Is there a recommended speed limit in 4High?

Got our first snow with my new truck....needed 4wd to get home last night and to get to pond this morning. Can I hurt anything going too fast in 4high?

as told in other threads...this is my first 4wd ever so please don't make fun! lol

thanks guys.

 

if it's treacherous enough for 4 wheel drive, i would think it is bad enough to go SLOW... getting up to speed in bad conditions is not nearly as much of an issue as stopping !

 

Don't know if there is an official limit. But like the other guy said, usually if you need 4WD, you probably shouldn't be going fast.

However, on some days when I need to commute and the road condition changes a lot. I have had it in 4WD going as fast as maybe 65mph for a few miles on wet pavement. When I hit snow, of course the speed drops a lot.

I also think I have driven at 55 for longer periods, maybe 20-30 miles or more at a time.

Jim Henderson

 

yeah...sorry, question was misleading...what I meant was:

When the conditions are really bad...i drive slow of course, but what about when there are periods of road that are pretty good.....I really don't want to stop, put it in neutral and take it out of 4wd......so is it okay to drive at speed?

Thanks

 

Just be careful when turning while going forward or backwards as the front end jumps and wants to go straight becuse the wheels are being driven. This happens mostly in 4wd low but I have experienced it in 4wd high on this truck more than any other 4x4 I have owned. Which by the way includes a '74 jeep CJ-5 with a 304 AMC V8 with true duals and a big Holly/Motorcraft double pumper (gawd i miss that baby, 7mpg in 4wd and a 12 gal tank it would take a vette off the line but lost it before a 1/4 mile) an '86 F150
and a 97 F150

 

You don't have to to stop, put it in neutral and take it out of 4wdHI. That manuver is for 4LO only.

I have manual hubs & manual shift transfer case. When the conditions are bad I lock the hubs & switch between 2wd & 4HI as needed.

 

I've run highway speeds very often in four wheel drive in all types of vehicles. This was usually on the real cold "sticky" type snow. You can decide what's safe for you.

I wouldn't advise running with the hubs locked and the transfer case in 4 high for any length of time on a hard surface where the chance of wheel slippage is minimal. You're going to end up with some degree of driveline wrap-up which possibly will break something or at the very least wear out your u-joints prematurely.

With my stick shifted 4wd, I leave the hubs locked and just shift on the fly between 2 and 4 wheel when I hit those scary spots.

Do you have electronically shifted 4wd, if so, is that the procedure, that you have to stop to disengage the transfer case? I've never had a vehicle with the electronic shift, but I would be surprised if you couldn't shift on the fly.

Jade97 you beat me to it. I got a phone call in the middle of my typing the post.

 

Sprinkler, I would recommend using the 4x just for getting moving. Unless you are in very hilly terrain, or lots of tight corners with mud or snow. Once you are moving on pavement, you should shift back to 2x high. Four wheel doesn't help you turn or stop, so why subject the equipment to wear, and use the extra fuel?

 

Even with the electronic 4wd...shift on the fly is okay in 4hi?

In my wife's Yukon it is okay....wasn't sure about the ford

 

I don't want to start an argument but 4x does help you turn. It actually helps a ton on slippery surfaces.

When in 4x the rear tires are not getting the full power becasue some is being routed to the front. Also, the front tires help to pull the front around the corner instead of trying to go straight. These two things help keep the rear end from sliding around.

 

You can shift on the fly with electronic or manual in to 4x hi as long as you are below 55mph.

 

Mwachel, in mud, 4x4 definitely helps you turn. In snow? That's debateable. It will pull the front end around, but nail it and break them loose, and there will be no steering at all. So that is a two way thing, so to speak. At cruising speeds (above 35 or so) the front wheel drive assistance should not be needed. Using discretion would be much more advisable. I think.

 

Your bank account! Other than that; no. But with either a lever or a switch, there is no need. Just switch it to 2WD. Even with the hubs locked you won't hurt anything.

FWIW, Dodge trucks, with their straight AAM axles, have their hubs locked all the time with no ill effects on the U-joints. Ours cannot be that much different.

 

Monsta,

I guess I should have been more succinct. I was trying to emphasize the need to avoid driving on a hard surface with the rear and front axles locked together (via the transfer case in 4 wheel drive) unless you have some kind of differential like a Subaru or other AWD vehicle has - which my truck doesn't. My point was that if you get a wrap-up problem that one of the first places that you could see it would be the u-joints. Sheesh.

You're right that just keeping the hubs locked in all the time would result only in negligible wear on the u-joints (and other front drive components) but I'm not going to try to quantify that.

Hey, wait a second, you moved to Hawaii, are you keeping up with snow driving technique in case you have to come back? Is that why you checked this thread out?

That other truck you talked about, a Dodge is it (do they make a truck)? Is that a current application or was that something in the past? Man, that would kill fuel mileage turning all those components back to the transfer case.

 

I have also driven with the hubs locked but in 2WD. I have done this for perhaps 200 miles at 65 or better, many times. makes a bit more noise but it is handy for when you have to shift in and out of 4WD.

If you need to get into 4WD with manual hubs, I just slow down to about 30 and shift into neutral(works easier I think) and then stick it in 4H.

I have driven in 4H on crowned roads with snow and the front end being driven definitely helps. I have gone down that type road kinda crab like, ie the truck was slightly sideways. I know probably not a bright idea driving if it was that bad, but I do know the truck handled just fine.

The key in snow is always be gentle on all inputs, power, steering braking etc. Otherwise you can get sideways. I am a poor ol California boy transplanted to Oregon with occasional snow. So I always go slow when I hit too much snow and ice and I have a very gentle touch on the gas and brakes etc, so I almost never have a problem getting around in snow and ice, even with 2WD, unless I get in a hurry.


Just last week I towed my 30 foot trailer thru about 1 foot deep snow, with ruts, I was in 4H. When I came to a relatively tight turn off(<90degrees), where I wanted to go, the trailer pushed the truck pretty badly even at walking speed and I don't think I could have made the turn unless I shifted to 4L. Once in 4L I had much better control and steering. My kids thought it was great, but I left pucker marks on the seat, what a dummy, hauling a trailer in snow just for fun. Still the truck worked great.

Just my experience.

Jim Henderson