Why 4X4 vs 4X2?

[Loren & Cathy]

[QUOTE=Jim Bennett;260414]You sound like one of those guys who terrorize smaller vehicles on the road with a big 4x4.

Yeah, I'm one of those type too. I love blasting through deep snow with all tires spinning while in total control. You can't see it, but I'm smiling just thinking about it.

BTW, I never put anyone else in jeopardy while doing this.[/QUOTE.

Just add on a few decades and you calm down quite a bit. Loren

[Ronn]

Originally Posted by Loren & Cathy

I was one who was cocky with a 4wd. I had a 3/4 ton with big snow tires and a snow plow. One day I took Cathy to work in a rageing blizard and went back home through the country. I was blasting through 2 and 3 ft. drifts when I found a small car stuck in the middle of nowhere. I pulled them out and plowed a path for them back to town. I have always felt I saved their lives.

As for the blizzard, this was in Northeast Iowa in 1981. Just ask Iowa Dave what kind of winter weather we had there back then. Loren

Where in NE Iowa, I am from Waukon - I probably was out in that same storm, had a Maverick (with snow tires). Worked nights and had a 35 mile rural drive - I plowed through some pretty big drifts in which I would have to stop, back up to take another run and also stop to wait for the wind to drop so I could see the next one. I made it within 3/4 miles of home when my brother and friend met me with snowmobiles. Young and stupid!! Still probably have too much of that stupid in me.

[War Eagle]

Originally Posted by Jim Bennett

You sound like one of those guys who terrorize smaller vehicles on the road with a big 4x4. Yeah, I'm one of those type too. I love blasting through deep snow with all tires spinning while in total control. You can't see it, but I'm smiling just thinking about it. BTW, I never put anyone else in jeopardy while doing this.

Growing up, it was "bragging rights" among the area ranchers to see who could feed their cattle and make it to Suzie's Cafe for morning coffee after a heavy snow (2' to 3' feet of new snow overnight was not uncommon in the Colorado high country back in the 60's and 70's). We had a 1964 International 4-door crew cab 4x4 that my Dad and I would chain up all the way around and pound our way through snow drifts for 6 miles just to get to Suzie's for some of that coffee - and bragging rights

[Iowa Dave]

Those old internationals including the 4WD Travelalls were a pretty tough unit.
I was in Waukon last week as we were camped at Yellow River. Back in the late 60s I hunted a lot in Allamakee county with my good friend DD Weymiller out of New Albin. They were mostly Jeep guys except for Bulman who had a 64 Ford 3/4 ton. Chained up and locked in granny low she was a pretty good hillclimber.
My Dad always said to drive the 4WD in 2 WD until you get stuck. Then lock in, back out and
go home. He learned his mud running and deep snow driving in the Ardennes in 1944.
We plowed ice rinks and planed the surface for speed skaters in the 80’s. Glass smooth ice with a little water on it on a 35 degree F day is the slickest stuff I’ve been on. Ahh but I digress.
Iowa Dave

[War Eagle]

Originally Posted by Iowa Dave

Those old internationals including the 4WD Travelalls were a pretty tough unit. ....

Funny you mention that, because we also had a 1971 4WD International Travelall (in a weird color we jokingly called "calf scour yellow"). Mom claimed it as hers, kept it spick-and-span on the inside so we could use it as our Sunday go to church 4x4. It was the first vehicle I recall that we purchased new, and the dash had so many different colored "idiot lights" that it lit up like a Christmas Tree when you switched the ignition "ON" without starting the engine. Funny how you remember things like that....

[Iowa Dave]

My brother had a travelall. It was light green and white. When it quit running he parked it in the back yard of his place near his large garden. In late March and April, instead of a coldframe to “harden off” his plants, he used the Travelall. Doors open during the day, doors closed at night. Greenhouse on wheels. Remember, we are Bohemies.
Iowa Sla Nanynka Do Zeli Dave
“ translation Annie in the cabbage (zeli) patch”

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by StarvingHyena

Nothing to do but either back up for a mile with trailer or venture out into the soft sand of the arroyo and turn around.


Tom

Don't ya just hate it when that happens? One thing that I could do with my Scamp 13 that I can't do with my 19 is put the tongue wheel on, unhitch, and pivot the trailer 180* by hand.

Ron

[CharlesPou]

Good thread, I'm in TX, and when it gets icy, I stay home.

I'm shopping for new tow next year, and yes Ford F150 2WD SuperCabs are rare in TX. I think main reason for 4WD in TX is trucks are hot sellers, and dealers can make more $'s selling a more expensive 4WD. Otherwise, 4WD not needed around here for 90% or more IMO.

I think special order may be the way to go. Maybe no big discounts, but why get big discounts for a bunch of junk you will never use, simple is better IMO. My plan is the shop Tundra 5.7V8 Double Cab against F150 3.5 Ecoboost Supercab, cheapest one wins. Cheers

[NCBill]

I’ll likely be in the special order class myself. Why pay a premium for new and then just take what the dealer has in stock? If I am just going to take someone else’s build choices I’ll just keep buying used. Over the time I will probably keep the truck (ten years or more), the premium per year of ownership is small, and the aggravation of not having what I want is large.

[Loren & Cathy]

Two or 4wd, these new trucks just don’t have the clearance to go through much of anything. There is a plastic shroud below the front bumper that comes down 6 to 8 inches from the ground. You have to watch it on some curbs.

Have a good friend in Iowa who has gone through 2, getting down his long lane. At least GM has these. Does ford have this?

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by Loren & Cathy

Two or 4wd, these new trucks just don’t have the clearance to go through much of anything. There is a plastic shroud below the front bumper that comes down 6 to 8 inches from the ground. You have to watch it on some curbs.

Have a good friend in Iowa who has gone through 2, getting down his long lane. At least GM has these. Does ford have this?

The Fords certainly have it. Mine hangs down quite low in front. Ford claims it saves fuel.

Since I don't offroad, it's not an issue for me. And, you could always remove it if clearance became a problem.

[thiggins]

Originally Posted by Loren & Cathy

Two or 4wd, these new trucks just don’t have the clearance to go through much of anything. There is a plastic shroud below the front bumper that comes down 6 to 8 inches from the ground. You have to watch it on some curbs.

Have a good friend in Iowa who has gone through 2, getting down his long lane. At least GM has these. Does ford have this?

Our 2012 Ford FX4 F-150 does have a front shroud down low, but I've NEVER hit it on anything in the 6 years and 101K miles we've had it. I think they're there to improve mileage. We actually do a bit of offroad stuff, and even went up and down Hagerman Pass in Colorado. No problems whatsoever. I do know some 4x4 guys remove them, but mine has never been a problem, so it's still there.

[Ronn]

Originally Posted by Iowa Dave

Those old internationals including the 4WD Travelalls were a pretty tough unit.
I was in Waukon last week as we were camped at Yellow River. Back in the late 60s I hunted a lot in Allamakee county with my good friend DD Weymiller out of New Albin. They were mostly Jeep guys except for Bulman who had a 64 Ford 3/4 ton. Chained up and locked in granny low she was a pretty good hillclimber.
My Dad always said to drive the 4WD in 2 WD until you get stuck. Then lock in, back out and
go home. He learned his mud running and deep snow driving in the Ardennes in 1944.
We plowed ice rinks and planed the surface for speed skaters in the 80’s. Glass smooth ice with a little water on it on a 35 degree F day is the slickest stuff I’ve been on. Ahh but I digress.
Iowa Dave

Small world it is, I moved away in 1964, but still have relatives NE Iowa.

[davidmurphy02]

Originally Posted by CharlesPou

I think special order may be the way to go. Maybe no big discounts, but why get big discounts for a bunch of junk you will never use, simple is better IMO. My plan is the shop Tundra 5.7V8 Double Cab against F150 3.5 Ecoboost Supercab, cheapest one wins. Cheers

I special ordered a 2019 Ram and got as good a discount as if I had bought one off the lot....depends on the dealer I suppose.

[JStelly]

I think special order is in my future. I did a nationwide search on Auto Trader for an F150 equipped exactly like I want and found only 1 in the entire US and it’s 1,000 miles from me.

[John in Santa Cruz]

The other evening, I had to back my f250 uphill on tanbark at low speed, was really happy I had 4x4 because the alternative was a lot of tire spinning and hole digging, with it in 4H, reversing uphill on the loose surface was drama free.

[Jim Bennett]

I bought my 2015 F-150 two weeks before the new models were being released. I had first priced what I wanted in ordering a new 2016 model, then negotiated a fairly good deal, but was balking at the final cost still.

I decided to look instead for one in stock, and found one with all the features I wanted, and a heck of a lot more too, right here in Calgary. I went and talked to the dealer about that instead of new. The sticker price was about $6k above what I could order a new one with what I minimally wanted. I could tell though that they really wanted to sell it, as dealers had a fair few 2015 pickups in inventory due to a drop in the economy and not selling as many to oil companies as they usually do. I negotiated back and forth with them, and while they came down a lot, I decided that I would wait. I actually did not need to buy for a few months yet. All I had to do was show them I was willing to walk away, and they came back to me, agreed to my offer which was just over $18k below list, and a discounted service plan.

[JStelly]

That’s exactly why I am continuing to look at 2018s. If I find my “unicorn” at a steep discount after the 2019s come out I might go for it.

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by JStelly

That’s exactly why I am continuing to look at 2018s. If I find my “unicorn” at a steep discount after the 2019s come out I might go for it.

That will be a Unicorn indeed John, if you can find it. Most dealers here in Texas haven't heard of 'steep discounts' when it comes to an F150.

[Chotch]

Originally Posted by Jim Bennett

I bought my 2015 F-150 two weeks before the new models were being released. I had first priced what I wanted in ordering a new 2016 model, then negotiated a fairly good deal, but was balking at the final cost still.

I decided to look instead for one in stock, and found one with all the features I wanted, and a heck of a lot more too, right here in Calgary. I went and talked to the dealer about that instead of new. The sticker price was about $6k above what I could order a new one with what I minimally wanted. I could tell though that they really wanted to sell it, as dealers had a fair few 2015 pickups in inventory due to a drop in the economy and not selling as many to oil companies as they usually do. I negotiated back and forth with them, and while they came down a lot, I decided that I would wait. I actually did not need to buy for a few months yet. All I had to do was show them I was willing to walk away, and they came back to me, agreed to my offer which was just over $18k below list, and a discounted service plan.

And I bet you got a full size spare😁