4WD a nightmare at slow speeds

[RedlandRanger]

A reminder: 4wd doesn't help you stop or hold a curve at high speed in snowy and iced situations. It helps you start and get out of a stuck situation.

This advice cannot be repeated enough. 4WD does NOTHING to help you STOP or gain additional traction on curves. I've seen way too many people in 4WD vehicles driving WAY too fast because they think they have traction.

4WD helps you GO, but it does nothing to help you STOP.

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[got3fords]

You definitely cannot make sharp turns like parking in 4WD.

 

[Stevedbvik1]

Yep. It's the lack of weight in the rear, which caused me to put it in 4H to begin with. I'll have to find something heavy.

4 or 5 of these should help.
Also you have a Tremor so it does have the rear electronic locker.

 

[Dereku]

Your service advisor gave bad info. Your axles and front drive shaft are always rotating. Its just the transfer case that disengages. Using it or not makes no difference on being stuck or gummed up. 4wd for snow covered roads only. I shift back to 2wd once I get going. Even in 8in of snow. Never try and park in 4wd.

 

[Dereku]

4 or 5 of these should help.
Also you have a Tremor so it does have the rear electronic locker.

I have 2 of these right now. Menards is great.

 

[subquark]

Thanks for the reply. So, being from a snowy state yourself, how do you handle driving on really crummy roads which are not plowed but you pull into a store and that lot is pretty clear? Do you just switch back and forth each time (and as I mentioned, QUITE a ways before the parking spot)?

Just a 2WD XL in New Hampshire driven by a Canadian who dreams of his next dump run ... =D

 

[Chris M]

Just a 2WD XL in New Hampshire driven by a Canadian who dreams of his next dump run ... =D

@subquark how's Kota?

 

[subquark]

@subquark how's Kona?

Hey Chris, thanks for asking! =)

Kota's doing great and has better winter clothing than I do! I'm dreading walking him in an hour. A whopping 23°F here with some wind. =p

How goes winter in Arizona? Send sun!=D

 

[Chris M]

Hey Chris, thanks for asking! =)

Kota's doing great and has better winter clothing than I do! I'm dreading walking him in an hour. A whopping 23°F here with some wind. =p

How goes winter in Arizona? Send sun!=D

Good pics...my apologies for getting his name wrong, but you knew where my heart was.

I wish I could send you today's weather from here. Gonna get up to about 78*, light breeze, beautifully sunny day today.

 

[Chris M]

Hey Chris, thanks for asking! =)

Kota's doing great and has better winter clothing than I do! I'm dreading walking him in an hour. A whopping 23°F here with some wind. =p

How goes winter in Arizona? Send sun!=D

A couple of views from my guardhouse:

 

[subquark]

Good pics...my apologies for getting his name wrong, but you knew where my heart was.

I wish I could send you today's weather from here. Gonna get up to about 78*, light breeze, beautifully sunny day today.

You're awesome and it instantly put a smile on my face. Thanks! =)

Hmm, the only problem with it being your temperature is that I'd have to wash and 303 Soupie! I didn't think of that, best I stay below freezing! =D

No need in getting @AzScorpion (the mod formerly from AZ) all in a tizzy about my graphene! =p

I do like your pics and imagine myself outside, maybe in a hammock, thinking about working on Soupie ("thinking" being the operative word!).

Kota's dreaming of warmer days too! =)

Meanwhile, reality ...

 

[DukeCanBuildit]

I did some investigating - here’s what I found out about @subquark ’s dump runs. The dashed yellow line shows David’s route from his house to the Portsmouth Transfer Station, where they have several 53 ft, tilting waste trailers.

The city has such a tight budget, they can’t afford to haul the trailers away and so, they just raise them.

David be like, “What’s that doing in the backyard? I thought I took that to the dump last week. Oh well, c’mere Kota, time for a dump run.”

 

[Grandaccess]

unless there is 6+ inches of snow or ice I dont even feel the need to use 4x4, knowing how to use steering wheel compensation when drifting around corners
How to learn: go to walfart parking lot after a snow fall and Play! break hard and see how it reacts step on it while turning and get the feel for the truck and your limits, not every truck has 4x4 so play in 2x4 and 4x4
I let my kids play like that long before they even get their Lic. last time my youngest said the truck was intimidating LOL suck it up buttercup ... one of these days you will be in a spin on the interstate doing 65 and you wont know what to expect
At your own risk! Dont do it around vehicles you might hit
Do Not take your Wife or girlfriend, you will never ever hear TF end of it!

 

[Colo_Ranger]

This above. 4wd is for low traction surfaces only, snow, ice, gravel, dry sand, mud, wet grass. If you use it on high traction surfaces you will experience exactly what you report. And if you are really unlucky you can break a CV joint, transfer chain, or diff.
Turn it off before moving to from low traction to high traction surfaces, after all it couldn't be easier in a Ranger just a dial to change. If it doesn't want to disegage just stop and back up a bit as dexcribed above.

The old Toyota all gear transfer cases used to wind up so much when driving on hard sand that it was sometimes almost impossiblle to get them out of 4x4 without a bit of back and shuffle. They were much stronger than the almost universal chain drive jobbies used tthese days.

Fun anecdotal story: On my 1985 Toyota 4runner, I had a spool in the back. I was in a parking lot to get groceries during a multi day trip and didn't want to air up. I was running about 8 psi in the 33" tires. I made a hard left to turn down an aisle and the tires offered so much traction they loaded up and launched the entire rear of my truck about a foot in the air. The guys I was with said it was awesome.

 

[IdahoRanger]

Just for you @Glocker, here’s the full tv commercial version.

Now that is funny!

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