[jase338]

i figured i would start up a thread that ask everyone about their rigs. which do yall like 4wd or 2wd, and the pros and cons of both. i now that i am up in the air on which i want to build. so i thought that this thread could help me and others desided. if you all would post the specs of your rides and why you desided on building it, it would be awesome.

 

[bearcreek]

I had a 2wd Dodge 2500 cummins for several years. I went with the 2wd because I thought it would get better fuel mileage. I got sick of it real fast. If you live anywhere where it snows or if you ever go off the pavement, either for work or play, you'll curse the day you bought a 2wd. The truck would get stuck if it thought it saw snow. It would literally not move on packed snow unless it was going downhill. I just bought a 4wd this year and I love it. Will never go back. The mileage is not that much different, if at all. The only downside, I suppose, would be the additional stuff in the drivetrain to go bad, but the advantages far outweigh that small issue.

 

[BobS]

If you have an interstate cruiser then 2WD because it sets lower and usually gets better mileage. If you ever anticipate having to back up even a slight grade on wet grass & you have a heavy Cummins engine then definitely a 4WD.

 

[D'Animal]

What are your plans for your rig?

 

[angler33]

I would definitely lean you towards the 4wd unless it is going to be a true street queen. Even if you don't plan on taking it offroad, if you like to travel and end up in snowy weather you'll wish you had 4wd. It always seems like when you buy a 2wd truck you end up wishing you had 4wd at some point or another. I might be a little biased though because i went from a wrangler to a 2wd ranger and can't wait till i finish school and can afford a 4wd fullsize.

 

[papitt]

2 vs 4

Well I'M with out a 4wheel drive at the moment and it's about to kill me...
..I live in the country I have a 150 ac farm and I have others leased ..I just got 120 more that joins me ..I opened the gate and let my cows in there today only problem is it hasn't had an animal on it for the past 10 years ..It is so thick and rough I have no way of checking on my cows ..Except on foot ...I've got to find a buddy..
...My 2000 2500 diesel truck I've taken it across the creek several times when it was just a little wet and had to leave it across the creek and walk to the house ...Man that suck when your chevy driving son comes over ..He sure gives me hell...
....I hope this 4BT in my 72 Bronco is not so heavy it won't climb out of the creek ..That has been one thing I've worried about ..

 

[Mikel]

The way I see it, a 4BT-powered truck is going to be relatively tall, heavy and unaerodynamic. So might as well have a powered front axle and make the truck much more verstatile.

 

[JimmieD]

I think it definitely depends on the truck & how it's set up.

I currently have a '90 Dodge W-350 Ram with auto trans and nice tires. It will literally go anywhere I want to go with the many choices available: Hi-2, Hi-4, Lo-4. It gets good mileage for a truck of its size though the TBI gasser 360 isn't my 1st choice!

My '67 Dodge D-300 [upgrade from D-100] Town Wagon with a clutch type Limited Slip rear & manual trans would go ANYWHERE I wanted to go, WITH THE RIGHT TIRES & GEARS!

I run lake beds, prospecting in the deserts, off road in the mountains & all the rest with 2WD and get incredible mileage thanks to the 4BT.

I know many, many ranchers that have used 2WD posi or limited slip for years & years as their only field trucks, with no complaints. You have to use a different driving style and the tires & gears are what it's all about. You run in more aggressive and keep your momentum up and just like 4 wheeling, you pick the best route.

I pulled out several stuck 4 wheelers with my 2WD Dodge, loved every minute of it. Or better yet, drive on by, wave and toot the horn, come back in a while and pull them out hah!

That said, with Cummins fuel mileage and IF YOU DO REGULAR MAINTENANCE a 4WD offers capabilities impossible with 2WD.

You just add 20% to overall maintenance costs and get on down the road. With a gasser it costs about 2 miles per gallon for 4WD, I see similar for diesel.

 

[jase338]

i'm thinking of building a 70s f150 4x4 or maybe a f250 4x4. i live in small town call emmett about 35 mile away from boise idaho, we are in the high desert around about 2100ft, but foot hills are only 1/2 mile from my house and national forest is about 35 40 miles away. so there are alot of place to go camping back packing and playing with a 4x4, besides for work. i know what maintenance is, we own a an 89 peterbilt and a 40' 20' flatbed setup and run our own trucking company so i have been all over maintenance. i also have a 68 c10 2wd set out in our pasture that i was thinking about building. thatnks for all the post.

 

[Fiddleback]

My 79 is a 4x4. That being said, I haven't need the 4x4 is over 4 years. I would not have a truck without 4x4, or plans to add the front axle. I need to get that 4x4 working this summer.....

That being said, I don't go where I shouldn't and I have great tires.

I lived over the mountians from you in Wyoming. If I lived back there I would only have a 4x4. I have seen 2x4 with detroits/lockers go many places, but having your steering axle have it's own power helps greatly.

As long as you keep no lift on a 4x4, with a 4bt you might only loose a 1mpg or so.

I'm getting over 19 with my lift, gearing and no OD trans....

 

[carcrafter22]

I went with a 2wd because my truck is a street cruiser and will never see off road besides the occasional dirt road with large potholes. This is just a play vehicle that I love to drive and will drive 75% of the time very soon while my chevy 3/4 ton sits. I like the simplicity of the 2wd and the fact that it sits lower for better aerodynamics and cool factor not to mention less driveline mess.

That being said my 06 chevy diesel truck is 4wd and I wouldnt have it any other way. My chevy is the first 4wd I have ever had and it wont be the last. I love my 4wd, I have needed it many many times while traveling to wyoming, louisiana, oklahoma, colorado etc and even at a few boat ramps here in Tx. If I never traveled the country and actually used my 4wd often and only drove locally here where I live then I would have a 2wd since a 4wd would just be for looks and never get used.


I think you really need to look at where you live and what your gonna do with the truck. I know lots of people that buy 4wd just to say they have 4wd and yet they never use it, I wouldnt have 4wd unless I know I would need it on a regular basis.

 

[averagef250]

I've mostly daily driven 70's Ford 4x4 trucks and a few 90's ones. I prefer 4wd for an all around use vehicle, especially if it's my only vehicle. My father's made his entire 65 years without driving a 4x4 sans one of mine for short distances, but he's never had the desire to do some of the things that I do on a regular basis like tow 25K out of a muddy field.

I was driving from Portland to Seattle weekly several years back and the lifted big block 4x4 at 12MPG best was a bit much to handle when I wasn't towing anything. I was given a 1970 F100 2wd minus engine and bought a 90's EFI 300 truck for a couple hundred bucks. I swapped in the six W/efi and drove the wheels off that truck. It had E rated skinny 31" tires on it, the bulletproof twin I beam front end that I upgraded to discs and a fairly rare 3.50 ratio 31 spline big bearing trac-lok 9 inch in the rear. That little pickup got phenominal mileage, it could get 23 MPG or a smidge more on a nice day at 65 MPH and ran like a swiss watch. I got quite used to driving the truck and used it for occasional towing under 5K and took it camping and a few road trips. I have to say I am still amazed how well that truck did in snow and going places I would not have expected a 2wd to be capable of.

I don't have a real answer why that F100 did as well as it did where other 2wd trucks I've had would get stuck in a mud puddle, but tall skinny tires, rear limited slip and weighing under 4K probably had a lot to do with it.

I would also go as far as to say if you were considering a 2wd work truck I do not think you can best twin-I-beam front suspension for ride quality with durability.

 

[Clayslayer]

My 77 F-150 is a 4x4. I have 32" tall BFG's on it with good tread and a new limited slip in the rear end.

With the posi it'll go damned near anywhere in two wheel drive but when I switch it into four wheel drive it'll go places that a pickup wasn't designed to go. It really gets around good in mud and snow.

Though I rarely need it the option to go to four wheel drive is definately worth it. I wouldn't give it up.

 

[jase338]

is there alot of fuel mileage difference between a 1/2 ton 4x4 and a 3/4 ton 4x4? what i mean by alot is it worth building a 1/2 ton for better mileage and not have a truck that you can go out a hook up to flatbed load it down with steel or hay or firewood or tractors? what i wanting to build is 70s ford 4x4 f150 or f250 with a probably 5 spd , and 33-35" tires but narrow tires, air to air on the motor. what i am looking for is a truck that can haul, pull, hunting for gold and camping and get a nice high average like averagef250 is getting out of his truck. thanks for a the posts i will hopefully get to start doing my truck in a month or two. jason

 

[DieselSchlepper]

If yourin snow country a 4wd will bring a lot more money for resale at least where I grew up.

 

[JimmieD]

I'd say you can figure maybe 1/2 to 1 mile per gallon difference at most between 1/2 ton & 3/4 ton 4WD.

I wouldn't build a 1/2 ton diesel rig, pretty much counter productive. A 4BT isn't that big but it certainly has plenty of torque to mangle light weight components. I would say if you going to do it, DO IT and build a 3/4 ton to 1 ton truck. Lots more truck, very slight mileage handicap, far more long term reliability and much greater resale value.

 

[jase338]

finally sold my chevy luv

i finally sold my chevy luv, so i'm gettting started on finding parts. i'm thinking on building the 4x4 for a good work truck and all around truck. me and my dad are going to make a 72 kenworth two axle that has 400 cummins and 13 speed tranny into a super pickup that if we want to haul or pull something that the pickup can't and we don't want to use the peterbilt with the 40 foot trailer, we can just hook up and go. thanks all. jason