How important is 4wd on a tow rig?

[Eskimo]

Since I'm kinda sorta looking around, I know I can get a 4x2 much cheaper than a 4x4 for the rig... Primarily, I'll be going to:

Tellico
Paragon
and anywhere else really, that I won't be constricted by driving the FJ...

I can't see needing 4wd anywhere at Tellico (ooh, that hardcore trail 1!!!) But winter towing might be tough with only a 2wd?

Thoughts?

[RE:Todd]

I didn't feel that I needed 4x4 until I got bogged down coming out of JV. If you can afford it, I'd get it just in case.

[The Jerk]

i have it and i lucked out with my truck for the price i paid for it. i use it every time i come up from the spillway to the top of the dam at teh con. ive seen many 2wd slip tires and have to back down. plus when i do snow runs im sure it will come in handy and be safer. jiMMy

[bigNATE®]

4x4 makes it easier to pull boats up the launch ramp when the rear tires are wet.... even with duals and a limited slip I have had tire spin.
~NaTe

[flimmy]

With 4wd you will have low range for steep hills. The 4wd may also come in handy if you park off the road , it rains and becomes slippery.

[Lemoore-on]

I didn't feel that I needed 4x4 until I got bogged down coming out of JV. If you can afford it, I'd get it just in case.

Hey Todd, dont forget coming up out of the spillway at the Con.

He got stoped on a gravel hill and couldn't get started again. Had to get a tug. I was right behind and locked in the hubs put in low and pulled right through. I think we all know the virtues of 4wd


I would not pass up a great deal on a 4x2, but I'd try to find a 4x4 Just incase you find your self in inclimate wheather of a soft gravel hill or something like that.

[RE:Todd]

Originally posted by Lemoore-on


Hey Todd, dont forget coming up out of the spillway at the Con.

He got stoped on a gravel hill and couldn't get started again. Had to get a tug. I was right behind and locked in the hubs put in low and pulled right through. I think we all know the virtues of 4wd


I would not pass up a great deal on a 4x2, but I'd try to find a 4x4 Just incase you find your self in inclimate wheather of a soft gravel hill or something like that.

I'm sitting here talking about that very thing . I think if I ARB or Detroit the rear, it'll solve that little problem .

[gunracer1]

well i just spent the last 3 weeks looking for a new tow rig. i wanted a ex cab,2wd, 3/4 ton, 5 speed cummins. i bought a single cab dually auto 4x4 with a cummins. if you are going to use it as a daily driver also i would go 2wd just for the miliage differance. but i bought what showed up cheap. its a 92 model and rides like a buck board but i got it for 6500 and it only has 116k on it. so that is what i got. it had cold air, electric brakes and all ready rigged for a cab over. rubber floor and roll up windows and a vinyle bench seat. i wish i had a 2wd because i drive 500 to 600 every week. its worth about 4 mpg's on the older cummins. if you are just going to use it for towing, get the best deal you can find. mike

[DRM]

I thought the same thing - what is 4wd in a tow rig good for?

Bought this:


After 2 years, I traded it in on this



I got tired of hauling parts trucks down to my parent's farm and getting stuck with the trailer trying to drop the trucks off in the field. Also got tires of having to worry about getting stuck when parking the setup in less that ideal trailhead conditions. It is my wife's daily driver too - so 4wd for winter snow and ice was a nice additional benefit as well.

Of course - moving up to leather and the crew cab didn't hurt either

Now maybe 2wd will be ok for you - but if there is ANY chance that you will buy a 2wd and before you drive it home you are wishing you had held out for a 4x4 - then HOLD OUT FOR A 4X4.

Good luck

[TyTy]

I went through the same delema. I had myself totally convinved that 2wd would suite me fine. I mean I had the 4x4 rockcrawler to go offroad! What would I need it for in a tow rig?

Then I chatted with my roomate about it. He worked 2 summers at a place called NatureChem that goes around the South East spraying power lines and such. He drove every 3/4 ton and 1 ton imaginable in those summers. He said the 2wd are fine until you get a trailer. He said everyone was always arguing over who got the 2wd for the week cause he said once the trailer was on there they were ALWAYS getting stuck.

Now, imagine you just dropped a huge chunk of change on a brand new truck, your first time towing you go to Telico and pull off the side of the road to tighten your straps. You get back in and are denied leaving, stuck. You have to call a wrecher just to get you off the side of the road.

That would suck balls!!!

[thereverend]

We were coming across trail one (2WD PSD 250) towing 16FT w/ Jeep in a pretty severe thunder/hail storm a couple of months ago and it would have made life alot easier on the switch backs going into NC. We did it with out too much fuss, I'm just saying it would have been cake w/ 4WD. If you can get it, do.

[fj40charles]

Get the 4x4 if you can afford it. I live in Texas and I don't need 4 wheel drive much, but there has been a couple of times wher you park the tailer in the field and it rains. Good luck trying to pull a trailer out of a field with 2WD. Also, it is good to know that you'll be prepared regardless of the weather conditions.

Charles

[Sloan]

I got my 2wd stuck in the sand and wasn't even pulling a trailer. Went to make a u-turn after getting lost at Truckhaven and the sand is pretty unforgiving down there. Many thanks to Ande and Todd for coming out to look for me. I have been thinking about selling my tow rig and getting an older one that is 4wd. The other option is since my 40 is still street leagl, just make sure that you park far enough away to stay out of trouble and drive your rig in from there. Also was thinking about a rear ARB like Todd mentioned.

[Lord Baskerville]

As every one else (mostly) has said...
Its up to your needs


I bought 4 WD cuz it snows in WI and I often am in a field.
Grass not mud to pick up a truck. I often spin tires in 4 WD if the grass is wet/damp. A 2WD with MTs would move, but, it would tear the hell out of the grass. At Holy Cross a few years back I needed 4WD to get into the camping spot.

Buy 4 WD if you even THINK you are going places you may get stuck in. I go into these places all the time...
Most people never go into these places.
Most people on this board often go into these places


I'm not talking about wheeling the tow rig...
Just driving/parking in places that do not have yellow lines to guide your parking.

Cory

97 4X4 PSD Crew-Cab

[Travis Waldher]

I only buy 4WD, for most of the reasons stated above. Its nice to know when weather/terrain turns nasty its there as an option. You think snow wheeling is fun? Try urban snow wheeling on ice , toss in some hills that have been glazed over my 2WD cars......

of course... I do end up wheeling the tow rig on occasion. Also use it to pull people out of the sand in Ocean Shores when I am down there.

[Recurve]

Somebody answer this for me. I have a K1500 burb. I use 4wd when I get near the trail head on steep hills and gravel. I assume that I am taking some of the strain off of the 10bolt rear. Am I in fact reducing the strain in the rear when switching to 4x4 when the towing gets tougher? I know I would have had trouble in 2wd at Uwharrie on Horse Camp hill had they not paved it.

[mytzlflick]

one other thing to throw in is that yes 4wd is more money but the resale is also higher in the end. mine is 4wd and I have used the thing a lot, even just towing my fullsize into a gravel lot and discovering a loose sand section, if I didn't have the 4wd I would have been putting the driveshafts into the chev to drag it back out.

[Jeepmangled87]

I wish I would have got the 4x4 package on my Silverado, but If I ever get stuck Ill just take the time and pull out the winch on the Jeep to get my tow rig out.

[tail_lite]

Lets say your going to the 'con, O'kay ? everything goes smoothly on Ice House road, then you finally get to Loon Lake. You follow the road down to the slabs, and You notice its kinda full but there are some places to park, but guess what ?..... You can't because you need 4wd to get up over a few of those rock ledges, even if you take U'r rig off tha trailer,you still need 4WD to get the vehicle parked there.....
Even when You leave you have to drive your tow rig to the top of the hill because you don't have the 4wd to help you recover going to the top......
These I did notice this holiday weekend, so for me....It better be 4wd.

[The Jerk]

and if its full you can always go around the corner to teh wash out which takes 4wd usually too, thats where i park! jiMMy

[flexlarson]

4x4 is the only way to go with a tow rig if you can aford it. I have gotten into a # of situations where I would have been stuck in a 2 wheeler. Just popped her into 4 wheel and drove ioyur

[brett]

I've used my 4x quite a bit. Not that much when I'm trailering but it's really nice in the snow and it's nice to know you can pull off the side of the road and not have to worry too much about getting stuck. If I were buying a new rig I'd definitely go for that option.

[RocKrawler]

I've watched my buddy get stuck in his 2wd F250SD at TDS just going up the mild incline to the north of the vehicle checkin, I've gotten stuck in 2wd just pulling off the side to let another vehicle pass on the road out of JV. I've also seen many other rigs get stuck in seemingly "easy" spots, so I waited for a good deal on a 4x4... and one popped up for cheaper than most 2wd's because the guys wife was making him get rid of some toys ( He had 6 vehicles for sale... ). Hold out & look for a good deal, they come along often enough.