Should I get 4X4 or 4X2?

[JohnDar]

You'll have to see how much the truck squats. You can adjust the pin height as well as the hitch height.

I have a Pace Edwards roll top cover. An extra inch is not needed. More like a 1/4 inch.

I have a soft Laredo cover on my truck, rolls up when towing. With the hitch in place, I use a bungee to hold the release lever down and the cover goes right over it. No bungee, and the handle sticks up enough to know it's there. One thing to watch with bed covers is the side rails if you have the plastic fairing on the pin box. In sharp turns, it may contact the rails. There is some flex to the plastic and a couple of inches before it would actually compress against the pin box. Not sure which will give first, the plastic or the aluminum panel of the rail.

 

[HowardBJr]

... Look into a Retrax system (http://www.rolltopcover.com) like we have for the bed cover. It's a hard, but flexible, acrylic cover that literally rolls up into a storage compartment at the front of the bed, in front of the hitch. We love ours and it is lockable at any point along it's path as it rolls up. They make one for use with 5th wheel hitches, so you have to be specific when you order it. I think the suggested "MSRP' is around $1300, but we got ours for over half that by including it in the truck deal.

Gus

Gus, I got a good look at your bed cover at the VA Spring Rally and really like it. That one is high on our list.

Thanks for your input.

Howard

 

[HowardBJr]

4x4 all the way. We tow with a 2000 F-350 crew cab deisel with manual locking hubs.
It's nice to have 4x4 when you need it. The manual hubs also help with fuel mileage.

Good Luck, Mike Walker

Does anyone know if Dodge offers manual hubs as an option? Perhaps we should go ahead and bite the bullet and get the 4X4 with manual hubs and be done with it. We did that with the decision to get a long bed dully. We REALLY like the short bed single rear wheel trucks better however after reading lots of posts on the subject we decided to get the long bed dully and not have to worry about it handling the Augusta.

Thanks for your help.

Howard

 

[CrazyScotsman]

I had never owned a 4 x 4 untill I bought my pickup ( first pickup I have owned ) I never used to think I needed 4 wheel drive, but it sure made a difference last winter, don't think I would ever go without having 4x4 again.
I have the Roll N Lock bed cover on mine, it's great, just roll it back a bit when hitched up, then when not hitched I put a block of wood under hitch and close the cover. As Tony Tiger would say, " Theeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeee Great

 

[HowardBJr]

Howard,

In my experience, the 4x2 is going to give your wife a more comfortable ride.

4x4 is nice to have but you the ride difference may be worth the trade-off. I towed for 3 years with my 4x2 and loved it. It is true though - little traction with a dually 4x2 on wet grass or snow.

My current TV is a 4x4 as it was the last 2007 chassis cab on the lot and the incentives were great on it.

Jim

Jim, one of new features of the 2010 Dodge 3500 is some type of new ride system that attaches the back of the cab to the frame of the truck (I think it's hydraulic but I’m not sure) that should improve the quality of the ride. I also want to get an air ride hitch of some type. I’ve still got to do more home work to lock in on which one to get. Perhaps an air ride hitch can make up for deterioration in the ride quality from going with a 4X4.

Howard

 

[sferreira]

Hello Howard, One thing to consider is that 4X4 don't necessary cost more in fuel then 2X4. You always tow in 2X4 and only use 4X4 to pull out or in of something. The added weight is not significant on the long run and the few pounds you save by not having 4X4 doesn't change much on the GVWR. Especially as you remove weight from the front axles. S.

 

[HowardBJr]

I had never owned a 4 x 4 untill I bought my pickup ( first pickup I have owned ) I never used to think I needed 4 wheel drive, but it sure made a difference last winter, don't think I would ever go without having 4x4 again. ...

Ken, we’ve never had a 4X4 either and all but one of our cars have had rear wheel drive. I have a daily driver with front wheel drive and don’t find it any easier to drive in the snow than our rear wheel drive cars with the exception of our Viper. We’ve never had any real problems where we needed a 4X4. It seems in Virginia the fellows that have the biggest problem are the 4X4s that go flying past you in a snow storm. You often pass them about a mile ahead and off the road being pulled out by a tow truck.

Howard

P. S. We have a little Yorkie named Rosie that would like to meet Lucky and Tinker when we hit the road.

 

[Peteandsharon]

I'll be putting my second Retrax roll top cover on this Friday. I love it. Don't know anything about a special one for 5th wheel hitches though. That shouldn't be an issue since you roll it back when you are hooked up and roll it up otherwise. Mine is the manual cover and I can get that for $950 installed. I'm getting that and a Line-X spray in bed liner for $1300 so it's pretty cost effective.

 

[TXBobcat]

Hello Howard..
I have a 2006 F250, 4x4, 4 door crewcab, long bed.
My Gas mileage normally runs,
19-21 Hwy no trailer
14-18 intown no trailer
10.5 - 12 Highway pulling BH 3400

I was in Rockport TX around spring break. We took the truck out on the beach (there were lots of cars and trucks there. Had a road graded). At one point we got to the eand of the path for everyone to drive on and had to turn around. The truck is so long it could not turn in the area they provided. We got off into some soft sand.. Had it not been for the 4wd I would have had to be pulled out.

When parking my trailer in a site at Rockport the gravel road around the park was narrow and my front wheels went off into the sand and bogged down. Without the 4wd I would not have been able to continue backing into my site.

I think my mileage is good as any and weight does not make that much difference over all and I would still have the 4wd if I got another truck. My
4WD is controled by a switch (2WD 4WD Llow, 4WD High). I can go and manually change the hubs but I don't.

BC

 

[CrazyScotsman]

[.

Howard

P. S. We have a little Yorkie named Rosie that would like to meet Lucky and Tinker when we hit the road. [/quote]

We think Lucky has A.D.D. he is the most loving dog I have ever had, all 6 lbs of him, but you cannot get him to do a thing you want . He just wants to be held . He is dominated by Tinker she is about 11 lbs and 2 months younger. Lucky almost died when he was a pup, with his first set of shots, hence the name Lucky. He is lucky to be alive.

 

[jbeletti]

Yorkies! This thread has gone off-topic But I love Yorkies. Got 2 of them

 

[HowardBJr]

Yorkies! This thread has gone off-topic But I love Yorkies. Got 2 of them

Jim, we’ve been working to narrow down our short list of 5ers to purchase for several months. Our little Rosie (she’s 5 pounds) is driving us towards the purchase of a RV so that we can more easily travel with her. We don’t like leaving her behind. If we had only known you had TWO Yorkies we would have moved the two Heartland 5ers (Augusta and Bighorn 3670RL) to the top of our list without having to do all the research. It looks like Heartland has endorsed Yorkies. You could have sure saved us a lot of time if we’d known this earlier.

Everyone’s input on the 4X4 vs. 4X2 issue had been VERY helpful. I’m now strongly leaning towards getting a 4X4 instead of a 4X2. I think we’ll make a visit to our Dodge dealer to see how hard it will be for Kathy to get in and out of the 4X4 due to the extra couple of inches of ride height. We are going to get step up bars to make it easier for her to get into the cab so it may not be a major problem.

Thanks for the input.

Howard

 

[trdeal]

We towed our Landmark for a couple of years with a 2wd Ford F350.Never had a problem. But when I got stuck in my front yard (truck only)that was the last straw.Went that week and bought a Ford 4x4.Was in a spot last season with wet grass,needed to drive the Landmark up on leveling blocks,truck started spinning. So I put it in 4x4 and that is all it took. Would not be without a 4x4 now. The ride is a rough when towing empty but I love my truck.My wife will even drive this one and that is saying alot. I don't know about the Dodge but my Ford has the stepbars and a grab handle on the inside to help get in the truck.You will enjoy the 4x4 if you go that route.

 

[jbeletti]

It looks like Heartland has endorsed Yorkies. You could have sure saved us a lot of time if we’d known this earlier.

I like it!

I with remember the 2005 Dodges, the 4x4 was fully 4" taller. I was recently in TerryH's new GMC 4x4 and to me, it seemed pretty low and has a decent ride. I think trying them all at the dealership is a great idea.

Jim

 

[JohnDar]

Better to have 4x4 and not need it than to need it and find you're in a no cell phone service area.

 

[DougLynne]

I'm on my 2nd 4X2 and it will be the last, the next will be a 4X4. I never had a problem with my first truck and drove in snow etc.. This truck, I've been stuck 3 or 4 times. The resale is a real killer as well. I had a heck of time selling my first truck and took a beating on the price. Go for the 4X4..../Doug

 

[Peteandsharon]

I've towed with four trucks and all have been 4X2's. Only a handful of times in all those years that I wished I had 4 wheel drive. Having said that, the biggest issue is the resale value. You do take a beating on the 4X2 because more people think they need 4X4. When I had my big problems recently with my new 2008 4X2 the dealer was very open about the fact that they had considered buying it back from me but they would have a hard time moving a 4X2 in their market. But for my purposes I don't need the added weight, added maintenance, added cost and one more thing that could go wrong.

 

[Uncle Rog]

I will go along with the general consensous that if you are pulling a rig as large as any of the HL products the 4x4 is the only way to go. As far as the ride is concerned when I air up the rears and hook up the horn the truck rides like a caddy, when not towing I air the rears down to 65#'s, makes a big difference in the ride...........

 

[Jim & Harriet]

hi howard,
we also have the 4x4. worked great getting us out of a very muddy camping space in tennessee after it had been raining for three days!
hope to see you all at the fall beach rally.
jim

 

[tmcran]

Boy glad I have 4x4!!! Been in the rain on two week trip to southeast. Tex,Tenn,Virginina, NC. Frist night got in heavy rain in Texarkana. The site had rock base but the rain let it sink in the mud. Had to have 4x4 to back up to hook and 4x4 to get out. Next night in Ark mud everywhere. 4x4 needed again to get off wet grass. In Tenn. Same problem ground very saturated. Had to help other RV,er pull his RV and TV out of site. Have had 4x4's for over 20 years and willl never get another 2 wheeler. MHO.