4x4

[katelyn]

Do I need a 4x4 truck to haul a truck camper? I know the weight is the most important, but my brother keeps telling me I need a 4wd to make sure I don't get stuck in the desert somewhere.

I read Bob's blog about being prepared if you do get stuck even with 4wd, so.. is 4wd really that important?

I plan on having AAA or some type of roadside assistant just in case, really don't want to stay where I'm living too much longer and the 4x4 trucks around here are way more expensive.



Thanks! 

 

[mockturtle]

It depends entirely on where you intend to drive it. A 4X4 truck will actually weigh more, thus decreasing your carrying capacity. It means a lot to me to have this option but if you don't go off-road, drive in the snow, mud or sand, you probably don't need it.

 

[Bdog1]

It's"roadside assistance" max. use to be 150' off-road! ( the cables lingth)

A 4x4 with as solid front axle may also be an advantage with lots of weight. Maintaining alignment when heavily loaded.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Bdog1 is right.  Neither AAA nor any other service will leave the paved highway to come get you.

The question is, what do you mean by "off- road"?

If you mean the gravel roads in National Forests and suchlike, you are usually fine with two wheel drive.

In places like Death Valley, trails will be marked "Four Wheel Drive Only" when such is needed.

Having good off-road tires on your rear axle will help significantly.  You are less likely to get stuck with that than you would be with a four wheel drive with regular street tires.

Having limited slip or a locker in your rear axle would greatly increase your two wheel drive trucks off road ability.

Regards
John

 

[akrvbob]

I boondock 99.9% of the time, so I'm out there a lot. I lived in a 4x4 pickup for the first 4 years and never got stuck. In two 1/2 years after switching to a 2wd van, Iv'e been stuck 6 times so I've modified my life to avoid those places.

I'm done with 2wd and will switch back to 4x4 as soon as I can. But, that doesnt have to apply to you, it all depends on how adventurous you want to be. It really is this simple: 

Follow the crowd and 2wd will be just fine.​

If you want to get beyond the crowd then you want 4x4.​

Bob

 

[MikeRuth]

Good info from Bob.
I have to wonder though if a Van was fitted with a locker if you'd get stuck as easily?

When you got stuck Bob do you think if your rear end was locking you might have gotten out of any of those situations>

 

[highdesertranger]

as usual bob hit the nail on the head. a 2wd will get you most places, but most places are getting crowded. those who stated that the nation wide roadside assistance places will not go off pavement is for the most part is true. however there are a lot county roads that are not paved they are improved gravel or dirt, they will go there. there are a lot of these improved roads in national forests and national parks(Death Valley) as well. up until the 1970's most Nevada state highways were improved gravel roads. they usually will give assistance on these roads. highdesertranger

 

[masterplumber]

I can't imagine not having a 4X4, but that's just because I like to travel remotely and by myself much of the time. I try to reserve it for getting back out, not more stuck. That said, I've driven and ridden in 15 passenger vans for many hundreds of miles on "4 wheel drive" trails in Utah when I taught adventure leadership at a small private school. There were a couple times we were temporarily stuck, but not often and we were always able to self rescue. Like most things in life, having the most expensive tools for the job is not nearly as important as knowing how to use the tools you have at your disposal.

 

[jimindenver]

We have been all over the Rockies in a 2wd van, sometimes towing a travel trailer and never got stuck. The biggest advantage 4x4 gives me now is 4x4 low foe the ability to go over things in a slow controlled manner.

Good tires make a huge difference but not nearly as much as common sense.

 

[Canine]

I grew up with both 2wd and 4wd. You would be amazed at the places you can go with a 2wd. Lockers are awesome, but not as awesome as 4wd. Lockers work best with a load in the back of the truck and on surfaces that aren't soft. Deep sand and mud really need 4wd. I went with 4wd. Yes, it is more expensive and more maintenance, but the way I figure it this is my home. I want to be comfortable and have the best quality home I can. If I didn't have the money, then 2wd would be fine. I'm a big fan of solid front axles. Cheaper and easier to work on. If you don't have a granny gear, that is the pits. A granny gear helps a lot off road, but is still a big limitation compared to the low setting in 4wd.

What is awesome about a camper is you can start out in a 2wd truck then go with a 4wd as funds allow. You could even go extended cab or four door if that is what you want.

 

[Gary68]

4x4 or 2 wheel a come along and tow strap is something everyone should have,i've taken my 4x4 into no where oregon coast range,loaded up on fire wood come home and get stuck on flat,wet grass, a couple of times

 

[Canine]

Lots of input on this, good for you. I'll throw in my .02. I've owned 6 pickups, only the first was 2 wheel drive. Now being 60 I'll tell you that back in the proverbial day, with the exception of a few Willys brand trucks, nobody had a 4x4 and they seemed "somehow" to be able to live and get places. Imagine that, no computer controlled AWD and no eaton air lockers etc... I wonder just how the old farmers, ranchers, loggers and construction people ever did it?

But since this is a different century, and nearly no one knows how to drive up a logging road without all our fancy gizmos, so yes, get a 4x4. Just use it to get unstuck, not to go farther in like a poster said above. Remember that many of the older trucks have open differentials so you really have one wheel drive up front and one wheel in back... That's where the gm G80 limited slip and whatever ford and dodge call theirs is nice. Real lockers (the old boys welded the read end) are troublesome on pavement...

If you can find the older truck with the solid front axle that's nice and try for no automatic hubs ( ya mean I have to go outside and turn them? Might get muddy...) as automatic hubs can and do fail, never heard or saw of the manual hub doing that.

Newer trucks and SUVs also sometimes are computer selected and you don't have a 4lo range. That's dumb. You may need the lower gearing. Some newer trucks and SUVs also won't let you select any form of traction assistance. It's all "computer controlled" and they simply brake the spinning wheel (traction control) instead of allowing the power to go to the different axles and sides. Again, not what the driver necessarily wants...

So go on the 4x4 truck forums and read up some. I've not owned anything newer than a 1994 pickup so I'm not of much use with today's technology other than what I read. Yet knowledge is power, right?

 

[highdesertranger]

good post dusty. like I said before all that automatic computer controlled junk gets you nowhere when it fails and it will fail. highdesertranger

 

[Canine]

Well thanks. I'm getting dangerously close to being just an old codger like the really old retired guys who I see at McD's getting coffee. "Nothing is built like it used to be, everything costs so much... ". When my last pickup was a 1994 I'm not much use with the latest technology. Course some would say I'm not much use period!

 

[idn88]

All of the above posts are accurate and interesting. However the really great thing about 4WD is you can turn it off and have two wheel drive! Its like deciding between pizza and salad, and getting to order both!

So, if you already have a 2wd, or someone is going to give you a great deal on a 2wd, then great - go for it. If I was spending any money on a truck these days I would get 4wd without hesitation.

In the older days they did burn a lot more gas, but anything in the last 10 years is minimal difference (maybe 1MPG on the hwy, if that).

Yes, solid front axles are great off road and give more articulation, but IFS on the newer rigs rides much better than the old - you can hardly tell the difference between 2wd and 4wd.

So it really depends on what your buying. If its newer, then yes get 4wd. However old 4wd's hold their price and do burn a lot more fuel.

 

[4GNomad]

Yeah, after the 'Moon Rocks' videos I posted last weekend on my blog, I have been contemplating turning in 'Jade' which is Vue V6 AWD for something 4WD. I simply turned around on a road that was a little bit to much for the AWD and I didn't have the clearance and I didn't feel confident enough with it being out in the boonies. I am looking at Jeep Cherokee to possibly upgrade to that is 'Trail Rated' and it would increase my towing capacity from 3500 to 5000 lbs. Of course, the ultimate would be a 4WD van, but those are a bit out of my price range right now.

 

[Canine]

The Jeep is nice. Got to watch what you buy though. Son has the Cherokee, a 2014. He bought the lowest version of 4wd which is just AWD. Then there's two levels above that. Can't remember the designations, oh yes, "expensive" and "lots more expensive but cool". I think that's them... He gets by with the lowest version cause he only needs it for snowy roads. I'd for sure step up a level to get a real differential if I were to go off road any.

Poster above stated that with a 4x4, you have the option. Well, sorta. A true 4x4 as opposed to AWD, normally yes. Gotta have that 2WD and 4WD selector. With AWD it's normally just FWD till the computer senses wheel spin...

Subaru has a good marketing ad that compares AWD systems. Shows theirs to be superior. Some people pick at it but it is known to be a really good system. Now for a bigger vehicle to get something comparable you need to buy the Acura MDX. That's too many bones for me to spend... Really off topic, sorry, I'll go to bed.

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

i dunno, i test drove a jeep cherokee loredo, said 4x4 on it but no switch. he said it was all time 4wd. i told the guy i didnt believe it was 4wd, he said to try it out. so i slowly drove straight up a snowy, muddy embankment to get on the interstate. it had no problem. I dont see a regular awd doing that...but maybe...either way i dont see needing more than that.

 

[Canine]

Jeep has had a very confusing array of 4wd systems over the years. My first jeep was a Cherokee full sized 1977 with Quadra Track. It was a hi low but had auto hubs.

Since 2014 this is what Jeep offers on the Cherokee:

Active Drive IEdit
Active Drive I is a full-time four-wheel drive system that requires no driver input. This system under normal conditions sends all available torque to the front wheels while monitoring the speed of the front and rear axles. If the system detects that the front axle is moving more quickly than the rear axle then the system will send power through the power transfer unit to the rear axle until the speeds are the same.[9]

Applications:

2014–present Jeep Cherokee (KL)
2015-present Jeep Renegade (BU)
Active Drive IIEdit
Active Drive II includes all of the features of Active Drive I but adds a low gear range. When in "4-Low" mode the front and rear axles are locked together and power is sent to all four-wheels through a 2.92:1 gear reduction in the power transfer unit; providing a crawl ratio of 56:1 for four cylinder Jeep Cherokees and a 47.8:1 crawl ratio for six-cylinder Cherokees. All Cherokees with this system have a raised ride height of one inch.[9]

Applications:

2014–present Jeep Cherokee (KL)
Active Drive LowEdit
Active Drive Low includes all of the features of Active Drive I but denotes a greater possible crawl ratio. When in "4-Low" mode the front and rear axles are locked together and power is sent to all four-wheels through the power transfer unit although no low range gear reduction occurs. Active Drive low relies on shorter axle gear ratios while holding first gear in the ZF9HP transmission to achieve a crawl ratio of 20:1; similar in effect to Freedom Drive II.

Applications:

2015–present Jeep Renegade (BU)
Active Drive LockEdit
Active Drive Lock includes all the features of Active Drive II but adds "rock" mode to the Selec-terrain system and locking rear differential for better traction when used off-road. This four-wheel drive system combined with tow hooks, skid plates, and unique front and rear fascias allows the Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk models to obtain the "Trail Rated" badge from Jeep.[9]

Applications:

2014–present Jeep Cherokee (KL)"

So maybe yours was the base Active Drive 1...

 

[Canine]

Back to the topic. OP doesn't care about Jeep, I need to remember to stay on topic. It's like laying sod, "green side up, green side up..."

If you can afford a 4x4 it also keeps its value better. One negative other than a slight reduction in payload and towing and extra potential maintenance is that the trucks are getting tall. With 4x4 they get raised up a lot from the factory compared to a 2x4 as it looks "tougher". Center of gravity is higher, more difficult to enter and exit, harder to load or unload camper. Didn't use to be that way in the 80's and 90's, those trucks were almost identical in ride height. At least my 77 and 94 were indistinguishable from their 2 wheel counterparts.

Wow, "indistinguishable", there's a .25 word for ya'... Amazing what "synonym.com" can do...