Outer Limits 4x4 Board

I've just bought 3.0l TD 2003 Hilux. A few questions re the hubs:

When driving in 4WD is it absolutely necessary to lock the hubs to the ON position? ie if i leave them in free i take it 4WD still works but just not as well as when the hubs are locked?

Also what are the implications on leaving the hubs ON when driving on normal roads - or should they always be put back in the OFF position?

If someone could clear this up / explain that'd be helpful.

Thanks.

Your hubs dissengage the drive to youre front wheels, at the wheels.

If your hubs are disengaged (off) your axle is spinning freely inside the axle tube, with no connection to the wheel, which means you are not effectively in 4wd (even though your front diff is turning, your wheels are not).

To make your front wheels spin (ie 4wd) you need both your hubs engaged, and your transfer case in 4H or 4L.

You shouldnt drive on road in 4wd(4H or 4L) with your hubs engaged as it can cause windup, very tiny mismatch in gearing from front to back can cause the transfer case to wind up and can cause problems.

You should run your car in 4wd often enough to keep your front axles and diffs coated in oil (stop them rusting etc).

If its not convenient to find a gravel/dirt road to keep your front drivetrain oiled, you can engage your hubs, and drive on road with your transfer case in 2wheel drive mode. What does this do? your wheels start turbning yourt axles and diff, and since the transfer case is in 2wd mode, the propeler shaft spins freely.

That said, im pretty sure when you click that button, it engages ytour hubs and puts your transfer case into 4H. YOu can then select between High, Neutral and Low with your transfer case selector. In which case, its not possible for you to engage your hubs without also engaging 4wd in your transfer case, and thus, you can only lube your front diff on dirt/gravel/grass etc.