Towing - Stay in RWD or change to 4WD?

Tow in 2WD only unless you're loosing traction. READ the truck owners manual and it it will explain it more


Bill

MikeJulieGDImagine wrote:
We just purchased our first camper this past Monday and we are making our maiden voyage tomorrow. Our tow vehicle is a 2013 Expedition EL and it has an option for 2WD, 4WD Auto, 4WD High, or 4WD low. Since I am new to towing what would be the best option to tow in?

Thanks

If the roads are dry, and clear use good ole regular 2WD. . . Only use 4WD if you feel the roads are not safe to continue without added traction.

Just stay in 2wd unless you get off road and into sand, mud, snow or anything else where you might lose traction. Never run in 4wd on a hard surface....bad...bad... bad.

Thanks Bill and Lanerd. I did read the owners manual and it did explain all of that about snow, mud, sand, etc. I just wasn't sure if having a trailer hooked up changed it. Thanks for clarifying for me.

Out of curiousity, why is it bad to drive in 4WD on hard surfaces?

MikeJulieGDImagine wrote:

Out of curiousity, why is it bad to drive in 4WD on hard surfaces?

Because tires may not be exactly the same diameter, and there will be different amounts of rotation when on a curve, between the steering axle and the fixed axle. Because of this, the tires and driveline components will be stressed resulting in more wear. Just engage 4WD in a parking lot and turn sharply for a demonstration of how bad it can get.

Hard surface is not the problem. Hard dry surface is the no no.
Slick wet, icy or snow covered are OK to use 4WD.

MikeJulieGDImagine wrote:
Thanks Bill and Lanerd. I did read the owners manual and it did explain all of that about snow, mud, sand, etc. I just wasn't sure if having a trailer hooked up changed it. Thanks for clarifying for me.

Out of curiousity, why is it bad to drive in 4WD on hard surfaces?

When front hubs are in 4x4, the wheels need to turn at the same speed. When you turn, even just a little, one cannot go slower, and one faster, like normal. Instead they need to slide, slip, or jump, which it will not do on dry pavement. At some point, on dry pavement, the front end will lock up, or be damaged.

Jerry

4WD Low is great for hitching up. Just don't forget to switch it back to 2WD.

MikeJulieGDImagine wrote:
Out of curiosity, why is it bad to drive in 4WD on hard surfaces?

no center differential at the transfer case causes the driveline to bind up with a lot of stress until one of the wheels slips.

Some of the above comments assume that the 4WD system locks the wheels to the same rotation. But different 4WD systems from different mfrs have different ways of working. I can see from the Ford brochure for that year's Expy that its 4x4 auto mode would be fine to run on the highway. I can't tell offhand if 4wd high engages a differential lock or not. 4wd low definitely would not be appropriate, as it is not for highway speeds.

My Lexus GX470 has full time 4wd, and splits the power between axles all the time. That is its 4wd high. 4wd low gearing limits me to about 35 mph. Then there's a separate diff lock button for the tough spots. But like I said, every mfr does things a bit differently.