2WD vs 4WD
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Idaho, not Colorado, but this is the general way it goes.
1) Four wheel drive.
2) Two wheel drive with chains.
3) Four wheel drive with the front chained.
4) Four wheel drive with all four chained.
5) Four wheel drive with all four chained and as much weight as you can reasonably carry without sinking the vehicle in mud or slush.
One and two ar a toss up until you encounter ice. Then chains with ice bars generally have an advantage. Often times you can move easier than stop, for example going down an ice slicked hill. Here chains are your friend.
If it froze hard, you can often push snow with the front bumper in four wheel drive, not so much with a chained two wheel drive as the front tires are more like skis and will not self clear.
1) Four wheel drive.
2) Two wheel drive with chains.
3) Four wheel drive with the front chained.
4) Four wheel drive with all four chained.
5) Four wheel drive with all four chained and as much weight as you can reasonably carry without sinking the vehicle in mud or slush.
One and two ar a toss up until you encounter ice. Then chains with ice bars generally have an advantage. Often times you can move easier than stop, for example going down an ice slicked hill. Here chains are your friend.
If it froze hard, you can often push snow with the front bumper in four wheel drive, not so much with a chained two wheel drive as the front tires are more like skis and will not self clear.
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Been driving a 4wd since 1968. Lived in Montana, Arizona, Montana, and South Dakota.
Back in time one remembers when folks would suggest that positraction with chains in a 2wd would go places a 4wd would go. Ha ha.
After purchasing the 4wd, we always took my vehicle hunting. Never took the partners.
Hunting, fishing, picnicking, shooting, or logging, it doesn't matter. Do it in a 4wd
Back in time one remembers when folks would suggest that positraction with chains in a 2wd would go places a 4wd would go. Ha ha.
After purchasing the 4wd, we always took my vehicle hunting. Never took the partners.
Hunting, fishing, picnicking, shooting, or logging, it doesn't matter. Do it in a 4wd
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4WD also allows you to get deeper into the woods before you become stuck...
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One of the things to be liked about a 4wd is it helps a way more than a 2wd to get unstuck. Another thing to like is not having to chain up to get out of a simple predicament. Hate getting pants wet, and muddy when one could just pull a lever, and drive on.
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Good question, there is the variables of tires, chains, traction systems and load factors. There is more then just shifting into 4 wheel drive Hi/Lo. You have to shift/change the way you drive. In 1969 the Army had Jeep/AMC trucks, I believe the equivalent of a J4000. I purchased used Civilian one in the winter of 69/70 and didn't get a mile the first time I locked the hubs, before I took out a corner fencepost and a County road sign. Let off the gas and its like putting on the binders. Have seldom been with out one since.
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One thing to consider is that there is not really an industry standard with respect to what is meant by four wheel drive, front wheel drive and all wheel drive. Some brands will call their more recently designed vehicles 4WD but in fact they have "smart transmissions" that will run as FWD 90% of the time, only providing power to the rear hub when a certain amount of slippage is detected. I believe my pickup (Honda Ridgeline) is like that. I can override to make it 4WD all the time but I don't have that low gear to help out in more extreme situations. It takes a bit of research to find out what some models truly have.
I drive a 2wd truck because I've been able to purchase them at a MUCH better price. I jokingly tell my friends that 4wd is for people who don't know how to drive. In all honesty there are three or four times a year that I really wish I had a 4 wheeler. I live in MN. Most of my off road driving is with my ATV.
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Having owned 2wd and 4wd pickups I would never go back to 2wd.
Could I do 90-95 percent of what I do with a 2wd, absolutely. But that 5-10% would sure be a monster headache.
Here are what I used 4wd or auto 4wd for.
Icy roads
Frosty roads
Driving in fields in snow or mud
Crappy and rough trails
Ice fishing
Pulling out other vehicles - did 3 last week, in town during a blizzard
In and out of the lake with the boat on slick or poor boat ramps
Driving minimum maintenance roads.
Multiple times a week all winter long I just turn the knob to auto 4wd when driving on slick roads. 4wd for ice fishing.
Summer it’s 3-4 times a month, especially after June when the ramps get a little moss on them at the lake.
Fall for deer, pheasant and goose hunting at different times.
I was good at throwing chains on my 2wd’s, maybe 15-20 minutes tops and lots of times a lot quicker, but there is no delay in flipping the switch.
Could I do 90-95 percent of what I do with a 2wd, absolutely. But that 5-10% would sure be a monster headache.
Here are what I used 4wd or auto 4wd for.
Icy roads
Frosty roads
Driving in fields in snow or mud
Crappy and rough trails
Ice fishing
Pulling out other vehicles - did 3 last week, in town during a blizzard
In and out of the lake with the boat on slick or poor boat ramps
Driving minimum maintenance roads.
Multiple times a week all winter long I just turn the knob to auto 4wd when driving on slick roads. 4wd for ice fishing.
Summer it’s 3-4 times a month, especially after June when the ramps get a little moss on them at the lake.
Fall for deer, pheasant and goose hunting at different times.
I was good at throwing chains on my 2wd’s, maybe 15-20 minutes tops and lots of times a lot quicker, but there is no delay in flipping the switch.
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This ^
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I have never owned a 4 wheel drive by any definition. I once had a Ford Ranger and put chains on it with a load of wood. Good as a snowmobile. Fact is I dont need a 4 wheel drive and I bet half or more of the people who own them dont need them. A lot of 4 wheel drives never see dirt. I stay on maintained roads so there is no issue.
Having said that I work with a fellow who has a Toyota Forerunner. We work in some unusual places and that vehicle will dig in and go. It goes through a pile of snow, up snow drifted hills, over hill and over dale. All off road. Without it we would be out of work 4 months of the year.
Having said that I work with a fellow who has a Toyota Forerunner. We work in some unusual places and that vehicle will dig in and go. It goes through a pile of snow, up snow drifted hills, over hill and over dale. All off road. Without it we would be out of work 4 months of the year.
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Very true, there are lots of Jeeps and other 4x4 vehicles driving on Southern California roads that will never leave the asphalt!
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Not in your area but my situation calls for 4WD because terrain is hilly/mountain type with creek crossings. Some inclines and mucky places will stuck a 2WD vehicle. 4WD gives the peace of mind that I can and will travel where needed on my lease.
My F150 has high and low with ten speed transmission. It's great for my needs. I use standard all terrain tires.
My F150 has high and low with ten speed transmission. It's great for my needs. I use standard all terrain tires.
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I have found that in AZ, the forest officials get pi$$ed if you use chains on forest roads in the winter. The chains will tear up the roads when they are slushy. That said, it works great in extremely low traction situations.
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Get into trouble in 2wheel drive, get out in 4WD.
Can’t say it’s comparing apples and apples due to more mountainous terrain but North Maine Woods is 3.5 million acres of unpaved roads, some maintained, many not so much. Lots of hunting, fishing, canoeing and 4WD’s wearing 10 ply tires.
Driving in Maine's North Woods - What You Need to Know
Can’t say it’s comparing apples and apples due to more mountainous terrain but North Maine Woods is 3.5 million acres of unpaved roads, some maintained, many not so much. Lots of hunting, fishing, canoeing and 4WD’s wearing 10 ply tires.
Driving in Maine's North Woods - What You Need to Know
I will be traversing the 'improved' forestry roads of dirt and gravel on ice and snow only. No rock crawling for this ole phart!
The answer you are looking for probably depends on what you are planning to do. If you are going to spend 10-12 hours per day driving on poor roads, sometimes even having to chain the front wheels of a 2WD so you can steer, your needs are going to be completely different than if you are going to spend one week hunting.
I spent 30 some years driving back roads for a living. We went when the mailman would hide at home. We would be on call 7 days a week, and could easily put in 2000 to 3000 hours of overtime per year. In bad years chains were rebuilt on a daily basis.
Some days you went as far as you could and waited for a plow to get you out. Other days you gave up on the vehicle and broke out the snow shoes.
One other thing to consider is the length of the vehicle. You can turn a short vehicle around easier than a long one, but a long one is much more stable and less likely to turn itself around when you do not want it to.
Our current stable includes a Forester, a HIghlander, a Tacoma, and my old hunting vehicle. It is a F250, holds almost 100 gallons of gas, has a 429 out of 70 T'bird for an engine, a pto winch, snatch block, 2 sets of chains and a 4 speed. All are 4WD.
In 2WD the Tacoma will go places the F250 will not. When it is ugly out, the F250 is hard to stop.
I spent 30 some years driving back roads for a living. We went when the mailman would hide at home. We would be on call 7 days a week, and could easily put in 2000 to 3000 hours of overtime per year. In bad years chains were rebuilt on a daily basis.
Some days you went as far as you could and waited for a plow to get you out. Other days you gave up on the vehicle and broke out the snow shoes.
One other thing to consider is the length of the vehicle. You can turn a short vehicle around easier than a long one, but a long one is much more stable and less likely to turn itself around when you do not want it to.
Our current stable includes a Forester, a HIghlander, a Tacoma, and my old hunting vehicle. It is a F250, holds almost 100 gallons of gas, has a 429 out of 70 T'bird for an engine, a pto winch, snatch block, 2 sets of chains and a 4 speed. All are 4WD.
In 2WD the Tacoma will go places the F250 will not. When it is ugly out, the F250 is hard to stop.
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They are like tanks in snow! Love my Tacoma! I owned two Toyota 2WD trucks, they are helpless in bad conditions. Chain's work but a pain, never again.
