I was on a fishing trip last weekend and wandered along a gravel road to find a friend of a friend's cabin on Silver Lake. Finally got there to find a fairly steep downhill gravel driveway. It looked fairly well travelled, so I went down. At the bottom, I had to back up to get a shot at going back up the driveway. Put it in reverse and spin, spin, spin. I put the trans in neutral, twisted the ESOF to 4hi and backed out of there and into position like I was on pavement.

For those who can't decide 4x4 vs 2wd . . . it's not a matter of IF you will need the 4x4, it's more like WHEN!

I was nearly convinced when buying my truck to get 2wd (because I live in So Calif and NEVER would use it). Thanks to the folks on this board (and the fact that it looks sooooo much better than the 2wd), I got the 4x4 and I don't regret it for a minute.

Neil

 

Neil, when you need it, you NEED it. Only takes once to pay for itself.

I live in hilly southeastern PA. Around here, when it snows, if your truck ain't 4x4, you're spinnin'!

 

I must agree, I will never go back to a 2X4 again.

 

But, as the old saying goes: Any vehicle can get stuck, but it takes a 4x4 to really do it..

My first truck, long before it was mine, was an old 77 Dodge PowerWagon. It was ugly, even then. However, we got stuck in gravel. By the time we got out of the truck to check out how stuck it was, I could walk straight from the truck onto the gravel with no dropping to the ground. The floorboards were level with the gravel.

4x4 is nice, but when you get stuck in one, you are truly stuck.

 

Some people get overconfident when they drive a 4x4 and think I can go anywhere and do anything. Been there, seen that, and pulled those people out. You have to know the limitations of the vehicle.

 

As the old saying goes: It is better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.

 

I found these big ol differencials like to get hung up.........I'm thinking of mounting a steel plate on the bottom of my truck to take some of the "edge" off these things.......whadda ya think?

 

I don't think that is likely to happen to me. We went down one road that started looking a little nasty (rocks and holes). So, I parked and we walked in the next quarter mile. When we got to the area of the lake we liked, there was Buick parked about 100yds away.

Talk about feeling . . .

Neil

 

My dad has always said that the only difference between a two wheel drive and a four wheel drive is that the four wheel drive will get you farther off the road before you get stuck. I proved him to be right many times in my high school years.

With that said, I prefer having the 4WD. I wouldn't use it very often, but like you say, when you need it then it sure is nice to have it. I've never found myself wishing I had a 2WD, but I have found myself wishing I had a 4WD.

 

Hey Chipset....

I still have my 78 Powerwagon.... I think you hurt her feelings with that "ugly" comment!!!!

Defdog2

 

2WD or 4WD doesn't seem t matter much if get stuck in either - when you are stuck, you are stuck. That said, I have been in many situations (more than I can remember) where a what is a minor inconvience in a 4x4 would turn into a huge ordeal in 2x4. Dodge CTD's seem to be very incapable vehicles once you leave the pavement (by my standards, anyway) and a 2x4 just adds insult to injury. These things seem like they get stuck if you don't talk to them nicely .

I have never owned a 2x4 truck and never will - I can't justify it

 

DefDog,

She was ugly.. Let me put it this way, very long story. When we got it in 81, it had rust. Then, my parents sold it in 83 or 84. They were never paid for it, so in 1990 we repossed it (long story, we had been out of state). When I first looked at it, it had no wheel, no engine and needed a lot of work. We sent it out and $1500 later it was running. However, when I opened the cab, I could still see the original duct tape my old man put there because of cracking vinyl.

That truck had problems. It would lose all electrical for no discernable reason. It would overheat all the time, including Fairbanks, Alaska winters (how the hell do you overheat in -20 to -30 below?).

Eventually, she ran for a little bit. Then, one day she overheated for the last time in Anchorage. I was towing her back home when the tow rope snapped and the hook landed in the windshield. After that, I never drive it again. Bought a newer car, since I could afford it....

She was ugly and mean. And the rust in 1982 only became worse in 1990. The bed was rusty, as it had been filled with garbage for I don't know how long...

So, no offense to your truck, but mine was ugly.

 

I found these big ol differencials like to get hung up.........I'm thinking of mounting a steel plate on the bottom of my truck to take some of the "edge" off these things.......whadda ya think?

I thought someone made those for my Jeep GC. Never seen em for the big diffs on these trucks, but that doesn't mean they don't exist!

 

Me too. 500 pounds of concrete in the bed gets me around OK. I do have 4 wheel drive, they're just all in the back.

 

Chipset, I was just kidding ya, my 78 is starting to get a little rusty around the edges too!

Of the three trucks I've owned, (a 1952, a 78 and now a 04.5, all Dodges!) No question the best looking is my third gen!!!!


My 78 always seemed to eat batteries...don't know if it was an electrical problem (never found a drain) or I just didn't drive it enough. Finally learned to just buy the biggest RV/deep cycle battery I could find & top charge it every few months.

It also always ran hot (never boiled over, just nerve wracking on trips)... Had radiator boiled time and again, everything replaced, finally just figured that the 440 was too much & had a 4core radiator custom built....still ran hot! (but not as bad.)
Replaced the built 440 with a fresh stock 400 a couple of years ago (when Cali's bi-annal smog law got to be too big a pain in the *,) guess what? Even with the stock 400, it still runs a little too hot towing.

Finally put a big ol RV clutch fan on it and that seems to keep it at 180, but the fan noise can drive ya nuts when it kicks in...

Of course I hardly ever remember any of this now that the Cummins is the top dog in my driveway!

Defdog2