Product Review: Hub Battle: Warn vs MileMarker

Jul. 01, 2000 By Shawn Spickler
When it comes to choosing a set of hubs, it's not that easy since there's a few to choose from. Warn and MileMarker are two brands that come to mind of many fellow off-roaders. Unlike the winches, both brands of hubs operate in the same fashion. So the big question is, Which brand is better? Well, we'll try to give you the facts and you can make the decision yourself.

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Here's the hubs with their bodies below. Notice Warn uses aluminum and MileMarker uses iron. The Warn body is thicker.
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Before we begin, let's start by saying we have the best of the best. Our front axle that the hubs rest in is a GM 1 ton Dana 60. The Warn hubs are the premium manual set. The MileMarker hubs are the Supreme Stainless manual models. Both hubs are all-metal construction and plastic is not used anywhere on the hubs. Plastic models are usually cheaper but for strength and durability we wanted the metal. Both Warn and MM make some hub variations that are not all completely metal in the 1/2 ton Dana 44 models. In the Dana 60 application, MM only has one offering - the Stainless Steel 449SS. Warn has 2 different models available for the Dana 60, and the less expensive model does have some plastic components. Testing the strength of the hubs is a little difficult since we don’t have a special machine to measure the torque placed on each hub so we’ll have to test both hubs the old fashion way; on the trails. Our power comes from a 454, which is always being upgraded for more power and torque so there will be some tremendous force placed on these. Through the year(s), we’ll have both brands installed and try to torture both brands. If anything happens to either brand, this article WILL be updated with the broken results.

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MileMarker on the left, Warn on the right. Both seem to install easy. The next step on either one is to install the center and outer lock rings. The lock rings hold them in place.
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Warn is a common name when it comes to the 4x world. Warn makes winches, axle shafts, lift kits, shocks and other miscellaneous off-road gear. When we first got the Warn premiums, they looked to be durable. The external hub body is constructed of aluminum, which is chrome plated. The inner body is also made of aluminum which doesn't sound like it would be that strong but the body is thicker with longer clutch-ring spline teeth and body spline area resulting in better load handling. Inside the cap assembly, wave spring technology is used. Warn Premium Manual hubs feature a larger body wall thickness to optimize clutch-ring strength. Rapid positive engagement prevents ratcheting, dual dial seals lock out contaminants. Warn premium hubs look to have brass center dials. In the body, that's true but when looking closer at the dial, its not really brass. The dial is actually pot metal. The 6 cap screws are smaller than the MileMarker but they do have rubber o-rings to help seal better. Care must be taken when tightening the cap screws since they screw in aluminum and could easily strip the threads. The dial takes a full turn (actually 7/8) which makes it easy to engage/disengage the hubs. So far, the Warns have performed fine for us but time will tell.

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Left picture shows both cap screws. Warns is a little smaller than MileMarker. Right picture shows the o-rings that goes around the Warns screws. MileMarker didn't come with o-rings.
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MileMarker is not new to the market. For over a decade, MileMarker has been manufacturing and supplying parts for Chrysler, Rockwell International & Dana Corporation. From the hydraulic winch system the their selective all wheel drive system, MileMarker designs and creates some great products for your off-road vehicle. Besides locking hubs, MileMarker manufactures off-road accessories such as winches, mounts, viscous couplings, air compressors, transfer-case components, as well as manufactures many gears, brackets and shafts for other companies. The hubs we got from MileMarker are the Supreme Stainless models. The Supreme and Street Master models feature a "full metal jacket" cap with stainless steel exposed to the elements. These are made using a new process of die-casting aluminum into a pre-made stainless jacket, it provides lightweight, strength and corrosion resistance. We really like the choice of metals Mile Marker puts in their hubs. MileMarker uses a Ductile Iron Hub body which is good for strength. The Ductile iron is the same metal you will find on 1 ton Dana 60 axles. The iron also helps prevent the 6 cap screws from stripping. Another plus for the MileMarker is the cap screws are larger than Warns. The center dial is stainless steel and looks to be stronger than the dial on Warn. The dial takes 1/3 of a turn to lock, which takes a little more effort than the Warns 1 full turn. Fortunately, MileMarker included a handy dial handle, which makes it easier to engage/disengage the hub. The only thing short we found on MileMarker, is the ability to seal out water on deep-water crossings. The center dial has a single seal where Warn has a dual seal and there wasn’t any rubber o-rings on the cap bolts like the warn hubs. Keep in mind, you should ALWAYS repack your hub bearings going through any water crossing no matter which brand you run. So far, MileMarker has performed fine.

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MileMarkers center dial was just a little harder to engage/disengage. To help your fingers out, they sent this nifty handle which makes it easier.
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When we first acquired our Dana 60 axle, it already came with MileMarker hubs. This axle (and hubs) had been through some serious abuse. There was many parts that had to be replaced. We elected to replace the hubs even though they still would have worked if they were taken apart, cleaned and greased. The outside of the hubs had seen better days but they were still functional. Now, if you talk to some fellow off-road buddies, you will always get a mixed opinion. Many times, whatever winch they’re running, that’s the brand of hubs they prefer.

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We always thought that was a solid brass dial, but after taking the Warn hub apart, we found it to be a different metal.
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  Warn MileMarker
Advantages Doubled sealed at the dial Screws use rubber o-rings Easier to engage (full turn) Stainless dial Stainless cap Ductile iron body Larger cap screws
Disadvantages Dial has lower grade metal Aluminum body Smaller cap screws Cap screws could strip in body if over tightened Harder to engage (1/3 turn) No cap screw o-rings Single seal on dial

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Warn on the left, MileMarker on the right. This shows the other side of the dials. Warn has two seals on the dial where MileMarker has one.
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  Installation (for either brand): First, the old hubs have to be removed. This is accomplished by removing the six cap screws. Next was use snap ring pliers to remove the snap ring. You might have to use an old rag to remove some of the grease so you can see the ring. The next step was to remove the large lock ring that holds the body assembly in the wheel housing. This is a little tricky, but if you have two small screw drivers, its not too bad. After the large lock ring is removed, the body assembly can be removed. We found the easiest way to do this was to thread two of the screws in the body assembly across from each other and pull with equal pressure. Once the old assembly is out, we took a rag and cleaned out some of the old grease and put a thin coat of new grease inside the wheel housing.
NOTE: DO NOT PACK AN EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF GREASE IN THE WHEEL HOUSING BECAUSE THIS CAN CAUSE DAMAGE TO THE HUBS.

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This is the inner wheel hub with nothing installed yet. Be sure to clean out the old grease and apply a thin coat of new grease.
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Once the wheel housing was prepared for the new hubs, the install process is done all in reverse. When you reach the large lock ring, make sure to install the new ring provided in the kit. You may need to re-use the snap ring. We inspected ours and it was in perfect condition. If any wear is found, do not hesitate to replace it with a new ring. The final step is to install the new metal cap assembly and the six new Allen head socket screws. Torque the screws to proper torque per the install instructions and wipe off any excess grease that may have got on the cap.

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MileMarker hub installed.
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Mile Marker
Dept ORC
1450 S.W. 13th Court
Pompano Beach, FL 33069
(800) 886-8647
www.milemarker.com
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Warn Industries, Inc.
Dept ORC
12900 S.E. Capps Road
Clackamas, Oregon 97015
(800) 543-9276
www.warn.com

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