Converting to manual locking front hubs

[kmacafee]

Greetings

I have a 2015 Ram 3500 (gasser) with a flatbed upon which I carry a Bundutec Odyssey camper. A number of people I know have replaced the unit bearing assemblies in the front and replaced them with one of the several brands of hub conversions. They report a slight mpg advantage, lighter steering and better braking. Obviously, the reduced wear on front driveline components is huge plus as well, especially on older trucks.

Anybody here done the conversion? If so, any disadvantages to report? What brand did you use (I'm looking at Spyntec's)? Am I missing anything?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Betarocker]

Only downside (beyond the cost) is they stick out further. Dynatrac (to my recollection) is the original, but cost more than Spyntec.

 

[IdaSHO]

I have the Dynatrac kit on my superduty that not only allows for proper manual hubs, but also gets rid of the unit bearings in favor of traditional serviceable taper bearings. Not cheap, but worth every penny. Its good stuff.

 

[deserteagle56]

I have a 2004 Dodge/Cummins dually with what I believe is the Spyntec conversion...I don't know for sure because I bought this truck from a neighbor who did the conversion himself. It has Mile Marker heavy duty manual hubs installed. Bought the truck 8 years ago so the conversion is at least that old and probably a lot older. I've had absolutely no problems with the kit. Like it very much, it allows me to use 4-Lo when doing slow maneuvers like backing up a trailer into a parking spot without the front end binding up (leave the hubs unlocked) when I turn the wheels. (Truck is a 6 speed manual.) And yes, I can tell the difference at highway speeds if the hubs are locked and all those front end components are turning. It is just a tiny bit smoother with the hubs unlocked. Not to mention there is no wear to the front end components - doubt I'll ever need to do any work on them because I rarely need to run in 4wd. You can see the hubs in this pic if you look close...hub caps have a hole machined in them that matches the hubs.

 

[1stDeuce]

I can't offer much about the kits, aside from not having heard anything bad about any of them.

What I can offer is that many of the earlier Dodge trucks that these conversions went on had no disconnect on the front axle, so unlocking the hubs actually stopped everything from turning. (No CAD from ~2002 until MY 2014.) Your 2014 has CAD, so you will likely notice very little of any of the listed benefits (mileage, steering, braking) because the only things spinning in your truck are the axle shafts inside the axle. The differential and driveshaft already don't spin, and stopping just the shafts won't likely offer much improvement. The only "wear" that you'll be stopping is one seal on each side, and a few misc. parts in the CAD perhaps. FWIW, the U-joint wear is really zero, since 99.9999% of the time you're not turning enough to create any wear. And when you do turn sharper, spinning the shafts keeps the grease in the u-joints distributed so they don't rust solid, which is worth considering as a benefit of NOT having (unlocked) locking hubs...

The big tapered bearings are nice though, and being able to use 2-low by leaving the hubs unlocked can also be beneficial. I put a switch on one of our (GM) trucks to kill power to the CAD motor so I could have 2-low. Was really useful around the property that way, as it was our baby dump truck...

I keep thinking that I should make and market fake lockouts for Jeeps. Nobody would know the difference, and you could get out and lock the hubs to impress your friends...

Good luck with your quest!!

 

[kmacafee]

Interesting. My truck is a 2015 if it matters. However, I have a friend who has done the conversion and he tells me that when the hubs are unlocked, the wheel itself is the only thing that moves. The U-joint connected to the axles does not move at all which would indicate that the axle is not spinning either.

Make sense?

 

[deserteagle56]

Interesting. My truck is a 2015 if it matters. However, I have a friend who has done the conversion and he tells me that when the hubs are unlocked, the wheel itself is the only thing that moves. The U-joint connected to the axles does not move at all which would indicate that the axle is not spinning either.

Make sense?

Your friend is correct!

 

[kmacafee]

Confused a bit. First - what is CAD (assume its not Computer/cardboard aided design)? Second, what is hydro coupling?

If only both wheels spin when unlocked and there is no axle movement, I would think that the reduction in moving parts would reduce wear, produce lighter steering and better braking and possibly add a little better gas mileage.

In my friend's truck's case and in watching many videos, it appears only the wheels spin when unlocked and that neither of the ujoints spin either.

Not trying to be argumentative - just trying to learn a bit.

Thanks

 

[craig333]

I have the Dynatrac system on my truck. Certainly not cheap and after seeing some installs decided it was more than my mechanical skills could manage. I had to replace three unit bearings and its nice not to have those anymore. Certainly more user serviceable now.

 

[Inline6]

Ive had the Dynatrac system on my 04 dodge for quite some time. I honestly forgot how it drove before at this point.

Not sure they cost of the kit amounts up to the fuel savings, maybe in another 10 years.

To me this mod is a feel good mod, vs super mod that saves money and drives so much better...

If you can't work on it yourself, or always need to find a shop that knows what you have on it for repair. I would stick with unit bearings, any local dealer and most shops can easily replace them if when they go bad and they are readily available.

If you want to work on it your self, have a shop you know can do the work when ever you break down and or carry spare bearing and races or what ever else you may think will go wrong and then find someone to do the work. That is what I think about now after having done this years ago and honestly have had a couple issues. My truck sat idle while I had to get parts and they get it to a place where I could work on it...

Of course, "anyone can work on a spindle and bearing setup" but those days and people are becoming fewer and farther between. The shop manual says do this, its not in the FSM so I can't do any work... Those days are definitely with us.

I get accused of being a "use case" person and I guess I am based on what I just wrote. So do they work and do what they say, yep. Would I do it again, nope. Unit bearings are cheap and parts are plentiful. Its an easy swap, I have thought about going back to them.

 

[Explorerinil]

Go with Dynatrac and skip the arm hubs like I had and go for dynalocks.

 

[deserteagle56]

If you can't work on it yourself, or always need to find a shop that knows what you have on it for repair. I would stick with unit bearings, any local dealer and most shops can easily replace them if when they go bad and they are readily available.

If you want to work on it your self, have a shop you know can do the work when ever you break down and or carry spare bearing and races or what ever else you may think will go wrong and then find someone to do the work. That is what I think about now after having done this years ago and honestly have had a couple issues.

My experience has been that if you service the bearings/hubs occasionally you'll never have any problems with them - for the life of the vehicle. Even with a very heavy rig like my Dodge/Cummins that has a cabover camper mounted on it 90% of the time.

 

[kmacafee]

My experience has been that if you service the bearings/hubs occasionally you'll never have any problems with them - for the life of the vehicle. Even with a very heavy rig like my Dodge/Cummins that has a cabover camper mounted on it 90% of the time.

I believe on mine, the bearings themselves are not servicable. The entire hub assembly gets replaced.

 

[Inline6]

My experience has been that if you service the bearings/hubs occasionally you'll never have any problems with them - for the life of the vehicle. Even with a very heavy rig like my Dodge/Cummins that has a cabover camper mounted on it 90% of the time.

that was my point, written a long way. They need to be serviced as well. Make sure if you can't do it yourself, you have people who can do it for you.

I think the new general mechanic may be lost with spindle and bearings. vs I just replace part A with part A, it's what the book says. With no offense to them, its what its come to these days.

 

[IdaSHO]

There is a whole lot more to it than serviceability.

A unit bearing on a superduty that rarely seem to last more than 75k, when it goes bad, is downright dangerous. The bearing retainers used are plastic. So once things wear to the point of creating heat that exceeds the plastics ability to hold shape you are in a very bad place. And nothing can fix it except new parts. Even if you catch them before they are a danger, sure hope your travel plans and wallet jive with your bearing failures.

Ive torn apart numerous 50 year old, 100k+ taper bearings that had likely never been serviced and all it took was a gasoline bath, fresh grease, and new seals to bring them to 100%. No hard parts needed. And all that is on bearings that really didnt need anything…. And even if you have bearings bad enough to damage the races and/or rollers, you will have had plenty of warning they need attention.

Point being, and the primary reason I went to traditional taper bearings is that they are more reliable and SAFER.