Annual maintenance on your rig

[Steve]

In just a few short weeks it will be time to tuck in the reels for the winter.

Not especially a time of year that I like but we gotta' face it.

For the 4X4 rigs we have to make sure that our hubs will makeit through the winter and be ready for us in the spring. This means pulling the wheels and getting dirty.

First thing is we need to get a few supplies.

You'll need whatever seals and bearings your particular rig uses. I wouldn't recommend you trapse to the dealer, a bit too expensive. You'll find a multitude of places to get the parts, just do a search.

Borrow a bottle jack and REAL jack stands. By no means work on it without jack stands. Follow all safety precautions. These vary by vehicle, that part is up to you.

Grab a pair of safety glasses and wear them!

It wouldn't be a bad time to change the brakes and grease the calipers, you'll have it wide open anyway, go for it.
Now we'll get to the major portion of the work. You'll need to consult a Chilton or Haynes book for your particular rig.
It is essential to keep the hubs in functional order so we need to take them off, pull and clean or replace all the bearings. Take all the parts aside and closely inspect the bearing races and inside the hub. Look for any flat spots on the bearings, anything binding or sticking and rub channels.

Some 4X4 operators have an advantage of inexpensive parts. Those that do, toss the old bearings and replace them. If any of the bearings exhibit any binding, even if they are costly, replace them now before they fail.

If you have ESOF (electronic shift on the fly) you'll need to check the vacuum lines for any cracks or rotting of the hoses. If they aren't in good shape, replace them now.

Assemble the hub as per the book, do the brakes and finish up.

You'll be good to go for another 20k - 30k before you'll need to do it again.
Once a week or so exercise the 4X4 to keep things lubed up.
Keep up on the maintenance and your rig shouldn't fail you.

That's it for now.....