Gettin There
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Greetings, I purchased a 2019 3500 6.7 HO Diesel and pulling a 40' 5th wheel RV... is it ok to run 4WD High to help pull most of the time or is it better to use it when you have to?
Ram Heavy Duty Forum
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4wd option....
- Thread starter Gettin There
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If you mean towing down the paved road...then NO.
If you mean while on dirt roads...then yes.
Towing or driving in 4wd on the pavement will bind your truck and make turning a chore.
If you mean while on dirt roads...then yes.
Towing or driving in 4wd on the pavement will bind your truck and make turning a chore.
Gettin There
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Thank you sir.
Lary0071
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Just to make sure that you understand... These are NOT all wheel drive.
You absolutely will destroy drive train components if you apply 4x4 on hard surfaces.
These are "part time" four wheel drive systems, this means not intended for use other than when traction is limited such as snow, mud, loose surfaces and such. Once on firm ground the system is to be turned off again as soon as possible.
A car or SUV (think as examples a Subaru or a Lincoln sedan with AWD) is a "full time" system. These have very specific engineered systems that allow for continual use of all wheel drive on every surface from snow and ice to interstate travel on 90° days.
Should you challenge your truck to act as a full time system or as an all wheel drive system.... you will notice sever binding of the drive line as you attempt to turn, you will notice hopping and lurching as pressure builds and releases from a wheel as the tire is forced to slip/spin, and soon you hear a loud metallic bang sound as one of the driveshafts or the transfer case is destroyed.
The next sound that observe will be the sucking sound applied to your bank account as your money is pulled out and used to fund the non warranty repairs of your drive system.
You absolutely will destroy drive train components if you apply 4x4 on hard surfaces.
These are "part time" four wheel drive systems, this means not intended for use other than when traction is limited such as snow, mud, loose surfaces and such. Once on firm ground the system is to be turned off again as soon as possible.
A car or SUV (think as examples a Subaru or a Lincoln sedan with AWD) is a "full time" system. These have very specific engineered systems that allow for continual use of all wheel drive on every surface from snow and ice to interstate travel on 90° days.
Should you challenge your truck to act as a full time system or as an all wheel drive system.... you will notice sever binding of the drive line as you attempt to turn, you will notice hopping and lurching as pressure builds and releases from a wheel as the tire is forced to slip/spin, and soon you hear a loud metallic bang sound as one of the driveshafts or the transfer case is destroyed.
The next sound that observe will be the sucking sound applied to your bank account as your money is pulled out and used to fund the non warranty repairs of your drive system.
Lary0071
Well-Known Member
What is extreme?
I explained full time 4x4 vs part time so that anyone could understand it clearly.
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Distillusion
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Not extreme at all. Locking 4wd is a very different beast from AWD. In AWD, you've almost got the equivalent of a torque converter to each wheel. The effect is softer, smoother, and is well known. AWD is available on a lot of cars these days...
Locking 4WD means that all your wheels are being forced to turn at the same speed. The problem is most noticeable when you're turning sharper, because the inside and outside front wheels are trying to rotate at the same speed. But they're traveling different distances and therefore moving at different speeds as the truck moves forward. Simple math: your front wheels are *almost* 6' apart. That means that the outside wheel is traveling 6' * π further or about 18 feet further to turn a full circle. It causes the truck tires to skip and the truck to buck around a little as you go through the circle on hard pavement. If you turn a 30' circle with the inside tires, the outside wheels have to travel 20% more distance, or 20% faster, than the inside wheels. If it's a gentle turn on a highway, the effect isn't so bad, but it's still hard on the system. It will cause drivetrain problems, as long as you're doing it on hard pavement. I have seen a locking transaxle destroyed by attempting to drive it a couple of hours on winding hardtop roads. And your warranty doesn't cover that.
On gravel, dirt, snow, sand, or other loose surfaces where the surface of the road allows slippage when the tire are turning too fast or slow, it's not really a problem for the drivetrain. But it can be a problem on your tires, especially on crushed rock. The tires are forced to slip more, and it wears them down more quickly on the rougher surfaces.
Locking 4WD means that all your wheels are being forced to turn at the same speed. The problem is most noticeable when you're turning sharper, because the inside and outside front wheels are trying to rotate at the same speed. But they're traveling different distances and therefore moving at different speeds as the truck moves forward. Simple math: your front wheels are *almost* 6' apart. That means that the outside wheel is traveling 6' * π further or about 18 feet further to turn a full circle. It causes the truck tires to skip and the truck to buck around a little as you go through the circle on hard pavement. If you turn a 30' circle with the inside tires, the outside wheels have to travel 20% more distance, or 20% faster, than the inside wheels. If it's a gentle turn on a highway, the effect isn't so bad, but it's still hard on the system. It will cause drivetrain problems, as long as you're doing it on hard pavement. I have seen a locking transaxle destroyed by attempting to drive it a couple of hours on winding hardtop roads. And your warranty doesn't cover that.
On gravel, dirt, snow, sand, or other loose surfaces where the surface of the road allows slippage when the tire are turning too fast or slow, it's not really a problem for the drivetrain. But it can be a problem on your tires, especially on crushed rock. The tires are forced to slip more, and it wears them down more quickly on the rougher surfaces.
Plum Cra Zy
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I know I'm gonna get hell for this, but it seems to me that a person pulling 20,000 + lbs around the general public with that kind of lack of any common knowledge about how their trucks drivetrain
works concerns me greatly! Sir, please read your owners manual cover to cover, it explains some of what you need to know about towing and when to use 4x4 high and lo. Maybe search for videos
on the subject.
works concerns me greatly! Sir, please read your owners manual cover to cover, it explains some of what you need to know about towing and when to use 4x4 high and lo. Maybe search for videos
on the subject.
Well, member is here asking questions, so there's that.
Perhaps Gettin There has towing experience and is just not familiar with 4x4 operation?
Getting There, ask LOTS of questions and please hang out in related Facebook and RV towing forums if you need that sort of advice. These truck/Cummins forums can be brutal (no pun intended) with a bunch of us old diesel heads lurking around.