How does a Hub work?

What is a Hub?
Cars and other vehicles are used to transport valuable possessions, the most valuable of which is your family.  Safety is therefore your top priority. One important component of car safety is the hub that is in good working condition. Each wheel of a car is attached to a hub. The hub is a device which houses the wheels bearings and holds the wheels studs. The hub, which rides on an axle shaft, contains inner and outer bearings. These bearings are built to support the weight and size of the vehicle and also allow the wheels to spin smoothly. Can you imagine what may happen if your wheels should stop spinning smoothly?

Hub Bearings
The hub and its inner and outer bearings serve a very important function on vehicles. Imagine cruising down a highway, the car running smoothly and the wind in your face. Then imagine suddenly losing control of your wheels. You are unable to direct the course of your vehicle and it is swerving and causing other vehicle to be dodging. The likelihood of this happening can be greatly decreased if you perform routine checks on your vehicle’s hub bearing. The hub bearing on a car serves two major purposes:
         1. It allows the hub and its attached components to turn freely.
         2. It keeps the wheel tire and rotating mass attached to the car.
The inner and outer bearings ride on narrowed races. Each bearing must be adequately lubricated in order to perform its job. Bearings may wear out inside the hub, due to moisture, rust, and metal fragments causing the hub to malfunction.

Locking Hubs
Vehicles that have four-wheel drive capability have either manual locking hubs or automatic locking hubs. When engaged, these hubs cut down on the vehicle's friction when it is not using four-wheel drive.

Manual Locking Hubs
Locking hubs, also known as free wheeling hubs, are fitted to many four-wheel drive vehicles, but are mostly found on some larger trucks. They allow the driver to physically lock or unlock the hubs via a switch on the hub that alternates between two-wheel and four-wheel drive. When the wheels are not being used in four-wheel drive, manual hubs allow the front wheels to separate from the drive axles. This prevents extreme wear, and the vehicle gets better gas mileage. The hubs are activated when the driver turns a large knob located in the center of the front wheel.

Automatic Locking Hubs
Unlike the manual locking hubs, automatic locking hubs do not require a driver to exit the vehicle to switch from two-wheel to four-wheel drive. As their name suggest, automatic hubs engage or disengage on their own when the vehicle's transfer case changes between two-wheel and four-wheel drive.
Hubs are responsible for keeping your wheels and your car on the road. Safety should be at the top of the list when it comes to your vehicle. Knowing how the hub works will better assist you in keeping your vehicle and your family safe on the road.