Anyone tow with a 2 wheel drive?

[hankpage]

How many 4x4 semis have you seen on the highway???? I have been towing with 2wd long beds for many years and don't recall ever having a full hookup site that was a big problem. Spun wheels on wet grass or gravel a few times but never saw the need to bury the axles. Think about it ... driving down an interstate in a snow storm what vehicles do you mostly see off in the ditches? Yup, 4x4s who think they can go anywhere at any speed. For 15 yrs. it was my responsibility to plow the parking lots for my company. Made the 25 mile trip every time with 2wd usually before the roads were plowed. I am not trying to insult anyone but most people need to learn how to drive in inclement weather. Don't get me wrong I had a lot of fun with my 4x4s when I was younger but I can no longer justify the added expense and maintenance for something I would rarely use. JM2¢, Hank

[Badbart56]

Originally Posted by hankpage

How many 4x4 semis have you seen on the highway???? I have been towing with 2wd long beds for many years and don't recall ever having a full hookup site that was a big problem. Spun wheels on wet grass or gravel a few times but never saw the need to bury the axles. Think about it ... driving down an interstate in a snow storm what vehicles do you mostly see off in the ditches? Yup, 4x4s who think they can go anywhere at any speed. For 15 yrs. it was my responsibility to plow the parking lots for my company. Made the 25 mile trip every time with 2wd usually before the roads were plowed. I am not trying to insult anyone but most people need to learn how to drive in inclement weather. Don't get me wrong I had a lot of fun with my 4x4s when I was younger but I can no longer justify the added expense and maintenance for something I would rarely use. JM2¢, Hank

What maintenance cost did you incur besides changing the transfer case fluid? I can't even remember how many 4x4's I've had over the years but I've never broken anything and I've only changed the fluid in the transfer cases of two that I've owned.

Oh, and my current semi has 4x4.

[German Shepherd Guy]

Originally Posted by B-O-B'03

We are in our fifth season towing with a 2WD truck, although it has an electrically locking versus open differential.

Have never been stuck or had any towing issues, so far, have had to lock the diff a couple of times.

-Brian

As a kid on the farm we NEVER had 4x4 pickups. BUT we always had lockers. With the rear locked we almost never needed the tractor to get out of muddy fields. And that is saying something in central Illinois where it would often rain 40 days and 40 nights and make the corn fields look like lake Superior.

[Ken / Claudia]

Just keeping with the question about 4x2. My 2013 has the electric possy track switch in the rear end. If you have never climbed up some logging roads or forest service roads that do not care about limiting to 6% grade. You likely have experienced rear end bounce in a pickup. It can be ended with switching to 4x4 or as I found out using posatrack mode.
Last year when the rear started hopping I engaged the switch and stayed in 4x2 to camp site, no more bouncing hopping tires. Asked my buddy who was following, he was hopping and bouncing the rear tires. He never thought to switch to 4x4 up most of the grade.
I also use that switch went pulling my boat out of water on the ramp and have no rear tire spin.

[sourdough]

As a note on 4x4; 4x4 doesn't really mean 4x4 in some instances. My 1st "big 4x4", off road pkg. etc. came with differentials front and back but open. Found sitting in a snow bank that 4x4 in that situation is actually 4x2....only the spinning wheels sit on opposite corners of the truck.....

[Bill-2020]

Originally Posted by javi

in a past life i wouldn't be without 4x4 but i will freely admit that it often got me into places i really never needed to be... Never a hill i couldn't climb, never a creek i couldn't cross and never a mudhole i went around..

Nowadays, if it ain't paved or at least graveled and with full hookups; i ain't going :d

^^^^^ x2 !!

[JRTJH]

My first 4x4 was a Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40. It was, probably the most capable 4x4 I've ever owned. But, I'd NEVER hitch anything bigger than a small pop-up tent camper behind it.

That said, it would go anywhere and was "true 4 wheel drive". Many of today's "all wheel drive vehicles" have a "limited slip differential in each axle and one in the transfer case". What that means is "true one wheel drive that shifts the power to the least slipping wheel" if the vehicle is "stuck".

That said, a previous comment related that if the owner is "in the south" 4x4 is not really needed. When we lived in Louisiana, in order to get to my trailer parking (2 utility trailers and a travel trailer) I had to back around the garage (on the grass). If it rained in the past 2 or 3 days, that clay ground was "mushy" at best and downright "gumbo mud" with any recent rain. Without 4WD, getting a trailer out of the yard assured significant ruts and slinging mud. With 4WD, back slowly, don't spin the tires and all I had was a couple of indentations (no deep ruts)....

I can name several businesses in and around Pineville that had clay parking lots with a little "pit run" on top. Park in the parking lot, go inside and let a quick afternoon shower pass through, go out, get in your 2WD pickup with street tires and you'll need "a good ol' buddy" to tow you back to the pavement. I don't know of very many "small businesses in someone's garage or in a pole barn behind the house" that had blacktop parking lots, so doing business with places like that, more than once, I've been "stranded in a 2WD truck"....

I'll keep my 4x4, even if I moved back to "the south"....

As for additional maintenance, the only added maintenance on any of my Ford trucks or even DW's Escape or Edge, is to change the transfer case fluid every 60K miles. Otherwise, there's no "extra work involved".... Granted, the drive system is more complex and there's a potential for extra parts failure, but in 50 years of owning 4x4's, I've never had a problem with any of the "front drive components" that wasn't caused by my own stupidity or mis-use.

[SummitPond]

We have a 2WD and have towed two relatively light trailers (GVWR 6500# and 7000#) with it. I've so far managed to avoid any situation where a 4WD would be needed while towing (even in snow and heavy rain) but I wish I had it a few times when it was just the truck.

After dropping the trailer off at a neighborhood mechanic's shop one day I got stuck in his front yard (similar to John's situation above) and his 4WD had to pull me out. Another time it was thick gravel; boards and carpet and locking the rear axle allowed me to get traction without relying on an auxiliary vehicle to free me. Lastly, traveling on some relatively unimproved side dirt roads in South Dakota to visit various National Park Historical Sites during heavy rain caused moments of great concern, but we managed to traverse those roads without incident.

We bought our current vehicle used and will probably do the same for the next. Will our next vehicle be a 4WD? I don't know - it all depends on what's available on the lot and the price.

[travelin texans]

Have towed heavy trailers with both & don't really prefer one more than the other. In about 300k+ miles between the 2 trucks only used the 4 wheel drive once while towing.
On today's trucks though it seems that some brands feel that if it's 4x4 they need it to be very tall which creates a big issue if hitching up a 5th wheel & having sufficient bed rail clearance & the RV being very nose high.

[flybouy]

My sig truck is a "no frills" truck. If I want to lock the front hubs I have to get out. I've been in many situations where rear wheel drive only can equal trouble. Where I live is a "snow/ice line" most winters. We can get the occasional 2' snow but typically it's a few inches of "Italian ice" slush with ice under it. I'd rather have the deep snow.

I can think of several cgs in PA, VA, MD with gravel roads, steep and tight turns, and muddy sites when it rains at times 4 wd was necessary. I consider myself a "skilled driver". If I were only camping in cg's with nice level paved sites I might consider a 2wd truck but from what I've seen around here that pretty much means a factory order.

As for weight yes it does take away but I'm not looking at "loading up to the hairy edge of cargo capacity" so I don't consider that an issue. If you want to take 3 Sumo wrestlers camping with you in your F150 with a "1/2 ton towable" fiver strapped on the back of that 5 1/2' bed, or a 14k on a 2500 then I wish you luck.

I look at a truck as a tool and I don't use flat blade screwdrivers as pry bars or steel chisels and being "plus sized" I won't step on a Type III ladder so if I want a larger camper then I'll buy the proper truck to tow it. Just my personal opinions.

[wiredgeorge]

When I was a lad... well heck, no point as I think we have had all the older members ruminate already... I can tell you that 4wd is handy if you are dumb enough to get your drive wheel on wet grass pulling your camper up a steep hill which I have to do when it rains some as I can't pull out of my home parking spot onto skinny ol' CR2701 without swing out and the truck tires going onto the grass on the other side of the road. I also have to back into a spot of mother nature (some rock and calichi) in order to drive my truck into its home in the car port. If it is muddy, there isn't much weight on the rear tires so 4wd is kind of nice. Don't use it often but if you ain't got it when it is needed, you wish you had it.

[Roscoe]

I use a 2wd (truck in my sig) to tow our fifth wheel. I went this route to get a little more payload. my father has the same truck in a 4wd towing the same exact trailer. I seem to get 2-4 mpg better than him as well. Another reason I went this way was we only usually go to the coast and never up in the mountain ranges or cross over the ranges during the winter time. usually average about 14mpg towing. Have never been stuck or spinning tires on gravel.

[Viet_Vet]

Thank you to everyone for your responses.

[saber707]

I tow with a F250 4X4 SWB. Broke down one time and had my brother tow the 5er home with his 2WD LWB. F250, same engine. Could not believe how much smoother it towed my trailer.

[hankpage]

Originally Posted by JRTJH

I've never had a problem with any of the "front drive components" that wasn't caused by my own stupidity or mis-use.

This is what I meant by extra maintenance! When I had my 4x4s I would tend to go where most would not. If you want to play you have to pay. Jersey beach sand and salt water will eat up a truck much faster than any road salt. Tires never lasted for over 70k like they do with 2wd. "A man has to know his limitations." So with 2wd I avoid conditions that will get me in trouble. It has been 26 years (over 300k) since my last 4x4 and so far I have not been stuck anywhere. (YET!)

[RWRiley]

Originally Posted by Viet_Vet

Thank you to everyone for your responses.

Had a 3/4 2wd with a locker rear-end. Got stuck once, but no other problems with the trailer.

I did have problems w/o the trailer in snow. There were several occasions I really wished I had it.

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by hankpage

This is what I meant by extra maintenance! When I had my 4x4s I would tend to go where most would not. If you want to play you have to pay. Jersey beach sand and salt water will eat up a truck much faster than any road salt. Tires never lasted for over 70k like they do with 2wd. "A man has to know his limitations." So with 2wd I avoid conditions that will get me in trouble. It has been 26 years (over 300k) since my last 4x4 and so far I have not been stuck anywhere. (YET!)

A wise old man (who used to be responsible for towing me out of my mistakes) was called Dad.... He, in a moment of frustration at his "stupid 16 year old" gave me an ultimatum that I've followed since... He told me that 4WD was intended to "get you out of situations" not to "get you into situations"....

His ultimatum was this: If you're using 4WD to get you in deeper, you're going to dig your own butt out of the next one, so don't call me if you're being stupid... ALWAYS ALWAYS use 2WD going in and then, if you get stuck, use 4WD to get OUT...

Since that "lesson in fatherly mandated suggestions" I've not been stuck in any 4x4 that I was driving. That said, there's a winch on the front of my RZR and I have used it several times to get through stuff... That's "recreational 4 wheeling" AKA "Being stupid while playing where you shouldn't have been playing".....

[Jim OConnell]

I have a 2009 Ford F150 Platinum (best vehicle I've ever owned) It has two wheel drive. Sometime going up gravel I've been known to 'throw stones' but have always made it. My trailer is one step below yours.

[flybouy]

If you don't have self control with power or speed then you should not buy a sports car, speed boat, motorcycle, etc. Sort of like alcohol, gambling, or any other substance abuse. There are many "adrenaline junkies" that participate in "extreme sports" but they typically only endanger themselves.

[MN Roger]

1, 2 or even 4-wheel drive’s not the issue. Depending on the weight your towing, it’s your vehicle frame, transmission and engine that are the issue.