Hi,

I am looking at buying a sammy over here in the uk,

It has free wheeling hubs, can someone explain the advantage/disadvantage of having these?  

cheers roeman  

advantages:

better fuel economy
less wear and tear on front end components (gears and seals)
better response*
more speed*

disadvantages:

you need to get out of the car to lock them, and when you're done, you need to get out again and unlock them.

*this applies to my vit, its old and very used though.

And they're stronger than auto hubs.

Or the manuals are less likely to brake axles than the autos when they engage.

Or the manuals are less likely to brake axles than the autos when they engage.

yes ... that is more accurate. I've been wheelin pretty hard on my auto hubs and have had NO problems.

I do notice the "click" of them disengaging if I have to 3 point on a trail or back for a little more gusto. I've just got used to it, and let them disengauge, rollback an extra 6", slowly pull up till I hear em click back in, then get on it.

...
Slowly pull up till I hear em click back in, then get on it.

Very important words,

We blew up our first set of front R & P gears by trying to climb a steep hill in 4wd HI range.
The motor bogged down, and stalled.
We stopped on the hill, shifted into 4wd LOW range.  

Then, while slipping the clutch, we rolled backwards af few feet.  
While beginning to stab the gas harder and harder, the rear wheels broke free, and BAMB, the front end bombed as the hubs locked in.

Lesson learned, use auto hubs when doing more than level driving on ice/dirt offroad.