I spent a good deal of time for 30 or so years, driving on those gravel roads during my career in BLM as a part of my job description. In addition, I spent many miles of play time on those same roads and there is no one right answer as to whether or not you use or don't use 2WD or 4WD because ever road and/or driving condition requires a different solution. You drove those roads as fast as driving conditions and your body and shocks allowed allowed- and everyone and each vehicle i different. I think the rule i remember the most is always think ahead-and be in the right gear for that driving situation -shifting in the middle of a stream or half way through a mud hole is a always bad idea!
I was taught to use 2WD most of the time, shift into my granny gear (when you had one) when you needed to go slow and only use 4WD when it got real bad. It seems to me, one of the rationals behind not using 4WD was gas consumption-use more gas in 4WD. We had yearly safe driving instruction classes and the government thought rather badly of us wrecking their rigs so we learned how to use them the right way, or pay for their repair. Today I drive slower than I used to, but maybe that's retirement and my body telling me to take it easy !
I first learned to drive from my dad and friends ( I grew up at Lake Tahoe and in Northern California) and it was not until I got in the army that I learned to drive the right way-the army way(?) on those gravel and wash board back country roads. I remember when we were on maneuvers at Yuma Proving Grounds in Arizona before our unit was shipped overseas and we had to drive those wash board roads all the time. Well being young and stupid "GI's" we got tired of of all the beating we were taking on the roads, and when the NCO's were not around decided to see if going slow or fast was the best way to drive out there with our jeeps, 3/4 and 21/2 ton trucks and it seemed like you could go faster with the heavier trucks than the lighter ones (jeeps were real bad on those roads)-now what it did to the shocks may have been and other story. Any way you did it, it still were beat you up and I know that that's not much of a test, but it is a start. Anyway, driving out there is a learned process and smart driving is safe driving and safe driving means you might make retirement!
Smoke
Edited by Smokecreek1, 19 June 2018 - 05:04 PM.