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Unfortunatley the manual hubs for the 98-99 ranger break easily and do not hold up hardly at all
So when you are in 4x4 and using it is when aftermarket hub will break and you get stuck the most because you are already in 4x4 and in a hard spot demanding torque applied to the wheel and SNAP goes the plastic bits
Can always carry a spare for this
maybe they have improved the design in the last 2-3 years? I am not sure. The ones I saw from I think Trailmaster and then Mile marker all failed for my stepson on his 98 Ranger. Eventually he went to the explorer live axle
But that's okay if you want to try them because the factory vacuum system is problematic also, and it cant hurt.
You can get used CV axles and control arms, knuckles from a explorer. Replace the wheel bearings, ball joints and brakes while in there and its a real nice upgrade.
For big $$$ upgrades I like I just save for a few months and collect the parts as I can.
Craigslist is great for this.
Good luck with whatever you decide
Glad ford got rid of the CAD in the 95-96 explorer and the vacuum hubs in the 98-99 ranger
The live axle setup in the 97-01 Explorer and 2000-11 Ranger is WAY better pretty tough too.... but then it has torsion bars LOL It is always something that needs to be upgraded
I keep the hubs on my 88 Bronco II, 97 f350 and 01 Excursion locked from November - april most years and just switch in and out of 4x4 as needed.
The last thing you want to do is wait until you need your hubs to get out and lock them
My end goal is to do a SAS, I would hate to spend a bunch of money on a whole front end, just to scrap it when I am ready to do the SAS in the front. I don't do hard trails, Just washes in the desert. The sand gets deep. The trail I ran, 99% of the time I have done it in 2wd without issue. heck when I had my jeep patriot I did that trail a bunch. Just for what ever reason, this time, the sand was SUPER deep in that one area. Once I got out I could see where at least one other person had to dig themselves out not 20 feet from where I sank in the sand. I am kicking myself for not taking some pictures.
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1998 Mazda B4000
Mesa, AZ