Hi all,
So with winter fastly approaching and me living in New England how do these 4X2 trucks act in the snow? How about "off roading" in general? Any recommendations? I've never owned a truck that was not 4X4. Any thoughts would be great. With my previous F350's I would always put a good amont of weight on the axel even though they were all 4X4 and would go through almost anything.
Any help would be great.

 

My 4x2 seems to go through Minnesota snow pretty good. The truck is heavy so as long as you're not a lead-foot, you'll do okay.

 

I now have a 4x4, but it is my 1st. I've always had 4x2 and we get snow(NYState) of varing amounts during the winter. I had a box I built that held 2 5 gal. pails with road salt in them. The best thing to do is get 4 snows and an extra set of rims for them. My last set for my 4x2 were Bridgestone DMZ2( or 3?) winter only tires. I had them during the winter for 3 years(total of about 50,000mi.) and wear, noise and handling was excellent.

 

I agree with sparky. My last two have been 4wd, but previous were 2wd. Extra set of steel rims with some Blizzaks DMZ3 are the newest ones, and you will be golden. I bought a set of take offs for my '06 with the Blizzaks. Can't wait for the snow.

 

Mine is a 2001 reg cab shortbed and I have never had any challenges with snow left on the road. For a 2wd truck this one is by a long shot the best I have ever driven in snow. I even had to go to work the day of the great christmas eve blizzard in 2004(in central OH) and drove to work at 5 am with 8-10 inches of snow/ice ON THE ROADs still and got there eventless.....I run firestone destination A/T all year round they are the best all-function tires I've ever run and they wear decent on my truck.

 

I've got an 04 SCab 4x2 and I have been through 2 winters in MA with no problems. So far I have used the Michelin all seasons that came on it and they aren't the greatest in snow, but I got by fine. I have over 30k on them now so I'll probably pick up a couple of winter tires this year.

 

I found out years ago that short wheelbase vehicles go better in snow than long wheel base vehicles and that the smaller engines go better than the larger engines. Other than the obvious less power doesn't spin as easily, I think it is the weight distribution front to back. I found long bed Fords were the worst in snow and the short bed Dodges the best. Your truck is "medium" and I suspect it will do OK with a little ballest added to the very rear of the bed. I used to always take a shovel with me in case I was caught in a snowstorm or went somewhere where there was a lot of snow. If I needed ballest, I would simply shovel snow in the bed for weight and when the weather warmed up, it would melt and empty itself.

 

my little mitsubishi tractor w/ loader is nice for loading "ballast" (snow) in to my trucks.

 

I am also from CT and last year, I bought myself a Shurtrax and loaded my bed with it. Although I have 4X4, I never really used it and needed it. Granted I had BFGoodrich All Terrains, i think having 400-500 lbs in the bed will help. Good luck and I hope to see snow soon!!

 

One overlooked asset is the ground clearance of the F150. My friend had a 4x4 S10 Chevy with little clearance and it was awful in the snow. We had a 4x4 Yo and it was good, because of the clearance.

Put some snow in the back, and the F150 should do OK until stuck. I kept my Yo when I got my new F150 for when it gets real bad.

 

Just a comment on the weight issue - one poster said to put it right at the back. I have tried that and while it worked fine, I have had better luck putting it just on top of or just ahead of the rear axle. I have a Screw now with the 5.5' bed, so literally putting the weight at the front of the bed is just about right on top of the axle. The theory of not putting it right at the back is that if you do get it into a "spin" which can happen, the weight at the back acts as a counterbalance and helps further the spin. Putting it on the axle or in front gives you the same effect for ballast, but doesn't promote you continuing to spin around and around on the road. I'm talking about extreme winter driving, and have done a fair bit of it. It gets a little snowy here in Saskatchewan. Also drove on the icy I-35 in Iowa a lot and this helps. Just my 3 cents - and while I like the snow idea, it gets messy if you want to park in your heated garage therefore I use good old cast iron tractor weights. About 200#.

 

One more comment - I cut a 2X4 and laid it across the front of my box, and then put the weights up against it. I actually strap them to the front of the box so that they don't slide around and then come through the back of the cab in a panic stop situation. Safety first.

 

I used to live in upstate NY, I feared just getting a 2 x however my dad way back in the day that is all he had in his truck and it worked fine not to mention back then every car/truck was rear wheel and handled just fine. You will not be able to rocket off the line like a 4x4 but the added fun of fish tailing is just as good. I look forward to my trip home this winter I hope it snows a lot. Happy driving. (I will miss towing people out of ditches however, used to be a favorite past time laughing at people when they got stuck)

 

Thanks for the help guys! I will let you know how she acts when it starts to snow here in CT.

 

When I lived up there I carried sand and a shovel in the rear . Depends how your bed is , I prefer a tonneau cover for my tools and it locks . Keeps stuff dry and you are not carrying heavy snow .
4x4 has its uses but unless you have a pressing need for it then it costs too much for repairs . A steep snowy dirt driveway could be one reason . Clay fields can be a challenge even for a 4x4 . Farmers can't get out with heavy knobbed tires sometimes.