4 Wheel Drive Tow Vehicle

[Clanton24v]

Because I have to go up my driveway so slow and with all the rain we have been getting I've HAD to put it in 4WD the first time was with an empty bed and no canopy. The second time I had the canopy on (cpl100 lbs) and camping stuff in the bed and I just started to spin at the crest I was able to feather the throttle and make it 2wd but it was close

[rhagfo]

I started towing with a 4X4 when my daughters had horses, never knew what you were going to get into in a farm yard.
That transferred to pulling our 5er, as we four season camp, have come over the Oregon coast range in heavy snow, needing to stop on an up hill for one of the many spin-outs we saw. We had no issues getting going, also the extra control is a plus.

[LittleJoe]

4x4 will cost considerably more to maintain if you keep it long enough and will cost a small reduction in fuel mileage as well.
One tow call because you didnt have 4x4 would go along ways towards balancing the scales especially if you have a DRW.

Best case scenario is to get or install a manual lockout system for front axles so all that gear isnt spinning when you dont need it.JMO

[bartletts]

Originally Posted by LittleJoe

4x4 will cost considerably more to maintain if you keep it long enough and will cost a small reduction in fuel mileage as well.
One tow call because you didnt have 4x4 would go along ways towards balancing the scales especially if you have a DRW.

Best case scenario is to get or install a manual lockout system for front axles so all that gear isnt spinning when you dont need it.JMO

Most modern 4x4's have automatic locking hubs- My Tahoe has them. I can either run it in 2wd, automatic 4wd engagement, full time 4wd high, or full time 4wd low, all selected from the buttons on the dash. There's about a 0.5 mpg difference on the highway running it in 2wd versus auto 4x4- it locks the hubs in auto 4x4 so the front diff is spinning, but in 2wd the front diff and driveshaft don't spin.

I'll take a few hundred pounds less towing capacity so that I can play off-road once I make it to my camp destination. Our favorite spots are usually beach drives such as Assateague Island and the Outer Banks.

I also sometimes pull the family boat. Often times boat ramps can get slippery and I can't think of more than a few times where I'd have been stuck with a 2wd.

[hoffbrew]

4wd is like my gas card..... I don't leave home without it!! We have a family cabin and a ski resort an hour from my house, so my 4x4 gets used in the winter time...well, when we have a winter. Lol

[msp2jxr]

I like the four wheel "low" feature on my four wheel. I use it to put the trailer up on blocks when we are not level which seems to be most of the time. It just seems easier on the truck... No slipping or spinning and the transmission doesn't slip to push the trailer tires up on the blocks. I live in MN, if you want to move around in the winter you need four wheel drive to get around.

[RVUSA]

I had to use the 4x4 at the koa just inside the pa. border the other day. Gravel road and steep enough to let the dually's spin.

[rhagfo]

Originally Posted by RVUSA

I had to use the 4x4 at the koa just inside the pa. border the other day. Gravel road and steep enough to let the dually's spin.

Enough said!

Still working of getting the setup correct with the Copper canyon, but with the old King of the Road, we carried tire chains for both the truck and trailer. We have headed out before when is was snowing in the coast range for a winter camping trip. Call me crazy, but I respect the conditions and don't over drive, but my wife and I enjoy the coast in the winter storms.

[LittleJoe]

Originally Posted by bartletts

Most modern 4x4's have automatic locking hubs- My Tahoe has them. I can either run it in 2wd, automatic 4wd engagement, full time 4wd high, or full time 4wd low, all selected from the buttons on the dash. There's about a 0.5 mpg difference on the highway running it in 2wd versus auto 4x4- it locks the hubs in auto 4x4 so the front diff is spinning, but in 2wd the front diff and driveshaft don't spin.

This can be a little misleading as the manufacturer wants you to be. The very larger majority of 4wd systems do no actually disconnect both front axles. Some do one, and driveshaft. Many spin driveshaft and front axles in freewheel.

As far as heavier trucks go, I think Ford is the only one that has lockout hubs and they have a auto feature that you cant really count on in the freezing cold . The only truly reliable ones, are manual, but since nobody wants to get out of the truck anymore, we have the several varieties of auto systems that compromises that work ok for some.....

You will see nothing but manual hubs on any primarily dedicated offroad used trucks. They are unlocked when you want them unlocked and locked when you want them locked. No maybe , but not sure in the middle of less than desirable terrain.

[Johnnyfry]

I tow with a 3500 Dodge Cummins dually with 2wd drive. I love it, leather, Infinity stereo, GPS, XM radio -- hardly bare bones.

I have had 4 wheel drive trucks in the past and they ride like a conastoga wagon, no thanks. Mine rides like a Caddy.

Oh, and by the way, I can count the times I have actually needed 4WD on one hand --- certainly not places I would attempt to tow my 5er.

IMHO

John

[RVUSA]

Originally Posted by rhagfo

Enough said!

Still working of getting the setup correct with the Copper canyon, but with the old King of the Road, we carried tire chains for both the truck and trailer. We have headed out before when is was snowing in the coast range for a winter camping trip. Call me crazy, but I respect the conditions and don't over drive, but my wife and I enjoy the coast in the winter storms.

I just finished a job with Intel over in Hillsboro last xmas. I proceded directly to the thousand trails at pacific city for 2 weeks, and oddly enough it didnt rain a single day I was at TT. What a fantastic state, when I retire I am heading there.

[cumminsdad08]

i run a 4 wheel drive, well.... cause it would look silly to lift a 2 wheel drive and not really be able to use it for much. actually when this truck dies () i am leaning to a 2 wheel drive, just cause i have a 4 wheel (or 6 wheel) work truck if the weather or need arises. 2 wheel would just tow a little nicer IMO. and be cheapier all around.

[bartletts]

Originally Posted by LittleJoe

This can be a little misleading as the manufacturer wants you to be. The very larger majority of 4wd systems do no actually disconnect both front axles. Some do one, and driveshaft. Many spin driveshaft and front axles in freewheel.

As far as heavier trucks go, I think Ford is the only one that has lockout hubs and they have a auto feature that you cant really count on in the freezing cold . The only truly reliable ones, are manual, but since nobody wants to get out of the truck anymore, we have the several varieties of auto systems that compromises that work ok for some.....

You will see nothing but manual hubs on any primarily dedicated offroad used trucks. They are unlocked when you want them unlocked and locked when you want them locked. No maybe , but not sure in the middle of less than desirable terrain.

Yeah, I guess that's true, so it leaves the CV joints spinning. Most of the parasitic drag is the differential ring and pinion, though, so if you disconnect half of it you get rid of most of the drag. The hardcore guys do the full disconnect so they don't have a problem with their front locking diff and can limp home if they break the front axle. I'm not hardcore anymore, I used to have a modified CJ-5, now my 4x4 use is just going up muddy driveways and driving in the snow.

[bartletts]

Originally Posted by RVUSA

I just finished a job with Intel over in Hillsboro last xmas. I proceded directly to the thousand trails at pacific city for 2 weeks, and oddly enough it didnt rain a single day I was at TT. What a fantastic state, when I retire I am heading there.

The wonderful thing about Oregon is that if you don't like the weather you can either wait a little while or drive 25 miles in any direction and it will be different. You still may not like it, but it will be different.

We go to the coast most often in the winter- you can get a 65 degree and sunny day in February if you hit it between storms. The reason we upgraded from a tent trailer to a travel trailer is so we could camp all year round.