2WD Recommendations

[CrabbyMcNab]

With hunting season and snow coming, anybody got any recommendations for a poor fool who bought a 2WD truck? I have an 08 Titan and don't have the money to upgrade to a 4WD right now. I know a little more aggressive tires can help and chains for the heavy snow. I hate being standed with a Silver Sled in the drive way. The truck has limited slip but was leaning towards a locker if possible. Might help a little more. Since the truck is paid for and in excellent condition with low miles, I keep telling the wife that we need something in 4WD for our excertions we're planning. No Go.

Just a thought.

 

[WeaponsCollector]

Load down the bed with bags of sand or cat litter and have a good shovel or two. The sand/cat litter will help provide traction in two ways by adding weight and you could throw some of it down under the tires for better traction if you do get stuck.

 

[lx1x]

Load down the bed with bags of sand or cat litter and have a good shovel or two. The sand/cat litter will help provide traction in two ways by adding weight and you could throw some of it down under the tires for better traction if you do get stuck.

^^

i have 4 wheel drive.. only used it couple of times last year (didnt go places when the road wasnt cleared from the winter storm.. not coz of the snow but other ppl that doesnt know how to drive on it).

just really depends on your driving skills and good tires..

 

[MikeTF]

I had a sports car that I would put snow/ice tires on and it would do an outstanding job in the snow. My only challenge was wheel clearance.

 

[racinghoss]

Get a 50 gal drum and cut it in half. Fill one half with sand and the other with gravel. It will weigh your bed down for better traction and will provide you with a means of added traction when needed (dont forget a shovel - which you should always have with you anyway).

That, and a winch.

 

[hvymax]

You don't want a locker in the snow all you will do is spin. The first time I took my 4x4 in the snow after installing lockers it slid off the road into a ditch.(Where I had plenty of traction to get up the hill) Chains and some weight should take you anywhere you have any business trying to go. Of course if 3-4' of mud are your idea of fun nothing but lockers will do. There seem to be plenty of selectable lockers out there so you can have the best of both worlds.

 

[ThumperIII]

A cheap winch. Don't need a real expensive winch if it's not for deep off-road conditions. A good winch will probably pull less current due to better design and last many uses, but a harborfreight winch will get you unstuck a few times. Add a block to double up the line pull and a few long straps for added reach.
If you weight load (for traction) is not something soft -and even sandbags can be hard if frozen - really secure the load adequately from forward movement in event of a sudden stop. Weight at the far rear would give the best traction assist but will also lighten the front so you easily loose steerage. Locate weight at a mid point and shift it to rear only when extra over/behind the axle is needed. (Don't want to get stuck when you are already at your maximum traction, so hold that last bit in reserve). About 300 lbs should be more than enough and not cut too deep into the gas mileage.
A taller tire can help a small bit. Has less climb to get out of a rut or push thru snow. Don't go too wide. A larger contact patch will reduce your ground pressure and reduce traction. Use a real truck tire, not a heavy duty passenger car tire. Maryland seldom has conditions where a true snowtire has any advantage over an aggressive all season. Wrangler silent-armor has a good mix of traction wet/dry/icy/mud&snow.
Really, not getting stuck gets down to driving technique and judgment.

Add a good jack, in case you need to put on chains in some deep snow. A couple cheap runner rugs can help out. To lay on or as traction assist. Keep your winter break-down emergency food/blanket kit supplied.

 

[damifinowfish]

I drove a 2x4 for years hunting and fishing. Sand is your best freind for added traction when your slipping on a slippery surface. Keep it dry or it gets wet and freezes in the cold.

I would suggest two long 1/2 inch plywood strips. Just cut them wider then your tires in case you get stuck in mud. They are light and cheap.

I do have 4x4s but my daily driver truck is a 2x4 just because its cheaper all the way around.

Damifinow Fish

 

[alucard0822]

I've been rocking my 2wd Ranger Edge through snow, mud, and most everything else. I have had Winterforce snow tires on it for the last few years and 50,000, they help immensely in the rain, and can take it through more than any all season or all terran tire I had before. In the snow, I load the bed of the truck with 4X8X16" cinderblocks that add up to about 500lbs, it makes it through most anything on the road that my previous 4X4s could, add a set of chains on the back, and it is unstoppable. During the blizzard, I drove around with the blocks and chains, plowed right through a foot of snow and 2' drifts, and made it up and down some pretty terrifying hills around here. A 4X4 with weight and chains obviously would do better, but chains and blocks have been more than sufficient for anything I have needed to drive through.

 

[joemac]

The limited slip if you do in fact have one will get you through most roadways and mild offroading. I have had good experience with around 100-200 lbs or so in the bed. Just enough to give it a little squat but not over do it. I had a little ram 50 with a limited slip and that thing would go through anything. Snow, through the woods or whatever. Probably wouldn't take deep mud though. I am planning to put a trac lok differential in my ranger for this winter season. 99% of people would do fine with a limited slip for the other 1% that's what 4x4 is for. JMO.

Also a full time locker is going to make one of your wheels drag while turning because each wheel is turning at a different speed and the locker doesn't allow it to do this. This is what a differential allows.

 

[Cannon]

Be careful with cinderblocks and other heavy objects in the bed of your truck, if you get into a collision they fly straight into the back window.

 

[K31]

New wife.

 

[Biggfoot44]

Some wt helps, but it doesn't take much, and too much does bad things also . In an F100 I used 150 lbs ( running 11-15 all terians ) ( for the younger generation that was a bias tire halfway between a 31-10.50 and a 32-11.50) . That setup was boring in that I couldn't get the rear end to slide around when I was trying to practice bootleg turns on purpose. Even with open diff would get through anything until the snow was deeper than the frame.

The biggest difference in using a 2wd is that you need to pay attention and understand picking your line, vehicle momentum, and steering with your right foot to go through the same conditions that a 4wd can do while being clueless.

A 2 wd with decent tires can negoate snow better than a 4wd with all seasons .

 

[mbz300sdl]

The limited slip if you do in fact have one will get you through most roadways and mild offroading. I have had good experience with around 100-200 lbs or so in the bed. Just enough to give it a little squat but not over do it. I had a little ram 50 with a limited slip and that thing would go through anything. Snow, through the woods or whatever. Probably wouldn't take deep mud though. I am planning to put a trac lok differential in my ranger for this winter season. 99% of people would do fine with a limited slip for the other 1% that's what 4x4 is for. JMO.

I'm a 1%'er. but I do enjoy seeing how far my skills can get me before I need the help of 4wd.

I never had a to rely on rwd in the snow but what may be a good idea for weight if you have a water softener is the rocksalt for it. That way when winter is over you can just use it and not have to worry about finding a place to put it until next year.

 

[Todd v.]

No need for a locker... What I used to do before I joined the world of 4 wheel drive was, I'd shovel the back of the truck full of snow when it snowed from the driveway. This way you arent' hauling around a bunch of weight when you don't need it and it melts away with the rest of the snow.

The key to snow is pounds per square inch and enough ground clearance. Big tires don't help and in most cases hinder your capabilities. Skinnies with good tread are king so they can put a lot of pressure down to where the traction is.

 

[Mikeyworks]

When I had my '91 Ranger, I had terrible traction issues when there was a forecast of rain. I went to a local metal fab shop and asked them if I could dig through their dumpster. The owner asked me why and I told him I wanted to bolt some extra plates to the rear of my truck's frame to add some weight. He recommended I get some old dumbell weights or some lead blocks and bolt those to the frame. For $25 I had him hang 100 lbs of weights on the rear frame of my truck, just inside of the rear bumper. IT DID WONDERS!!!!

 

[joemac]

No need for a locker... What I used to do before I joined the world of 4 wheel drive was, I'd shovel the back of the truck full of snow when it snowed from the driveway. This way you arent' hauling around a bunch of weight when you don't need it and it melts away with the rest of the snow.

The key to snow is pounds per square inch and enough ground clearance. Big tires don't help and in most cases hinder your capabilities. Skinnies with good tread are king so they can put a lot of pressure down to where the traction is.

I'd be leery of that much weight, I believe a bed full of snow is heavier than you think.

When I had my '91 Ranger, I had terrible traction issues when there was a forecast of rain. I went to a local metal fab shop and asked them if I could dig through their dumpster. The owner asked me why and I told him I wanted to bolt some extra plates to the rear of my truck's frame to add some weight. He recommended I get some old dumbell weights or some lead blocks and bolt those to the frame. For $25 I had him hang 100 lbs of weights on the rear frame of my truck, just inside of the rear bumper. IT DID WONDERS!!!!

I believe the general rule of thumb is 100lb is equal to 1mpg. Not a trade I'm willing to take for a slight tradeoff in traction. There are much better alternatives although a little more expensive but I bet not when you figure in the fuel savings. I'd go with a traction lok and slide a link traction bars if you are really serious.

 

[Dead Eye]

Additional weight, chains, and take your time. If you get stuck, you shouldn't have been out driving in it. That's how the truckers do it. They shift there sliding trailer axles to put more weight on the drive axle, and run chains on the drive axle. They go all over.

 

[Treeguy]

An outdoorsman has no buisness owning a 2wd...i would not do 3/4 of what i do if i had no
4wd...if you can't do it i would stay on flat ground and not risk it much, a bit of snow on grass can stop a 2wd dead...a bit of mud and a hill and your done...nope 2wd is just meant for dry pavement!

 

[Treeguy]

Additional weight, chains, and take your time. If you get stuck, you shouldn't have been out driving in it. That's how the truckers do it. They shift there sliding trailer axles to put more weight on the drive axle, and run chains on the drive axle. They go all over.

Buddy a 18 wheel truck weighs alot more then a 2wd pickup, weight is a good friend to have often in bads spots with 2wd..

The weight bites in but a 2wd pickup does not have the weight to help you hence the wieght add in the back but even that is not the same..

I get stuck all the time in fields with 2wd in my f350 and if i had no 4wd i would be camping out often in the backseat I test it often being in the tree buisness. Wet muddy fields are bad, snow on grass is a joke!!