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67Tony · 02-05-2005, 02:07 PM

I'm considering a 2000 2WD Ford Powerstroke Diesel. Wil I regret not having a 4WD? What are some pros and cons of each? I will be towing a 5er, but only 6 - 10 times a year.

67Tony · 02-05-2005, 02:07 PM

I'm considering a 2000 2WD Ford Powerstroke Diesel. Wil I regret not having a 4WD? What are some pros and cons of each? I will be towing a 5er, but only 6 - 10 times a year.

WesWesthaver · 02-05-2005, 02:41 PM

I bought a used 2001 2 wheel drive Power Stroke Diesel. I looked for a 2WD truck for several reasons.

1) 2WD trucks are simpler and cheaper to purchase and maintain.

2) 2WD trucks have a lower profile making them compatible with a wider variety of 5th wheel trailers.

3) 2WD trucks get better fuel mileage.

I wanted a 'highway truck.' I'm not likely to need to travel in extremely inclement weather or go off-road so for me a 2WD was my truck of choice.

Frank P. Martin · 02-05-2005, 04:35 PM

I've been driving pickup trucks since 1978 and all of them (including my current 96 F-250 PSD) were two wheel drive vehicles.

One requirement I have though, is to purchase only trucks equipped with a locking or limited-slip differential. By their nature, pickups are extremely light in the rear and need all the help in the traction department they can get; especially on slippery surfaces.

Will you regret not having a 4WD? Well, it depends. You don't say where you live, but if it's in an area where it snows, you'll wish you had it anytime there's enough snow/ice to hamper your travel. While towing a trailer? Probably not as long as you're camping in a private or governmental campground where there are paved or gravel roads.

I only got stuck in mud one time with my TT. In fact, it was so muddy that I unhooked my TT, connected a 4WD to it and still had difficulty getting the TT into the site as the 4WD broke traction and had to make several attempts before he was successful.

Probably, the biggest negative of owning a 2WD is that you'll most likely not get as much at trade-in time simply because 2WD vehicles are not as desirable as 4WD. However, if you plan to keep the truck for a long time, this will probably become a moot point.

kerfcutter · 02-05-2005, 04:57 PM

Pretty much the same as the previous two posts. I own a 2 wheel drive also and have no regrets. I do have the limited slip rear differential. This will help if one wheel starts slipping.

As Frank asked, where do you live? If you will be using the truck all through the winter and you live in the north you may want the four wheel drive. I live in Michigan, but I don't drive the truck much during the winter. My wife has her family car and I have a jeep that I use for work and driving in the snow. I have a dually and tried one time to take my wife to the airport with 6" of fresh snow on the ground and couldn't get three blocks from the house. Just kept spinning. Took the first road back and got the Jeep out. Duallies are not good in the snow without some weight.

CyberVet65 · 02-05-2005, 05:47 PM

Now that I have a slide-in rather than a 5th wheel; there are times that I wished I had a 4x4. But I am just a little more picky where I go and park.
Chet

RustyJC · 02-05-2005, 06:00 PM

I've used nothing but 2WD Dodge 3500 duallies to pull our 5th wheels since 1996. I've never even been in a situation where I needed 4WD, and certainly have never gotten stuck.

In my experience, 2WD has many advantages for towing 5th wheels, so I won't repeat the previous lists.

Rusty

ParTheCourse · 02-06-2005, 01:58 AM

Ditto all of the above. On my second 2wd, first was a 95 f250, 460 big block now the f350 psd. Can't speak to winter traction, I store them to avoid the salt,
Mike

twc88 · 02-06-2005, 03:42 AM

I have and use 4WD tow vehicles. On several different occasions I have needed 4 X 4, but then I know I have it, so I tend to go for it. With that said I did hit a snow and ice storm in NC last December (didn't figure that one) I also got stuck in some soft sand pulling into a site once. but if I had a 2WD I might not have tried it, I say "might" because it didn't look that bad, I got in trouble when I cut it to hard for conditions.

It basically comes downs to personal preference. My wife says if I got stuck with a 2WD truck she would not want to listen to me.

So I just keep going for 4WD, plus if I had a 2WD and wanted to sell it, it would be worth nothing here in the north-east.

Tom

Ken Lenger · 02-06-2005, 04:14 AM

When I bought my current truck, I went back and forth about 2WD vs 4WD. I finally decided on 4WD on the remote chance that I might relocate to Colorado sometime. In CO I really want 4WD because of the chance of winter weather in the mountains most any time of the year. In AZ I have basically no use for 4WD; in fact, the only times I have used it was driving between CO and AZ twice. Add to the above advantages of 2WD, at least in the case of a Dodge, the 2WD is 550 less weight, which adds to the usefull load of the truck, which could make a difference when it comes time to replace out current 5er. If I had to do it over again, I'm pretty sure I would get a 2WD. As far as the trade-in value, since you are buying used, you benifit from the lower price of a 2WD, so that's not an issue.

twc88 · 02-06-2005, 08:31 AM

Ken

Playing devils advocate here to the weight issue, the up side to 4WD is the availability of low range for those tight spots and up hill backs. Just another .02 worth.

Tom

Rick A · 02-07-2005, 08:01 AM

Evey truck I have owned was 2wd. My truck does dual duty as a daily driver and tow vehicle for the 5ver. Living in central PA i do have to deal with winter driving conditions and have yet to have a problem, I just add weight to the back end (Still have a pile of snow in the bed from the other week). I have even towed in light snow (less than 2 inches) with no problem. Since the amount of time towing far exceeds the amount of time driving in snow, I will stick to 2wd for towing for the reasons listed above. I bought my current truck used and got a great deal because it was 2wd. The lower resale value worked in my favor on this one.

Muncie_6spd · 02-08-2005, 11:34 AM

I'm on my fourth 2WD Ford diesel, this is one is my daily driver. One did not have the LS rearend, that was a mistake in the winter. I add 5 70# bags of sand to the bed and a couple of snow tires for winter, it goes just fine in the snow. We don't get severe snow like Michigan or other northern states but we do get 9 to 12 inches at a time now and then. The 2WD seems to handle it OK as long as I'm careful.
The truck sets lower than a 4WD which fits my fiver perfect, it's level when hooked up and loaded. I think the 4WD models are 4 inches taller than the 2WD which could create a problem towing a fiver. You could "flip" the axles on the fiver if necessary in order to raise it up but that's more expense.
As far as resale value, I didn't pay the $3K up front for 4WD so my resale will be less. I haven't had any problems selling my previous 2WD trucks, I normally buy a new one and then advertise the old one in the local paper, I get more out of it that way versus trade-in.
Good luck on your decision,

Mike

Dave Pelletier · 02-11-2005, 09:29 AM

My last three trucks have been 4x4's and I really need 4x4 up here (winter driving up to the ski hill, etc.) but there is no doubt in my mind that 2wd offers several real advantages for towing and hauling and likely is a better choice for large 5ers or TC's. If I lived somewhere it didn't snow I'd buy a 2wd in a heartbeat.

Dave