Hes gonna go from 37k to 800k really fast. He needs more videos on his channel tho for people to see more and more of his work and that he continues to keep the quality coming
Get a set now, but to late, front u-joint went out going down the road. Drive shaft then destroyed my T case, ripped out the break lines, fuel lines main wiring harness and took out the front and rear drive shaft and put 2 holes in the floor.
I just lost my front differential 45 min into my 1000 mile return trip home towing a 5th wheel. …wishing I had a free spin kit years ago to save that wear and tear on the diff. The diff nearly caught fire as it boiled the gear oil out from the shaft seals, cover seal, and even the fill plug. I was STUCK on the side of the road until I found a way to remove the front drive axles and separate the unit bearing from the axle shaft. I didn’t have the socket for the castle nut to try to remove the unit bearing from the end of the stub shaft and had to pound out the u-joints to be able to put the unit bearing and stub shaft back in minus the axle shafts to be able to get the truck home in 2WD
You make the money when you sell it if you can find a guy that is really in to trucks with locking hubs and it makes it’s so nice to put in low range to back up a large trailer !
I pull my front driveshaft for long trips. My truck has more power, smoother, better steering, and better mileage when I do. I can remove my driveline in 10 minutes and it’s definitely better.
Another thing with them is for standard trucks you can put the tcase in low and 2wd and it’s much easier backing up trailers since the reverse gears are very tall in 2nd and 3rd gens
Other than reliability, this is the best thing about manual locking hubs. Makes tugging out bushes pretty easy. It's silly for a 4x4 work truck to have automatic hubs.
I’m almost 60. We called them locking hubs. It's just plain tong in the first place to have full time 4 wheel drive. When I was in high school early 80s as far as I know every 4x4 had locking hubs.
Good video, I think the biggest pro is that it completely eliminates the problem of a front driveshaft failing and consequently coming through the floor of your truck and taking out everything else in its path.
There is only one advantage to the way the trucks are stock: shifting into 4x4 without getting out of the truck. That's it. When you have manual locking hubs, and you anticipate you will need it, just lock them in, and now you have the same product, but you can still unlock them when the front axle isn't needed for pulling. When the stock bearings fail, they can cause damage because they literally fall apart in some cases, and let's face it, not everyone pays that much attention to the u-joints, and when they're always spinning, they wear out 100 times faster than when they only spin on demand. There are 5 of them, and only one of those is easy. The double cardan joint is a chore, and so are the stub axle ones. Unless you have free time and do all the work yourself, replacing those will add up over time to easily justify the $2k. It's also better, not just on 'steering feel', but on steering components. Less friction on numerous components, better fuel economy, less danger, stronger, serviceable parts, it's hands down a no contest. One more thing: you can use low gear on hard dry pavement to move heavy trailers in rough spots without stressing anything but the chain.
I have a 2000 Tacoma with Warn conversion. With that being said you absolutely need it installed. There's only one con.... and it is called laziness. I have been in mud, running water, ocean and sand. It took me all but 1 minute to lock both front hubs. Granted I got a little dirty but that what owning a truck is all about. Now the benefits. My mileage went up. Wear and tear on the front end was close to non existant. But best of all was knowing that if the front diff failed... for some stupid reason.... just unlock and drive home. Yes this is a Ram diesel channel. I know. But I own a 3rd gen and a 4th gen and both see off road along with towing and are me and my wife's daily commute. Contact the Ram man. His prices went up but is well worth it.
I had a sudden wheel hub assembly failure on my 2017 Ram 2500 with about 120,000 miles. My front wheel almost came off as I was driving on an interstate with trucks around me. The repairs to all the adjacent damaged areas cost about $7,000. Serviceable hub bearings seem like a good idea.
Looking to travel with my 08 and truck camper. Basically any type of front end failure will mean not being able to move and calling a wrecker $$$. I have been there! "Driving across several states" with a bad front differential or u joint is peace of mind for me.
I want this because I want to put a trutrack on the front instead of an air locker. This way I won’t have to feel the locker when I’m driving in town. But when in 4wd I can get places.
My bosses 2018 F350 has locking hubs from the factory, manual and auto abilities. I didn’t know this was a thing that wasn’t on trucks these days haha. My OBS Ford has them, my super duty axle swap has them with the addition of vacuum control with manual so I can have some creature comfort. Sounds like you need a Cummins in a Ford truck and you have it good.
@@thefunkilledu For western washington on my 94, manual is fine for the amount I used four wheel drive, but boy is it nice when you need it. What is the main wear point in the auto hub? Is it something that with a more agressive service or like boat trailer wheel bearing grease (good luck getting it off your bare hands, but works great with a little applied around the seals, not as the primary bearing grease) The manual hubs on my truck have always been suprisingly buttery smooth no matter how many days below freezing... I have been living abroad in denmark for many years now, a rare 4x4 turbo diesel parked in front of the apartment once, the US market was left out.. Oh well, gas is over 8 bucks a gallon here, looking forward to US prices next month :p
@@JustDiesels that’s awesome to here bro I saw on your Instagram, but I’m sure if you uploaded a lot more on yt you’d blow up, I love your videos and the effort you put into them
You can get Yukon on sale for $1270, that changes the math wrt justifying the cost. For me it does not make sense going down the highway at 70 miles spinning the front axels. More important, I want something solid for my overland rig, so I am installing Yukon, new u joints and ball joints. All my previous trucks from Ford and Chevy have had free spin hubs, I love my RAM but can’t understand why they don’t come with this option. Thanks for a informative video.
We ran these forever because unit bearings would not lock in. We would lock the hubs after breakfast at the hunt club. Anytime we were going off road, we would lock them as soon as we went off pavement.
I got an increase of 2mpg on my '01 Ram 2500 by installing a free-spin kit. Doing the math on 150k miles that's 1000 gallons of fuel more without the kit. At todays prices of about $4/gallon that is $4k. So, doing the math if you're not going to keep the truck very long then don't. But if you keep your vehicles as long as I do (430k miles on my 2G and 155k on my 4G) then you will come out much farther ahead in the long run.
Put the FreeSpin hubs on my 2012 Ram 2500. Finish on them is very poor. After two weeks with only minimal exposure to water, they have started showing a lot of rust. I expected better workmanship at this price point. Suggestion from Dynatrac that I just paint them. I can certainly do that, but I paid for much better than what I got.
TOTALLY WORTH THE MONEY!! Ever since I installed them in my 2006 MegaCab I haven't had a U-joint fail, wheel bearing fail, and my front diff is still like new! It's also better on fuel which is easier on the entire driveline.
@@Adrian64yt wait until front driveshaft explodes and takes everything out in it's path. Son just finished one that cost over $11000 to fix between shaft, transfer case, rung rear pinion and cut main wiring harness plus about came through the floor driving down the interstate at 70 mph and about wrecked him. $2000 is way cheaper!
Please double check with dynatac, the 125-150 for bearings and seals is both sides!!!!!!! At least for my super duty, and unit bearings are way more than 165 per side..... around 400-500......I love my dynatrac free spin kit and would recommend it to anyone who wants a vehicle very dependable and long lasting!!!!!!
You are saying $125-150 total for both sides, or for each side (so $250-300 total)? I have Dynatrac with Warn on my '05 Dodge Cummins 3500 with single rear wheels and NV5600. I had bearings failure on the right side today 100 miles from home and am trying to figure out if this is something I can service in the parking lot or if I have to have it towed somewhere and hope whoever I pay to do it knows what they are doing (and doesn't charge me a grand).
Also it reduces wear on the output bearing in your transfer case. My t case failed literally because the exess wear on the t case from the front end always being engaged. Ive been looking into these because i dont wanna drop another 6k for a transfer case plus core and install because i was just driving my truck not even using 4wd... Edit: for clarification i do use 4wd however my t case failed in the summer while i was in 2wd just going back and forth to work. Started making a loud grinding and clunking noise. Originally i thought it was a wheel hub but no if only i was that lucky...
Unreal quality as always, man. I don't own one of these trucks nor could I really care less about the hubs, but there's no doubt I enjoy watching your content nonetheless. Keep it up.
One other thing to consider (maybe someone already said it) is a slight improvement in braking distance since there is less weight/mass to stop spinning. Love the channel keep it up.
To be honest, from my end, since I live out the middle of nowhere. These would be a very good thing to have. I really don't care about having to get out of the truck and the rain. Or Muddy situations Or snow or anything like that, just listening to the video. Cause i've been looking at these lately on my third gen Between the slight improvement and fuel mileage and the ability to rebuild these verses. Having to possibly order and wait for parts to come in for front Hub replacements as well s the situation where you had a Eugene. Failure to me that completely justifies the reason for putting these in. Yeah, they are out of most people's price range because of the price point, but so far in the video I haven't found a reason not to buy them. I've been looking at doing a complete rebuild of both axles with Yukon gear parts. Cause I'm used them in other vehicles. And this definitely justifies the reason for having them. The front end drag alone. And less wear on internal parts over a period of time to me is a major price point cell as well. SI don't know about you but I definitely use my truck for hauling heavy loads as well. As the area that I live in in Southern Missouri. Typically, we'll eat tires breaks and hobbit assemblies off of trucks within a year and I've replaced my hub assemblies at least 3 to 4 times in a 1 year period So though it might be not for everyone. I'm definitely going to purchase this package as well as everything else. I've been looking at from Yukon gear. Just my opinion but awesome video I think your truck's pretty d*** awesome. Probably one of the cleanest third generation Dodge rams I've ever seen. I'll definitely be looking for more of your contact.
Got a spyntec kit (think that was the name) about 10 years ago with mile marker hubs. Have over 100k miles on them and have only ever had to change one bearing. Only paid around $1700 at the time. Would do again. Love the channel!!
@@jamesvaldez4093 Probably every other summer, but to be honest, it doesn’t usually get driven over about 8k miles a year. It’s a good kit. Has held up well. Bitch to press out the old hubs huh??
@@3rd_gen_j Awesome!! I put about 5,000 miles a year on mine so I end up doing most of the maintenance by time rather than miles. It seems to be a really good kit and so far I've had to lock them twice and no problems. Yea that part was a pain in the ass!!! Lol. Are you using a specific grease to repack?
Great info. You comment that you can't see the hubs ever paying for themselves. Consider this, a few years ago I was deer hunting 650 miles away from home and my front drive shaft was making a little noise while in 4wd. I parked on a flat spot and got out and shook my driveline with no evidence on sloppy U joints. I considered pulling my front drive line before headed home but don't recommend driving across Wyoming at the end of Nov in a without having 4wd available. Needless to say about 40 miles from home my front double cardan joint seized at 70 mph and grenaded my transfer case. I here to tell you that I think the $4k I spent replacing the transfer would have been better spent on the free hubs.
Been said a couple of times in the comments but I agree. Free wheeling hubs / manual hubs have to main advantages - "turning off" front drive to your front CVs and allowing low range "two wheel drive". The first is great if you bust a front axle for whatever reason and have to limp home, cause you can just unlock the front wheels and it'll stop spinning around whilst broken (saving damage to brake lines / other nearby components), the second is unbelievably helpful when backing up a steep hill or driveway without binding up your drivetrain in 4WD low.
Axel is bad enough but what about the front drive shaft have you seen that carnage. If not just look through any of the Cummins forums. That's why I just installed mine. I keep my driveshaft greased but it still scares me. My son just saw one in the shop where driveshaft locked up and broke took out transfer case, wiring harness,part of floor pan and rung rear pinion while driving down the interstate and about wrecked him in the process. I got my spintek hubs delivered for $1700 and they can be rebuilt for around $60 a side with timken bearings from any auto parts store. By the time you rebuild a front driveshaft and replace ujoints and wheel bearings your at around $800 and if you have big offset rims you'll be replacing wheel bearings about every 30000 miles at least I was using timken or skf. Nice thing with the spintek kit is you can unbolt it just like a wheel bearings take off the outer hub and rebuild it on the work bench if needed. To me it was an easy decision.
I just added spintek free spin hub kit to my 2010 2500 Cummins. The kit was $1700 shipped. The bearings and seals to rebuild run around $45 a side with timken bearings and can be bought at any auto parts store. The time you figure in rebuilding front drive shaft,unit bearings which are weaker and with offset rims fail even quicker and u joints wearing quicker and gas mileage and the major reason look at the forums and see the damage if the front drive shaft explodes. I assure you these hubs are a lot cheaper than a transfer case,front drive shaft,repair to wiring harness, transmission,and in some instances floor pan and rear pinion. Adds up to several thousands of dollars. To me the piece of mind driving down the interstate at 70 mph not worrying about the disaster that could happen is priceless. Plus with my g56 transmission with dual disk clutch trying to back my 25' gooseneck trailer into tight spots it is handy to have low range but in 4 low it was binding and couldn't turn sharp especially on pavement. It makes it nice having 2 low with hubs out. For me it was a no brainier.
While u made several good points.... U didn't bring up the potential of the front driveshaft coming apart and destroying the trans and or transfer case due to the wear caused by it spinning at all times. Ive heard of a guy's truck burning to the ground cuz the driveshaft exploded the trans and caught fire. Gota get in the with a needle for airing up balls and a syringe to grease the slip shaft and u joint bearings. Manual hubs would eliminate the extra wear causing a potential complete loss of your truck. Main reason I looked into doing them.
I put the Spyntec hubs on my 2012 RAM 2500 CTD and no regerts, mileage improved and overall better response with steering, after about 7500 miles, I pulled the caps off to check the grease and the grease looked like the day that when I put them on, honestly it not that hard of a job to do the hub kit, so worth the money.
Put the Yukon kit on my 2012 dually. Cummins, Auto, 4.10 truck. Picked up about 2mpg highway, less in town. Steering is lighter with them unlocked. Did it because I got tired of worrying about when one of the unit bearings was going to crap out next. I have owned several Ram heavy duty trucks. The crummy service life of the unit bearings on them would be my #1 complaint. By the time you figure out its going bad ( humming, grinding sounds) your tires are already starting to get chewed up. I have had the kit on my Ram for 3 years. Zero issues. If you keep up on the maintenance of the bearings themselves (grease as called for) you will likely never have issues withem. The same is not even possible with unit bearings as they are not serviceable. Would do it again without hesitation.
I think the labor associated with rebuilding them atleast where I live ( Alaska ) is cheaper than replacing the factory unit bearings. I was quoted 1400 for both front hubs ( parts and labor ) and only around 3k for the Dunaloc hubs. I assume that the rebuild would be far less than the 1400 for replacing both sides.
If I hadn’t seen unit bearings fail with little to no warning; I probably wouldn’t have installed my Yukon kit. I commute to work in another state and will soon be on a 6 day schedule. It just makes sense for me because I love the old 2nd Gen and don’t ever plan to sell her. Great video with an objective viewpoint btw. My steering feels much better btw. No discernible mileage increase
When I was a kid in the 70s the only way four-wheel-drive came was with locking hubs. Getting out and locking up your front driveline was normal. There was no other option. I think it’s funny to see you young guys having to use what basically is 50 year old technology to upgrade your trucks. I also think it’s great that what was old is now new again! The hubs to have back then were called Warn. I’m not sure if they’re still around?
I had a Spyntec kit installed in my 97 a few months ago when the unit bearings failed. Steering feel was the first thing I noticed, much improved. Strength was main reason I went with these hubs since I often drive loaded and rough roads.
I have a set on my 02 dodge. I like them a lot!! I am a Ford guy first so I am used to getting out an locking them so that was not a problem for me. Mine are by Ram Man out ot Ft. Worth, Texas. I like the channel
They look like they might only work with aftermarket wheels too? Or at least not with 4th gen wheels? The center hole looks too small to fit them possibly?
I have the DynaTrack locking hubs on my 05 2500 Diesel been 14 years since i put them on and never looked back. Improved millage around town about 3+ mpg, and on long tow trips at 60mph 10k Trailer loaded 22 to 26mg on hyway. plus i only change my transfer case fluid every couple of years because its not spinning all the time.
Servicing freewheeling hubs IS something you can do yourself. Regreasing them is no harder than regreasing bearings. Just adds time to the wheelbearing service. But if you plan to keep your 4wd and want it to last, get them. People spend a couple grand on an alloy bullbar mostly so their Hilux or Cruiser looks cool with the bonus of a little extra protection, but these hubs WILL make your 4x4 last longer.
Ran the numbers for my truck. 1 mpg saving for 100000 miles comes to $6740.00 at a $3.50 fuel price. Found the bearings online for $2000.00 . My truck will put on 100K miles in 1 year.. saving me about $400 per month. In a business plan, that's huge.
I got tired of replacing axle u joints so I bought a spyn tec kit for my truck. It makes it easier to back a trailer using low range and it does help with milage. Every fall I repack the bearings. Used to be standard equipment on Dodge trucks as far back as I can remember. I don't know why they don't have it as an option for the fuel economy alone.
Love the free spin hubs. Also you don’t have to spend $2500 I just bought the Yukon kit April of 2023 for $1275 shipped from an online dealer. I really want to know how to coat the hubs black like that? Are they powder coated? I’d like to have my hubs blacked out like that before I install them soon.
Great vid, stoked I found your channel, love your ideology about building, I've been in the Toyota world building rigs for some time but jumping up here in the big truck game and TryNa learn fast.
I’ve had the Dynatrac kit with Dyna-hubs for a few years now. One of the best changes I’ve ever made on my truck. The driving difference is amazing, so much less rolling resistance not spinning all those parts. The fuel mileage is better but strength and serviceability are so much better.
After buying a ton of of stock hubs with big rims, plus the fuel savings. Might take 10 years to add up. But it also takes like 80 years to justify the price of a diesel unless hauling for 500,000 miles, not to mention the price of maintenance . So does it really matter about making it make sense to purchase…??.
I have them on a 07 5.9 truck with a g56 manual and I absolutely love them. I put them on 10 years ago and have not messed with them since. They still work perfect as well. I got mine through EMS off road.
The issue I found, at least in Colorado, is not one shop near me would install them on my truck for liability reasons. I found one shop 3 hours away in Colorado Springs that would do it but with a 300% markup on parts. Glad I left CO.
I have never got 100,000 miles out of the sealed unit and it cost and average of 1500 dollars to rebuild the front end every 2 years that's why I saved the money for the lockouts to say it's not cost effective is bs
Lol i grew up with all our 4x4's having lock in/lock out hubs. I can't stand auto hubs too much wear and tear. Yes its so convenient but when you get out of your truck you also get a good look and do a walk around and even walk ahead to get a feel for how the ground is like if your going through someone's yard or in a pasture. The big 3 should have let the buyer choose which hub to have ever since the early 80's (I think when they all started going to auto hubs)
I have Yukons on my 2nd gen nv4500. Way nicer on the highway and even trails in 2w. Easier to turn in tight slow areas. If you grease them once a year they will last forever minus seals. Way easier with a trailer. If your know your going in a rough area lock them before. I think there easier to take apart because you can do your brakes without trying to fight that stupid unit bearing out. It all just unbolts. I noticed better fuel economy by maybe 1 or 2 mpg. You don’t have to stress if you break an axel. It uses all ford parts so there readily available.
Even the guys with auto transmissions having to backup a hill, how be less stressful on the converter and clutches and wouldn’t have that stress on the front end turning on hard ground
That's great that some people get such a long life out of the SKF hubs... but that's not usually the case. I carry an extra set of SKFs in the truck with me in case I need to replace them on the road... and an extra front driveshaft. I'm on my 3rd front driveshaft, 3rd set of SKF hubs and 3rd set of U-joints in 100,000, and the driver's side hub is starting to move again. I've already spent $2k in the last 100k miles on parts... that doesn't include what I've lost in fuel savings. Free spin hubs will always be the way to go if you plan on keeping your truck more than a couple years.
What Ram doesn’t understand is there are guys like us out there who would pay an extra $1,000 as an option to get these from the factory like we did on 4x4 trucks for free 30 years ago
Also when you have large tires steering at low speeds like in parking lots, having free spin hubs puts less stress on the steering linkage and steering box. It’s much easier to steer with less resistance.
Want to see more? Follow me on Instagram! instagram.com/avvblanc/?hl=en
What Skf bearings are for a 2017 ram 2500
I don't know how your still as small of a channel as you are. Your work is amazing.
I agree
Hes gonna go from 37k to 800k really fast. He needs more videos on his channel tho for people to see more and more of his work and that he continues to keep the quality coming
I know right... we gotta start sharing his videos
I agree , I say we all share his shit all over the place and do our best to help his channel boom
Agreed
Get a set now, but to late, front u-joint went out going down the road. Drive shaft then destroyed my T case, ripped out the break lines, fuel lines main wiring harness and took out the front and rear drive shaft and put 2 holes in the floor.
Thinking bout a kit. My dodge doesn’t see dirt a whole lot yet wheel. But it works. It’s worth doing when being pavement princess
Really good to "spot" trailers with man transmission in 4wd.
I just lost my front differential 45 min into my 1000 mile return trip home towing a 5th wheel. …wishing I had a free spin kit years ago to save that wear and tear on the diff. The diff nearly caught fire as it boiled the gear oil out from the shaft seals, cover seal, and even the fill plug. I was STUCK on the side of the road until I found a way to remove the front drive axles and separate the unit bearing from the axle shaft. I didn’t have the socket for the castle nut to try to remove the unit bearing from the end of the stub shaft and had to pound out the u-joints to be able to put the unit bearing and stub shaft back in minus the axle shafts to be able to get the truck home in 2WD
You make the money when you sell it if you can find a guy that is really in to trucks with locking hubs and it makes it’s so nice to put in low range to back up a large trailer !
I pull my front driveshaft for long trips. My truck has more power, smoother, better steering, and better mileage when I do. I can remove my driveline in 10 minutes and it’s definitely better.
When these first came out I really considered them for my 2005 Power Wagon. 300,000 miles later I'm still considering them. Hard to justify the cost.
Another thing with them is for standard trucks you can put the tcase in low and 2wd and it’s much easier backing up trailers since the reverse gears are very tall in 2nd and 3rd gens
for me, that would be the most important thing, low range in 2WD!
Good point...a lot of times I put it in 4lo just to slow down. I didn’t realize this until your comment.. thanks
Yup, especially if the truck is a stick, and you need to put the trailer into a challenging spot.
Other than reliability, this is the best thing about manual locking hubs. Makes tugging out bushes pretty easy. It's silly for a 4x4 work truck to have automatic hubs.
You can easily accomplish the same thing, with a 2lo kit....or, simply purchase a 3way vacuum switch off Amazon for $20.
I’m almost 60. We called them locking hubs. It's just plain tong in the first place to have full time 4 wheel drive. When I was in high school early 80s as far as I know every 4x4 had locking hubs.
Good video, I think the biggest pro is that it completely eliminates the problem of a front driveshaft failing and consequently coming through the floor of your truck and taking out everything else in its path.
This is one of those things you have to see to understand. Once you see a driveline total a truck, you never forget that image.
Exactly that and 2wd low backing being I have a standard was the reason I bought mine.
Cheaper than what it cost me to replace my front driveshaft and rebuild my transfer case including a new front case half
There is only one advantage to the way the trucks are stock: shifting into 4x4 without getting out of the truck. That's it. When you have manual locking hubs, and you anticipate you will need it, just lock them in, and now you have the same product, but you can still unlock them when the front axle isn't needed for pulling.
When the stock bearings fail, they can cause damage because they literally fall apart in some cases, and let's face it, not everyone pays that much attention to the u-joints, and when they're always spinning, they wear out 100 times faster than when they only spin on demand. There are 5 of them, and only one of those is easy. The double cardan joint is a chore, and so are the stub axle ones. Unless you have free time and do all the work yourself, replacing those will add up over time to easily justify the $2k. It's also better, not just on 'steering feel', but on steering components. Less friction on numerous components, better fuel economy, less danger, stronger, serviceable parts, it's hands down a no contest.
One more thing: you can use low gear on hard dry pavement to move heavy trailers in rough spots without stressing anything but the chain.
I have a 2000 Tacoma with Warn conversion. With that being said you absolutely need it installed. There's only one con.... and it is called laziness. I have been in mud, running water, ocean and sand. It took me all but 1 minute to lock both front hubs. Granted I got a little dirty but that what owning a truck is all about. Now the benefits. My mileage went up. Wear and tear on the front end was close to non existant. But best of all was knowing that if the front diff failed... for some stupid reason.... just unlock and drive home. Yes this is a Ram diesel channel. I know. But I own a 3rd gen and a 4th gen and both see off road along with towing and are me and my wife's daily commute. Contact the Ram man. His prices went up but is well worth it.
I had a sudden wheel hub assembly failure on my 2017 Ram 2500 with about 120,000 miles. My front wheel almost came off as I was driving on an interstate with trucks around me. The repairs to all the adjacent damaged areas cost about $7,000. Serviceable hub bearings seem like a good idea.
Looking to travel with my 08 and truck camper. Basically any type of front end failure will mean not being able to move and calling a wrecker $$$. I have been there! "Driving across several states" with a bad front differential or u joint is peace of mind for me.
I want this because I want to put a trutrack on the front instead of an air locker. This way I won’t have to feel the locker when I’m driving in town. But when in 4wd I can get places.
I respect American pickups! Give me such a pickup friend? I'm from Kazakhstan
Back on the day, most trucks had manual locking hubs.
That's how my D21 is...now I feel old.
My coworker has a 70s Ford with them. I like to lock his hubs when leaving work and see how long until he notices.
My bosses 2018 F350 has locking hubs from the factory, manual and auto abilities. I didn’t know this was a thing that wasn’t on trucks these days haha. My OBS Ford has them, my super duty axle swap has them with the addition of vacuum control with manual so I can have some creature comfort. Sounds like you need a Cummins in a Ford truck and you have it good.
@@ZeroCool-vn9bd My 95 hardbody had the auto hubs, was so nice, but they don't like unlocking when they start to wear out.
@@thefunkilledu For western washington on my 94, manual is fine for the amount I used four wheel drive, but boy is it nice when you need it. What is the main wear point in the auto hub? Is it something that with a more agressive service or like boat trailer wheel bearing grease (good luck getting it off your bare hands, but works great with a little applied around the seals, not as the primary bearing grease) The manual hubs on my truck have always been suprisingly buttery smooth no matter how many days below freezing... I have been living abroad in denmark for many years now, a rare 4x4 turbo diesel parked in front of the apartment once, the US market was left out.. Oh well, gas is over 8 bucks a gallon here, looking forward to US prices next month :p
U need to start uploading more dude! Your video quality is amazing and I just wanna watch more
I’ve been trying to do one a week, but missed the last two since I was wrapped up in proposing to my girlfriend! I’m back on track now though. 🤘
@@JustDiesels Congrats!
@@JustDiesels that’s awesome to here bro I saw on your Instagram, but I’m sure if you uploaded a lot more on yt you’d blow up, I love your videos and the effort you put into them
@@JustDiesels congrats dude
You can get Yukon on sale for $1270, that changes the math wrt justifying the cost. For me it does not make sense going down the highway at 70 miles spinning the front axels. More important, I want something solid for my overland rig, so I am installing Yukon, new u joints and ball joints. All my previous trucks from Ford and Chevy have had free spin hubs, I love my RAM but can’t understand why they don’t come with this option. Thanks for a informative video.
We ran these forever because unit bearings would not lock in. We would lock the hubs after breakfast at the hunt club. Anytime we were going off road, we would lock them as soon as we went off pavement.
I got an increase of 2mpg on my '01 Ram 2500 by installing a free-spin kit. Doing the math on 150k miles that's 1000 gallons of fuel more without the kit. At todays prices of about $4/gallon that is $4k. So, doing the math if you're not going to keep the truck very long then don't. But if you keep your vehicles as long as I do (430k miles on my 2G and 155k on my 4G) then you will come out much farther ahead in the long run.
Put the FreeSpin hubs on my 2012 Ram 2500. Finish on them is very poor. After two weeks with only minimal exposure to water, they have started showing a lot of rust. I expected better workmanship at this price point. Suggestion from Dynatrac that I just paint them. I can certainly do that, but I paid for much better than what I got.
TOTALLY WORTH THE MONEY!!
Ever since I installed them in my 2006 MegaCab I haven't had a U-joint fail, wheel bearing fail, and my front diff is still like new!
It's also better on fuel which is easier on the entire driveline.
I could replace the u joints, and wheel bearings probably 2 times over and still be cheaper than these kits....
@@Adrian64yt wait until front driveshaft explodes and takes everything out in it's path. Son just finished one that cost over $11000 to fix between shaft, transfer case, rung rear pinion and cut main wiring harness plus about came through the floor driving down the interstate at 70 mph and about wrecked him. $2000 is way cheaper!
Please double check with dynatac, the 125-150 for bearings and seals is both sides!!!!!!! At least for my super duty, and unit bearings are way more than 165 per side..... around 400-500......I love my dynatrac free spin kit and would recommend it to anyone who wants a vehicle very dependable and long lasting!!!!!!
You are saying $125-150 total for both sides, or for each side (so $250-300 total)?
I have Dynatrac with Warn on my '05 Dodge Cummins 3500 with single rear wheels and NV5600. I had bearings failure on the right side today 100 miles from home and am trying to figure out if this is something I can service in the parking lot or if I have to have it towed somewhere and hope whoever I pay to do it knows what they are doing (and doesn't charge me a grand).
Also it reduces wear on the output bearing in your transfer case. My t case failed literally because the exess wear on the t case from the front end always being engaged. Ive been looking into these because i dont wanna drop another 6k for a transfer case plus core and install because i was just driving my truck not even using 4wd...
Edit: for clarification i do use 4wd however my t case failed in the summer while i was in 2wd just going back and forth to work. Started making a loud grinding and clunking noise. Originally i thought it was a wheel hub but no if only i was that lucky...
thank you!
Great vid
Unreal quality as always, man. I don't own one of these trucks nor could I really care less about the hubs, but there's no doubt I enjoy watching your content nonetheless. Keep it up.
One other thing to consider (maybe someone already said it) is a slight improvement in braking distance since there is less weight/mass to stop spinning. Love the channel keep it up.
The cost, $2000 vs the $5000 in damage that was done to my truck. And still don’t know if it turn out my transmission.
To be honest, from my end, since I live out the middle of nowhere. These would be a very good thing to have. I really don't care about having to get out of the truck and the rain. Or Muddy situations Or snow or anything like that, just listening to the video. Cause i've been looking at these lately on my third gen Between the slight improvement and fuel mileage and the ability to rebuild these verses. Having to possibly order and wait for parts to come in for front Hub replacements as well s the situation where you had a Eugene. Failure to me that completely justifies the reason for putting these in. Yeah, they are out of most people's price range because of the price point, but so far in the video I haven't found a reason not to buy them. I've been looking at doing a complete rebuild of both axles with Yukon gear parts. Cause I'm used them in other vehicles. And this definitely justifies the reason for having them. The front end drag alone. And less wear on internal parts over a period of time to me is a major price point cell as well. SI don't know about you but I definitely use my truck for hauling heavy loads as well. As the area that I live in in Southern Missouri. Typically, we'll eat tires breaks and hobbit assemblies off of trucks within a year and I've replaced my hub assemblies at least 3 to 4 times in a 1 year period
So though it might be not for everyone. I'm definitely going to purchase this package as well as everything else. I've been looking at from Yukon gear. Just my opinion but awesome video I think your truck's pretty d*** awesome. Probably one of the cleanest third generation Dodge rams I've ever seen. I'll definitely be looking for more of your contact.
We appreciate the honest review Andrew. If you're in the market to shop Yukon Gear and Axle products that you genuinely would want, let us know. :)
Got a spyntec kit (think that was the name) about 10 years ago with mile marker hubs. Have over 100k miles on them and have only ever had to change one bearing. Only paid around $1700 at the time. Would do again. Love the channel!!
Just installed the same kit on a 05. How often are you repacking the bearings?
@@jamesvaldez4093
Probably every other summer, but to be honest, it doesn’t usually get driven over about 8k miles a year. It’s a good kit. Has held up well. Bitch to press out the old hubs huh??
@@3rd_gen_j Awesome!! I put about 5,000 miles a year on mine so I end up doing most of the maintenance by time rather than miles. It seems to be a really good kit and so far I've had to lock them twice and no problems.
Yea that part was a pain in the ass!!! Lol. Are you using a specific grease to repack?
@@jamesvaldez4093
Always amsoil
@@3rd_gen_j Thanks!!
Great info. You comment that you can't see the hubs ever paying for themselves. Consider this, a few years ago I was deer hunting 650 miles away from home and my front drive shaft was making a little noise while in 4wd. I parked on a flat spot and got out and shook my driveline with no evidence on sloppy U joints. I considered pulling my front drive line before headed home but don't recommend driving across Wyoming at the end of Nov in a without having 4wd available. Needless to say about 40 miles from home my front double cardan joint seized at 70 mph and grenaded my transfer case. I here to tell you that I think the $4k I spent replacing the transfer would have been better spent on the free hubs.
Been said a couple of times in the comments but I agree. Free wheeling hubs / manual hubs have to main advantages - "turning off" front drive to your front CVs and allowing low range "two wheel drive". The first is great if you bust a front axle for whatever reason and have to limp home, cause you can just unlock the front wheels and it'll stop spinning around whilst broken (saving damage to brake lines / other nearby components), the second is unbelievably helpful when backing up a steep hill or driveway without binding up your drivetrain in 4WD low.
Axel is bad enough but what about the front drive shaft have you seen that carnage. If not just look through any of the Cummins forums. That's why I just installed mine. I keep my driveshaft greased but it still scares me. My son just saw one in the shop where driveshaft locked up and broke took out transfer case, wiring harness,part of floor pan and rung rear pinion while driving down the interstate and about wrecked him in the process. I got my spintek hubs delivered for $1700 and they can be rebuilt for around $60 a side with timken bearings from any auto parts store. By the time you rebuild a front driveshaft and replace ujoints and wheel bearings your at around $800 and if you have big offset rims you'll be replacing wheel bearings about every 30000 miles at least I was using timken or skf. Nice thing with the spintek kit is you can unbolt it just like a wheel bearings take off the outer hub and rebuild it on the work bench if needed. To me it was an easy decision.
I just added spintek free spin hub kit to my 2010 2500 Cummins. The kit was $1700 shipped. The bearings and seals to rebuild run around $45 a side with timken bearings and can be bought at any auto parts store. The time you figure in rebuilding front drive shaft,unit bearings which are weaker and with offset rims fail even quicker and u joints wearing quicker and gas mileage and the major reason look at the forums and see the damage if the front drive shaft explodes. I assure you these hubs are a lot cheaper than a transfer case,front drive shaft,repair to wiring harness, transmission,and in some instances floor pan and rear pinion. Adds up to several thousands of dollars. To me the piece of mind driving down the interstate at 70 mph not worrying about the disaster that could happen is priceless. Plus with my g56 transmission with dual disk clutch trying to back my 25' gooseneck trailer into tight spots it is handy to have low range but in 4 low it was binding and couldn't turn sharp especially on pavement. It makes it nice having 2 low with hubs out. For me it was a no brainier.
Source of your $1700 kit? Thanks
While u made several good points.... U didn't bring up the potential of the front driveshaft coming apart and destroying the trans and or transfer case due to the wear caused by it spinning at all times. Ive heard of a guy's truck burning to the ground cuz the driveshaft exploded the trans and caught fire. Gota get in the with a needle for airing up balls and a syringe to grease the slip shaft and u joint bearings. Manual hubs would eliminate the extra wear causing a potential complete loss of your truck. Main reason I looked into doing them.
My 2016 Power Wagon had a front wheel bear go bad, it cost $700 for the dealer to do it (free under warranty).
I put the Spyntec hubs on my 2012 RAM 2500 CTD and no regerts, mileage improved and overall better response with steering, after about 7500 miles, I pulled the caps off to check the grease and the grease looked like the day that when I put them on, honestly it not that hard of a job to do the hub kit, so worth the money.
It's way easier to do the hub grease than it is to replace the whole thing, for sure.
Appreciate the honest evaluation of all of the pros and cons. Great review!
This is one of the best reviews I have seen, Thanks!!
1500 on Amazon right now for duallies!!!!!
Don't forget no drive line vibrations going down the highway
Put the Yukon kit on my 2012 dually. Cummins, Auto, 4.10 truck. Picked up about 2mpg highway, less in town. Steering is lighter with them unlocked. Did it because I got tired of worrying about when one of the unit bearings was going to crap out next. I have owned several Ram heavy duty trucks. The crummy service life of the unit bearings on them would be my #1 complaint. By the time you figure out its going bad ( humming, grinding sounds) your tires are already starting to get chewed up. I have had the kit on my Ram for 3 years. Zero issues. If you keep up on the maintenance of the bearings themselves (grease as called for) you will likely never have issues withem. The same is not even possible with unit bearings as they are not serviceable. Would do it again without hesitation.
I think the labor associated with rebuilding them atleast where I live ( Alaska ) is cheaper than replacing the factory unit bearings. I was quoted 1400 for both front hubs ( parts and labor ) and only around 3k for the Dunaloc hubs. I assume that the rebuild would be far less than the 1400 for replacing both sides.
If I hadn’t seen unit bearings fail with little to no warning; I probably wouldn’t have installed my Yukon kit. I commute to work in another state and will soon be on a 6 day schedule. It just makes sense for me because I love the old 2nd Gen and don’t ever plan to sell her. Great video with an objective viewpoint btw. My steering feels much better btw. No discernible mileage increase
I'm installing this setup on my 05, 5.9 single cab, long bed 4x4. Looking forward to this. Great video!
When I was a kid in the 70s the only way four-wheel-drive came was with locking hubs. Getting out and locking up your front driveline was normal. There was no other option. I think it’s funny to see you young guys having to use what basically is 50 year old technology to upgrade your trucks. I also think it’s great that what was old is now new again! The hubs to have back then were called Warn. I’m not sure if they’re still around?
Whistling Diesel: Instructions unclear, dropped truck from helicopter.
😂😂
I would say a hotshot truck will the mileage would pay them off with parts
I had a Spyntec kit installed in my 97 a few months ago when the unit bearings failed. Steering feel was the first thing I noticed, much improved. Strength was main reason I went with these hubs since I often drive loaded and rough roads.
I have a set on my 02 dodge. I like them a lot!! I am a Ford guy first so I am used to getting out an locking them so that was not a problem for me. Mine are by Ram Man out ot Ft. Worth, Texas. I like the channel
You still happy with the Ram man?
In the Jeep world manual hubs are great if you break an axle shaft or drive shaft. Put it in 2wd and unlock the hubs and drive out.
2WD LOW is the most important factor with these. Many don't notice any difference in fuel milage.
They look like they might only work with aftermarket wheels too? Or at least not with 4th gen wheels? The center hole looks too small to fit them possibly?
I have the DynaTrack locking hubs on my 05 2500 Diesel been 14 years since i put them on and never looked back. Improved millage around town about 3+ mpg, and on long tow trips at 60mph 10k Trailer loaded 22 to 26mg on hyway. plus i only change my transfer case fluid every couple of years because its not spinning all the time.
Look at the "Ramman" They do free spin out of Texas. They run the unit bearing and stoll some design from a Ford. love mine 50k mi. on them.
Servicing freewheeling hubs IS something you can do yourself. Regreasing them is no harder than regreasing bearings. Just adds time to the wheelbearing service. But if you plan to keep your 4wd and want it to last, get them. People spend a couple grand on an alloy bullbar mostly so their Hilux or Cruiser looks cool with the bonus of a little extra protection, but these hubs WILL make your 4x4 last longer.
Damn, love the look of wheels, tires and stance
Ran the numbers for my truck. 1 mpg saving for 100000 miles comes to $6740.00 at a $3.50 fuel price. Found the bearings online for $2000.00 . My truck will put on 100K miles in 1 year.. saving me about $400 per month. In a business plan, that's huge.
With locking hubs you can run a posi front axle and not have the problems, you can weld the spiders if you want to and use the posi off road.
I got tired of replacing axle u joints so I bought a spyn tec kit for my truck. It makes it easier to back a trailer using low range and it does help with milage. Every fall I repack the bearings. Used to be standard equipment on Dodge trucks as far back as I can remember. I don't know why they don't have it as an option for the fuel economy alone.
Love the free spin hubs.
Also you don’t have to spend $2500
I just bought the Yukon kit April of 2023 for $1275 shipped from an online dealer.
I really want to know how to coat the hubs black like that?
Are they powder coated?
I’d like to have my hubs blacked out like that before I install them soon.
That’s actually just plastidip Hyperdip! That way I can peel it if it gets messed up.
I put the free spin kit on my 96 Ram 1500 and loved it !
I want them so I can have 2wheel drive low with a 6speed backing up 16000 pond camper is much easier in low range
So, this video is 2years old.
Unit bearings are well over your stated price now($300+)
Free spin kit is still $2k
And I’m still happy I have free spins 😂
I have Dyna-trac kit on my 2003 2500. I have been very satisfied w it,
Great vid, stoked I found your channel, love your ideology about building, I've been in the Toyota world building rigs for some time but jumping up here in the big truck game and TryNa learn fast.
I’ve had the Dynatrac kit with Dyna-hubs for a few years now. One of the best changes I’ve ever made on my truck. The driving difference is amazing, so much less rolling resistance not spinning all those parts. The fuel mileage is better but strength and serviceability are so much better.
Agreed though I have the spintek kit it makes a huge difference and piece of mind not worrying about front driveshaft blowing apart made up my mind.
Your front end will thank you. You either spend the money on the hubs or spend the money on ur front end after it gets wore out twice as fast
Great video as usual. My '07.5 is a daily driver, plus I work the hell out of it, so I've been thinking very seriously about these. Thanks.
After buying a ton of of stock hubs with big rims, plus the fuel savings. Might take 10 years to add up. But it also takes like 80 years to justify the price of a diesel unless hauling for 500,000 miles, not to mention the price of maintenance . So does it really matter about making it make sense to purchase…??.
What about The Ram Man??
I have them on a 07 5.9 truck with a g56 manual and I absolutely love them. I put them on 10 years ago and have not messed with them since. They still work perfect as well. I got mine through EMS off road.
I still plan on installing these on my 2nd Dodge. Great video.
The issue I found, at least in Colorado, is not one shop near me would install them on my truck for liability reasons. I found one shop 3 hours away in Colorado Springs that would do it but with a 300% markup on parts. Glad I left CO.
I did the Yukon swap 3 yrs ago on my 08 3500. Love them. Was worth the money. I do a good amount of towing with the truck made a big difference
I would say the best benefit is not having to worry about the front drive shaft taking out your t-case
Don’t even have a dodge, still enjoyed the video.
Thank you. You really made me think about is it really worth doing the swap.
Damn I was so close to first comment!! I literally have watched everyone of your videos. I just pick up a 98 12 valve dig your videos!
Congratulations on the new truck! The 98 12v trucks are the dream! I appreciate the support!
Thank you for making this video! Great information and advice!
Love your videos Bro so informational keep up the good work
I have never got 100,000 miles out of the sealed unit and it cost and average of 1500 dollars to rebuild the front end every 2 years that's why I saved the money for the lockouts to say it's not cost effective is bs
Lol i grew up with all our 4x4's having lock in/lock out hubs. I can't stand auto hubs too much wear and tear. Yes its so convenient but when you get out of your truck you also get a good look and do a walk around and even walk ahead to get a feel for how the ground is like if your going through someone's yard or in a pasture. The big 3 should have let the buyer choose which hub to have ever since the early 80's (I think when they all started going to auto hubs)
I have Yukons on my 2nd gen nv4500. Way nicer on the highway and even trails in 2w. Easier to turn in tight slow areas. If you grease them once a year they will last forever minus seals. Way easier with a trailer. If your know your going in a rough area lock them before. I think there easier to take apart because you can do your brakes without trying to fight that stupid unit bearing out. It all just unbolts. I noticed better fuel economy by maybe 1 or 2 mpg. You don’t have to stress if you break an axel. It uses all ford parts so there readily available.
What about front and rear lockers or hydro assist??!!??
How about 4 low when reversing a trailer without having too spin the front as well.
Even the guys with auto transmissions having to backup a hill, how be less stressful on the converter and clutches and wouldn’t have that stress on the front end turning on hard ground
That's great that some people get such a long life out of the SKF hubs... but that's not usually the case. I carry an extra set of SKFs in the truck with me in case I need to replace them on the road... and an extra front driveshaft.
I'm on my 3rd front driveshaft, 3rd set of SKF hubs and 3rd set of U-joints in 100,000, and the driver's side hub is starting to move again.
I've already spent $2k in the last 100k miles on parts... that doesn't include what I've lost in fuel savings.
Free spin hubs will always be the way to go if you plan on keeping your truck more than a couple years.
Perfect timing! I am considering the Dynatrac kit and this was super helpful! Great channel!!
What Ram doesn’t understand is there are guys like us out there who would pay an extra $1,000 as an option to get these from the factory like we did on 4x4 trucks for free 30 years ago
And there are also guys that would pay extra for a manual transmission. And neither one exists on new trucks. You’re small beans
Also when you have large tires steering at low speeds like in parking lots, having free spin hubs puts less stress on the steering linkage and steering box. It’s much easier to steer with less resistance.
I saw the intro and was like “subbed”
That was a lot of great HONEST INFORMATION, THANK YOU SIR!
Glad it was helpful!
Sup. The man with the cleanest Dodge diesels on the planet 👍
Man. These videos are so fucking wicked. Love your channel.
My 1990 f150 comes stock with manual hubs like these.
I love my free spin hubs with Mile Marker hubs on my 2nd Gen!!
Steering feel? That one's in your head.