Have been doing a little bit of research on front lock out hubs for the H2. Are there any members who could give me any input or thoughts on doing this with our H2's? I've seen some posts earlier that it can be done and some posts say it can't be done due to the way the transfer case distributes power to the front and rear axle's differently. Before I go down that rabbit hole, thought I would ask here first. I do see a company that makes the lock out hubs for our H2's, which would be a good thing for those of us who do a lot of highway driving in good weather conditions. But, I would like to see it having been done first on the H2.

 

I believe your going to have to run the H2 transfer case in the lock mode to get the H2 to even move with free wheeling hubs, and with the front hubs free wheeling the front drive shaft will continue to turn so you will be gaining little and you will probably end up with a toasted transfer case in the long term.

So, whats the best solution, Get a transfer case from a 2500 and a locking hub for a 2500/3500, this way the front drive shaft will not turn, the hubs will free wheel without any parasitic drag. I have not seen a locking hub kit for the AAM IFS diff used in the front end of our H2's.

I think you have your work cut out for your, you might want to contact Predator in California for some advise. I have also seen some comments from those who have pulled the front drive shaft from an H2 and drove it with the transfer cased locked. The general consensus was they did not drive as good with the front end disconnected. You can asked Gavin on the forum, I think he has some good experience on this subject.

 

And that's why I asked. Thank you for the input, I didn't think it would be that simple......The members here on this forum are so knowledgeable.

 

If I remember correctly Gavin has installed the transfer case from the 2500 in his H2, maybe he will see your post and chime in

Neal

 

I do not recommend the "lock out hubs" for an H2.
BUT, if you want to follow through and NOT swap to a 2500 Tcase, contact George at Transfercases Unlimited 631-226-1448. He has the H2 Tcase 2wd rebuild kit with ALL of the proper parts and even seals to rebuild your Tcase.

I have a Solid Axle Swapped H3T with his 4494 Tcase kit and I unlock the front hubs of my solid axle when street driving.

 

@H2-SUT Adding a few comments from Predator as I had this conversation a few months back since they are doing some maintenance on my Duramax conversion...

@legerwn @Gavin Costigan I think that is the key... if you install the components from the 2500HD/3500HD trucks a front diff lock may be possible...

I talked to Predator about diff locks .. As part of the standard Duramax conversion they make a bunch of changes to the powertrain that connects to the Allison transmission. One of the changes is that the powertrain is changed with components from the 2500HD/3500HD trucks, and the transfer case shift **** is replaced:

* 2WD is the standard
* 4High becomes AWD like on the standard H2
* The rear diff lock is disabled in this process

I asked if they can install the Eaton heavy duty rear diff lock that was an option on GM trucks - yes - and they are working on installing that now

I asked If a front diff lock can be installed - they believe it can be done but would require some work to figure it out as they don't get that request very often - and it was not a standard GM option

SO, YES it is possible If you are willing to change the powertrain, and Predator in San Diego/Florida could probably get it done for you.

I just checked ARB to see if they offer anything for the standard H2 2003-2009, and YES they do for both rear and front diff lock - so it looks like it is also possible. I just searched for ARB here on the forums and don't see any posts... so not sure if anyone here has installed one.

@citiboy May have installed the Eaton E-Locker up front...


ARB Specs...