2WD or 4WD

mockturtle wrote:
I have never heard anyone say they wish they'd bought a 2WD.

In my area, you couldn't give one away...

I have a gravel driveway and I need 4WD just to get the trailer up onto the road (steep slope). I have a locking rear on the truck and it will not haul that 5er up to the road in anything but 4WD. I've used 4WD to get out of CGs where we were parked on wet grass. I've even used it to get out of my parking place at a dunes state park. The weight of the diesel settled the truck down into 2 inches of sand and it wouldn't budge without the 4WD, in fact I helped 2 others out of their parking places at that same park.

We also enjoy the "off the beaten path" sightseeing sites that 4WD affords us. We saw some magnificent herds of wild horses in WY that we would have missed had we only had 2WD, the same with a hike up to the top of beautiful mesa in AZ, access to the mesa by 4WD only.

Cost of 4WD, any maintenance (minimal; 3 years old and I've had to change the fluids once), and the cost in fuel (not even noticeable in my opinion) aren't of any consequence to the value of having 4WD on tap and if you have picked out the truck suitable to haul your RV, then the reduction in loading isn't an issue either, it is part of the numbers. If you are buying a truck that is so close to being overloaded that the addition of 4WD puts you over the top, then I'd recommend a bigger truck anyway.

I've had a 2WD with locking rear...the operative word is "had". Never again, for me the advantages of 4WD on tap far outweigh any perceived negatives. Can you tow with a 2WD? Sure, but, look at the all the tow rigs on the road and you'll find that most of them are 4WD, even the SUVs. There's usually a reason, beyond "fad" for that kind popularity. Even non-towing vehicles are now finding the advantages of having multiple drive wheels; Subaru started it, but, most all the major players now offer AWD vehicles for their enhanced all-weather driveability.