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Old 03-01-2018, 03:11 PM   #15
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You live in WI. Unless you will leave this truck at home when the snow falls, 4x4 will be a valuable tool. Im also in WI and know what its like. I usually end up rescueing several people each winter that get stuck. Ive owned 1 4x2 and I will never own another. Last year I had to rescue a camper that was stuck because of 4x2. With my 4x4 never spun the wheels pushing their camper into the site. You might not use it as much as you think, but its that 1 time that someone comes to your rescue that you say, "I wish I had".
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Old 03-01-2018, 09:45 PM   #16
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The op wants a half ton, so with more aggressive tires should be ok.On the other hand a empty dually is an ice skate on wheels.I also live in wi..The last 2w.d. truck I owned was 1980.4wd from then on, never looked back at 2w.d..
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Old 03-01-2018, 11:58 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tuffr2 View Post
AWD will push power to any of the 4 wheels that have traction.
4 wheel drive will not.


The information above ^^^ is incorrect.

AWD does not mean each wheel has it's own power source, therefore power cannot be applied to an individual wheel.

AWD monitors wheel slip and will transfer / alternate power to the axle (front or rear) that is not slipping or slipping the least, in order to gain traction.

4WD distributes equal power to both axles at all times.

4WD and AWD can have either open or limited slip differentials.
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Old 03-02-2018, 01:06 PM   #18
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Every 4 WD version of any truck I've seen has a lower tow rating that its 2 WD counterpart. So unless you plan on off roading/boondocking, I would stick with 2WD.
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Old 03-02-2018, 03:02 PM   #19
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4x4 for us, living in Canada we typically have snow when we head south...



but we also have to drive through the mountains to get anywhere so will be driving through snow in the spring and fall. Depending on where we are south, we have driven through snow in CA, AZ and NV. Heck, we even woke up to 4-5 inches of snow on the Oregon coast 2 years ago! That was a fun drive back over the mountains in several inches of slush and ice, so 4 wheel drive isn't just something nice to have.

Truck has electronic shift on the fly 4 wheel drive and an electronic locker in the rear end. Used 4 wheel drive last week coming home from the coast through the mountains in a pretty good snow, no trailer.

All our vehicles are either 4x4 or AWD, would never consider a 2 wd, although I did drive a FWD Honda minivan for 12 years through nasty prairie winters and never got stuck or slid off the road. Good winter tires make a huge difference.

And as for the extra weight of 4 wheel drive, if you're that close to your pay load capacity, then you should be looking at a bigger truck anyway.
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Old 03-02-2018, 08:02 PM   #20
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96 Softtail - you sure? I think there are many AWD systems with intelligence built in to keep a wheel from spinning. If a wheel starts to spin it will shift power to the opposite wheel.

I had an AWD Ridgeline and and 4 x 4 F-150. I hated the 4 x 4 system in the F- 150 compared to the AWD system in the Ridgeline. With 4 x 4 engaged the steering of the F-150 was a nightmare.

I also had a AWD Toyota Highlander and a GF with an AWD BMW X5. Those vehicles were great in the snow.
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Old 03-02-2018, 11:05 PM   #21
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96 Softtail - you sure? I think there are many AWD systems with intelligence built in to keep a wheel from spinning. If a wheel starts to spin it will shift power to the opposite wheel.

I had an AWD Ridgeline and and 4 x 4 F-150. I hated the 4 x 4 system in the F- 150 compared to the AWD system in the Ridgeline. With 4 x 4 engaged the steering of the F-150 was a nightmare.

I also had a AWD Toyota Highlander and a GF with an AWD BMW X5. Those vehicles were great in the snow.

Yup, positive. No AI built in to drive wheels independently.
Maybe in some engineer's head, but not in reality (yet).
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Old 03-03-2018, 02:49 PM   #22
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I have a 2wd dually i pull a 30 ft tt with. I Live in Mn and have not been stuck yet but use it strictly for pulling the camper. If i was boondocking i would take the 4wd but at campgrounds, state parks and Coe's i figure if i do get stuck there will be guy's lined up to show me how big and tough their new 4wd pickup is by pulling me out. If that fails i will call triple a.
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Old 03-03-2018, 03:28 PM   #23
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I have a 2wd dually i pull a 30 ft tt with. I Live in Mn and have not been stuck yet but use it strictly for pulling the camper. If i was boondocking i would take the 4wd but at campgrounds, state parks and Coe's i figure if i do get stuck there will be guy's lined up to show me how big and tough their new 4wd pickup is by pulling me out. If that fails i will call triple a.
My MO exactly. I even carry a tow rope for them to use. Never used it but have been stuck a few times. Almost always got myself out using my levelling boards & a gentle throttle pedal foot.
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Old 03-03-2018, 05:35 PM   #24
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It all depends where you are going to travel and camp . If you stick to the main roads and campgrounds with gravel pads , a 2 wheel drive will work. If you do any boondocking or camp at campgrounds with grass or dirt pads , a 4X4 is handy especially if you pack-up after a good rain and the ground gets soft. A 4X4 is like insurance . It's nice to have for the unexpected. As for the extra maintenance ,you have a transfer case ,driveshaft , front diff & axles . No real high maintenance items.
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Old 03-03-2018, 05:44 PM   #25
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In the truest sense, the only difference between AWD and 4WD is the transfer case has a differential in AWD which allows you to drive on pavement and does not bind.

Now, in many cases the IMPLEMENTATION of AWD also incorporates monitoring of and individual wheel braking (on the wheel that is slipping) in an attempt to limit any wheel slippage.

My 1975 Blazer with “full time 4WD” was an implementation of AWD... before there was AWD. The transfer case had a diff. In that case though, you could “put it in lock” which simply locked the transfer case diff.

Lots of variations of all this. Discussions can vary from quite informational to downright hilarious.
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Old 03-04-2018, 06:26 AM   #26
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The other thing I used to find hilarious was the look of frustration on the faces of the folks who spent all that extra money on their 4wd/awd then ended up in some form of gridlock behind a loser with bad tires in the snow.

My front drive seldom had a problem. Ditto my rear drive trucks with some weight in the back. Set of chains for when I got stuck. ;-)
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Old 03-04-2018, 08:34 AM   #27
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I won't drive a two wheel drive truck. Mainly because you don't need it until you do. And when you do, it's rarely a planned event, and occasionally you may be in a place that there is no one around to help.

For instance, while in Alaska, I ended up in a bind and dragged the rear of my fifth wheel frame into the gravel due to an unlevel turn around. Cell service? Nope. People? One every 10-20 minutes. Tow service? Couple hours away, but ref the cell service situation. Two wheel drive, limited slip - spin both rear tires. 4x4 - back right out, no spinning at all. That one incident makes it all worth it.

Other times, I have been on wet grass or slippery "mud" in and out of campgrounds that my rear wheels spun a little. 4x4 = I don't tear up their landscaping.

As far as maintenance goes - a rare fluid change. I've never had any other 4x4 issues.

Modern 4x4's have traction control, similar to AWD when in 4x4, and with electric locking differentials and manual locking front hubs, you get true 4 wheel drive - power to all four wheels. With that being said, I find that my truck actually gets better traction just letting it figure things out.
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Old 03-04-2018, 10:46 AM   #28
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Also 4 wheel drive are taller trucks. At all I ever seen are. This can be a problem with 5thers. Getting camper level and having enough bed clearance.
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