Looking for a Dually 4X4 or Not?

[SUnderwood]

The worst I ever got stuck was with a 4X4

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by SUnderwood

The worst I ever got stuck was with a 4X4

Yup, easy to do that. My dad told me when I bought my first 4x4 to use it wisely. His suggestion (which I try to follow) is "go in 4x2 and use 4x4 to back out". I can't recall him ever using his 4x4 to go in further. Once he got stuck in 2wd, he "rescued himself". I suppose it's OK to ignore that if you're with a bunch of other people, but if you're alone, once you get stuck in 4wd, without a good winch....

[denverpilot]

Originally Posted by JRTJH

Yup, easy to do that. My dad told me when I bought my first 4x4 to use it wisely. His suggestion (which I try to follow) is "go in 4x2 and use 4x4 to back out". I can't recall him ever using his 4x4 to go in further. Once he got stuck in 2wd, he "rescued himself". I suppose it's OK to ignore that if you're with a bunch of other people, but if you're alone, once you get stuck in 4wd, without a good winch....

My grandfather's way of putting that was, "The four wheel drive system isn't to go out in stuff with, it's for getting you home when you're already out there."

[Barbell]

My dad's saying was that "a 4x4 lets you go to a much worse place to get stuck". I owned GM, Dodge, IHC and Toyota 4X4s when we lived on the farm in Missouri. Since moving to Arizona, haven't owned or needed one. I have towed with a 2X4 with limited slip rear end since 1990 and never have needed more. We are on the road 4-6 months of the year. Have been all over the country except Pacific Northwest. We travel North during warm weather and South in winter. Only once have we had to hole up for a few days til roads cleared. Having spent money maintaining a 4X4, I know they are not cheap unless you trade frequently. Am well aware of the difference in resale value but my last truck was 15 years old when we traded , so its not a concern for me. Currently we pull with a 3500 dually 2X4.

[denverpilot]

Originally Posted by Barbell

Having spent money maintaining a 4X4, I know they are not cheap unless you trade frequently.

Honestly I don't get this. Out of many 4x4s I've owned over the years only the Yukon ever cost me anything extra on 4x4 specific maintenance, and that was just an electric transfer case motor to shift it. $150.

I guess there's a little more money at fluid change time also, but it's pretty much in the noise level.

Probably burned more in gas / diesel over the years to make up a decent chunk of change due to the extra weight also, but again, noise floor stuff.

What happened to yours? Sounds bad.

[notanlines]

Looking back on many, many 4x4's since the late 80's and the only thing that comes to mind is a hub seal on an F-250 ($200) and some kind of relay on the Suburban at the Chevy dealer ($150). Added together they would all total more than a million miles.....how does one beat that?

[Desert185]

Originally Posted by notanlines

Looking back on many, many 4x4's since the late 80's and the only thing that comes to mind is a hub seal on an F-250 ($200) and some kind of relay on the Suburban at the Chevy dealer ($150). Added together they would all total more than a million miles.....how does one beat that?

A friend has an F250 around a '99 vintage. His 4WD drive failed because its electrically engaged via a switch and an actual computer module under the dash. A ~$300 repair, plus labor.

This is what drives me nuts about the trend for "automation". My Ram still has the stick on the floor, albeit with a vacuum interface to the front axle that gives me some concern, but it has been faultless so far. A computer to engage 4WD? Nuts!

[Pmedic4]

Originally Posted by Desert185

A friend has an F250 around a '99 vintage. His 4WD drive failed because its electrically engaged via a switch and an actual computer module under the dash. A ~$300 repair, plus labor.

This is what drives me nuts about the trend for "automation". My Ram still has the stick on the floor, albeit with a vacuum interface to the front axle that gives me some concern, but it has been faultless so far. A computer to engage 4WD? Nuts!

Reminds me back when I had a big 4WD Jeep Cherokee Chief. It used the manually locking front hubs, which you had to get out and turn to lock the hubs, and then you had to manually shift the lever into 4 wheel gear. Fairly simple, until your stuck in mud 6" deep, and you have to get out and slog around in the muck to lock it in, and the hub locks are covered in mud.

To say putting the shift lever into neutral, turning the knob from 2wd to 4wd, and putting it back into gear, I'm not complaining - at least until that computer breaks, and I'd have to be towed out of the mud.

[JRTJH]

On my Toyota Land Cruiser FJ-40 (long gone but seriously missed) I had a choice, suffer about a 5 MPG mileage loss with the front axle (manual locking hubs) locked in and not have to get out in the mud and dig out the axles to lock them in when stuck or unlock the front hubs, get much better fuel mileage and get "muddy as hell" every time I needed to go into 4x4. The new "auto-locking" hubs coupled with "that darned computer" is much more "civilized" in its operation not to mention that I don't get "mud on my leather seats".... As truck amenities improved to include all the "creature comforts" the ability to "hose out the inside" after a 4x4 trip are gone.


I would "long for the old days" for a "beater truck to go 4 wheeling" but I sure wouldn't want to give up the ability to stay clean while in a campground trying to tow my fifth wheel back home without having to stop to shower and change clothes. The improvements "that darned computer" gives us can't always be easily compared in a (one for one fashion) to the old days in terms of convenience vs reliability.

[Desert185]

Originally Posted by JRTJH

On my Toyota Land Cruiser FJ-40 (long gone but seriously missed) I had a choice, suffer about a 5 MPG mileage loss with the front axle (manual locking hubs) locked in and not have to get out in the mud and dig out the axles to lock them in when stuck or unlock the front hubs, get much better fuel mileage and get "muddy as hell" every time I needed to go into 4x4. The new "auto-locking" hubs coupled with "that darned computer" is much more "civilized" in its operation not to mention that I don't get "mud on my leather seats".... As truck amenities improved to include all the "creature comforts" the ability to "hose out the inside" after a 4x4 trip are gone.


I would "long for the old days" for a "beater truck to go 4 wheeling" but I sure wouldn't want to give up the ability to stay clean while in a campground trying to tow my fifth wheel back home without having to stop to shower and change clothes. The improvements "that darned computer" gives us can't always be easily compared in a (one for one fashion) to the old days in terms of convenience vs reliability.

I don't have a computer or manually locking hubs and I can engage 4WD while underway. My leather, 5.11's and Merrell's stay clean. Its Ram magic!

[Barbell]

Front differential, transfer case, auto hubs that weren't anymore. Keep in mind these trucks were used/abused on a working farm. Pulled fertilizer carts and grain trailers that weighed well over 20,000 lbs and not on paved roads. Also, most of our trucks were at least 10 to 15 years old when they were retired. Usually not enough left to trade in. I am sure the newer trucks that only pull an RV hold up better. I just don't feel the need to own one.