hub actuators again

2007 4X4 EB with 286K, already replaced both sides TWICE. now again getting grinding/rattle I am familiar with.....
Do I go with OEM, Dorman or another brand, but honestly cannot see the vehicle living through another set, but never know.
suggestions please. Dorman are about $120. OEM seem to be $165

Are you sure it’s not the IWE solenoid? Located on left side of fan shroud. Very common failure and will have you chasing ghosts that aren’t actually the hubs.

switching to 4wheel drive to 4A stops the noise immediately

If the solenoid has a leak it could cause what you're experiencing. For troubleshooting you can take the solenoid completely out of the equation. Remove the vacuum lines running to it and connect them together. That will disconnect the hub actuators, so drive around like that and see if the noise still exists. If it's gone, you need a new solenoid, which is a cheap part and 10 minutes to replace.

Mine failed at 211k miles.

what solenoid are you referring to, IWE solenoid?

Yes, the IWE solenoid. It's by the firewall on the driver's side of the truck.

Found it. passenger side of fan housing on the 2007 version of Gen3, I have replaced the IWE solenoid, we shall see if that fixes it.
The problem just started on a 1k mile road trip last week, only happened 3 times near the end of the out portion of the out and back trip, not to have happened again

In addition to the IWE solenoid, you could have a vacuum leak, or your vacuum pot could be defective, or your check valve may be defective. In my '07, the vacuum line that runs across the front crossmember was worn through. A quick splice and my system was working again. A simple hand vacuum pump with a gauge can let you test each component:
1. Test the vacuum pot (reservoir) by connecting it to the hand pump. Pump it down to 10-15 inches and see if it hold for more than 30 to 60 seconds. If not, it's defective. If it holds vacuum, it's good.
2. Test the check valve by connecting each side to the hand pump, one side at a time. One side should hold vacuum. The other side should free-flow.
3. Test the solenoid by connecting the supply inlet to the vacuum pump and pump it down to 10-15 inches. It should hold for at least 60 seconds. Then, turn on the car and make sure the selector switch is in 4H (or 4L) but not 4A. The vacuum should drop as the solenoid applies the hand pump vacuum to the IWEs. You should be able to pump up more vacuum and the IWEs should engage and hold the vacuum with zero leakage or a very slow leakage. If you can't hold a vacuum with this way, then the vacuum lines or the IWE's are bad.
4. Hook up the pump to each IWE and pump it down. It should hold steady-ish for 30 to 60 seconds at least. If it won't hold a vacuum then the IWE is bad.

When I replaced the solenoid I did it with the engine off, and being off for 15 minutes, I heard the the system sucking in air when I pulled the vacuum lines indicating the system was holding a good vacuum,
I believe the IWE was intermittently failing, so far so good, road trip Saturday and no noise, another long road trip in august