53 replies to this topic

[Smokecreek1]

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.

[cwdtmmrs]

Smoke, that is one of the best posts I have read on the forum!

cwd

[Andy Douglass]

As a few have said already, I don't use 4x until I need it, or if I want to move the 4x components around a little bit as maintenance. I was taught this by numerous friends that had a lot of wheeling experience. I'm talking about guys who could out wheel most 4xs in their girlfriends' front-wheel drive rice rockets.

[noteven]

06 Dodge 3500 diesel manual trans - the front driveline and diff turns all the time so I often engage front wheel power on loose surface roads especially when lightly loaded or towing to stop rear wheel slip. If all vehicles travelling a gravel road used all wheels drive to stop tire slip warshboard would not form. Once it does start the hopping of powered wheels continues the process. As the tires hop off the road momentarily, the vehicle slows so “fast” drivers add power, spinning more. These folks often “don’t bother” with 4wd as well. Wastes gas one told me.

[Chrish]

I always use 4 wheel drive on loose gravel and dirt due to better control.

I came across a flipped truck once on a gravel\dirt road and encountered the lady driver a mile down the road walking. Gave her a ride to town to the paramedics office. She was kind of out of it and later learned she broke her wrist.

She was in 2 wheel drive at the time and got into a float loss of control until she flipped.

She was lucky as she as managed to stay on the road and avoid the steep drop off.

Imo, safety trumps gas mileage savings.

http://www.roadcover...g-gravel-roads/

Edited by Chrish, 31 July 2018 - 06:57 PM.

[klahanie]

^ Thanks for that, a good reminder to always take care and be aware that accidents can happen at any time.

 

Your post is exactly the sort of experience I was curious about. I think sometimes accidents result from of an accumulation of factors, 2wd vs 4wd might just be that final, critical one...

[ntsqd]

Sounds to me more like the driver ran out of talent. Easy to do, particularly when conditions abruptly change with no warning. I wasn't there, so I've no idea if 4WD would have made a difference in regaining control. When in doubt, slow down.

[Vic Harder]

I was driving with the camper on a gravel road (Smith Dorien in Kananaskis Country, Alberta - highly recommended) last week.  Speed limit is 80 kph.  That's "slow" for some people, stupid fast for others ... depending on talent and vehicle and conditions.

 

And even then it changes fast.  I hit a few bigger potholes in a row, and the truck got very skittish, in 4wd, below speed limit, with a track driving experienced and trained driver.  No accident, but it could have gone very differently.  

 

Be safe out there.

[karsonb]

I was taught that 4WD is to be utilized to get UNstuck. If you have it engaged when getting stuck, usually it is much harder to extracts oneself. There have been rare occasions when 4WD was necessary to proceed with caution on bad surfaces, but not too quickly. It is so easy to get much “stucker” with 4WD engaged all the time when it doesn’t have to be engaged.

[ntsqd]

That is a good RoT, but there are always exceptions.

Silver Cyn Rd. is one that comes immediately to mind. I used 4WD-Lo going down it to keep the vehicle's speed under control. This a graded dirt road. NOT recommended for trucks with campers.

Also used 4-Lo going up the road between Silver Peak and Dyer Valley. Graded county road that is so steep that I used 4-Lo to keep the engine & trans from over-heating.

Same with the road up to Hurricane Ridge in the Carrizo Plain. Too steep to drive something heavy up w/o being in  4-Lo.