4x4dually

Bein' from OK, where the snow is 4 to 8 inches at the most, my opinion here won't carry much weight, but, snow doesn't slow my truck down in the slightest. The last time we had a big snow (like I said, big around here is 6 inches) folks drive like morons in the single plowed lane on state highway 51. I on the other hand, drive normal in the unplowed lane and never waiver at all. Granted I have a 250 pound steel bumper on the front and an extra 55 gallons of diesel fuel and a tool box full of chains and tools in the bed. Truck weighs in at just over #8300 as is sets normally. I have a 160 acreas where feed must get to cattle and I have never been stuck in the snow, or Logan County Red Clay either for that matter. And yes, I do have sissy tires, Firestone Steeltex A/T.

So......RAW....you just had a bad day and maybe your truck did to. This further reinforces my opinion to never buy a pushbutton 4x4. Your not a moron, a moron is the guy that has a truck like that and never pushes it hard enough to find its limitations!

bigdav160

This has nothing to do with 4x4. Well, perhaps in a way.......it does.

Part-time 4WD systems should never be operated on dry pavement because of binding. Agreed? The binding is because the front axle is taking a wider turn then the rear axle. So yes, in a turn "the rears are being dragged about".

AWD's and "full-time" 4WD's have a center differential to allow the speed difference front-to-rear.

The same principles applies to tires on the same axle.

This action is easy to see if you have your vehicle on a lift. Start the vehicle, put it in gear. If both tires are turning, stop one with a prybar wedged against the floor and watch the other tire speed up. The speed of that tire will be double the speed of both tires spinning together.

chromegrill

A tire on the same axle will spin twice as fast if the other tire on the same axle is not spinning. Thats the nature of spider gears. It has nothing to do with front or rear axle. If your rear tires are both spinning at 10mph, and you stop one, the other will spin at 20.

Mcmopar

You will love NC, I do. I moved from upstate NY. Dually's suck in the snow period. My dad put some super agressive tires on his and it was marginal, at best. He had a good anti spin diff in his from the factory (I mean it worked well).

I drove a Chevy dually with the IFS, it would get stuck in 3 inches or more everytime, so I think you did well

jtb51b

So, what your saying is that an open diff at 4.10:1 is turning one tire faster than a posi at 4.10:1??? Basically my question is this: If I have a clutch type limited slip and the clutches are worn out (basically one wheel drive now) then the gearing is double what it would be if both tires were pulling? I see how it works in theory but when I go outside and put my truck in 4wd and hold the brakes (which makes both rear tires pull) then why dont I see any drag marks when I move forward 10 feet on dirt, wouldn't the front (since its open and only one pulls at a time) be spinning faster than the rears?

Jason

chromegrill

It has nothing to do if it has a posi or open. It is how a diff works, different wheel speeds as you go around a corner. You would only have on tire turning at twice the speed if the other in not. And back to your question, if traction is equal, the open diff will pull with both tires, which is why you wouldn't have drag marks from a tire. Gear ratio has nothing to do with it.

bigdav160

Doesn't have anything to do with "posi". Both a "limited slip" and an "open" differenial use gears to split the power to both axles and still allow a difference in speed left to right. A "limited slip" (gear, cone, clutch type, locker) should provide some power to the wheel with traction.

Perhaps this visualization will help. Notice that in a turn one axle speeds up and the other slows down.

http://static.howstuffworks.com/flash/differential.swf

If the one axle was to stop the other has to go twice as fast.

DR3500

the driveshafts on both ends WILL turn the same speed @ all times in 4wd. but with an open differential, if one wheel is stationary, and the driveshaft is turning the other wheel will turn twice as fast because of the spider gears. the carrier is still turning normal speed but the axle and wheel will turn faster.
If you do as you said in your scenario the you will probably not see drag marks but one of the front wheels will spin (as long as the other DOES NOT TURN).

Riverside Joe

No one can claim to be a 4-wheeler unless you've got your truck stuck at least once. Traction and power. 82 degrees, We're having a good summer this winter.-------RJ

RAW

Yep, my place is just up the road from the college. We can be in Mars Hill in about 12-14 minutes. My wife is hoping to get a teaching job there in the future. Does your son like being there?

The area is really beautiful. And it's amazing how much different it is than even Asheville, a mere 30 minutes away. And it's truly shocking that I'm in a t-shirt today in Georgia.

RAW

I'm with ya there. It's all about the challenge.

I knew full well that the RAM (especially with those tires) wasn't the best choice for the job. But part of the decision to take it was me wanting to test its capabilities. You've gotta know the limits, so you know how not to exceed them in the future.

As I've said, my biggest issue was that only one corner was spinning. I felt like the truck's fourwheel drive really let me down. But it could be that something wasn't working properly.

Does anyone know how this truck detects wheel slippage? Is it entirely in the diff and the gearing? I know some trucks have sophisticated sensors (usually associated with ABS) that can sometimes become covered in mud/muck and not be giving the computer the right info.

RAW

oh, and on a positive note:

No body damage! Yayee.

I just replaced the bed that the previous owner had boogered up.
I was gonna feel like a big tard if I had ripped off a fender.

John Halter

He really likes the college so far , it is only his freshman year so I 'am looking forward to many trips down to Mars Hill over the next few years . It is a 8 hour drive from Ohio so I do not get down their as much as I would like to see him . The little time I have spent down their so far I have really enjoyed the area . My son made it to nationals in cross country his freshman year in California as the 7th man which made both mom and dad very proud . You will probably see him running the roads some day . I was very impressed with the staff at the college and I would think your wife would be happy their if she wants a job their . The student body was also impressive during the parent orientation when we were their for two days last summer . I seen many driveways that looked impassable with a few inches of snow while driving around but it sure looked like a place were I wouldn't mind spending my retirement years . I hope you get your truck problem solved soon at least before the next snow .

CRXsi

It definitly sounds like you weren't actually engaged into 4WD. The switch may have said so but if you weren't spinning any front tires then the transfer case likely wasn't putting any power to the front axle. It may be possible that either your switch on the dash, or something in your transfer case isn't allowing for proper engagement. I would take it to the dealer and have them inspect 4wd operation in both 4 high and 4 low to ensure it is functioning normally.

As someone else already said, on AWD and 'full time' 4wd there is a center differential that allows for the front and rear driveshafts to turn at different speeds depending on traction, turning, etc. our trucks only have a transfer case that links the front and rear driveshafts together and they turn at the same speeds. If one tries to turn on dry surfaces in 4wd the front shaft wants to turn at different speeds then the rear drive shaft and the end result is parts binding up or wheels trying to slip to overcome the speed difference required for the 2 driveshafts. Therefore it is almost impossible to be in 4WD on our trucks and have the rear wheels turning while the front wheels stay stationary. Either one wheel was spinning and you didn't realize it or it wasn't truly in 4WD (not necessarily your fault, but possibly mechanical fault).

The problem was likely made worse by trying to get out of the mess in 4lo due to the multiplied torque from the lower ratio, didn't by chance try 4 hi to see if it helped any did you? It may not have anyways but just curious if you did?

Tyler_02

I also agree that tires make a pickup....i know that were talking about duallys here. Would there be much of a difference between a 2500/3500 SRW with the same tires ie: M/T's on how much snow they can go though?