low range on hard surfaces

[bale]

Hi All
please help just bought 51 plate jimny for delivering logs with ifor Williams 8 x 5 tipper. When reversing will I do any damage using low range by not locking the free wheel hubs (not bought or fitted yet ) as worried i will do damage to the transmission if in four wheel drive low box on hard surfaces.
thanks chris

[timwilks13]

In 4WD on hard surfaces you will get transmission wind up on, but if the FWH aren't locked you will be fine as the front shafts will just spin freely. So you will just have RWD in low box.

[twiss]

I have been told that it can damage free wheeling hubs by spinning the shafts when they are unlocked, but I think this is more related to the cheaptastic hubs with the plastic internals.
Either way if its only for a short distance it should be fine.... I just wouldn't drive 100 miles in 4wd with the hubs unlocked

[ScottieJ]

So are you swapping to manual FWH as Jimny's have a vacuum operated free wheeling system as standard so its impossible to run in 4wd without them being locked....well unless they are broken.

I have been told that it can damage free wheeling hubs by spinning the shafts when they are unlocked, but I think this is more related to the cheaptastic hubs with the plastic internals.
Either way if its only for a short distance it should be fine.... I just wouldn't drive 100 miles in 4wd with the hubs unlocked

I've never understood how this can be the case? The same parts are spinning when unlocked at 50mph in 2wd that are going to be spinning in 4wd with them unlocked at 5mph

I've accidentally driven about 10 miles in 4wd high at speed with my hubs unlocked when my 4wd light stopped working They are fine.

[twiss]

As I said above I think it's mostly with the plastic internal hubs.
If I had plastic hubs I think I would be as careful with them as possible, get some decent metal ones, and throw the plastic ones in the bin ASAP
10 miles is a relatively short distance anyway
If I left them unlocked and drove 20 miles to work in 4h for a month I can see some wear happening in there somewhere

[timwilks13]

If anything, travelling at high speeds in 4wd with them unlocked is going to cause less damage because most of the time all the internals, even though not locked together, will be spinning at the same speed?

[twiss]

If I remember correctly I think the spring loaded clutch gear part comes up and off the end of the splines when the hubs are unlocked. There shouldn't be any contact when running at a constant speed
I think it's more if the driveshaft moves around a bit as the shaft speeds up and slows down, or if you go over a bump possibly
There isn't a whole lot of clearance between the clutch gear and the end of the shaft
And the shafts don't really lock that firmly even with the snap rings on. Mine always have a little bit of in and out play. Few mm

[Anton]

I don't have fw hubs, I have flanges, and I once drove across the south downs and into Worthing with a shudder coming out of the t-case. Got to the sea front, and realised that my 4wd light was on - it popped out of 2hi into 4hi on its own and I drove a good 10 miles like that thinking that my t-case was on its last legs, but not overly worried as I had a spare.

I've since realised that if I gun it from a standing start, my t-case pops itself into 4wd.

The point is though, that Suzuki' are pretty well built, as a lady would have been a pile of bits and a trail of oil.