt But the motor doesn't make much difference . Mine is used on the farm almost completely. So my front hubs stay locked almost year round .. I say it vibrates much worst if you happen to head into town for fuel with them still locked. So If I feel the viberation I just drive about 45mph or get out at a stop & unlock my hubs.
... Now here's a quirk with mine I LIKE MINE IN LO range but only using the rear axle and have my NP435 IN 3 GEAR... the speed is better for traveling along to get from field to field.
... Mine goes in and out of 4 wheel high a lo with ease And most of the times my front hubs unlock easy. But man Running Buddies auto is a bear to get his hubs unlocked and also hard to get out of Lo range .
.... Just don't use 4x4 on the pavement Man I can lock up hard.

 

[El Kabong]

My 73 is a stick but my 90 is an auto. Both are on 35's with too high of gears. I like to use 4 low anytime I'm off road & moving slow enough to have it work out. More torque to the wheels & less heat/stress on an auto trans.

 

[NYLES]

wow! get out there you'll learn!!!!!! find a 4 wheelin club go with new friends and learn how to laugh at yourself! only way to learn.

 

[NYLES]

I thought that was supposed to be "Hey Ya'll, Hold my {insert tasty beverage name here} and Watch This!"

thats a Southern thing you cant have!

 

[xcntrk]

And to be a little more EB specific, the Dana-20 transfer case with single stick can be a bear to shift. Sometimes you have to give it a little nudge in Forward or Reverse to relieve any tension on the drivetrain before you can get it to shift from Hi to Low.

 

[ugly74]

before I need 4wd, I throw it in neutral and coast to a stop. lock the hubs, and then rolling at a slow speed, lightly blip the throttle as I pull the T case into 4HI (if it doesn't just slip in). put it in 4low when you are at a complete stop, or rollin reeeal slow. just reverse all that to get it back to 2wd. The general idea being to keep any tension off of the driveline while you're engaging/disengaging gears.
with an automatic like ours, I'll use 4 low whenever I'm just creepy crawlin around, or feel like getting the front wheels off the ground. ;D
even if you have the power in 4hi, it'll build less heat in the trans if you use low.
If you have the original J shift, toss that POS and either twin stick it, or get an "updated version" from J.Duff. I got the Duff version and it's much much better than the old one.
Have fun!

 

[lowbush]

before I need 4wd, I throw it in neutral and coast to a stop. lock the hubs, and then rolling at a slow speed, lightly blip the throttle as I pull the T case into 4HI (if it doesn't just slip in). put it in 4low when you are at a complete stop, or rollin reeeal slow. just reverse all that to get it back to 2wd. The general idea being to keep any tension off of the driveline while you're engaging/disengaging gears.
with an automatic like ours, I'll use 4 low whenever I'm just creepy crawlin around, or feel like getting the front wheels off the ground. ;D
even if you have the power in 4hi, it'll build less heat in the trans if you use low.
If you have the original J shift, toss that POS and either twin stick it, or get an "updated version" from J.Duff. I got the Duff version and it's much much better than the old one.
Have fun!

What is the difference in the Duff version? Do they just swap the front off a J onto the T and twin stick it? or do they do other mods?

 

[Larry B]

You have a lot of info but I'll add mine. I lock my hubs in at home if I think I may need 4 wheel that day. Usuallu middle of OCT during deer season and take them out at the end of nov, that being last of Elk season. When there is solid ice or snow on black top I run in 4H. Steering and brakes work much better. Don't run in 4 wheel dr on dry pavement or dry dirt if possable.

 

[ugly74]

What is the difference in the Duff version? Do they just swap the front off a J onto the T and twin stick it? or do they do other mods?

it's still a single stick, but instead of the ball in socket arrangement, it's got through bolts so it pivots on 2 axis', and is spring loaded. shifts in the same way, but a lot more positive feeling. as far as I've been able to tell, I'm pretty much the only one here to use it. everybody else uses twin sticks.
I just tried to find it on Duffs' site, and couldn't find it!