Truck advice

[ironj]

I mostly play with mine I guess then....I mean pretty much every time I used 4wd I was playing with my boat or utv or motorcycle or the lacrosse....those darn things always take me places off road...lol...as for maintenance I have had 4 4wd trucks and nary a one has cost me more than a 2wd..all Ford's and one jeep ..the 3.55 and e locker on my 250 works exceptionally well ..with the 35" trail grapplers it will yank the boat straight out of the slickest algae coverd concrete boat ramps and slick grass is no match either.....ive done it with a 2wd before and it can give u a pucker factor of 10 when the truck slides back in the water!!!..no thank you...4x4 all day everyday..

[Rrickim63]

I'd rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it

[tofun4me]

Had my 2wd diesel F250 since 2006. Only needed 4x4 once and as stated above it was on soft wet grass. Pulled in facing the lake and knew I was in trouble as soon as I got out of the truck and saw that the truck and trailer tires had both sunk a few inches into the soft grass.

My reaction was, "What the hell! I'll deal with it when we need to pull out in 4 days." Hmmm... 4 days later nothing had changed. Tried to back out and there was no way that was going to happen. With the lake in front of me there was no going forward. So........ Bring on the little 4wd diesel jeep liberty. It was quite a sight with that chained to the rear of the wildcat pulling that 55 ft mess out.

Not sure this will give me reason to purchase a 4x4 next time around but it surly makes me take a double look before pulling into random spots.

[WEMig]

Originally Posted by tofun4me

Had my 2wd diesel F250 since 2006. Only needed 4x4 once and as stated above it was on soft wet grass. Pulled in facing the lake and knew I was in trouble as soon as I got out of the truck and saw that the truck and trailer tires had both sunk a few inches into the soft grass.

My reaction was, "What the hell! I'll deal with it when we need to pull out in 4 days." Hmmm... 4 days later nothing had changed. Tried to back out and there was no way that was going to happen. With the lake in front of me there was no going forward. So........ Bring on the little 4wd diesel jeep liberty. It was quite a sight with that chained to the rear of the wildcat pulling that 55 ft mess out.

Not sure this will give me reason to purchase a 4x4 next time around but it surly makes me take a double look before pulling into random spots.

I've gotten pulled out my yard not hooked up to anything with my brother's Kawasaki Grissly ATV without making ruts with either vehicle.

[wrvond]

I've had plenty of 4wd trucks and Jeeps. Even my Lincoln MKS is AWD. But I don't let my affinity for 4wd for my needs blind me to the extra maintenance costs, potential repair costs, and certainly higher initial costs. 200 pounds may not sound like a lot, but I seriously doubt anybody on this forum carries one single item weighing 200 pounds into their camper (besides themselves, that is!), and yet, every single camper out there weighs significantly more when ready to camp than it did at delivery. To say that worrying about 200 pounds is unnecessary is specious at best. I'd say that the majority of people that drive 4wd vehicles probably never even use 4wd. Even more don't know how to use it, and could just as likely end up in an even worse situation. Look how many Exploders end up in the ditch every time it snows. I have seen people take 2wd vehicles (including an econoline van) in and out of places I would never try without 4wd and air down tires. I'm not sure if they are really good drivers or just really lucky, but it happens enough to be meaningful. Of course used 4wd prices are higher than 2wd, so is the initial investment.
I also have a boat and motorcycles and go hunting well off the beaten path. These are areas where a 4WD vehicle really comes in handy. However, the OP didn't say he wants to launch his camper into the lake, or take it out to the hunting camp. He said he wants to stay in the southeast and never drive in snow. I translate that into pretty flat ground with good roads with good traction. It's possible he might get stuck on wet grass or a muddy access road. But then, I always carry a tow strap to help out folks that get themselves stuck.
Whenever I have to ride in aircraft, I much prefer the ones with four engines. That way if one quits we still have a chance of landing safely. However, there are times when I have to admit that taking a Piper Cub makes more sense than a 747.
Given his requirements, I still believe the OP would be best served by a 2wd truck.

[ChooChooMan74]

My last truck, a '91 F350 DRW 4x2, I got stuck a few times in the snow with hiway tires. Upgraded to a good tire in the back for the snow. I also got stuck at Thompson Speedway in the mud.

My opinion, get what you need. 2wd, you just have to be more careful and not go where you shouldn't go.

As for me, if I get my 1500 Diesel, then I will get 4x4. But, if I go 2500 or above, I will stick to 2wd. I just don't like how high the 4x4 are in the 3/4 and above.

[ependydad]

I have it for the times that I buggered parking my camper and ended up sunk in the grass with all 6 truck wheels and 2 wheels on the camper (on one side). To this day I have no idea what would have happened if I had 2WD or even had been in an overloaded truck. All I know- I was able to unstuck myself. The ranger lady told me of another guy who had to have a big rig come pull his truck and camper out after a similar predicament.

As well- we don't get a LOT of snow, so when we do Maryland and Pennsylvania roads are usually pretty ugly. The 4WD has served me well as I've been out and about as it started to snow.

Much like other topics - I don't understand the need for personal snips and quasi-rudeness in these discussions. Not everyone has been towing a long time or is comfortable in less than desirable conditions. You can easily make your standpoint and help the OP without snarkiness.