2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission accident 2gen.

[FourBarR]

On sat dec. 1/07 I was stopped at an intersection waiting for traffic. A guy in an old Ford 4x4 with a welded steel box came down the hill which was covered with snow,he tried to make a right turn and slid sideways and the box caught my front fender,both doors and side of box. These guys with 4x4s are way over confident on their ability to stop or stay on the road in snow and ice. I have driven 9 years in snow with my 2wd and never had a problem.

I am now driving a 2007 Duramax rental. It has 6000k on it super delux with all the bells and whistles. Dont like 4x4 no mater what make, it does drive ok ,transmission is nice,rough ride compared to my 2wd. . You have to have pitty on the techs who have to work on these things. Since I do all my own work i would never buy one of these or a Ford. I will have this to drive for about a month and will get a better impression of the whole thing. :-{}

 

[DonTX]

We are probably in a minority, but I share your 4x4 thoughts. I feel the users get overconfident real easy, and yet they don't stop a bit better than a 2 wheel drive. I have driven all over the globe on snow and ice with two wheel drive (except for some winters in Germany with motorcycle and sidecar, only one wheel drive) and yet have found a time I wish I had 4 wheel drive.

Reminds me of a friend several years ago with a jeep. Always bragging about how his four wheel drive saved his life, got him out of places, etc. After listening to this for several years, he had me crawl under for a look at something on the engine, I saw he had been driving for years with no front driveshaft!

On sat dec. 1/07 I was stopped at an intersection waiting for traffic. A guy in an old Ford 4x4 with a welded steel box came down the hill which was covered with snow,he tried to make a right turn and slid sideways and the box caught my front fender,both doors and side of box. These guys with 4x4s are way over confident on their ability to stop or stay on the road in snow and ice. I have driven 9 years in snow with my 2wd and never had a problem.

I am now driving a 2007 Duramax rental. It has 6000k on it super delux with all the bells and whistles. Dont like 4x4 no mater what make, it does drive ok ,transmission is nice,rough ride compared to my 2wd. . You have to have pitty on the techs who have to work on these things. Since I do all my own work i would never buy one of these or a Ford. I will have this to drive for about a month and will get a better impression of the whole thing. :-{}

 

[CSnyder]

I agree also that a 2x4 truck is a nice ride and that 4x4 truck drivers think they can stop so well on snow and ice. I own all 4x4 trucks because a 2 wheel drive wont get out of my valley in winter. Either direction you go its a 3 mile plus uphill battle with 20 mph corners. I think the best thing you can do is disable the ABS system in winter monthes for better stopping.

 

[Alphacowboy]

Chris, that is a beautiful sight! cant wait to come down!



I agree on the 4x4 thing, and I drive a 4x4. People just dont realize that getting going isnt the problem, its the stopping. I have put my truck in the ditch once, but that had nothing to do with 4x4 or not... sudden rain to ice in seriously a matter of 1-2 minutes was all it took. There was almost instantly 1/4" of ice on the road.

 

[DieselDoghouse]

FourBarR: sorry to hear about your mishap. Nothing is worse than sitting duck syndrome where you have no way on to get out of harms way. While I do not agree with your beliefs viz. 4X2 vs 4X4 I DO respect them because you highlight the weakest link in a 4X4 system — the nut behind the wheel. See the "winter driving" post and comments about driving 4X4 as if it were 4X2!! Best of luck in your repairs

 

[RHestand]

I have put myself in several situations that had I not had a 4x4, I would have had to pay some expensive tow bills.

As for stopping with limited grip, 2 whl. or 4 whl. drive, attention and caution are the key words.

I'm more than happy to put up with the stiff ride and other negatives to be able to go places I wouldn't go w/o 4whl. drive, and also the assurance that it's there if I need it.

Having owned and driven both 2x and 4x for many years, I like my current 4x4 best of any.

 

[CFAR]

Sorry to hear about your accident, and you are correct that most people really don't ever need a 4x4, witness the SUV explosion. The simple fact is, 4x4's can go where 2x4's can't, and cause less road damage in the process, of course the latter is assuming a responsible driver.

 

[FourBarR]

One furthur comment on 4x4 etc. When I was at the body shop to see about my truck repairs,the foreman of the shop said they had more business from 4x4s, and suvs than any other type of vehicle. Said they provided up to 80% of their business. Kinda intersting.

 

[Alphacowboy]

One furthur comment on 4x4 etc. When I was at the body shop to see about my truck repairs,the foreman of the shop said they had more business from 4x4s, and suvs than any other type of vehicle. Said they provided up to 80% of their business. Kinda intersting.

Ya know, thats probably because they never see 2wd or cars that often. Usually they easily exceed the value for repair, and are salvaged. Look on ebay or salvage/repairable sights. Most of the repairables are cars. The Insurance companies will total a 16k dollar car ALOT faster than a 35k 4x4 truck. SUVs and Trucks are $$$$$ and an insurance company would rather fork out 10-15k to fix one than take it in the shorts for 25-40k. Tossing a 10-15k dollar compact in the trash and buying a new on makes MUCH more sense.

 

[Skydiver]

Sorry different subject,

I have looking for a gas saver. 1/3 of the Toyota MR2's I found have a salvage title.

 

[Grizzly]

I have a 4WD and I love it. This is my second 4WD Dodge. I don't think they ride stiff at all. That said, they still ride like a truck, there not a car after all. I only use my 4WD to get out of a situation, not in one.



Another advantage of a 4WD is the resale value. When I sold my 95 Dodge/Cummins I got back every nickle I had in it.



Did I mention the fact that a 4WD, looks so much better then a 2WD.

 

[WrenchRat]

Sorry to hear of your mishap 4barR. Too bad you didn't have a way out. Hope you get 'er fixed up the way you want.

I would not THINK of having a truck these days w/o 4WD. Too many years of 2WD in snow country and stucks or near stucks while STILL on pavement. There were many commute days where I would not have gotten home w/o 4WD, at least not as easily and safely. Glare ice = parked, no argument.

I have also used 4WD while moving trailers around off road, particularly in grassy fields. Case in point: Dual wheels and wet grass, even flat or very slight inclines don't mix. Shift into 4WD and I'm on my way.

While I don't use 4WD a lot, when I need it, I NEED it. No straps, no waiting, no tow bills. Well worth the additional weight, lower mileage and stiffer ride.

 

[FLynes]

When I had my 97 2500 4x4 I got myself stuck over at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, next to the RV storage lot (just a visual explainer for the local MD guys). I put the truck in 4LOW, 1st gear... ..... and sank to the nerf bar. I didn't goose it, didn't mash the pedal to the floor, didn't do anything out of the oridinary... . the ground was just too soft. Long story short, I called Geico and two tow trucks with long as hell winches came out to pull my sorry butt out.



I now have a 2wd. It wasn't that that's what I wanted; it was a truck that was really nice and I bought it. I just got back from Maryland and stopped in Indiana on the way to pick up our horse last week, when the big storm hit. I kept the truck at a reasonable speed, turned off the Jake Brake and reduced the braking power of the horse trailer (gooseneck type). We had no problems at all.



I do agree that a lot of 4x4 owners are over-confident; I was one.

 

[CFAR]

I once got stuck in VA in mud 1 in deep, wish I had a video camera, all 4 tires were spinning and I was standing by truck. Walked over and got a little sand and put it in front of my tires.

 

[jkalchik]

What Grizzly said.

Repeat after me: 4wd does not make me immune to the laws of physics.

 

[JJanetka]

I have had many both 2 and 4 wheel drive trucks mostly with utility bodies and alot of weight but also regular beds both standard and crewcab. If all your doing is driving on the highway, 95% of the time 2wheel drive is all you need. Heck I pushed a compact car loaded with kids up a snow and ice covered hill going to the ski slope up the road from me with a 2wheeldrive crew cab with not a whole lot in the bed. It was icy enough that I wasn't worried about damaging their bumper or mine. You just have to know your limitations. Many of the jobs I'd be on in the winter you probably wouldn't make it in or out without 4wheel drive. Two wheelers got parked at the entrance and the tools loaded into a loader bucket(alot of times the 4wheelers too. who wants too clean out of their tires for a half hour everyday). But I'm talking about alot of mud,and snowplowing is another story. That being said ,I haven't been without 4wd for along time because I know the places I want to go I might not get out without it.

 

[tgordon]

IMHO it depend upon what you do. On the farm you very rarly see 2wd. I have been on hard packed clay that was wet and required 4wd along with riding the brakes to get all 4 wheels to turn and then it walked right out to the road. Other than the farm I use 4wd very little, and actually drive around on the road most of the time in 2wd, helps me to keep my wits about me. If traveling in a storm, or trying to get onto a busy road from one that has not been plowed I will engauge it and then kick it out once on the clear road. But I have driven down roads where unless one had 4wd you were siting at the bottom of the hill or next to it because the rear end was kicking out from behind you.

 

[Grizzly]

Another good reason for 4WD is the weight of our engines. Without 4WD, our trucks can bury the front end in loose sand, mud and snow with the extra weight of the diesel engine.

 

[dahowerig]

personally i think the only thing that matters is the driver. i recently bought a power wagon and brought it home in chicagos ice storm 3 weeks ago. about 10 miles out from the house the brake hoses blew. so, instead of doing the responsible thing and leaving it on the side of the road and getting the trailer, i decided to drive it home. (probably about 8 miles of country driving. ) all in all, i made it home with no traction on the gas, and no brakes. if u take your time and not talk on a cell phone or sing and google at the snow bunnies, then you'll be safe no matter what your driving. i have all 4x4's personally, but like every one has said, they all stop the same!