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  1. #11
    New Member
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    Montana
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    I hope you’re not considering replacing your 2-wheel drive van. A much less expensive solution would be to replace the street tires with more aggressive mud/snow tires and throw some chains in “just in case”. More road noise but far cheaper solution and with some weight over the drive axle, will work 99% of the time. I wouldn’t recommend this if driving in MT mid-winter (except with chains), but there are lots of people who do it!

  2. #12
    Will Not Be Dictated To
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    Quote Originally Posted by Calnca View Post
    Needing 4X4 is like needing a gun......when you need it, only IT will do, everything else comes in second place.
    That and the fact that a 4X4 truck will sell more easily and for more that its 2WD cousin at trade in/selling time. But of course it costs more up front.
    I left the Forum due to dictatorial administration

  3. #13
    Setting Up Camp north channel novels's Avatar
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    Sep 2020
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    North shore of Lake Huron in Ontario
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sail96 View Post
    Hi all, we hope to go out west sometime this year and I was wondering about the need of 4 wheel drive as a general need to pull off the road for a night or 2 while boondocking and maybe state and BLM lands. I know I won’t be able to pull up on the sand at beaches but not familiar with road conditions out west. We will have a Chevy 3500 express van with posi traction. Thanks, Glenn
    We've towed three different 5th wheels ... all 27 to 28 feet with three different two wheel drive diesel Rams. With the 900 pound engine, the trucks are heavy on the front end and when I'm not towing, that's when I cross my fingers going over soft ground. With the trailers in tow, there's plenty of weight over the drive wheels to assure traction. We crept into one pretty questionable "road" to a beautiful BLM site in Utah and never had a problem.

    BUT on one occasion in Nova Scotia, both truck and trailer dropped four inches through wet sod, all at the same time, into greasy subsoil that clogged the tire treads. Having worked my career in the bush with 4X4s I know that even if I'd had a 4X4 I would still have needed a tow. The most embarrassing thing about that event was that we got pulled back to firm ground by a Chevy!
    Last edited by north channel novels; 03-04-2021 at 05:26 PM. Reason: Improved grammar and completed a thought.
    2000 Jayco Eagle 243RKS 1992 Dodge 250 5.9 Cummins (retired)
    2013 Puma 253FBS 2003 Ram 2500 5.9 Cummins (Moved on)
    2018 Reflection 230RL 2015 Ram 2500 6.7 Cummins (Current)

  4. #14
    Seasoned Camper
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    Mar 2020
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    Near Sacramento, CA
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    This couple are full times and pull their trailer with a 4x2 and boondock 95+% of the time. Sometimes way off the beaten path, usually on BLM land and getting there on unpaved roads. They have been doing it for four years.
    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChO...SZdoIQ68tsTgBw

    Having said that I have a 4x4 truck.
    2021 Imagine XLS 17MKE
    2020 F150 XLT V6 EcoBoost SuperCrew 4x4 w/Max trailer towing package

  5. #15
    Site Sponsor
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    I've been towing in the PNW for the last 10+ years. Started with 2wd then had several 4wd trucks. I now have a 2019 2wd 3500 CTD SRW. In those 10+ years I've probably used 4wd 2-3 times max. No need for it on dry pavement. 99% of all the CG's (RV parks, St parks and FS) are relatively flat.
    I would never tow in the snow and we don't tow down road that need 4wd.
    I also don't have the maintenance of the front diff.

    I can't imagine the CG's outside of the PNW being any different in terms of conditions. There's always going to be that CG with that spot where 4wd might help. But in my 10+ years I've only been in that situation a couple times.

    FWIW I also have a CCL and have never even come close to needing it.

  6. #16
    Seasoned Camper Calnca's Avatar
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    Dec 2018
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    Bella Vista, AR
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    Well Duck, you should have been here in NW Arkansas a couple of weeks ago. We needed 4X4 just to get to the store and Tractor Supply for Propane. With 1/2" of ice covered with 8" of snow the safety factor was well worth the upfront cost.
    Cal, Marsha and Bear the Labradoodle
    2019 F350 Platinum DRW, 6.7 PSD, 4:10, Firestone Airbags
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  7. #17
    Site Sponsor
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    Quote Originally Posted by Calnca View Post
    Well Duck, you should have been here in NW Arkansas a couple of weeks ago. We needed 4X4 just to get to the store and Tractor Supply for Propane. With 1/2" of ice covered with 8" of snow the safety factor was well worth the upfront cost.
    I guess if you're full timing and always driving your truck in who knows what state then 4wd would be smart. If you live where it barely snows and when it does it only lasts a day or two or you're retired and don't need to go to work then 4wd is a waste.
    YMMV.

  8. #18
    Seasoned Camper
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    Mar 2020
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    Glorious Upstate NY
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    Get four wheel drive not just for the snow and mountains and beaches.

    Get it because you also want to make sure you can get into and out of campsites and other areas that can be just a few feet off the pavement! I've had to pull off the road a few times onto greasy, wet, muddy soil to get around construction and accidents. And many beautiful campgrounds have unpaved sites. There are National, State and local parks with unpaved dirt sites that turn muddy at a drop of rain. We were outside Great Bend National Park two years ago and watched the entire campground turn to mud for a day after a rare thunderstorm. Only 4wd tow vehicles moved that day. If you go to a local winery near us they have only grass sites. The dry grass turns wet with any rain, and only 4wds will move for a day.

    Then there are the tons of places that have loose and/or wet sand, stone, and inclines. We went to Chaco Canyon last year. It's not really that remote, but the last 20 miles are unpaved dirt roads with loose gravel, dust, ruts, washboard with washouts thru dry stream beds. It will take you over an hour in dry weather. But it's impassible in a 2wd if it rains as those dry stream beds turn wet.

    Get four wheel drive. Only a 4wd allows you to confidently access the best camping country that isn't on a paved or well graded road.
    Doug, Patti and our puppy Leo are from upstate NY.
    Imagine 2019 XLS 18RBE
    2021 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel

  9. #19
    Site Sponsor jsm180's Avatar
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    4 low comes in handy climbing leveling blocks.
    2003 Ford F250 6.0 CC 4wd SB
    2016 Reflection 27RL
    1999 Keystone Sprinter 27FWBHGL (SOLD)

  10. #20
    Seasoned Camper
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    2wd is for passenger sedans and CUVs. Truck needs 4wd. 2wd truck is like buying a swiss army knife but not including the scissors, tweezers, or toothpick.
    Matt, Irene, and Ruby (our Golden Retriever)
    2022 Imagine 2600RB with ProPride 3P
    2024 Silverado 2500 LTZ Gasser (3500 payload)

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