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How much snow should be on ground before using 4x4

AustinL911

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90% of it is how you drive. I've been DDing my '07 Colorado Xtreme (quite possibly the worst vehicle ever made for snow) in Central Ohio since I bought it 13 years ago. Granted, it's Central Ohio, so we don't exactly get yearly blizzards or anything, but, I make it everywhere just fine.

Don't drive like an imbecile. Anticipate your stops. Plan ahead; got a hill coming? Get some speed up before you get there. Throw some weight in the bed. No cruise control. No abrupt changes.

I probably won't know how to handle myself when my Gladiator gets here.
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While we're talking traction, traction control is not your friend when trying to get unstuck.
 

Capt.Grumps1075

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That ain't no easy job. I've watched programs about the men of steel and guts that run those things.
After 26 years in the industry and 15 years as a captain. I can tell you its not always sunshine and roses lol
 

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Well I've probably drove over the bridge as you was going under it at Decatur and if it was a few summer's back you might have passed me on the pontoon boat. :like: dang I need to get it out more. I looked at it many times this year and thought about that. Too late for this year I think... In the 20s this morning
If its an old Hagman boat it may have been. I love it when TVA is making electricity at Wheeler lock coming down it shoots you down river at Florence like a bullet when you come out the cut into the river lol 😆. FUN TIMES!!!
 

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If its an old Hagman boat it may have been. I love it when TVA is making electricity at Wheeler lock coming down it shoots you down river at Florence like a bullet when you come out the cut into the river lol 😆. FUN TIMES!!!
I've seen a few interesting things on that river. One morning I got off work was out watching the river seen a tree go past me then about 15 minutes later the same tree drifted past going the other direction. Just from them opening and closing different dams.
 

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What is a good amount of weight to put in the bed to help with slipping and sliding?
 

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You can also add weight in the bed to improve traction in two-wheel drive. You'll have more fun in two-wheel drive, but it will also be good to practice in two-wheel drive to see how the vehicle handles.
what is a good amount of weight to put in the bed to help with not slipping and sliding?
 

FloridaMan655321

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what is a good amount of weight to put in the bed to help with not slipping and sliding?
In Minnesota a lot of places sold these 'tubes' of sand. I would generally get 2 and place them over the rear wheels. Obviously more is better for traction, but then you are chewing up a lot of mpg and bed space. Also, those were 'small' trucks (s10/ranger), so didn't want to weigh them down too much or throw off the headlight lines
 

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Haven’t been on a slick road yet to try it, but I used to lock the center diff on my Land Rover as soon as the roads got wet. Probably the equivalent of 4H in a part time system (my Disco was AWD but had a bad habit of swapping ends when slippery - locking the axles together for a 50/50 split solved it). As long as there’s enough slip to keep from binding, I’d say use it!
 

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Please remember the going is not the hard part folks, the stopping is. 4WD does not help with that at all. I use 4WD as the front end is heavier and thus allows for more traction when accelerating. Please use care when the roads become snow covered. Far to many of us in Jeeps and 4WD trucks get bad mouthed for driving to fast for road conditions. Northern Virginia is the worst as most people here have never seen snow, let alone drive in it.

Be safe out there folks and Let it Snow, let it Snow, lett it SNOWWWWW!
I always tell my young Sailors, 4wd doesn't mean 4 wheel stop! All it means is all 4 wheels can and will slide when you stomp on the breaks. Keep it slow and keep it controlled. Drive safe!!
 

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I always tell my young Sailors, 4wd doesn't mean 4 wheel stop! All it means is all 4 wheels can and will slide when you stomp on the breaks. Keep it slow and keep it controlled. Drive safe!!
I had a fun experience in the 1980s with my 1984 Eagle wagon - it was one of the transfer cases with the silicon coupling and man would that thing go through nearly anything, all but unstoppable unless the snow was so deep you didn't have the power to plow through..
I pulled into a friend's driveway in town. No real trouble getting there. I noticed a lot of ice in town and the temp was approaching 30 degrees.
As I backed carefully and slowly out of their driveway I noticed that the slightest move on the gas pedal broke the tires loose. I got onto the street and had trouble making the 90 to go straight on the street. Got it stopped finally, and put it in D with my foot still on the brake pedal, assuming I'd let go slowly and carefully - when I felt this funny feeling - I'm not moving, but yeah, I'm moving. The whole car started to slide sideways to the steep ditch on the side of the road. And there was absolutely zip I could do about it. Heck, I hadn't even taken my foot off the brakes. I thought - let up and see if I can at least make it move a bit away from that drop-off. Nope - car kept going straight sideways. Luckily a plow had exposed some gravel along the road and I just hoped it was enough to stop the slide. With inches to spare, the car stopped moving and I drove with the 2 right tires on that gravel best I could, slow and carefully not making sudden moves or changing speed. I got back to snow and was fine after that.

My only ticket with that car was for doing 55 in a 55 on the highway into Clear Lake. Early Sunday am, storm had just ended, roads and highways up there not plowed for the most part, a few were, but only a few. I was zipping along in that Eagle, snow flying up over the fenders and hood - it was easily over bumper deep. No snow pack, no one else had made it into ice, and fresh COLD snow on a flat, straight highway, no problem for that car. The local dealer used them to plow the lot, they were stable and well balanced. I have no idea how he caught me with his patrol car - maybe I had made a path for him and blown enough snow out of his way or something, but he turned in behind me from a side-highway and caught up, pulled me over. I explained I was not speeding, the posted limit was 55.
Didn't matter when they check that "too fast for conditions" box on the form.

I totaled a nice 2003 WJ on snowy roads. I was doing about 45 and a guy in a business van pulled onto the road hardly enough in front of me on a GOOD day with dry pavement. To avoid him I braked as best I could and the FULL TIME 4 wheel drive WJ decided to go sideways and I could never regain control. I could go really easily, but there was simply no way to make it stop - even with working ABS and full-time 4x4 mode.
 

Len

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I had a fun experience in the 1980s with my 1984 Eagle wagon - it was one of the transfer cases with the silicon coupling and man would that thing go through nearly anything, all but unstoppable unless the snow was so deep you didn't have the power to plow through..
I pulled into a friend's driveway in town. No real trouble getting there. I noticed a lot of ice in town and the temp was approaching 30 degrees.
As I backed carefully and slowly out of their driveway I noticed that the slightest move on the gas pedal broke the tires loose. I got onto the street and had trouble making the 90 to go straight on the street. Got it stopped finally, and put it in D with my foot still on the brake pedal, assuming I'd let go slowly and carefully - when I felt this funny feeling - I'm not moving, but yeah, I'm moving. The whole car started to slide sideways to the steep ditch on the side of the road. And there was absolutely zip I could do about it. Heck, I hadn't even taken my foot off the brakes. I thought - let up and see if I can at least make it move a bit away from that drop-off. Nope - car kept going straight sideways. Luckily a plow had exposed some gravel along the road and I just hoped it was enough to stop the slide. With inches to spare, the car stopped moving and I drove with the 2 right tires on that gravel best I could, slow and carefully not making sudden moves or changing speed. I got back to snow and was fine after that.

My only ticket with that car was for doing 55 in a 55 on the highway into Clear Lake. Early Sunday am, storm had just ended, roads and highways up there not plowed for the most part, a few were, but only a few. I was zipping along in that Eagle, snow flying up over the fenders and hood - it was easily over bumper deep. No snow pack, no one else had made it into ice, and fresh COLD snow on a flat, straight highway, no problem for that car. The local dealer used them to plow the lot, they were stable and well balanced. I have no idea how he caught me with his patrol car - maybe I had made a path for him and blown enough snow out of his way or something, but he turned in behind me from a side-highway and caught up, pulled me over. I explained I was not speeding, the posted limit was 55.
Didn't matter when they check that "too fast for conditions" box on the form.

I totaled a nice 2003 WJ on snowy roads. I was doing about 45 and a guy in a business van pulled onto the road hardly enough in front of me on a GOOD day with dry pavement. To avoid him I braked as best I could and the FULL TIME 4 wheel drive WJ decided to go sideways and I could never regain control. I could go really easily, but there was simply no way to make it stop - even with working ABS and full-time 4x4 mode.
Great stories and life lessons...good stuff!
 

johnnyg

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I learned something as well, pretty interesting and thanks for sharing
Agreed. Thanks for sharing. Please also don't forget that low gear is also useful in heavy snow. The engine does the braking vs. the wheels.
 

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what is a good amount of weight to put in the bed to help with not slipping and sliding?
Honestly, since you have 4 wheel drive, just use it when the conditions warrant instead of carrying around the extra weight all the time.
 

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Honestly, since you have 4 wheel drive, just use it when the conditions warrant instead of carrying around the extra weight all the time.
If you lived here you may think differently. The sand is great to help others, and to deal with ice when these light-assed trucks slide all over the place.

Mine fishtailed very badly last winter in a blizzard when we hit a slick patch on I80 going up hill. Yeah, you can slip into 4 wheel drive once you realize there's black ice but the weight helps until then. And also helps keep from having to wear out the shifter going back and forth. There are times when the weight means you don't need to keep shifting.
One year a guy with SAND helped my wife get her car up around an interstate interchange., Was nice he had sand.
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