Well then I wont worry about any problems because if the rear tires dont spin, I dont put it in 4hi, but in a fresh 1ft of snow there will be plenty of slip for a no binding experience. The longest I have left mine in 4hi and been on dry pavement is probably once a year for about 500 ft. Like someone else said our street also gets overlooked alittle in the winter, our driveway is on an incline and for some strange reason I always backup into my garage, so when I have 4hi thru the subdivision and get in the garage, the next morning out I go and then when I make that first turn onto the highway, oh crap I am still in 4hi. Come to think of it, mine has only been in 4lo for about a minute its whole life and for only about 20 ft while pulling someone out of a ditch. I thought about using it when I pull the boat out of a slippery boat ramp but have never needed more the 4hi. What do you use 4lo for?

 

I shifted on the fly for the first time this weekend. Very cool and made me fell like an idiot owning this truck for a month and stopping every time to put it in 4H.
One time it did "clunk" when I shifted to 4h and then slipped out of gear completely to where I had to stop and put it in Neutral then back to Drive to get back going. Besides that it was all good!

 

Yeah shift on the fly is awesome, Used it several times this weekend. Can't beat it on partially covered roads (snow/ice).

 

I'm not sure about the 04-08's but I know with my truck, you have to be moving to put it in 4x4 or else you'll rip the hubs out. You have to be moving and shouldn't have foot on the throttle. Again, not sure about your truck, but with my truck that's how it is.

 

yesterday in 7" of snow i had that same clunk on my 97, except i didn't come out of gear. but my rear tires started spinning going up a hill, hit the switch and it went in to 4wd but made it clunk, didn't really sound too good to me. Truck seems to be fine. Just wondering if anyone would know why it did that?

 

Shifting into 4x4 while the rear wheels were spinning and the fronts are sitting near still is bad. That clunk you heard was the front diff and hubs being forced into rapid movement to try and catch up with the rear wheels. You should've taken your foot off the gas and stopped spinning the rear wheels so fast before shifting. Remember, 4x4 forces all 4 wheels to turn at the exact same speed no matter what.
You don't have to be moving in the 04-08's. In fact I know that my 93 requires me to be sitting still or be able to shift really fast but that may be because it's a manual shift TCase.

 

Ya, with the manual shift you have to be sitting still to engage it. But with the electronic (like mine) you have to be moving in order for the hubs to lock in without damaging anything. Kind of like having 2 gears with the teeth off set. When you're sitting still and hit the button and take off, if the teeth aren't lined up it'll engage HARD and possibly break something. If you're moving and engage it they'll mesh together smoothly.

Not sure if that made sense to you guys, but it does to me.

 

[QUOTE=08stx4x4;4008575]Shifting into 4x4 while the rear wheels were spinning and the fronts are sitting near still is bad. That clunk you heard was the front diff and hubs being forced into rapid movement to try and catch up with the rear wheels. You should've taken your foot off the gas and stopped spinning the rear wheels so fast before shifting. Remember, 4x4 forces all 4 wheels to turn at the exact same speed no matter what.[QUOTE]

I didn't think about it but i figured it had something to do with hitting it when i was losing traction, Hope i didn't hurt anything by doing that!
Thanks for the info!

 

Don't know why you think with manual shift you have to be stopped. You don't. Been driving Ford 4x4s since 83, and not one has required me to be stopped, except for having to have manual hubs locked in. With the old manual hubs, you had to have them locked in to do shift on the fly. As long as you are not spinning the rears, you can shift on the fly. Manual or electronic.

 

Generally speaking you don't want to be stuck before engaging 4x4.

- NCSU

 

This does not make sense.

ESOF or MSOF the 4H shift directions are the same.
4H upto 55 MPH, light acceleration ( note for 32* F or colder, not above 45 MPH ).
Not to be done when the rear wheels are slipping.

This is where it is different for ESOF and MSOF.

MSOF 4L directions - similar to ESOF, but have a note :
Note: Ideal 4L (4WD Low) conditions occur when the vehicle is rolling below 3 mph (5 km/h).

ESOF 4L direction -
4L Complete stop, foot on brake, trans in neutral, shift into or out of 4L.
No note on the ESOF.

Seems you have the ESOF and MSOF directions reversed for 4L operation.

 

4 Low works real good for slowing your decent on a rough dirt or gravel mountain road.

If your in low gear & still picking up to much speed that your rear end is bouncing & causing you to slide.

Or if you are constantly riding the brake while in 1st gear on a decline.

Its the same as using granny low in a manual transmission. It slows you way down, which usually means greater control.

I'm talking 6-7% grades or steeper, which is very common in my area. Lee

 

I had manual shift in my '96 and in my '04 an both are shift on the fly.

Quote;
Remember, 4x4 forces all 4 wheels to turn at the exact same speed no matter what.

The 4x4 acctually forces 2 wheels to turn one back one front. If you have a L/S rear like most 04-09s do, you get 2 & 1/2 turning. Lockers are required to force all 4 to turn with power to each.