Do I need a 4WD tow vehicle?

[Rusty Heap]

"excuse me Sir........." (insert blink blink helpless damsel in distress female bambi deer eyes here)

"Can you please help us over there at the boat ramp......we're stuck and will do ANYTHING if you'd help us out.....?"


Answer: "Uh, no Miss, (shrug sigh), I only bought a 2WD truck with freeway tread tires".

[speeder]

Originally Posted by vash

i wont buy a truck without 4x4 capabilties. my needs are different than most. i have hauled a camper trailer, and a bass boat to some remote locations. launching a boat without a boat ramp is super nerve racking. i once saved a bunch of bikini wearing water skiiers from catatrophe with my bro's diesel truck. they tried to launch in a crazy area at elephant butte lake. no ramp, toyo truck...no i didnt get laid.

Well, you should 've.

[kaisen]

I vote 4x4 in your application
The trailer you're talking about probably puts only 600 pounds on the hitch, but the truck is still trying to move 6K of static weight. The rear wheels will have a tough time pushing the fronts AND pulling the trailer. Think of the physics.

BTW, my truck will easily spin the tires on DRY pavement from a stop with a loaded 24ft car trailer behind it. And spin at 10mph in the wet. The tires are the path of least resistance. Easier to spin the tires than move the load. Four tires biting is better. Especially at slow speeds, particularly while turning or backing.

Have a rear-engined Porsche in there and it gets worse.

Also, a dually can be WORSE based on contact patch pounds-per-square inch. They're easier to get stuck when empty. They're really meant for a gooseneck or fifth wheel where they have a real load over them.

[btr4me]

I'm beginning to lean toward 4X4 but dually has never been an option, just too big and four tires are expensive enough,

[jyl]

My last truck was a 1987 so I am not up to date with the technology. But why is a part time 4x4 so much worse on gas if the transfer case is in 2H and the hubs are unlocked? The front driveshaft and axle aren't even turning, right?

[speeder]

Originally Posted by jyl

My last truck was a 1987 so I am not up to date with the technology. But why is a part time 4x4 so much worse on gas if the transfer case is in 2H and the hubs are unlocked? The front driveshaft and axle aren't even turning, right?

That's correct. In 2wd, it's simply the added weight of the front axle and transfer case + maybe a very small amount of added drag from the TC drive and a very small amount of extra unsprung weight and rolling mass from the front hubs.

I've always thought that the extra weight of a 4x4 adds to the stability of the truck at highway speeds but I could be all wet on that one. All I know is that a newer Ford F-250 diesel 4x4 w/ its 1k lb. motor rides like a Cadillac out on the road, towing or empty.

[jyl]

I really liked my F250.