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Manual Locking Hubs - - What Brand?

8K views 31 replies 8 participants last post by  nattybynature 
#1 ·
So I am going to be replacing my CVs on my '98 Trooper and I'm thinking about treating myself to some manual hubs while I've got everything apart.

So my question is what brand should I go with? I know Aisin is OE and amazing quality, but they're expensive. I've heard good things about Superwinch, and I like the quarter-turn engagement feature and the price. At about the same price point are the Rugged Ridge ones. I like that they look more like the Aisins, but I haven't heard much about them before. Any advice would be great! Thanks!
 
#2 ·
I would go for Aisin, undoubtedly. They are very durable,very seldom make any issues and almost do not wear throughout the years. I have them on both my rigs, Isuzu and Toyota. Try some local Pick&Pull or hunt a good deal on e-bay. They sometimes come pretty cheap second hand.

I heard good things about Superwinch, though they are very rare in Europe, so I have never used them.

As for Rugged Ridge, this brand is called AVM in Europe. They are quite OK, but I personally dislike the design, especially those big silver cups, fastened with those tiny torx/hex screws.
I have heard about a few ones broken by friends of mine, but not too many and not too often.
 
#3 ·
Jake.Werecat said:
As for Rugged Ridge, this brand is called AVM in Europe. They are quite OK, but I personally dislike the design, especially those big silver cups, fastened with those tiny torx/hex screws.
I have heard about a few ones broken by friends of mine, but not too many and not too often.
I was confused at first when you said you don't like the design of the rugged ridge ones, so I Googled it and I absolutely agree, they don't look very nice! The ones I'm looking at are for sale on independent4x and they're reproductions of the Aisin ones made by rugged ridge. Here's a link to them! I really like how these ones look! I might go with them since they're less than half the price of the Aisins and let y'all know.

https://www.independent4x.com/NEW-Isuzu ... p_453.html
 
#4 ·
I bought the Superwinch brand, asks while they haven't failed me or left me stranded or anything, I hate them. The T-20 screws that hold the dial plate on are terrible. I'll post more later, when I'm not in my driveway spending an hour each side trying to get the damn things off to replace with the Aisins I found at the junk yard a few weeks ago.
 
#6 ·
Got my Superwinches off!


Pros to Aisin:
-They stick out less
-The hardware appears more durable, although I did over torque one of the 10mm bolts and broke it last night. I was tired and decided to fix it later. That was probably a mistake since I used orange Loctite on it.

Pros to SuperWinch:
-They are more skinny than the Aisin hubs which allows the use of certain wheels.

Cons to SuperWinch:
-The T-15 star head screws are a pain. They will strip out T-15 bits every time. i found that a T-20 fits if I tap them in with a hammer. Then nothing strips. Maybe I just got the size wrong and all my problems have been caused by myself. Entirely possible.
-The aluminum finish rapidly fades and looks terrible.

SuperWinch installed with 1.5" spacers and Axiom wheels.


Aisin installed with 1.5" spacers and Axiom Wheels.
 
#9 ·
i have ebay aisin knock-off hubs on my trooper. i recommend longer bolts, and a touch of loc-tite on the threads of those bolts, that holds the cap to the body. and use an inch-pound tq wrench, or your hands if your great at guessing the proper tightness...the threads are soft material in the body, and the provided bolts dont go in far enough....
put almost 100,xxx km on them, only had 1 issue with the pass side not wanting to lock / unlock properly....the spring and clip inside became dislodged, jamming it up. a quick removal, clean , repair and lube , and its working good again...
 
#11 · (Edited by Moderator)
I just rebuilt mine a few months ago, some rust removal here and there, ultrasonic clean, new gaskets, new x-rings, lubrication. Now they engage and disengage perfectly!
A few pics:
1.jpg

2.jpg

3.jpg


I often use thred-locker here and there, but as for the Aisin hubs I've never done it, I just torque to bolts with proper ft·lb, and they never came loose or strip the threads.
 

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#15 ·
I found an older thread (2013) that seems to answer the question of whether or not the Rugged Ridge made Aisin reproduction hubs are worth it, and the answer seems to be "No." you can view that thread here: https://www.planetisuzoo.com/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=72647

I guess I'll search around for some used Aisins.

Does anyone have experience with the Warn hubs? They're even more expensive than new Aisins, and I have a hard time believing they're any better.
 
#17 ·
Enemigo said:
Full disclosure, I don't go to the junk yard that often, but it probably took me five years to find a pair in the yard.
Yeesh, that's a long time. I don't go very often either, and the junkyards around me don't usually have a ton of isuzu vehicles... I might just have to break down and buy a set new. Is there anywhere in particular that anyone knows of that has the best deals on new Aisin hubs?
 
#18 ·
Okay, I have another related question if anyone would be so kind (and knowledgeable) as to answer. What is the actual part number for the Aisin hubs for Troopers? In doing research on this, they all seem to have a part code like AISIN FHT-019, or something similar. Indy4x has the ones for Troopers, but doesn't seem to list that part code. Amazon has them for cheaper than Indy4x, but all listed by that code. Any help would be great! Thanks!
 
#20 · (Edited by Moderator)
In the name of science I bought ebay knockoff Aisins for $60 shipped for the pair. Basically bought them as a parts package to fix up my real Aisins, and have a fully functional backup to potentially install on the Amigo.

thumbnail_20210513_134434.jpg


thumbnail_20210513_134504.jpg


thumbnail_20210513_134619.jpg


All and all I would probably run them but replace the bolts with actual grade 8.
 

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#21 · (Edited by Moderator)
I have some (rather bad) experience with fake Aisins, or Aisin copies made by YAC or other Chinese never-heard-of brands. A friend of mine bough a pair of those, tempted by nice paint and very decent price.
This is how it ended:
HPIM5691.jpg

Quality is definitely below acceptable level.
 

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#22 ·
Kinda reviving an older thread here, but I figured y'all would be interested to know that I found the part number for the Aisin hubs on their website. You can look up any vehicle that Aisin has made parts for and see what parts and their part codes.

The Aisin locking hub part code for Isuzu is FHG-001. You can find them on Amazon listed by that part number for a lot cheaper than Indy4x (right now anyway. Indy4x asks $360 per pair and I just bought them on Amazon for $122/each).

Here is the link to Aisin's website where you can find part numbers: https://aisinaftermarket.com/english/onlineparts.html

Hopefully this is useful to somebody!
 
#25 ·
I only ran aisins and superwinch hubs on my isuzus.
I have warn premiums now but that's with a d44 front axle.
So not the same.
I've seen AVM hubs too and don't dismiss them as they have a history with warn back in the day for South America and are comparable.
Warn actually made the auto locking hubs for isuzu based off a design for international, jeep and land cruiser hubs. You had two choices auto or locked. Neat but pain in the taint to repair.
There are knockoff aisins and they will explode because they're junk.
Keep an eye out for the aisins on Amazon, rockauto has them now too.
If you find superwinch hubs, they're just as good.
I haven't seen warn isuzu hubs in a long long time.
 
#26 ·
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