Breaking noise in the front wheel

Jack the vehicle one wheel at a time...starting with the front and turn the wheel by hand and see if the noise is coming from the wheels...(brakes, wheel bearing, etc)

What you may be hearing is the stone guard (metal plate) behind the brake rotor. It may have been bent slightly during the removal/replacement of the wheel bearing, causing it to contact the rotor while in motion. It poses no imminent danger, but it is annoying.

There would also be a 4WD switch on diff

You're probably going to need a shop to look at the front suspension.
With extra weight in the back, the front could have been up enough to cause something to come loose such as a strut mount. And that could happen just from old age without the extra weight.
If it is a strut mount you may not want to change it yourself since the strut has to be removed.
I would suggest getting a couple of estimates, or more. In most cases the shop will want to do a front end alignment too because of having to remove the strut.

you are right about the bearing going to bits, it is called a CV joint. it allows the driveshafts to the front wheels to flex as you turn left or right and one is coming apart if one is going bad the other side will too soon, get them both replaced. If you don't, when it breaks completely it will cause MUCH more damage

Good Evening, those noises can be annoying and sometimes hard to find. However it sounds like you have a front hub assembly going bad. Usually the noise goes away when you veer one direction or the other. I have heard some transfer case noises but they usually do not go away on turns. Check those front hub-wheel bearing assemblies and see what you come up with. Hope this points you in the right direction.

Check the Brakes first. Are the pads worn down to metal. Is the Caliper Stuck (open)?
Raise and Support the Front and Rear (because of AWD) of the vehicle.
Remove the left front tire. Make sure the Parking Brake is engaged. Place the lug nuts back on the lug studs. Place the Vehicle in Neutral. Turn the wheel (without the tire on) and listen for where the noise is coming from. A bad bearing will feel rough (not smooth) and sound 'crackly' when trying to turn the one wheel. Make sure it is not from the CVJ.
If not smooth: Remove and Replace the wheel bearing. And yes you can do it yourself saving you about $150-$200 dollars. It is a bolt-on (4 bolts) bearing. Bolt Heads should be on the back side of the steering knuckle.
Remove the Brake Caliper, Caliper Brace, and Rotor.
Remove the 4-bolts (turn the wheels left and right to better access these bolt heads) and slip the bearing off the Axle. You may have to hit the bearing to loosen it.

the rod you mentioned is called linkage, yes it's posible, snow may have jammed up under the car and is stopping it from properly engageing, or the grinding could be internal in the transmition, jack the car up, put jack stands under the frame,block the tiers, and take a real good look at were the linckage conects to the tranny, good luck

there is a TSB(technical service bulletin) available at your dealership for that. Im pretty sure thats the cv shafts making that noise. its very common.

I doubt it. I heard the same noise from my old Accord when the CV boot was going out. If you heard breaking from the drive shaft I believe the next thing you'd see is it rolling down the street. If the drive shaft were making that sound you would not be able to continue driving.