2 WD vs 4WD Tow vehicle

[Bill M.]

There is a reason so many pickup trucks have 4 wheel drive. Especially the 3/4 ton and the diesels. The combination of the short, stiff suspension and the heavy engine on the front make a truck that goes fine on dry pavement but has a tendency to spin at the back on any thing else. Since these are often "work trucks" and end up on gravel, grass, and wet roads sometimes the 4 wheel drive is a good option for them. Some people who are just pulling a camper order them with 2 wheel drive to get the lower height and because they think they will have less maintain costs in the long run.
Ours 4x4 has 180000 miles on it and I have replaced the front universal joints once. And have extracted myself and the trailer from bad spots several times with the 4 wheel drive.

[TG Twinkie]

My son has a 4WD Tundra, I have a 2WD Tundra. They both have the same ride height.
I lived in the mountains of Colorado (9,000' elevation) for 10 years with only a 2WD pickup. Never missed a day of work. Bought a 4WD Toyota in 1985. It was nice not having to chain up.
I don't see the need for 4WD today. As stated above it is hard to find a 2WD pickup west of the Missouri River.
It's a personal choice.

[dznf0g]

I used 4wd every time I back into my AS pad just so I don't spin a tire and scar the lawn. A spin could also tear up the EZ Roll (semi-permeable paver) imbedded in the lawn.

I have also needed the 4wd at sandy sites and slippery wet grass sites.

When you need it, you need it, although maybe rare. When not towing, I live in the snow belt, and it is nice to have one of the family vehicles with 4wd or AWD just so you can get where you need to.

[kb0zke]

Some friends of ours bought a new, fairly heavy, fifth wheel and a new Chevy 3500 to pull it. For some reason they didn't get 4WD. They were trying to back into a campsite. Unfortunately the truck was on grass, trying to back up hill. All they did was spin the tires. One of the others at the gathering got his truck, hooked on the back of their 5'er, put HIS truck in 4WD, and easily pulled everything back a few yards. Then he unhooked, moved out of the way, and the Chevy could push the 5'er into position. Yes, he wishes he had spent the little bit more to get the 4WD.

[Rich W]

My '04 4Runner has full time 4WD and a locking center differential. I've never had to lock it and the FT4WD gets me up the boat ramps nicely. I like that I don't have RR spin when I make a right turn, a problem with my old 2WD pickup. I've had 2WD and 4WD. If I were buying a truck tomorrow I'd get the FT4WD if offered, but I don't think the 4Runner has that option anymore. (My transmission is sealed, not even a dipstick. I've never had a problem in 13+ years. It was a new design in the year I got mine. They don't offer the V8 in the 4Runner anymore either, so maybe that's the issue.) I would go with the 4WD, definitely.

If you have a 2WD pickup and live where you have snow, shovel your driveway into the bed of the pickup. You'll get better traction and when it warms, just drop the tailgate and give it some gas, slides right out.

Another trick, if you're stuck, one wheel is spinning, pull up on the EMER brake handle (or slowly step on the EMER brake pedal) and it will equalize the power to each rear wheel and you'll start moving again. Release the brake when you start rolling.

[sheriff1]

They still sell 2wd?


2015 F350 CC 4X4 6.7 Diesel
2010 27FB Silver Cloud "The Silver Spoon"

[lsbrodsky]

I do not regret buying a 2WD pickup, less cost, less potential long term maintenance. I have had 2 2WD pickups and never needed 4WD. I had a 4WD SUV which my son managed to get stuck in the mud, requiring a tow, but youth and the confidence that 4WD can do anything is a recipe for disaster. I have been at a campground where rain, after our arrival, created a potential issue. I doubt that 4WD would have been a sure way out; I will never know. I simply put my Legos behind the drive wheels to be sure I would get traction and it worked.
It seems that both demand and supply have made 2WD pickups equipped for towing a rarity.
Larry

[slowmover]

If I lived in a place where law enforcement drove 4WD I'd buy one.

In fifty something years of traveling with these trailers I can remember a couple of times needing a tow.

The all around better manners of a 2WD outweigh a momentary inconvenience.

[featherbedder]

I have had 2wheel drive with limited slip dif. that IMO are useless. 1pu 2wh drive with detroit locker dif. really liked it. Most don't no what it is, works like lim slip but let off gas full lock dif. Have had 4 wheel drive for as long as can remember. Now have awd car, 4 wheel drive pu w/push button 4 wheel. These have saved me many tow bills and lots of money. Never would pur. w/out 4 wheel drive of some kind. Plus when selling recoup some of cost, but keep veh. long time.

[dames7]

If you do any Dry Camping, 4WD is a must.

Once in a while you will get soft ground lots of rain and you just need a little more traction to get things moving.

[fwjumper]

If its feasible for you, 4wd.

[Bob662]

Randy, I don't know what brand truck you're considering, but if it's a Ford I suggest the F-150, 4X4, 3.5 Ecoboost gas engine, with 3.55 differential.

There will be times you really will wish for 4WD. I don't find the maintenance cost any higher with my 4X4, they ride quite well at least in the half-ton configuration, and mileage difference 2WD vs. 4WD is inconsequential. Resale will be a lot better, and easier, with 4WD.

Mine also has electric differential lock, which is useless vs. 4X4.

Will a 2WD be adequate? Yes, about 95% of the time...the other 5% you'll be rounding up a tow truck or its equivalent.

IMO, you don't need more than a half ton and you don't need a diesel for the trailers you're considering. Some think a Peterbilt is barely adequate, but let's be reasonable...

[Thalweg]

We often camp in the most remote areas that we can get into. Several times we've gotten into places that I wouldn't have gotten out of without 4WD. I try not to use 4WD on the way in so that I have more confidence that I am not pushing my luck, knowing that I've got extra ability to get out.

I will also often use 4WD on washboard roads. It reduces slippage, and smooths out the ride a bit.

[greenflag]

I have owned both 2wd and 4wd pickups. Also being from California 4wd is not a major issue until you need it!
Last year while visiting family in Washington State I pulled onto a wet pasture while spotting my trailer. With the slope of the ground, I couldn't pull forward or back up. No traction on the wet grass. After an hour of trying various remedies rocks mats, boards etc, I called a tow truck.
My next ruck in 2018 will be 4wd.

[BoatNutG2]

Thank you everyone for your knowledge, experiences and sense of humor. Randy

[Ray Eklund]

During the 2015 New Mexico and the 2016 Wyoming Adventures traveling upon wet dirt/mud holes and graveled/natural rocky roads, 2wd and 4wd managed well. The weight on the rear wheels when towing up an all season mud/gravel road with momentum up grade was done by 2wd tow vehicles is a learned skill. Having a number of 4wd vehicles available in the event someone became stuck... is a lot of anxiety relieved just in case. Most drivers were well versed in how to manage with their tow vehicle. No amateurs in these groups.

Wet snow and Dry snow are different to travel upon. Wet Snow... 2wd NO, 4wd, Maybe.

Mud. Same as the above. Rocky Mountains roads usually have rock and grit within the mud for a firm surface. Having momentum with just the vehicle alone, or with a trailer in tow is important. Once you have to stop and lose traction with half worn tire treads full of mud, you are stuck. Full tire tread tossing mud out of your own pot hole... you are stuck.

If you travel on dry pavement in a minimal snow environment, 2wd is all you need... 90% of the time. When you are stuck, you need a shovel, maybe a bumper jack to raise the vehicle, enough, to fill the hole you are buried up to the axle.

The further north in latitude... the more you will need 4wd. The further south, the less need.

Everyone is correct about resale. Four wheel drive vehicles are preferred by those who know. I have always had 4wd tow vehicles. When you need it and pay for a tow truck to drive 75 miles for a twenty minute extraction from your mud hole hell... it is a big down payment on the 4wd option.

If you drive paved roads, improved gravel roads during the warm and dry months 2wd is adequate. Sometimes you find yourself on a flat surface with it raining, the grass is slick and the soil is ready to become mud pie... it is too late to change your mind.

Having 4wd gives you an option. If you never need it, great. If you do need it... you just paid for the small price for this option. The need is directly dependent on your expectations. Mine... 4wd is inexpensive for the potential risks we find in mountain Off the Grid travel. It sometimes can prevent exposing yourself to exposure when you least expect to be stuck, with no options without the extra traction.

You know... Up the Creek without a Paddle?

[BicenTw]

There had been a Chevrolet video on Youtube 4-5 years ago featuring a comparison of 4wd to 2wd on a slippery boat ramp. The 2wd to my surprise with a locking differential excelled. That video has been removed. Here is one in conditions more in tune with towing a fully loaded Airstream. I hope this helps.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wkqw0GC63rI

[Tn Traveler]

I ordered my 20 year old truck with 4 wd, locking differential, tow hooks and a full skid plate package. I have been on many muddy construction sites alone checking jobs after dark. When I needed 4 wd I really needed it. I was only stuck a few times. I find my Suburban to be better than some pickups because of the weight on the rear wheels. However, the tongue weight when towing would make a pickup perform equally well. In fact, I have used it to pull out some stuck 4 wd pickups. Well over 200.000 miles and still use it for towing the Airstream.

[MelGoddard]

For many years I have had 2 wheel rear drives and in the winter would put a bag of "Kitty Litter" in the trunck for extra weight.
(One Winter I used a grave marker, gave it back in the Spring.)
And THEN, I bought two Subaru ' s one after the other, and became a four wheel drive fan.
Since then; a 4Runner, and now a Ford F'150 with four wheel drive.
I haven't been stuck in years, and in wet grass the Ford handles the AS no problem.

Trailer Trash........

[featherbedder]

In posts many say locking dif. others say limited slip.There is a huge difference in limited slip and a full locking dif. Limited slip does not fully lock up rear wheels as a locking does, another analogy is like old days stock car racers welded bolts in rear end gears hence no slip either wheel. This is in 2 wheel drive veh. 4 wheel drive is dif.