Why 4 X 4

Terryallan wrote:

Usnthedog wrote:
Every place you look, every dealer it's all 4 X 4's. I have a 4 X 4 and never use it. Why is it so popular? Is there anyone out there that has a 2 X 4 and is unhappy with the truck? How about with a 4 X 4? My first 2 trucks I bought off the lot hence the 4 X 4. I'm looking to order and almost feel ashamed to consider a 2 X 4. I pull a 12,000# 5th wheel. No mud holes and backroads. Thanks.

And diesel, but that is another post.

honestly. It is a macho thing. As in. I just got to have a 4x4. They look so good. No I'll never go gully jumping, but I got to have a 4x4. OH! I may get stuck on a wet leaf, so I need 4x4. It reality, it is an image thing.

honestly. I have been towing for more than 40 years, and have never once needed 4x4, even though I have has several 4x4s. I have taken them gully jumping, and out on the beach, but haven't needed them for towing. In fact the BEST, most STABLE TV I ever had was a 4x2. I miss it.

Macho thing? That is the dumbest thing I've read in awhile. 4wd vehicles are SOOOO commonplace today how can they be macho thing anymore? 30 years ago maybe that was true but not today.

My wife has a 4wd Nissan Rogue, she drives it for the peace of mind in our snowy winters, not to be macho. I have 4wd because it's nice in the winter and pulling my construction trailers into construction sites. Plus try selling a 2wd truck around here.

If you want people to turns heads around here for that "look at me moment" buy a 2wd truck, other than some commercial vehicles it's like spotting a unicorn or bigfoot, people may even start to take pictures with you driving it lol.

How about buying 4wd just because it make $ sense? Very few people want 2wd around here at least.

Dan

laknox wrote:

Terryallan wrote:

Usnthedog wrote:
Every place you look, every dealer it's all 4 X 4's. I have a 4 X 4 and never use it. Why is it so popular? Is there anyone out there that has a 2 X 4 and is unhappy with the truck? How about with a 4 X 4? My first 2 trucks I bought off the lot hence the 4 X 4. I'm looking to order and almost feel ashamed to consider a 2 X 4. I pull a 12,000# 5th wheel. No mud holes and backroads. Thanks.

And diesel, but that is another post.

honestly. It is a macho thing. As in. I just got to have a 4x4. They look so good. No I'll never go gully jumping, but I got to have a 4x4. OH! I may get stuck on a wet leaf, so I need 4x4. It reality, it is an image thing.

honestly. I have been towing for more than 40 years, and have never once needed 4x4, even though I have has several 4x4s. I have taken them gully jumping, and out on the beach, but haven't needed them for towing. In fact the BEST, most STABLE TV I ever had was a 4x2. I miss it.

Absolute cr@p! I have 4wd because it's =practical= for my needs, not because I want to be a bad a$$. I like to do some backroading in my stock truck and I've been out with guys with 2wd trucks. Yeah, they may make it up that road, but they tend leave a =lot= of rubber behind doing so. Me, I just drop to 4lo and creep up with hardly a spin. I actually use 4lo to get into one of our camp sites, not because the road's steep, but because it's got some rocky stretches and I can simply idle over them without rocking the FW too much. As I said before, our first time out this year, I needed 4wd to back into my site in an improved CG with dirt/gravel roads and sites. I knew without even trying that 2wd wouldn't work, so went right to 4wd and =still= spun a bit.

Lyle

Fact is. 95 percent of 4x4 sold will never ever be put in 4x4. They will never see a muddy road where it is needed. They will never run down a sandy beach, or go thru a soggy field. As for snow. No they won't go out in the snow, Because some one may run into them. I hear it every winter. I go to work, and all the other guy with 4x4 stay home because they don't want their truck wrecked. They don't even know if the 4x4 even works, because they have never used it. But it looks good, Don't it.

Well, it's obvious you're not going to get people to say "Oh yeah, I bought my 4WD cause it looks so bad". It's like people admitting they ride Harley's because of the image that they want to portray.

And actually, most people on this forum will probably use 4WD occasionally. Considering how many 4WD trucks and SUV's are bought by people who live in town and have rarely seen a muddy road, it could be a wash overall.

But why else would people who live on completely paved streets pay more money to buy something they'll never use? Either they've been totally conned by the salesman, very possible, or they are trying to look like something, not sure what.

macho? In what Universe?
anyone that has to ask why 4x4 would not understand the answer.

I have been stuck on a level road with all four wheels chained up on a 4x4 in pure clay. Hell I get stuck trying to pull boats out of the water a long way from any boat ramp. Nearly all of the interesting places to boondock require it. Its how you get away from all the tourists. Getting stuck in 4wd is a way of life in the remote parts of the West like Nevada.

For people that only drive on pavement, without snow and stay in RV parks and Wal-Mart parking lots you don't need it.

As someone already mentioned a lot of us pull things besides trailers.

I tow a couple of boats and every now and then at low tide 4X4 is your friend on the ramp.

After living in the woods at elevation in the PNW all of our rigs have 4WD, you only need it when you need it even if it's for a couple of days

If you know you don't need it, and you are ordering anyway, just get the 4x2. I'm a big fan of ordering vehicles exactly how I want them built.

I would not want a truck without 4WD, and I use it. As recently as this weekend to get into our boondocking site. Only a half mile from paved road, so not exactly way out there, and a super popular area near Mammoth CA.

It makes me a little sad to hear folks who have lived a life and a half and never needed 4x4. You have missed out on so much of our beautiful country. But then I cheer up, and say whatever makes you happy is fine by me, and less crowds for me to deal with. Getting away from crowds is my biggest motivation for camping anyway.

I retired from law enforcement and HAD to get to work. If I only pulled trailers during the summer, on dry level ground, I own property that is all steep hills, if I want to get to the top of the hills, I need 4x4. My truck is my daily driver.

At our annual family boondocker about 10 years ago, we ended up in a bit of a low spot and we got a lot of rain that year. The soil in the area has a high content of volcanic clay, so gets =real= slippery. I started to leave and was in a rut about 4-6" deep, but couldn't move. Took TWO more 4wd trucks to pull me out. At no time was I "buried" deeper than the edge of the rims; just zero traction.

Lyle

Great exaggeration going on here.

"My (4x2) truck isn't 10 feet in the air"

Specs for the 2018 Chevy 2500

Height, Overall (2WD) 77.80 in.
Height, Overall (4WD) 77.76 in.

"It's a macho thing....oh I may get stuck on a wet leaf, so I need 4x4"

Try a grassy slope after the rain. 4x4 traction, yes, no macho needed.

But as MitchF150 posted, do what YOU want. Get a dealer that wants to work with you, not just sell what they have on the lot.

Simply stated, we need a 4x4 truck as we prefer boondocking and dry camping when out in the RV. Just last weekend we would not have been able to get in, and more importantly, back out without 4x4 due to recent rains. If you don't do any RVing off the beaten path and are not concerned by resale value go for a 4x2 tow vehicle. We only use 4x4 a handful of times per year, but it sure feels great knowing we have the capabilities available should the need arise.