[twoleos617]

my first jeep, first snow in jeep. made it to work ok in 2wd. if when driving below 45mph, can i lock into 4 hi on the fly w/o turning the hubs and still get the front wheels turning? i want to say no and that no matter wether in 4hi or 4lo, the hubs must be locked manualy. if thats the case, i guess before i get out of town and back on the hwy, i need to unlock the hubs and use 2wd only to be above 45mph...if i'll even be able to go that fast!
im a Ga. boy. im used to mud and rocks, not this white s### up here in Ky.

[chadcarter]

You should be able to leave your hubs locked and drive in 2wd. It will cause the gears in the front axle to turn, as well as the front driveshaft but it wont do any harm if you drive like this. In real snowy spells I leave my front hubs locked and shift between 2 and 4wd as I see fit.

[twoleos617]

Really?!! that would be the perfect scenario. I guess if I'm in conditions that require that logic, i wont be above 45mph and wont have to worry about a thing huh? i never thought that locked hubs and 2wd worked well together. then again, i guess thats why im asking for your expertise!

[Mike Romain]

I treat 4 high just like any other shift and drive with the hubs locked when I expect snow. My CJ7 runs tall skinny tires so I can keep solid control up to 60+ mph in the snow to keep up with traffic. When I had fat tires on, it lost control around 45-50 mph due to their low traction.

[kickingprop]

yeah I just got to work in the trusty CJ through a pretty gnarly ice storm. I locked my front hubs when I left the house and drove in 2WD on the highway (clear roads) but shifted to 4hi once I got on city streets (not so clear roads...)

[incynr8]

I drove my current project Jeep 200+ miles home, into a snowstorm. As soon as snow started I got gas and locked my 35 year old cutlass hubs. I continued on highway with a Jeep that had a crooked rear axle (misaligned on perches), improper dropped pitman arm indexing, loose U bolts, a bent tie rod, shifted helper springs (which weren't 'helping'), cinched tight shackles, and marginal brakes. a nightmare to drive.

I shifted into 4wd High the last 35 miles of my trek home, and besides actually helping my obviously harrowing drive by having extra traction, it was fine to do to the axles and drivetrain. Really old CJs didn't even unlock up there.

Mine is now in project status in the garage getting all new suspension, sterring, brakes, and other work due to the nightmare work done to her, but the central point is it's ok to run the hubs locked at any 'safe' speed, and shift back and forth logically between 4wdH and 2wdH as the manual suggests doing at a moving pace. I do avoid shifting between them at higher speeds, and I certainly wasn't speeding in snow in that Jeep, since it's entire mission was to toss me into the right gutter of the road, thanks to the PO's inept mechanical aptitude.