My father grew up on a farm and you'd figure he'd be an advocate of 4WD,
but he has a pretty interesting slant on it. My grandfather had 2 Ford
pickups, a 2WD and 4WD. He'd always take out his shiney new 4WD in the mud
and snow of the farm but invariably, he'd end up calling my Dad and asking him
to come out and resue him from being stuck. You'd think my Dad would grab one
of the huge tractors and go out and get him but he'd take the old 2WD and run
out and yank the 4x4 out of the muck.
Doesn't this all sound backward (my thoughts anyway)? Well, I asked my
father why the 4x2 worked better than the 4x4 and he told me that the 4x4
worked better so long as the mud and snow wasn't deep enough to hit the front
differential. Once it got that deep, the truck began to push more mud and
snow in front of it and would eventually bog down. The 4x2's front tires and
body would "ride" up on top of the mud and snow munching it down so the back
wheels could get packed snow to drive on.
I'm pretty certain that 4x4's have all the advantages in harsh road/weather
conditions (if I could have afforded the cost and insurance I'd have gotten
a 4x4 Dak) but I find it interesting that there can be conditions where a 4x2
can excell... Just a bizzare story for y'all.
Shaun
Tustin, CA
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