Any good experiences with automatic 4x4 hubs?

[TwoFiftyShifter]

I bought my 84 from the original owner. He showed me a picture of the truck in 1994 when he put the snow plow on it. This was in NY. The motor, tranny and clutch have never been overhauled and it's at 105K miles. Perhaps the most interesting item that hasn't been serviced are the hubs which are automatic.

Everything ive read on the internet is that these hubs are junk - not engaging and so on. I previously had a 3/4 ton with manual hubs and didn't mind it, but the automatics are really nice in theory.

Is it crazy to just pull the autos apart and service them and run them? I will be using the truck in the south and rarely use 4x4. Anybody have good luck with the automatic hubs? Is a lot of the flak they get from people who do a good amount of off roading?