Are locking/unlocking front hubs really needed?

reaper wrote: Its not in 4wd unless you select it on the t-box mate
The hubs can be locked but still get no drive

I was under the impression drive is sent down both props all the time, and when you select 4wd the hubs engage at the front? otherwise there wouldn't be a need for the locking hubs?

No when you select 4wd it runs power to the front prop and locks the hubs , in 2wd it just powers the rear prop .
I guess the hubs are just to reduce rotating mass and were of the front diff

My old SJ410 had 89k miles on it when I bought it and had fixed hubs on the front until I bought a pair of Aisin freewheeling hubs for it - nothing was worn out on it, the CV's were fine, the axle oil seals were fine, and there was no excess backlash in the diff.

When I put the freewheeling hubs on it, bearing in mind it was not very powerful being a 1.0L, I did not notice any difference in power, fuel consumption or anything.

I have run the same freewheeling hubs on my jimny with the wheel bearing nut's collar cut down and thought it was OK but have since learnt it is not OK without the spacers that are in teh BigJimny Shop.

When I bought the Jimny from KAP many moons ago, Darren sold me a pair of fixed front hubs and gave me some cut down wheel bearing nuts until I could sort out my freewheeling hubs. They are back on the Jimny again now and I notice no ill effects of having the front hubs locked all the time.

In fact it is less of a faff when greenlaning as you don't forget to unlock them!

There is a rubber bush that the CV runs round in and in theory that could wear. I have the part number for that somewhere though and have replaced mine and they were cheap enough.

So personally I wouldn't get to worried about running fixed hubs all the time.

Kirkynut