Why does everyone need a 4x4 Truck?

[jimcumminsw]

Originally Posted by Wildbob52

I'm thinking about buying a F-350 Dual wheel Pick-up Truck but have been having a big problem finding a used truck with only regular cab, no 4x4, gas engine. I don't know why everybody wants a 4X4 on highway. When I pull my future 5th wheel Camper I would think I will have plenty of traction.


Thanks, Bob

Why do we have 4X4 trucks is the same reason you want a 5ER over a TT.

With that being said and all of the other opinions that have been stated which I agree to most of them is my main reason for owning one. I live in northern IL and will travel to WI to see my sister and her husband in the winter months. I want the 4X4 for added satiability and traction that a non-lifted 4X4 will give you in the snow and the added ride height over a 2X4 truck.
We have always one 4X4 vehicle since 1972 in the garage and even have had two different 4X4 vehicles at the same one for me and the other for my wife. She now has a VW TDI auto which she will not drive in the snow; will out comes the Ram 4X4 2500HD diesel to drive in the snow with her behind the wheel.
Jim W.

[webslave]

For many of us, the TV has multiple uses. If I were to use it for nothing but towing the 5er and I lived down south where snow is something you see on the news happening to those "poor folks up there in ...." then I might look for a 4x2, but, to be honest, even then I'd opt for the 4x4, but, that's just me covering all bets. Lots of us, however, use our trucks for driving in those "up there" areas where snow isn't an "if", but a "when", we use them for work and towing in farm fields, we use them to go "off the beaten path" when traveling (I've seen some magnificent scenery and places where you can't go with a 4x2 or low ground clearance vehicle) and we use them to pull people with 4x2's out of bad predicaments because they didn't want a 4x4. In my neck of the woods, everybody has at least one 4x4, and usually the other vehicle, if they have one, is AWD.

[Bill Davey]

Nobody "needs" a 4X4 truck, nor do we "need" a RV. We all equip ourselves to make us comfortable and happy. My reasons for wanting a 4X4 are: low range makes close manuvering more controllable, 4X4 kept me from getting stuck on dry, but loose sandy soil at a state park, 4X4 was very helpful when I got caught in a Thanksgiving "Lake Effect" blizzard in Erie PA, I use the truck for other things (boat ramps, other trailers, limited off-roading), I live in upstate NY (it snows a LOT).

Comment on your original post: you may want to carefully check the towing capacity of a gas engine F350. Many are equipped with the 5.8 V-8, some have the V-10. Neither is a strong as the diesel for towing big loads. My personal experience would also recommend not buying the 6.0 Power Stroke diesel - my 2005 was the most unreliable new vehicle I've ever owned. As a result, it was also my last Ford product.

[azdryheat]

Initially, my truck was purchased to tow my 24' boat and I got 4x4 for the slippery boat ramps. 4x4 was needed to back my Everest into my assigned spot on the beach at the Camp Pendleton RV park due to a foot of sand covering the area. I also had to pull out the non-4x4 and his 5er parked next to me that was stuck in the deep sand. 4x4 is a safety feature in my book.

[desertranger]

I wrote a book on 4-wheel drive years ago. If you know how to drive off road in 2WD the odds are you will never need it. A good driver can do things with 2WD that the average guys needs a 4x4 for. On the other hand as my tow is a 4x4.

Excerpt from "Beverly Hill Climbers and other SUVs" Paraphrased because it's late.

Ch 1
Just because you have a 4x4 doesn't meant you can go where you please. Without an understanding of how 4-wheel drive works getting into trouble is just as easy as it is with 2WD. Add a winch to help get you out of trouble and all you've done is make getting into trouble easier.

Chap on drivelines. ...4-wheel drive isn't and neither is 2-wheel drive.

Fact is on any axle only one wheel is normally driven, the wheel with the least amount of resistance on it.

I would expect the guys who really know 4x4s to know what I'm talking about.

[bukzin]

Another factor, according to my insurance man is a 4 X 4 cost more for coverage
than a 4 X 2

[bukzin]

Originally Posted by Sargee

Two wheel drive easier to handle turns better better ride better gas mileage cheaper to purchase easier to get into. No need for extra parts to wear out. Your not gonna go ditch hopping with the 5th wheel I'm sure.
No need at all for 4x4 highways 99.9 per cent time waste money. My 2 cents

Good points.

Cheaper to fix as well.

Lets face it, these are (for most folks) toys not tools and being Americans
many want a big one.

[wandering1]

You will have plenty of traction with a 4x2. You need a 4x4 to drive on pavement if you want to spend more money and look manly.

[igor2brvn]

4 X 2s and 4 X 4s can get into the same places. Getting out is sometimes the issue. After driving 4 X 4s a few years, you will likely remember all the pros of owning one, not the cons.
for 4 X 4.

[NITEHAWK]

The downward pressure of an unloaded dually rear is almost nil pounds per square inch. Our one ton Dodge, extended cab dually could not move itself off the little patch of hardpacked snow/ice under each rear wheel. Not enough downward pressure!
I asked a 5er owner we met why he had 4WD dually. His answer? Some campsites have gravel and are crowned just enough that the rear wheels would spin. So all he had to do was put it in 4WD to move. The 5er would "lift" just enough to cause loss of traction.

[RustyJC]

Originally Posted by NITEHAWK

I asked a 5er owner we met why he had 4WD dually. His answer? Some campsites have gravel and are crowned just enough that the rear wheels would spin. So all he had to do was put it in 4WD to move. The 5er would "lift" just enough to cause loss of traction.

Ummmmmm.....OK. Anything's possible, I suppose. However, in 16+ years of towing 5th wheels with 4x2 duallies with limited slip differentials, I've never experienced this and have never been stuck, either loaded or unloaded.

You know, every time this discussion comes up, I think about all the Class 8 semis out there towing commercial 5th wheel trailers. How many of those have powered steer axles - even the ones with single drive axles on the tractor???

I lived in Ohio for 22 years, and I know full well the advantages of 4WD in the snow and ice, but I don't tow in snow or ice. I also don't attempt to drag our 16,000 lb 36' 5th wheel over logging roads. So it's a matter of horses for courses, as we say here in Texas. It all depends on the weather and terrain conditions where one will be using the truck. For us, I don't need (or WANT) 4WD.

Rusty

[FishaPalooza]

Originally Posted by desertranger

I wrote a book on 4-wheel drive years ago. If you know how to drive off road in 2WD the odds are you will never need it. A good driver can do things with 2WD that the average guys needs a 4x4 for. On the other hand as my tow is a 4x4.

Excerpt from "Beverly Hill Climbers and other SUVs" Paraphrased because it's late.

Ch 1
Just because you have a 4x4 doesn't meant you can go where you please. Without an understanding of how 4-wheel drive works getting into trouble is just as easy as it is with 2WD. Add a winch to help get you out of trouble and all you've done is make getting into trouble easier.

Chap on drivelines. ...4-wheel drive isn't and neither is 2-wheel drive.

Fact is on any axle only one wheel is normally driven, the wheel with the least amount of resistance on it.

I would expect the guys who really know 4x4s to know what I'm talking about.

Of course only AWD is 4 wheel drive, however a 4X4 sure helps to get out of trouble more than 2X4. Your right though, most people think because they have a 4X4 they can go anywhere, anytime, under any conditions. Of course they are wrong and I wouldn't care but the problem is there is a real possibility of them hurting me.

[daveshan]

Nope, most AWD uses a viscous clutch between the front and rear diff's (some are open) and either limited slip or open diff's on both ends. They will find conditions where one wheel can spin and the others don't

My TJ is true 4wd when in 4wd and locked, the XJ is 3wd with limited slip in front when the rear is locked.

As to whether you "need" 4wd in a truck those that say you do'nt have never been stuck on wet grass or mud more power to them. I don't want to be limited in where I can drag my TC and Jeep trailer.

[lgarcia]

We have a 4X4 for the 90% of the time we are not pulling our TT - and it is handy for tricky terrain when we do pull our TT.

We never know how severe the weather will be here - the eastern half of the state is still without power due to snow from Sandy and many roads are still impassable for anything but a 4WD vehicle.

But, since we already have a 4WD one, I will seriously consider a 2WD truck when my sedan has lived its life. I normally don't drive my car for about 2 months of the year due to weather conditions anyway. It would be handy to have another truck for the TT as well as the boats to tow in good weather. I just wish I could keep my 30 mpg.