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Is your truck "part time" or "full time" 4x4? I have the full time which acts a lot different from a part time. Firstly the full time allows me to turn the truck on dry pavement unlike a part time which you will feel jump & skip. This jump & skip is very hard on the drive line, it is caused by the front & real axles being locked to one another forcing both to turn at the same speed despite the differences in the radiuses. This can cause the entire truck to "side step" under power on slippery surfaces. So in other words, it is best to not just drive it around in 4 high, its hard on the truck & doesn't automatically make it easier to drive, just easier to make mistakes. Also, my 4 wheel ABS on my 99 Dak only works in 2WD or full time 4WD, if I am in 4 low or 4 high, my ABS is turned off. So that is something else you may have to contend with. Coming from North Dakota I have driven in snow & ice for 4+ months a year for 25 years. Take it from me, slow down, avoid sudden changes in speed or direction & don't re
lie on 4WD to save your butt. 4WD is best to get you out of the snow bank that you got stuck in in 2WD. If you go in in 4WD, you'll only be stuck deeper. The best thing you can do is put some good tires under the truck, with lots of sipeing, not big lugs. Put 200-300 pounds of weight in the back & go practice in an empty lot. In a RWD the back end steps out under power, get use to the feeling of "drifting" it. Roll out of the throttle to straighten it out. Brakes will make you spin out if the truck is "drifting". I have drifted my old 1976 Ford for over 4 city blocks at about a 45 degree angle & had full control of it the whole time. My advise is run in 2WD as much as possiable, only use 4WD in deep snow &/or at low speeds. Get good tires & some weight over the axle. Practice & relie on your driving skills & judgement, instead of relieing on the 4x4 badge, like the upside down SUV who rolled over in the ditch. & forget about shifting into N, it won't help a bit.
SandMan
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Tue Dec 01 2009 - 18:23:04 EST