Shifting from 2nd to 1st

I have a 4x4 auto. I went for my first offroad last weekend and it was awesome. I was wondering when or if I should use the 1st and 2nd gear positions when in four wheel drive? Do these gears make a difference in 4x4? Going up hill? Down?

Also. Do most 4x4's require users to backup 3 feet to unlock the hubs? My brother has a dodge ram truck and he tells me he doesn't need to unlock the hubs.

Thanks

Answer to the first question:
1st and 2nd gear are both very usefull when offroad, many times I stay in 2nd for most of the day.
But the heart of the matter is it depends on the terrain, and how you personnaly 4Wheel.

Here are some basic rules I go by.

Going uphill, shift down so the trans doesn't have to in the middle of the hill. Lower gears mean less speed but more power, which is good offroad. Sometimes you can shift so low that the wheels get too much power and spin, only experience will show you how to handle those situations.
Going downhill, shift into the lowest gear and let the engine braking slow you down, that way you dont loose the brakes to brake fade (overheating).

Answer to the second question:
All 4X4's are different, some need to backed up, some don't. My friends Jeep needs to be backed up to put it into 4WD.

For further info buy "4 Wheel Freedom" by Brad DeLong, and goto this website and read all the articles.
http://www.4x4now.com/4wht.htm

"You must feel the Force around you; between you, me, the tree, the rock, everywhere."

I think that there is also a handy little sticker they put on the drivers side under the visor. I can shift on the fly according to mine, just can't do it going over 20 mph I think, for Low 4/ 35mph for hi 4/// but don't quote me, going by memory on that one.

I hope you don't think you can shift to 4-lo at 35 MPH. You must come to a complete stop. 35 MPH is the max speed you can travel at once in 4-lo.

check out this thread (one of several) that discusses the tranfer case operation.

Brent

I use the gears primarily for engine braking on steep descents. I also turn the overdrive off if I know the trail I am on has lots of hills and valleys - to prevent the trans from hunting for a gear or shifting in mid-hill. I guess it's probably ok to leave the O/D on tho.