RAW

Hehe. It already felt too fast at a snail's pace!! Any more speed and I might've slid off the other side . . . . . . and rolled all the way down to the creek a few hundred feet below!

RAW

Have you been in a situation where you could tell if the front tires were REALLY pulling?

When the driveway has been just wet and slightly mushy, I've definitely been able to feel the difference in 4wheel drive as I ascended the driveway.
But in this ditch in the snow, the front wheels didn't turn. I found it very disconcerting. So I'm curious if there's a mechanical problem.

wexman

Wouldn't hurt to get it checked.

FWIWl, I guess I'm lucky. I've had several trucks, all 4x4, second diesel, and this truck is awesome in snow. EVEN when I stomped on it today. She tracks straight and true, even with the stock tires.

And some of our roads where pretty bad this morning.

Dorkweed

Something is not right here, if your truck were in 4wheel, and you were able to spin the rears, at least one of the front wheels should have been turning!! If the only thing you're basing that your truck was in 4wheel is the little light on the dash, then I would probably have the truck looked at.

Just a thought here. Do these trucks with the electronic t-case have to have X amount of wheel revolution/s to engage the 4wheel??? If so, maybe that's your problem!!

Brock

if those are the same micheline all seasons that came on my truck....hell i almost got stuck in my dads driveway after a heavy rain......those things are terrible on anything but pavement...PERIOD.

If you had mud terrains or an aggressive all terrrain and had same problem I might be worried....I BLAME IT ON TIRES initially...not 4wd system.

RAW

Okay, but correct me if I'm wrong: if it was totally the tires, wouldn't I have seen the front wheels turning and losing traction?

wexman

Mine engages and disengages almost immediately - MUCH faster that the lever-engaged NP 241 on my 97 2500. I was always a die-hard "manual lever" guy - but this electronic engagmenet is the shizznit!

RAW

Yes, I actually prefer manual transfercases. That's what I've got in the other truck. Maybe it's just psychological, but I like being able to physically move the lever into gear. And the little light is nice too.

But this truck has the electronic engagement. And while in neutral, I also shifted the **** to 4HI and gave that a couple of shots. I varied engine RPM and steering without any effect.

djgaston

Are you able to see both front tires at the same time while you are driving?

04ctd

that's good pics, looks like you got a nice vacation home. looks like a dream come true.

i agree with your points, using 4lo to crawl down the grade.

i think you unweighted the rear tires with your down hill angle - hard to tell how steep it is by the pic.
and maybe your bed weight slid forward, that biased all your weight on the front tires.
i strapped my weight to the back of the bed when i had weather.

as for the tires, i agree you had what you had, and they might not have been up to the job, but i think the foot of snow was unexpected.
it's big coin to change out 6 tires just "in case" it might snow.

FWIW, i got mine STUCK, and i knew what the manual said about farkling with the brakes...and uh...yeah...i would have been better off wedging the manual under the tires.

RAW

I had two passengers with me.

And the best part was that I was able to call my neighbors.





In defense of the RAM, it did just fine on the paved road.


No, really. There's asphalt under there!

And what was really amusing was that about 30 minutes south, in Asheville, there might have been 2-3 inches on the ground.

RAW

Thanks! This is definitely a dream come true. But it's no vacation home. This is the house my wife and I plan to grow old in.

Honestly, before I left for NC, they were predicting 8 inches max and I was tempted to take my other truck, but . . . I thought that this would be a good test of the RAM's abilities (cuz I had been considering selling the other truck to get a tractor). I'm actually quite glad that I had this experience. If the fourwheel drive system checks out, I now know that the RAM's system isn't what I was hoping.

hardyhindle

I love my electronic.. My old 94 4x4 used to always pop out of gear as soon as there was the slightest bit of frame twisting going on.. It always happened at the worst possible time!!! I like having no linkages now

Scubasteve

Get rid of the dually if you intend on spending alot of time playing in the snow. They are nice for serious hauling but for snow play you need 2000 lbs in the back to make the thing work.

A good set of all season tires do wonders. The Toyo Open Countrys( if they still make them) are one of the best all around tires I have seen. I run Michelins but I spend most of my time on the pavement and need a tire that is round and goes the distance.


I am sure your snow driving technics will improve with time. I know my dodge can plow through 3 foot blown in roads but it is kinda hair raising when you can't see where the heck your going!!LOL

Jason

Cargun

Don't know why whether he used Lo or HI matters that much... Lo may not have been better, but it certainly won't hurt anything.

In 4wd you should have had a front tire spinning. If one front tire and one rear tire were spinning they should be spinning at the same speed. If 2 rear tires and 1 front tire are spinning the front tire will spin twice as fast as the rears.

I'm guessing you have a problem with your transfer case not engaging 4wd. If a front tire isn't spinning, something is broken. There's no CAD or locking hubs on these, so unless you have broken u-joints in the knuckles, broken axleshaft, or torn up ring gear, the t-case has to be your problem.