Two wheel drive or 4x4?

The Mad Norsky wrote:
Mowermech: eloquently put, as always.

One thing, maybe not obviously posted in your post, but there nevertheless, is the question of operator skill.

Experience driving in winter conditions is probably the most important part of anyone operating vehicles in the brutal, northern border winters.

Four wheel drive or two wheel drive, operator experience and driving to match road conditions, and NOT the posted speed limit, is above and beyond the most important factor.

That said, there are times, matched with horrible conditions, where four wheel drive and or snowmobiles are the only things moving. Operator skills can only get a person so far, then one reaches the performance limits of any machine.

X2

The 4X4 used correctly gives the operator more control, when the steer wheels are driving also the steering control is better. Too many see this as the ability to go faster, this is where they get into trouble with the laws of Physics, and the punishment for breaking those laws is swift and at time severe!

Lessmore wrote:
.........
What did your forebears or you do in the '40's, 50's and '60's before 4WD became common ?

traction tires, maybe a lim slip or locker, lots o wt in the asset end, along with tire chains! REAL chains, not them cable or plastic wanna be's!

Having pulled a trailer up the local mtns, more times than I care to admit in winter.....about 10-15 weekends per winter for 12 yrs......I have to admit, a rwd with a GOOD posi/lim slip, traction tires and a "GOOD operator" will get you up and into the parking lots just fine, so one can use their RV as a ski/snow mobile hut etc. There used to be upwards of 100 rv's of ALL shapes and sizes, drive trains etc on any given weekend. Chains were the operators BEST friend, be it rwd, or 4WD. As in many conditions, chains were required 4wd or not!

So with that in mind, I own 3 tow rigs, 2 are rwd, one is 4wd! Only because it is used in the snow days more than the other two, But they do fin generally speaking too, when tired and chained correctly! Including towing a 12K equipment trailer with a small bobcat and trackhoe!

marty

Mowermech: eloquently put, as always.

One thing, maybe not obviously posted in your post, but there nevertheless, is the question of operator skill.

Experience driving in winter conditions is probably the most important part of anyone operating vehicles in the brutal, northern border winters.

Four wheel drive or two wheel drive, operator experience and driving to match road conditions, and NOT the posted speed limit, is above and beyond the most important factor.

That said, there are times, matched with horrible conditions, where four wheel drive and or snowmobiles are the only things moving. Operator skills can only get a person so far, then one reaches the performance limits of any machine.

45Ricochet wrote:

Lessmore wrote:

45Ricochet wrote:
Do they even sell 2WD in N Dakota :W Funny I was talking with a salesman about a new truck couple of weeks back. Was telling him what I wanted and mentioned 4WD and he chuckled and said thats all we sell :B

Of course they do....and they also sell 2WD trucks further north in Canada.

Even Canada has "Banana belts" but there isn't one around here.
My driveway requires 4WD in winter, no if, ands or buts :B 4k elevation at 49* north.

No banana belt where I live and those snow drifts on the side, look like they're about 6 feet high or so. No way your going to get your 4WD pickup through those...unless your using a winch.

What did your forebears or you do in the '40's, 50's and '60's before 4WD became common ?

There have been a few time where I've had to back my trailer onto blocks to get it level in a really uneven campsite. I've appreciated the option of being able to put it in 4LO to get the extra help to back in it.

I have 4X4 and only needed it once when in a campground. the ground was saturated. other than that I`ve never needed it. I used to have a Dodge van with a posi rear end. that is really the only thing you would need 99.9% of the time.

IDman wrote:
Many folks think 4X4 is only for snow/sand. I have used ours many times on wet grass which is slick and on a slight grade that has loose gravel. You will never regret buying 4X4!

X2

fj12ryder wrote:

The Mad Norsky wrote:

fj12ryder wrote:
I have a 2wd and have never needed a 4wd in 8 years of towing. I don't need the added complexity and maintenance so why pay for it. FWIW I buy for my usage, not the next owner. Usually by the time I'm ready to sell a vehicle it's pretty used up. :)

:h always see this "added complexity and maintenance for a four wheel drive.

Be shocked to learn that there is very little of either. This is urban legend stuff, and really not a factor at all in ownership.

No added complexity? What do you consider an extra driveshaft, a transfer case, a couple extra U-joints, and extra couple of drive axles. KISS. If you don't need it, why carry it around? I've never needed it, ergo I don't carry it around.

Only one extra drive axle and u-joints have never caused any problems in the, let's see, eight, no nine four wheel drive's I have owned. Fine if you don't need it, but have you ever experienced a North Dakota winter? Gotten stuck in a blinding blizzard?

Those are the real points here.

"Now others will chime in ( waiting for Billings Montana to show up ) saying you do not need it even in winter, but man, North Dakota winters are a lot more brutal than Billings Montana winters."

Well, dang, wouldn't want you to be disappointed! Here I are!
I will admit, NoDak winters just might be a little worse than Billings winters, but how about Hungry Horse winters, 11 miles from the West entrance of Glacier National Park? I grew up there (in the 1950's), never had a 4X4. I got my first 4X4 (a 1960 Chevy half ton) in 1970. I bought it specifically for hunting on my uncle's ranch in central Montana.
When I needed a truck to tow a fifth wheel, I got a Dodge CTD 3500 long bed 4X2. It did the job just fine for nearly three years, then spent about 8 years hauling hay out of farm yards. Never got stuck. I used to put 35 bales on the truck, and about 90 to 100 bales on a flatbed trailer behind it.
Now that the horses are gone, so is the truck.
Now I have a "toy truck", not intended for hauling or towing. It is 4X4, not because I NEED it, simply because that's what I found. It has been in four wheel drive once, to verify that it works. It will probably never be in there again. Unless, of course, I put a snow plow on it (not likely).
None of my motorhomes have been 4X4, and I'm not about to attempt to drag a trailer someplace where the motorhome won't/can't go!
If you WANT a 4X4, by all means, get one. I have two of them. Not because I really NEED them, but because I simply WANT them.

Lessmore wrote:

45Ricochet wrote:
Do they even sell 2WD in N Dakota :W Funny I was talking with a salesman about a new truck couple of weeks back. Was telling him what I wanted and mentioned 4WD and he chuckled and said thats all we sell :B

Of course they do....and they also sell 2WD trucks further north in Canada.

Even Canada has "Banana belts" but there isn't one around here.
My driveway requires 4WD in winter, no if, ands or buts :B 4k elevation at 49* north.