durasmack

not to mention the dump bed on said truck is heavy as well as 10 tons of sand or whatever they feel like spreading...

Sprinter17

I prefer to have 4x2 on my towing rig for all the right reasons, but still use my 4x4 1/2ton for playing in the dirt.The 4x2 CTD stinks without a load on it off road(don't try it), but with 1500lb. hitch weight in the bed it's pretty good. I have soft sand coming into my property, and my 4x4 dually was the worst for getting thru it in 4x2 mode, the front would sink, and the rear would sit up in the air spinning the wheels, almost needed to be in 4x4 to get to my door.I would of went 4x4 with my current truck, but the 4x4 version was 10inches higher, and would make my 5er WAY to low, and I just wanted to hook up and go, not start modify everything on the truck , and or RV.

Fueling around

Sand? Oh yeah, that stuff that keeps the salt from clumping
I've even seen 2wd rotary plows. An 1150 Cummins on the back does give a bit of traction

HOHN

This is where wider tire can really help. For a 2nd gen, going to a 305/70 can really improve problems with "sinkage"

jh

Fueling around

That would look kinda funny with my 85 series pizza cutters on the back......
About the same as a concret truck?
People at work already tell me my truck sounds likes the trucks at the redi-mix plant next door.

John Halter

It just amazes me that so many say 2 wheel drive , with all the weight up front these things are useless in any kind of off road excursion with out 4x4 . Mine is in 4x4 at least once a week and in some cases I will try 2 wheel first just to see . The biggest added expense is at purchase after that very little and you will get that back at sale time in most cases . My tow bills would have paid for mine and add 4 low into the picture for backing up I find 2 wheel as a big mistake . All my trucks have been 4x4 since 1978 and the biggest thing I have tore up has been the a front drive shaft on one of them . Bigger tires equals bigger wear on front end parts but if you can keep them in a normal range I have seen 300,000 miles with no problems with any 4x4 parts . I just don't like the worry about if I can make it our not . When I go off road with a trailer that little peace of mind is worth the added expense and then some . Back up to a gravity wagon in a field in 2 wheel drive and in most cases you will not move it . You will not always have weight in the back of your truck to give you traction and in some cases that weight will stick you even faster and who needs the pain of loading and unloading or putting up with the decrease in mileage all winter because of the added weight .

FiverBob

John, I think you just answered the whole issue. IF you are taking your truck into a bunch of muck and snow or having to tow trailers into fields, a person would be foolish not having 4x4. Most of us NORMAL people don't want to take a $50K truck and run it through a bunch of bushes and junk. I absolutely split when I see these guys proudly driving their jacked up 4x4's all over town and they are so full of mud all you can see is where the wipers have cleaned the windshield. They will leave it this way for days. Is this some sort of badge of honor or what? Horrible. For some, having the jacked up truck is a macho thingy in their mind. I see more jacked up Fords than any other brand - - hmmm?????

One thing about a 2wd I didn't mention before, they drive much nicer down the highway. And, by the way, I have owned several of both varieties - - I had 4x4's in my business when my men had to get into rough job sites - - I drove them all once in a while. Give me a 2wd for normal driving. I have never had a traction problem hooked or unhooked and I have been in some fairly interesting camp grounds. I have been in wonderful snow storms both solo and hooked up - - no problems. Guess I am just a NORMAL sort of guy who appreciates the nice ride. I constantly have people roll down their windows and ask me if mine has been lowered - - comment on how cool it looks - - the Bremen full length body color boards and flares give it a lowered look. It really looks low when it has the fiver on it. Mama sure likes getting in the 2wd a whole lot more than my 4x4's.

Bob

Sevir

Its a 2wd, its not meant for offroad excursions. Basic gravel road and shallow mud is all i take mine threw. If the road is any worse then that, i just dont go, or I unload my 4wheeler from the back and take that thing.

rip 112

I've made plenty of off road "excursions". 4x4 gives ppl the excuse to think they can go through anything(not everybody, lets make that clear). I have seen more 4x4s fail miserably than 2wds. Once again, it all comes down to good judgement and preference. You have to hear what he's saying. He will be on the road 99% of the time, he's probably not an amateur, and he needs the additional 5th wheel clearance that a 2wd will offer. So logically (and not personally) he would get better use and clearance having a 2wd.

John Halter

It's a truck and for me that means off road and going were I need to go . My truck also goes to church on Sunday with the family and has never been covered with mud up on the windshield . With 4x4 I can enter a wet spot at a normal pace with no need to spin , so the mud stays on the ground . I can drive slow around brush so there are no scratches in my paint , most people look at it and figure it stays in the garage and is never worked . I can't say I have notice much of a ride quality difference between a 4x4 and 2 wheel drive Dodge , if there is it sure isn't much . As for getting in I have two bum legs from a genetic disorder and just walking is a pain for me so I have the power step installed . I find it loads easer to get in my truck than my wife's car . My illness is another reason for 4x4 , shoveling is a pain for me and being able to go when and were I want to go means a lot to me . In the spring I could not even get the trailer out of the barn with out it . 2 wheel drive would mean parking my truck in the winter because I would need to tow it out my driveway unless I put a lot of weight in it . I have Toyo MT's on this thing so it is not the tires , it is the weight on the front that makes them a poor 2 wheel drive vehicle in my opinion . For me I paid to much for this thing for it not to be versatile and not having the front tires grabbing takes a lot of that ability away at least for me . The dealers around me don't even order them because they are a hard sale , but I guess they have a place in other parts of the country .

John Halter

I have been thinking and one thing I do like better on a 2 wheel drive is getting into the box , a real pain for me on my truck .

beretzs

I have a Keystone 3814 and have a 4x4 and wouldn't go without it. I am forever getting into spots with my toyhauler at off road parks that I need the 4x4 to get into spots to park the camper. Can't just stop and park it. If you were not buying a toy hauler, I would say go for the 4x2, but since you are buying a toyhauler, you are probably going to want to ride your quads, bikes, whatever in some off road parks, and some of the best of them require going "slighty offroad" to get into a spot. I camp a relatively flat sand/dust filled camp ground that is a great off road park and see everytime it rains the 2wd trucks with haulers have a heckuva time moving around when that sand/dusty soils turns to grease... Good luck. That 3600RL is a nice rig. Scotty

supr

As usual, I am with FiverBob. Limited slip on 2WD is a huge plus. Having good AT tires helps a lot too. The Goodyears have been great in all conditions, including sand, mud, rain, etc. I have 3 miles of off road to cross in West Texas, and a creek that sometimes floods. I crossed the creek (good gravel bottom) at 3' high pulling an empty 18' utility trailer. Scared myself, but got across. Another time, on the original Goodyears, had to run the gaunlet of mud after a rain storm. As my neighbor said, momentum counts for a lot; So, I hit the mud(100-200 yards, 2-3 patches, uphilll grade too) at 20-25 mph and drive like hell. Scared myself to death, but got through it.
I have gotten stuck, but have Good Sam towing, $100 a year. That IS chaep insurance.
I think it all depends on what you want. The newer truckbeds sit higher then the Gen 2's. Further, 4 WD sits 6-8" higher, making it tougher to hook up a Fiver. That is really the biggest issue. My 2 WD sits very high, I just about get in without a step. 4WD, you need a step.All the Pro's & cons have been well discussed. If you do not have a lot of off-raod to do, 2 WD is the ticket. Intelligently driven, especially witha stick, it can go far off road.
I tell peole I have 4WD, it's just that all 4 wheels are in the back.
I have been told that around here, in Texas, that 4WD Dodges sell for less used, a perception they have been more abused. Not sure if that is true, but they often sell for near the same.
I have a Nissan Frontier 4x4 with BFG AT/KO's for more serious off road, and a Honda Rancher 4x4 ATV for the REALLY seriuos off road. A diffrrent tool for differrent jobs.
My $02!

JKM

You have one heck of a heavy truck My 95 got weighed empty last week , came in at 2810KG , which is 6180lbs , total. It's a 95 reg cab 4x4.

Box5

get 4x4. I went up a gravel logging type road last weekend to check out some property with someone and in 2wd i was skipping all over and barely getting up this hill. 4x4 is just nice to have incase u do get stuck, it usually pops u right out.

It is about geographical location to, like up here the 2wd's go for sometimes half the price of a 4x4 because it's so mountainy*.