New to off-roading

[NMTremor]

Just got my Tremor and enjoying the hell out of it but I have a question about using 4wd. The trails here in my corner of New Mexico are mostly sandstone and hardpack dirt but with stretches of sand. Staying in 2wd is fine for the sandstone and dirt but longer stretches of sand require 4wd. But I have heard that it's bad to use 4wd unless you're driving on low traction or slippery surfaces so when out of the sand I switch back to 2wd, sometimes changing back and forth every minute or two. Am I just being way too concerned about wear and tear on the differential? Is it ok to stay in 4wd the whole time I'm off-roading, even if it's a hard surface?

Thanks for helping a noob!

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[DonB]

Put it in 4 wheel high or low as needed. Take it off when you don't need it.
Considering you're new, never go off roading by yourself. Always have a second truck and a way to recover a stuck vehicle. Buy a really good recovery strap and shackles.
Keep the shiny side up.
Pretty simple.

 

[AdamHarris]

No you don’t need to be switching back n forth from 2wd to 4wd every min or 2. Utilize that locker some as well (if not going too fast) on occasion as needed. Truck can and will track through some sandy trails in 2wd just fine in most cases.

 

[Oscar Grouch]

Airing down your tires to 22-25 psi will help you float over the sand a lot better also. Just have an air pump with you to air back up before the highway.

 

[Squatchranger]

Just got my Tremor and enjoying the hell out of it but I have a question about using 4wd. The trails here in my corner of New Mexico are mostly sandstone and hardpack dirt but with stretches of sand. Staying in 2wd is fine for the sandstone and dirt but longer stretches of sand require 4wd. But I have heard that it's bad to use 4wd unless you're driving on low traction or slippery surfaces so when out of the sand I switch back to 2wd, sometimes changing back and forth every minute or two. Am I just being way too concerned about wear and tear on the differential? Is it ok to stay in 4wd the whole time I'm off-roading, even if it's a hard surface?

Thanks for helping a noob!

First and foremost always have a partner and recovery gear but yes as there is a transfer case and no middle diff you should really switch to 2wd when you have grip cause the way 4wd works is its an even 50 50 split of power front and rear and when turning if there isnt give youll have skipping which is bad for the tires and the driveline in general. Being proactive is never a bad thing so yeah I would keep going between 2 and 4 as needed after all its as easy as turning a knob and 4 hi to 2 hi is on the fly so you dont even have to stop

 

[deleriumtremor]

Just got my Tremor and enjoying the hell out of it but I have a question about using 4wd. The trails here in my corner of New Mexico are mostly sandstone and hardpack dirt but with stretches of sand. Staying in 2wd is fine for the sandstone and dirt but longer stretches of sand require 4wd. But I have heard that it's bad to use 4wd unless you're driving on low traction or slippery surfaces so when out of the sand I switch back to 2wd, sometimes changing back and forth every minute or two. Am I just being way too concerned about wear and tear on the differential? Is it ok to stay in 4wd the whole time I'm off-roading, even if it's a hard surface?

Thanks for helping a noob!

Yes, my opinion is you are being too concerned. When I am off road I usually forget to put it in 4WD until conditions remind me. Once I am in 4WD, unless I have a stretch of dry payment along the way, it stays in 4WD until I reach dry payment again.

Other tips, momentum is your friend. If you get to a spot with poor traction and you get stopped, usually backing down some to a spot with better traction and then restarting with a mind to keep your momentum going through the loose stuff is usually a fix.

Good luck and have fun. Never let your time off-roading become a competition on who has the most nerve.

 

[9zero1790]

Just got my Tremor and enjoying the hell out of it but I have a question about using 4wd. The trails here in my corner of New Mexico are mostly sandstone and hardpack dirt but with stretches of sand. Staying in 2wd is fine for the sandstone and dirt but longer stretches of sand require 4wd. But I have heard that it's bad to use 4wd unless you're driving on low traction or slippery surfaces so when out of the sand I switch back to 2wd, sometimes changing back and forth every minute or two. Am I just being way too concerned about wear and tear on the differential? Is it ok to stay in 4wd the whole time I'm off-roading, even if it's a hard surface?

Thanks for helping a noob!

if your in sand try sand mode it works well.

 

[Frenchy]

As mentioned before you are best to go OffRoad with at least one more person. Also if the stuff you are on is not pavement then you will be fine leaving it in 4WD. With the 2019 Ranger I had I used the hell out of 4WD and never had a problem. As needed I would go to 4LO. With you having a locker you are more capable then most as well sense with the locker you can get through some obstical that can cause a wheel or two to come off the ground.

When it come to sand it is a great idea to air down(but then again you should be doin thus for OffRoad anyways). For sand and most other OffRoad Driving you will notice 18 PSI is a great start. Even my 1993 Pathfinder doesn't mind 16 PSI OffRoad. Main thing is make sure you have a compressor to bring it back up. The ARB single works well for this. I have the Ford Performance one and it's the ARB single and it has yet to fail me.

One other thing you can do is look up Ronny Dahl on YouTube. He has a lot of great information for OffRoad Driving that most anyone can use.

That's my input and I hope it helps

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