Fourtrak Free wheeling Hubs

Forum: 

Hi, I am new to the web site after buying a Fourtrak last week. I have just brought a 2000 fourtrak 2.8 tdl. I have a few questions about the truck and I thought this might be a good place to ask them. I am not sure if I have got free wheeling hubs. It says nothing on the hubs so they can't be manual ones so I either don't have them or they are automatic. Does anyone know what type if any where fitted to the 2000 models's?? The reason I ask is becasue I was greasing the prop today and I jacked the truck up and turned the front wheels and the prop turned. Is this normal?? I always thought that if the hubs where free the prop should not move when the front wheels are turned. Any help on this matter will be greatfully recieved. After having the truck for a few days I must say that I am really happy with it. I do lots of road a off road work mainly towing a trailer and so far I am really impressed with it:)

Hi Tim. I'm not an expert, bu

Hi Tim. I'm not an expert, but I think most of the new models have automatic hubs. Anyway, the manual locking type are pretty obvious when you are looking at them - they have a lock/free twisting thingy in the centre.

It says in my instructions that you have to reverse in a straight line for 10 yards or so when going from 4WD to 2WD in order to unlock the auto hubs. Maybe if you'd recently been in 4WD and hadn't done this then the hubs were still engaged when you jacked the truck up?

Hope this is of some help, cheers Gav

Daihatsu put fixed hubs on some independents

You've been caught the same way I was caught with my 1998 Fieldman.

I was doing exactly the same thing, so I rang up Daihatsu in Dover who said that they hadn't fitted FW hubs. It was much cheaper to fit all the door stickers, and 95% of the punters would never know, following religiously the instructions for unlocking the auto FWHs.

What even pissed me off more was that the place in Littlehampton assured me the vehicle was fitted with FWHs when I bought it new. I had my mate with me at the time when I asked their salesman, so he was a witness. Chump features should have spotted him lying, cos the little sod looked damn shifty when he answered my question.

However, they lost out because I will never go back there.

If you want genuine FW hubs, they will set you back something like £800, or Milner Conversions do a quite acceptable substitute for about £70 a side. Make sure you get the later 6 bolt fixing.

Free wheeling hubs

Thanks for both your help on this matter. It looks as if my Fourtrak has not got the hubs fitted. Do you now is it easy to fit the free wheeling hubs? or is it better to get a garage to fit them? Secondly do I really need them?? Will it do any damage if I leave my Fourtrak as it is?? Any help will be greatfully recieved>

If she's not smoking she broken!!

No idea how easy it is to fit

No idea how easy it is to fit autofreewheeling hubs, sorry.
With the manual ones, you just have to get out and turn the front hubs to 'lock' or 'free' as you are changing in and out of 4WD respectively. If you do that, it will be fine. You can leave them locked for short distances in 2WD, but it will cause wear if you leave them like that all the time.

Manual hubs are dead easy

If you talk to Milner, they say that the auto FWHs fitted by Daihatsu fall apart after a while, and many people fit manual hubs instead.

The advantages of having FWHs are that the whole front diff, propshaft and transfer box are not rotating as you drive along on ordinary roads. This means that the viscous drag of all the cogs and mechanics in thick gear oil is not slowing down your progress and drinking fuel .... I'm getting 32 mpg at 70 mph, half loaded and no trailer. The other thing I like is that the front constant velocity joints are stationary (which means that the MOT man can't fail you for clapped out CV joints OR, more importantly, split CV joint rubber boots which are a pig to replace).

Fitting is easy .... the instructions with the Milner manual FWHs are fine. You don't even need to jack up the vehicle to get at the 'operation site', just remove the nasty plastic cover with the levering tool in the wheel changing kit. The only tools you need are a 14mm ring spanner and maybe a rubber mallet to clump the old hub fitting to break the sticky stuff the Japs use to keep the grease in place.

Cheers for your help on this

Cheers for your help on this matter. I have just been speking to my local Daihatsu dealer, and he has told me that Daihatsu stopped fitting the free wheeling hubs from 1999. From here onwards it became a optional extra which not many people went for due to its high price. I asked him if I should fit them and he said that it did not need them. I think that even though he said that I am still going to get some fitted just for my peace of mind and hopefully a extra few mpg!!! I have just completed my first mpg test and it returned 32.8 mpg on the motorway at 70-80 mph with three people on board which I am really happy with. The second tank should be interesting as I am now towing a tri axle trailer!!

If she's not smoking she broken!!