Front axle shaft question

[dave in pa.]

Hi all,
I have a 42 GPW that has/had Warn lockout hubs and mis-matched axle shafts. So yesterday I install some nice "F" marked shafts only to find that the lockout hubs no longer fit. The axle shafts are 1/4 to 3/8 inch too long. It's a lucky thing that I picked up some drive flanges "just in case".

Has anyone had experience with this?

Thanks, dave

[dave in pa.]

I'm sure that I'm not the only one with lockouts. Has anyone else had to modify anything to make them fit? Or heard of it having to be done?
Thanks, dave

[Mark Tombleson]

Dave, most lockout hubs require the threaded portion at the end of the axle to be removed, i.e. cut off.

My MB was fitted with a set of hubs that had the two levers that needed flipping over from free to lock. I also have a set of freewheeling hubs, that have bearings so the shaft just spins.

I do not know how much you drive your jeep or your situation, however I know that for the average MB/GPW using the original hubs is no great loss.

Keep the original drive flanges on and see if they work for you!

[Bob N]

If you dig around hard enough you can find the kind you don't have to modify to use.

[dave in pa.]

Thanks guys. I have decided that the drive flanges won't affect the driving enough to worry about, and they look a lot better than that lockout sticking out in the way. I guess I'll sell the lockouts now that they have been cleaned and prepped.

Thanks again, dave

[ArmySailor]

Just some thing to think about RE Hubs vs No Hubs

1) With the OE drive flanges, your axle shafts are rotating all the time, and though they are not under load, you are putting some wear on the CV joint or u-joint (depending on whether your rig has Bendix, Rzeppa, Tracta CVs or Spicer Cardan type knuckles). Make sure these parts are adequately lubricated on a regular basis by keeping the knuckle housing full of grease. The three CV type joints are virtually irreplaceable except from NOS or used stock, so you don't want to waste them.

2) With lockout hubs disconnected, you will not get adequate lubrication of the upper cone bearing on the knuckle. Assuming the knuckle housing has been properly greased (a half pound squirted in through the fill hole), you should engage the hubs periodically to sling some grease up there. Packing the bearing well when you have the knuckle apart would be another precaution.

3) The difference in fuel economy between unlocked and locked is 1-2 mpg (perhaps 3 mpg if driven at high cruising speeds). On a vehicle like a military jeep, driven only occasionally, that's hardly worth the bother of being unoriginal. Especially when you are trying to drive it enough to keep the gas from going sour.

4) It's also good to churn up the oil in the front diff regularly to generate some heat and evaporate the condensation that collects there. That happens naturally when you use the original flanges, but not if you have lockout hubs. I just saw an old jeep with lockouts that was never used in four wheel drive. Everything above the level of the oil was severely rusted. The oil looked like it was trying to transform back into a dinosaur. It had solidified to a consistencylike honey on cold day (it was 90+ degrees!) and the bottom inch was a paste-like grey stuff. Nasty. If you have lockouts, this is another reason to lock them in and drive around like that periodically.

Jim Allen