ratat98

Well, tonight I joined the bent-bumper club. It all started with a drive down the country roads, It had already been a frustrating day so I wanted to go sit up on top of a hill and vent some anger. Well it's been raining off and on all day, and about 300 ft from the hill, my rear tires decide they want to go into the bar ditch. So I was stuck. I called the neighbor to come help pull me out, and she came over with a 1-ton chebby dually flatbed with 4wd. We hook it up with a chain, and she puts it in 4wd and starts pulling...not only does my pickup not budge, it actually slides backwards even farther into the ditch pulling the chebby with it..so now we are both stuck in the ditch. Luckily by this time the step-dad is home so he goes over to another neighbors and gets a John Deere with duals on the back. So we hook it up with a chain to the front bumper and as he is putting the tractor into gear, his foot slips off the clutch and sends the tractor flying forward giving my front bumper a nice twist.... But that being said, we did get both trucks out of the ditch ...I guess the moral of this story is, if you have a 2wd truck with a 1000lb engine in it, don't drive on a dirt road in the rain.

crobtex

Good advice!

signature600

Been there, done that...that's why the new one is 4wd

The cool part is now I'm the one pulling my Dad and Brother out, because they SWEAR by 2wd's Some mornings Dad will get the bright idea to go take a drive through a field, and get stuck. So I'll be lying in bed about half asleep and hear my truck leave, and then come back about 10 minutes later, with some interesting looking "debris" on the tires

Some people never learn
Chris

Geico266

4x4 is good for about another 50 feet down wet dirt roads around here. Best just to stay off them.

RustyJC

Yep, that's what the ranch hands used to say when 4x4 pickups came out in the 1950s - "They're really great. We can get another mile farther away from the bunkhouse before we get stuck! "

Rusty

SSweeney

All I know is I have 14 inches of snow in my front yard and I am doing food pick ups at the grocery store for all my 2wd neighbors. I love 4x4 for winter and hunting. Not to mention the astetic value.

DryCreek

With 2 wheel drive you get to stay HOME when it snows!
Yipeee!
Don't want any excuses to have to go out in that cold, yucky stuff. Had 4WD in my '78 power wagon while in Idaho, so I know snow. That is why I prefer to wait until it goes away! Hated having to help others run errands and get just about everyone on our shift to work. Sure can get crowded in the old Club Cabs, and everyone fought over who wouldn't get stuck in the middle of the front seat (4 speed).

Dry Creek

Joseph H. Smith

I used to have a 77 chevy half ton 2wd 250 straight six 1 barrel rochester 3 on the column and all I would do in the winter was load the bed up with snow and I never got stuck. Mud is a whole different story. Even though it was a straight six which weighed next to nothing as soon as the front end broke through the wet sod it was all over with. Delivered my moms washer and dryer to her new trailer. Well as soon as I got them out of the bed the front was now heavier and it broke through the sod. After digging 2 canals with the left and right tires I called a tow truck.

74dart

M last 2 trucks were 2wd and I would get stuck in the front yard. After sliding the volvo down a hill in the snow I told my wife we were trading the 2wd for a 4wd.

daysel

I already am thinking about trading this in for a 4x4. My old 94 chevy 350, 2wd wasn't that bad off road, but this engine is so heavy, I can already see how easy it would be to get it stuck.
Even with a running start, i've come close.

SIXSLUG

4-wheel drive doesn't help you stop, though. That's a good one to remember when all the idiots w/ new SUV's visit the snowy places in winter!

Scramblinman

Actually, the increased mechanical resistance and traction of 4WD does improve stopping. It's not a huge amount that means driving 70mph on ice is a good idea, but it is there.

Personally, I cannot imagine having a pickup that I ever intended to use on anything less than an improved gravel road and not have it be equipped with 4WD.

NoSeeUm

Sorry to here about your bad luck....

A saying I learned quite some time about 4WD and mud. The saying goes something like "4WD is to used only while turning around". From my experience, 4WD in many cases just helps you get stuck better.


Do I ever follow that advice? Just depends on my mood....
Jim

signature600

This is where driving a 2wd Cummins for 3 years comes in handy. I just go wherever mo old truck would go, and if I get stuck, put it in 4wd and drive out! For me, the 4wd lets me get out of places I would be walking before!

Too bad I have the only 4wd at work, so now I'm the one who gets to take machines to the field all fall...oh well, it gets me out of the office!
Chris

lgp9999

What a bummer. All the above stories are reasons that I wasn't interested in a 2wd when I was truck shopping... besides, I think the extra ride height looks cool.