4x4 *&^%$#@@#$%

[blackcoal]

let me start by saying i love the cummins motor with out a doudt . but dodge need to do something with there 4 wheel drive system. i hate the limited slip in the 4 wheel drive . i pulled in the back of the house out by the barn to get a 20ft goose neck lowboy trailer so i could load some tractor equipment and take to my dad . well i new the ground was a little wet and i had to back up a couple of times to line up. well yes it stuck . well the driver side front tire locks up and the passenger tire is dead still . well by the time the passenger side grabbed hold i was for sure stuck . and yes i was already in 4 wheel drive when i pulled back there. i have had 4 dodges and 2 fords and i must say ford has a far more supperior 4x4 system than doge. why i don't know. i went to ford because i want a 4 door then dodge got one or sort of one i was fine with the 01 ford 7. 3 4x4 . i went back to dodge to get better mileage . i drive 86 miles round trip a day . please dodge folks . some feed back please. thanks

 

[SKargo]

I have no problems, and in fact love the 4x4 system in my 98. 5.

 

[Tomeygun]

let me start by saying i love the cummins motor with out a doudt . but dodge need to do something with there 4 wheel drive system. i hate the limited slip in the 4 wheel drive . i pulled in the back of the house out by the barn to get a 20ft goose neck lowboy trailer so i could load some tractor equipment and take to my dad . well i new the ground was a little wet and i had to back up a couple of times to line up. well yes it stuck . well the driver side front tire locks up and the passenger tire is dead still . well by the time the passenger side grabbed hold i was for sure stuck . and yes i was already in 4 wheel drive when i pulled back there. i have had 4 dodges and 2 fords and i must say ford has a far more supperior 4x4 system than doge. why i don't know. i went to ford because i want a 4 door then dodge got one or sort of one i was fine with the 01 ford 7. 3 4x4 . i went back to dodge to get better mileage . i drive 86 miles round trip a day . please dodge folks . some feed back please. thanks

I know when I switched from my road friendly michelins to my more mud friendly NITTO's - I have WAY less trouble in the mushy stuff



What tire are you running?

 

[DieselNasty]

Im sorry, I have no idea what you mean, I went wheeling last night in my truck with stock size All Terrains that have less then 50% tread and was in water over the hubs and nasty mud with no problems. I even pulled a Jeep out that was on his axels well in the muck. Did you try 4low and some rocking?

 

[Coolslice]

I totally agree with you. Mine is less than impressive in mud and soggy ground compared to every other truck I have owned. There was a guy over on the other Dodge site who was upset with his also. I was told that the only problem was that I didn't know how to drive my truck. These truck are too heavy in the front end and the stock tires are crap. Throw in DC "anti-spin" rear and it's always an adventure in the slick stuff.

 

[hammersley]

Open differential is the problem ---

Replace with a powertrax and End of problem... ...



go lookkat the 2nd video



http://www.richmondgear.com/02powertrax.html

 

[Tomeygun]

Replace with a powertrax and End of problem... ...



go lookk at these video's -



http://www.richmondgear.com/02powertrax.html

Do they make one for our AAM rear axle?

 

[HNelson]

So one front tire was turning (I assume that's what you mean by "locks up") and the other didn't? Nothing wrong there... nothing different from Ford of Chevy either. Truck has an open front differential, as does everyone elses truck. The PowerWagon is the only fullsize truck I know of that has a front locker... and it'll fit the front diff on the Cummins.



The 4x4 system on the Dodge isn't any different from anyone elses part time 4x4 system. Really the only differences between the brands are what type of rear limited slip they offer, and what tires they have.

 

[blackcoal]

4x4 *$%&^#

thanks guys. but don't ford have full locked front end when you lock the hubs. i love my dodge i just don't like the limited slip. didn't the 1st and 2nd generation have a true locking 4x4 . thanks again fellas .

 

[DieselNasty]

The Fords dont have full lock with the hubs locked. They still have an open front diff. What I dont understand is that I can get posi on the street and even in mud with the limited slip.

 

[TSpecht]

I wish they'd come out with a Detroit locker for these trucks, at least the rear axle. With no selectable hubs I don't think a full locker would go over well in the front. I know of no stock production truck that comes with a limited slip or locker in the front axle. It'd be nice if someone came out with an air locker for the front so it doesn't need to be used continuously.

 

[JonathanBurk]

3/4 ton truck + heavy diesel + street tires = worthless mudder no matter who makes it.



Part-time 4wd systems are basically functionally all the same unless you throw in limited slips, lockers etc. Chevy ain't the god of 4wd, and neither is Ford. They all just put power to the tire with the least traction if they're open diffs.



If you got a 3/4 ton truck & street tires, the LSD ain't gonna do much good. I had a 2003 Dodge 1500 with BFG MT's & LSD that did awesome. My current 2500... CTD with Michelin street tires & an open diff. I wouldn't be surprised if it got stuck in a puddle.



What you need if you wanna go through anything wet, maybe even morning dew grass, is get you some tires with traction. If you wanna go through some mud, get you some MT's & an LSD.



It's not that Dodge's system sucks, it's the equipment they put on it.

 

[GButia]

Tires tires tires... . makes ALL thr difference in the world... . no matter what brand.

 

[ECappleman]

I know of no stock production truck that comes with a limited slip or locker in the front axle. It'd be nice if someone came out with an air locker for the front so it doesn't need to be used continuously.

Some one does.

Dodge Powerwagon.

 

[frankram]

I have ARB Air Lockers on the front and rear of my 2000. I love them!

 

[SKargo]

I've always thought of my truck as my towrig/workhorse.



It has been in some situtations where the 4x4 system was needed, like staging areas at offroad parks, my new property where I am starting to build, my old porperty where I am tearing stuff down, etc. It does OK in those situations, my old nitto terra grapplers sucked in the mud, these bfg at's are just as bad.

 

[BHanna]

I've had one back and one front tire off the ground before trying to turn around on a nasty hill. The limited slip in the rear grabbed after I gave it a bunch of gas and it finally pulled me off. It wasn't very comfortable rocking back and forth on two opposite corners there. I think I would have had to jump 6 or 7 feet down just to get out of the truck and push.

 

[TheWolf]

not quite a truck , but i thought Hummers had front lockers also

 

[tractorseller]

I had a Ford F-350 PowerStroke and it was terrible in the sand or the mud. Even with the Michelin "off road" tires I had on it.



I can't say that this 1 ton Dodge is much better, but it sure isn't any worse. When it rains at our place in NM I don't care what kind of tires or setup you have, you ain't going anywhere fast. You know, that mud that will stick to a teflon pan and once the tire grooves are packed with it you just slide all over the place :-laf .



I had a couple of Duramax 4X4 trucks and they were about the same. I agree that it's mostly being able to match the tires with the terrain. Mud tires don't make sense for me, I live in Arizona and it hasn't rained here in about 8 years .

 

[WStephens]

The free wheel hubs on a Ford or other older pickups only lock the hub to the axle shaft and has nothing to do with the differantial. Diesel pickups are not real good in mud due to the lower rpms you can not spin the much out of the tread. the 90 F-250 i had with a 7. 3 IDI would just skate on top of the mud in the Vancouver, WA area with a set of Wranglers on it.