2WD vs 4WD?
I'm in the market for a 5'er that has a GVWR of 16,600. I've pretty much decided on a 3500 crewcab long bed diesel dually for a tow vehicle. Most of the used trucks I see (GMC/Chev) have 4WD. Is ...
Forum Discussion
time2roll wrote:obie311 wrote:More traction when? Safety? Not sure there is any increase in safety.
Is the added purchase expense, maintenance, and weight worth the trade-off for more traction and safety?
If you will be in a difficult situation all by yourself you may eventually need 4wd. For the rest carry a tow strap as there is always a 4wd around that would like to put 4lo to good use for once.
The problem in these discussions is dealing with a lot of folks that have a myopic view of the world around them. They think the world around them is exactly like their little corner of it. I realize there are a few that the only use their pickup is, is just that... to tow. And that also, their TV will never see more than a small gravel spot in an RV park for a dirt road. Many of us who don't have a fleet of vehicles, one for each purpose, we have to make our pickup trucks do multiple duties. And a wide variety of duties at that.
If you can find a 2wd that can safely cover the 2 miles of gravel road from the highway to my house during the spring thaw, let me in on it. I have seen many 2wd cars and pickups end up eating the ditch on these very hilly, muddy roads when the spring thaw is going on. That is a result of poor traction, and eating the ditch can be a safety issue. And what if one was trying to get a family member to town for medical reasons and they couldn't even get to the highway because they were stuck in the mud. And it may be some time before anyone could get out there with a tractor or 4x4 to help. That would definitely be a safety issue if that family member was being rushed to the hospital for cardiac issues or some other major event.
Of course, one could just hole up at home for a month and never go out until the roads firm up again after the spring thaw. Or just stay in town at the Super 8, waiting.
And I am still looking for that 2WD that will negotiate my hilly property of pasture and cropland and be able to go over that terrain while pulling felled trees to be piled up in another part of the property. And not too many 2WD do a very good job pushing drifted snow on a sloped 1000' drive.
