Lock out hubs

I have a 1999 4 wheel drive Suburban I use to pull my boat. It has automatic hubs. I have to back up a steep paved driveway to park my 17 ft. bass boat.
4 whl high and 4 whl low puts too much strain on the 4 whl drive mechanism when turning on the pavement. I have been told I can install lock out hubs and a converter, that will allow me to engage the 4 whl drive and lock out the front wheels. It will then be low range and will allow me to put less strain on the transmission when backing . I am getting ready to repace that transmission for a second time. Does anyone have first hand knowledge of lock outs for this use?

Hey whiz, I know a guy who had the manual hubs. When he started backing his trailer in on a job he would put it in 4wl. Never had any problems doing that.

I'd put manuel locking hubs, just for the fact it saves wear & tear on the front end.Plus you'll get better gas mileage, but that's not saying much on a suburban. :rolleyes:

Whiz, go to www.warn.com and look at those lockouts. Really simple to install. It being a '99 model you won't have to go into the transfer case to do any work. The only tricky part is the spring mechanism in the old auto locks. If you have the 700 R tranny, might as well get ready to get several of them. They are the worst tranny Chevy ever made in their history. A 350 , 350 turbo or 400 Turbo is a much more reliable tranny for heavy hauling. The only difference is you don't have the overdrive, but they all bolt up to a 350 motor with no modifications.

Thanks for the input. I am installing the hubs next week.

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Originally Posted by whizkids

Thanks for the input. I am installing the hubs next week.

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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lock out hubs installed. Put it in 4 whl and lock them out, works fine for backing a load. Thanks guys,

Be sure and re-tighten the set screws on the outside after a 100 miles or so . Glad you got them installed.