We don't need no stinkin 4X4 honey !

[Sportsmen]

Wife and I upgraded our tow vehicle a few months back from a 150 SuperCrew to a 2016 F250 CC gaser 2 wheel drive. We test drove 2 identical trucks. One a 2wheel drive and the other a 4 wheel drive. My wife found the 4X4 difficult to get into because of a bad back. I told her that we didn't need 4 wheel drive. Haven't had a need for one in 20 years. Fast forward to last Saturday night. We attended a wedding in the country where it had been raining cats and dogs for 2 days. Yep, the parking was in a grassy field on an up hill slope. Yep, you guessed it. We sunk up to the rims on the truck. Me and several others had to be towed back to the road. Guess this truck is a little heavier than the old 150.....


Lesson learned, stay on the pavement !

[valhalla360]

So in 20yr, you've needed it ONCE...then again, if you dig in to the hubs, good chance you wouldn't have gotten out with 4x4.

Only one truck in the last 35yrs with 4x4 (used truck just happened to have it), vast majority of that time in snowbelt country and only 1 time I can think of where 4x4 would have helped...

...and yes you can buy and sell them just fine, they don't crater in resale value.

Only nice thing is the creeper gear by dropping into 4-low if you need to back up a steep hill.

[ACZL]

As our son would say: "Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it".

Another benny of 4wd is when backing up a heavy load, can put into 4 low and not worry about heating up the tranny. Our driveway has a good pitch and I find using 4 low helps greatly in pushing 16,000 back.

[Grit_dog]

dodge guy wrote:

bgum wrote:
Next time try pulling up on the emergency brake a couple of clicks. May be bs but some swear by it.

That doesn’t work unless you had individual control of the brakes. And even then one tire will want to drag along instead of doing something.

No, it works on open or posi diffs. To an extent. But cutting brakes work better. It's what open diff guys use in that class of wheeling to transfer a little power.
Can't do it all day like a posi or locker and it doesn't turn an open diff into a locker. More like getting both rear tires to spin in snow, not locked up to crawl over a rock with the other wheel in the air.

[Edd505]

LanceRKeys wrote:
I use my 4 low every time I back my trailer. Just leave the hubs unlocked, extra low reverse gear. Makes backing up much easier, just let my clutch out and steer, nice and easy, no throttle needed.

exactly, or steep hills in and out of CG, Red Rock OK, Riverside, NM, Black hawk, IL single lane 6%, add water. You need 4x4

[old_idaho_guy]

I can get stuck way better with 4wd!

[LanceRKeys]

I use my 4 low every time I back my trailer. Just leave the hubs unlocked, extra low reverse gear. Makes backing up much easier, just let my clutch out and steer, nice and easy, no throttle needed.

[scbwr]

For pulling an RV, I would always opt for the 4WD. I only really needed about two or three times when pulling a travel trailer for about 15 years. Living in the land of white rain, I've used the 4WD on many other occasions!

[time2roll]

I have and recommend a TrueTrac limited slip differential.
This way you can dig both tires down equally 😉

[dodge_guy]

bgum wrote:
Next time try pulling up on the emergency brake a couple of clicks. May be bs but some swear by it.

That doesn’t work unless you had individual control of the brakes. And even then one tire will want to drag along instead of doing something.

[bgum]

Next time try pulling up on the emergency brake a couple of clicks. May be bs but some swear by it.

[Housted]

4 WD is like a parachute....you don't need it until you do!!!!

YMMV

Housted

[dodge_guy]

You never need 4wd until you need it!

I only ever needed it once while camping. I would t have been able to get into or out of the site without 4WD.

[LIKE2BUILD]

Boat ramps, wet grass, light snow.....I've been stuck in all of them in my old 2 wheel drive truck ('04 Chevy 2500HD). The truck was originally an open rear differential. That was a real sweetheart getting torque only to one wheel. One time I was stuck on an algae covered boat ramp and this 'helpful' fisherman asks "ain't that got four wheel drive?". Oh geez, I guess I just forgot to engage it :S That was so frustrating to see one wheel with traction but the wheel on the slickest surface spinning like mad. After that trip I found a limited slip differential and installed that which helped quite a bit.

The last time I got stuck in the fall of 2015 towing the camper I told the wife I was done with 2WD and the truck would be for sale when I got home. She didn't believe me until she saw the sign in the window and the new (to me) truck in the driveway.

Towing capacity doesn't mean squat if the truck can't even move itself in slippery conditions.

[Hammerboy]

Yep, you couldn't give a 2wd away up in the Snowbelt states. 4wd has saved my bacon in a campground too before.

Dan

[westernrvparkow]

downtheroad wrote:
Definitely hard to drive over wet cats and dogs without 4-WD....:)

The FURther you went, the more you would be PELTed by them.