SRW 3500 2WD vs 4WD

Have a 3500 SRW 4X2 and tow 13,830# 5vr (scaled weight)

Have never needed 4X4 towing.

Did change OEM highway thread tires to ATs

Veebyes wrote:
The standard answer in favour of 4WD is "I need it for winter driving as my daily driver."

Fine. That is a valid reason but this is an RV forum dealing with needs while RVing. The fact is very few of us go traveling with trailers in the winter. Very few of us go offroad with our trailers where 4WD would be necessary. Very few who have 4WD over the years have ever actually needed 4WD during the course of a camping trip to get unstuck.
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Well those of us on the Left coast see winter camping a lot different!!
There are several parks on the Oregon Coast that on weekends year around if you don't have a reservation you may not get in! :S

No not every weekend, or every park, but just saying. Most of us need to at least cross the Coast range, and in winter we get snow there.

So South Beach SP Opens up all Loops for the Newport Seafood and Wine Festival. Currently only 75 site(s) available out of 325 site(s) Not bad for the Last weekend in February.

pjberny5 wrote:
Deciding if I should purchase a 2WD or 4WD SWR 3500 but need a little advice from those of you who have a 2WD or have had both. Total 5th wheel weight loaded is around 13,500 so do not need a dually and the SWR fits in my garage The other factor is the price. Can buy a 2WD this time of year for 5-6 thousand less than a 4WD.

How/where do you camp? If you only stay at resorts or improved campgrounds or never day day trips "out to the country", then a 2wd will likely work just fine for you. If you do much camping off the beaten track, then don't even think about it; get the 4wd. Plenty of posts here from people that were camping at a fair or other event, and couldn't get out because the grass was wet...on level ground.

Personally, I've had 2 4wd trucks, including 1 before I started RVing, and I'll never own another 2wd truck unless I decide to start a delivery service around town. When we go into out usual boondock site, I drive the graded dirt road in 4wd. It just rides and tows better over the 6-7 miles in. There is even one spot, about 200 yards long, that I switch to 4LO to get through, simply because it's a little rocky and I can just creep over it without rocking-and-rolling. Never had an issue with anything in the FW by doing this.

Lyle

Veebyes wrote:
The standard answer in favour of 4WD is "I need it for winter driving as my daily driver."

Fine. That is a valid reason but this is an RV forum dealing with needs while RVing...

I think this is a justifiable response. However, I for one am not able to afford two trucks, one with 2x4 for towing a trailer, and one with 4x4 for traveling in snow (or with trailer or as a daily driver in the winter).

Most of us would agree, if we can only afford one truck, it needs to be something that will accommodate 99% of our needs. Not every vehicle, even the best, will accommodate 100%. (too small, too big, too expensive, too rich on fuel, too much insurance ... always one element that never quite fits the .01% of the time.)

So, yes, even though this is an RV forum, we also have to take into consideration what our trucks will be used for when NOT towing and in what season of the year. For those of us in snow country, 4x4 is appropriate. We may not use 4x4 all the time. Some never tow a trailer on snow (I do). BUT! The ONE time you do, (the one time you get caught with your pants down - proverbially speaking) you will never regret having too much tuck with too much power with too much traction with too many wheels.

FWIW, I have a 4WD Dodge 3500 SRW and my brother has a 2WD Dodge 3500 SRW.

He bought his after I bought mine and was convinced he didn't need 4WD, so he bought a 2WD. He has had only 1 occasion where he really needed 4WD (surprise snow storm while camping in the Eastern Sierras). He had to be towed out of his camping spot. But, that was enough. His next truck, he says, will be 4WD.

Myself, I have only NEEDED 4WD once and it was on a steep, gravel driveway. In 2WD, the truck wouldn't begin to move. Switched to 4WD and I drove out like I was on concrete.

One benefit of 4WD I have found is using the the 4LO range for low speed backing the truck/trailer into tight spots or up steep driveways. If you spend a lot of time doing this, the transmission can heat up quickly. Using 4LO reduces the stress on the transmission and increases air flow to the cooler (increased fan rpm).

For the twelve years that I was living in TX I was a professional RV transporter. Of course I traveled coast to coast and Canada. Many times I used 4X4 and had one all the time. I even used it many times on wet grass, hills that were steep to get up, gravel, everything the other guys listed. Many times I had spots that I could not have gotten into or out of with out 4 X 4. This includes even my own rig.

My last truck I bout in 06, I thought, well won't need 4X4 or dully anymore, so I bought s single rear 2X2. Of course since then I have also moved to the West coast and soon back to Montana. I really regret now not having bought another 4X4. Never again will I do without. Your choice. When you need it, you need it.

Another way to look at it is how many class A,B,C motorhomes do you see with 4wd?

The standard answer in favour of 4WD is "I need it for winter driving as my daily driver."

Fine. That is a valid reason but this is an RV forum dealing with needs while RVing. The fact is very few of us go traveling with trailers in the winter. Very few of us go offroad with our trailers where 4WD would be necessary. Very few who have 4WD over the years have ever actually needed 4WD during the course of a camping trip to get unstuck.

2WD drive dually here. Well over 100,000 trailer miles & hundreds of different CGs consisting of everything from all paved to open hay fields. Been stuck less than 6 times. Been towed out only once. A distance of less than 20' after getting most of the way all on my own using boards & frugal use of power.

99% of the time there is no NEED for 4WD. For that very rare occasion when help is needed be sure to have what is needed onboard because the guy in the position to help most likely does not. Carry an ample length tow strap & whatever hooks or shackles that might be needed.

The mentality in N America is 'more is better' but look at what is commonly used in Australia where I suspect roads in general are nowhere near as good as in N America. The 5er tow vehicle of choice is a 2WD cab over modified commercial truck to do the job of a 2500 or 3500 in the US. You see them in the U S as city delivery box trucks.

It will cost more up front but will return more when you sell it. It will also be a lot easier to sell. Can't imagine it has that big a price difference. Usually it's around $2,000.-2,500.00. Is it possible the dealer is stuck with it and wants to see it gone? Can't hardly find a 2wd in this neck of the woods unless it's a stripped down fleeter.

B.O.

mtofell1 wrote:
I'd never own a truck that isn't 4WD but it's just a personal choice. Like others have said, wet leaves, gravel, steep slopes at campgrounds. And, of course, snow and ice. Trucks are just so light in the rear end that it takes nothing for them to get stuck.

As it pertains to RVing it's rare I need 4X but I have used it on occasion on a gravel road or getting out of a wet camp spot.

X2
Yes, Personal choice, but we winter camp actually 4 season, so you never know what the roads will be like coming or going. It is just like insurance hope you don't need it but glad when you do!! Yes we had our 28" King of the Road in tow.