I would post this in the 4x4 section but they would laugh me out of there. I have a lot of experience getting 2wd trucks stuck in the mud but my 85 extended cab 6.9 F250 is my first 4x4. I am a little hesitant to take off through a muddy field in it because I don't have anything that could pull it out if it were to get stuck.

It doesn't have a lift, and the tires are stock size with all terain tread and limited slip with 3.55s. I measured the tires and they are close to 32 inches tall. The types of stuff I usually need to get through just for example is a plowed field after a rainstorm that is so sloppy its hard to walk through. What are the chances of my driving through it?

I have tried watching youtube videos and stuff like that to get a feel for what i could do in it, but I thought I would ask here before I go and do something dumb.

 

4X4 is great, but if the mud is too soft I have a feeling it would just sink to the axle.

 

Hows this for an idea?

YouTube - Davidsfarm Tribute Video to his Old Ford Diesel Truck


That truck is a 1991 F250 4x4 5 speed, 3.55 L/S, Dana 50 front, with stock 235/85R16 tires all around. Uniroyal Lerado AWT's.

 

My dad said it best once, sure all those big knobby 38x16.5" tires look cool but its the width that kills them, they arent playing on sand dunes. I cant think back of a time he ever got stuck. He always goes narrow and tall, and it works. Personally i like the wide aggresive tread tires but in mud.....another story. Air pressure has a lot to do with it as well. In the winters i drop down to 40 psi if the roads are bad. Summer is 80 psi all the way. If i try 80 psi on snow and ice, hahaha its like a ski doo on water! Drop down the pressure and off i go in 2wd. The offroaders are sometimes at 5psi crawling rocks but they always get where they want to go. Its like the cement trucks and similar that have the auto inflate and deflate systems for the tires. When they get stuck, it drops to 25 or so psi and they drive right out haha.

 

Haha, now that is amazing.

I looked like this during the video. -

 

My buddies go out in corn feilds out here and ive had to pull them out a time or to. And if your familiar with washington, we get lots of rain.. and that equals one big muddy mess. I never had any problems in the deep mud.. even with 30% tread on my tires

 

its all about traction and monention

 

How does it have a limited slip in the front? Thought Dana50's didn't have one as a option for the factory.

I've pulled many of cars out of ditches in snow and ice covered roads, she'll spin a little but with the weight it digs down and finds the traction. My tires are nothing special either and they are low on tread plus starting to dry rot. New tires are coming soon though, then it'll really be unstoppable.

 

Don't know if it's got front L/S, I do know it's got rear L/S, same as my truck.

 

Gotcha. Um kinda off topic, but do you know what's going on at his farm? I used to be a subscriber on his YouTube channel but some drama went on and he doesn't have it anymore. You could PM if you know so we don't go off topic too much in this thread.

 

i pulled a 4x4 chevy out of the ditch (hung up in the snow bank) today with mine.
to be fair,it did take me two tries.once to test how hung up he was,and the second to make things happen.

 

I pulled a load of smashed gas tanks out of a muddy field with my 86, I looked in the rear view and the payloader was sliding all over trying to get out, it walked out pretty good. I thought I was going to have trouble, but got out just fine. Again, running skinnies...

 

a diesel will go any place a gas job will go if you know how to drive and don't get stupid.
with 4X4 engaged, the only time you will have problems is if you stop in the soft stuff.
then the front end will sink.
in 22 years, i have gotten stuck exactly one time, because the guy in front of me dropped his camera and stopped, causing me to stop in the soft mud.

they pulled me backwards 15 ft, disconnected the chains, and i drove rite thorough the spot i sunk 5 minutes before.