SRW 3500 2WD vs 4WD

shum02 wrote:

Coach-man wrote:
Depending on where you drive/camp some need 4x4, a lot of folks need to justify buying a 4x4! One disadvantage, in addition to lower mill age, and higher upfront cost is weight, which will take away from what you can haul!

A few hundred pounds of CCC and fuel mileage cost you can't count. I can drop 500lbs in the bed of the truck and not notice ANY change in fuel mileage, gasser or diesel.

Only issue I've had with it was the transfer case shift motor($150) and a few bucks worth of synthetic Mercon ever few years.

Hmm? Just the response I expected, if this were a 2500 vs 3500 weight question, the weight police would be asking how many additional coats you are packing to make sure you do not go over the CCC, or GVCWR, or anything like that! Now I am supposed to believe that a transfer case and front axel with all the trimmings of a 4X4 only weigh 100#??

We live in the south and don't go off road .... period.

My SRW 2WD Ram 3500 with Cummins diesel is plenty of truck for me.

Side note: 2wd = less $, more payoad and a bit smoother ride.

laknox wrote:

Veebyes wrote:
The whole thread reminds me of this one seen in Chicken, Alaska. Not many trees to get a winch line on up there but there is plenty of mud.

If this works for boats, why not vehicles.

My h.s. physics teacher didn't have much use for winches. He carried an old truck axle, a sledge hammer and about 100' of cable in 2 50' lengths. He'd hammer in the axle, attach the cable to truck and pin (or tree), then simply grab the cable in the middle and lift it or walk sideways. That's a =lot= of leverage! Just keep doing it until unstuck. Of course, his main point was "don't drive in places where you =could= get stuck". :-)

Lyle

Lyle, your physics teacher was testing you, and obviously you failed. Pulling sideways on that cable provides less force than pulling straight in-line with the cable. Simple vector analysis. If you think there's any way one person pulling in any direction could beat a winch (about 12,000 pounds, or 24,000 pounds with a snatch block) I've got some great beachfront property in Kansas that I'll sell to you. Anchors to get stuck vehicles out when no trees are within reach of the winch are readily available and used by many off-readers.

laknox wrote:

fj12ryder wrote:
We use our truck almost exclusively for towing our toyhauler, which we don't take offroad. It pretty much sits from mid November to around April so we don't worry about the snow. Our other truck is 2WD and it gets driven year round. I've owned 4WD in the past just for the heck of it and have just come to the conclusion that, for me, it's an unnecessary expense and complication. KISS.

The thing that always amazed me was when I was traveling during and after the winter storms around here, that most of the vehicles in the median were 4X4's.

Most of that is the fact that people simply don't know how to drive in weather and they'd've ended up in the ditch either way. I saw this several years ago driving on I-40 up on the Navajo Rez. Was a freezing fog and it was coating the freeway pretty good in spots. I was in my Civic and driving about 35-40 mph with my flashers going. A number of cars passed us doing 50-60. Several miles down the road, they were all balled up along the side of the road, including a 4wd Tahoe. Idiots...

Lyle

X2 to People don't know how to drive in Snow and ice!

Now days Sales persons and Advertising showing those with AWD and 4X4 ripping around very fast and supposedly in control. This is why when it is bad out those people believe that AWD and 4X4 think they can drive the speed limit without issue.:S

Veebyes wrote:
4WD allows you to get further from the road before you get good & stuck, at which point you call a tow truck which is likely to be 2WD.

If he can't come & get you the debate now becomes, winch or no winch.

A driver has to know his limitations.

I'd like to have a locking diff. Chances are that if stuck with the trailer on the back there won't be much weight on the front of the truck to help. I know, locking diff makes the vehicle want to go straight. Thats OK. Rather have 2 power wheels under the weight.

Got stuck in a mucky CG this year with the trailer on. Managed to get the rear wheels onto boards that are used for leveling the trailer then proceeded to work my way forward one board length at a time. Got myself to about 1 board length to solid ground. That is when the CG tractor showed up with a chain. Oh well!

4WD would not have helped much there. The whole area was snott slippery.

Yep, just like following a GPS up a logging road thinking it is a short cut to the freeway! :S

In your case four wheels pulling would likely gotten you out if you didn't stomp the throttle.
The trip below, I was in 4X2 until about halfway up the first big climb on Highway 26, then the rear tires broke loose, Dropped into 4X4, and continued home, otherwise would been ion side of road chaining up!!!
We also needed to come to a complete stop on an uphill grade for the State Patrol to clear a spin-out into a guard rail, no issues getting going.
When I was younger i was a Boy Scout, the be prepared stuck!



It is still personal choice!!:)

Veebyes wrote:
The whole thread reminds me of this one seen in Chicken, Alaska. Not many trees to get a winch line on up there but there is plenty of mud.

If this works for boats, why not vehicles.

My h.s. physics teacher didn't have much use for winches. He carried an old truck axle, a sledge hammer and about 100' of cable in 2 50' lengths. He'd hammer in the axle, attach the cable to truck and pin (or tree), then simply grab the cable in the middle and lift it or walk sideways. That's a =lot= of leverage! Just keep doing it until unstuck. Of course, his main point was "don't drive in places where you =could= get stuck". :-)

Lyle

Veebyes wrote:
4WD allows you to get further from the road before you get good & stuck, at which point you call a tow truck which is likely to be 2WD.

If he can't come & get you the debate now becomes, winch or no winch.

A driver has to know his limitations.

I'd like to have a locking diff. Chances are that if stuck with the trailer on the back there won't be much weight on the front of the truck to help. I know, locking diff makes the vehicle want to go straight. Thats OK. Rather have 2 power wheels under the weight.

Got stuck in a mucky CG this year with the trailer on. Managed to get the rear wheels onto boards that are used for leveling the trailer then proceeded to work my way forward one board length at a time. Got myself to about 1 board length to solid ground. That is when the CG tractor showed up with a chain. Oh well!

4WD would not have helped much there. The whole area was snott slippery.

Took 2 other 4wd trucks to pull me out one year at our boondock site. Volcanic clay is, as you say, "snott slippery". :-) Was in ruts only about 4" deep.

Lyle

The whole thread reminds me of this one seen in Chicken, Alaska. Not many trees to get a winch line on up there but there is plenty of mud.

If this works for boats, why not vehicles.

4WD allows you to get further from the road before you get good & stuck, at which point you call a tow truck which is likely to be 2WD.

If he can't come & get you the debate now becomes, winch or no winch.

A driver has to know his limitations.

I'd like to have a locking diff. Chances are that if stuck with the trailer on the back there won't be much weight on the front of the truck to help. I know, locking diff makes the vehicle want to go straight. Thats OK. Rather have 2 power wheels under the weight.

Got stuck in a mucky CG this year with the trailer on. Managed to get the rear wheels onto boards that are used for leveling the trailer then proceeded to work my way forward one board length at a time. Got myself to about 1 board length to solid ground. That is when the CG tractor showed up with a chain. Oh well!

4WD would not have helped much there. The whole area was snott slippery.

fj12ryder wrote:
We use our truck almost exclusively for towing our toyhauler, which we don't take offroad. It pretty much sits from mid November to around April so we don't worry about the snow. Our other truck is 2WD and it gets driven year round. I've owned 4WD in the past just for the heck of it and have just come to the conclusion that, for me, it's an unnecessary expense and complication. KISS.

The thing that always amazed me was when I was traveling during and after the winter storms around here, that most of the vehicles in the median were 4X4's.

Most of that is the fact that people simply don't know how to drive in weather and they'd've ended up in the ditch either way. I saw this several years ago driving on I-40 up on the Navajo Rez. Was a freezing fog and it was coating the freeway pretty good in spots. I was in my Civic and driving about 35-40 mph with my flashers going. A number of cars passed us doing 50-60. Several miles down the road, they were all balled up along the side of the road, including a 4wd Tahoe. Idiots...

Lyle

We use our truck almost exclusively for towing our toyhauler, which we don't take offroad. It pretty much sits from mid November to around April so we don't worry about the snow. Our other truck is 2WD and it gets driven year round. I've owned 4WD in the past just for the heck of it and have just come to the conclusion that, for me, it's an unnecessary expense and complication. KISS.

The thing that always amazed me was when I was traveling during and after the winter storms around here, that most of the vehicles in the median were 4X4's.