I live on a farm in PA, and do just fine with 2wd on my truck. I have a FWD Fiesta as a daily driver, so snow isn't a factor for me. I would, however, option for the e-locking rear axle if you don't already have it selected. If I were buying a brand new one today I would be doing a factory order 2wd.

 

For about the same price tag should I opt for the 3.5L EcoBoost or maybe a 6.2L V8 F-250 over the 5.0L F-150? A fully loaded box trailer would weigh no more than 4.5-5 tons. Depending on the job obviously.


By the time you calculate trailer weight, table saw, miter saws, hand tools, all of the cabinets, countertops, hardware, sinks, furniture dollies, etc. I don't think 5 tons is much of an overestimate. Then add wind resistance on the highways.


Maybe I ought to go diesel due to the amount of miles I drive per year. I have put on over 20k on my 5.4 since January.


I'm probably going to make this a new thread this evening.

 

I never had 4wd until now, and always did just fine, even in the snow in western, PA. I did have a limited slip differential, and that made the difference. Also, like someone said, 2wd can haul more and tow more. The only reason I went with 4wd this time is because where we plan on moving to in the near future has a lot of steep hills in that neighborhood, and I didn't want to try that with 2wd in the snow. I knew my old 2006 never did well on a snow covered hill, if I couldn't get a running start. It was time for a new one anyway, so I went with a clean, used 4x4. Also, 4x4's are just a lot more prevalent in my area, that's about all I had to choose from.
As was said before, if you do get 2wd, get the locking diff.

 

Does your cabinet business take you to new house builds or construction sites on umimproved lots? Often times the parking lot or driveways aren't done until late in the build. One rain storm can make the lot a muddy mess for days. You don't want to get stuck or have to park on the street and carry your tools and materials back and forth.

 

I have always been curious on the value question, so I went out and checked on the used truck value of 2WD versus 4WD.

I used kbb.com and spec'd out a 2010 F-150 Super Crew XLT 5.4L, 35k miles, good condition, in my zip code.

4WD = $23,594
2WD = $21,623

A difference of $1,971.

 

That's about the same difference I got on the value of my '06 2wd vs 4wd. I don't know that a 4wd holds it's value much better than the 2wd.

 

If you are trading in a truck, then this may be true, as dealers will go off of a book value or less. However, if you are selling a 4WD truck on the open market, then your customer needs (or feels he needs) 4WD, and is willing to pay a premium for it. Done it several times.

Many folks, especially in snowy places like New England or the upper midwest, won't even consider a 2WD truck, which greatly limits the pool of potential buyers. But if someone is willing to take what a dealer will give for it by simply trading it in, no big deal.

That said, in the end the OP should get what makes him happy to own - he will be the one driving it almost every day for the foreseeable future. Both 2WD and 4WD can be rationalized - it's all personal preference...

 

Very true, I plan on working in residential and small commercial jobs. I'll be bidding new construction, plus remodels and restorations. My crew and I will be driving and parking in all situations. Sounds like 4x4 will be more of an insurance policy than an off road luxury.

 

Another thing to consider. If this is for a business, you want to preserve capital. We just sold our business last year, and all the vehicles we used for that business were leased. Our accountant had recommended it, as when you lease, 100% of all expenses are a write-off. That includes whatever you put down up front, plus all the payments, plus insurance, and so on and so forth. No messing around with depreciation or any of those other accounting complications. Pure business expense and write-off.

 

Excellent advice, thank you!

 

You probably can get by with 2WD. That said, if you do go 2WD, get the E-Locker.

They do hold their value a little better, but this depends on the region. In Texas it doesn't make much difference but in norther states it might be more of an issue.

This is a good point. We do have a few days in Texas where it comes in handy. Also, I've had to cut across the medians of highways to detour due to accidents and I've gotten stuck a couple of times in the last couple of decades doing that. One time I pulled over and helped a guy who flipped his car in the rain. I had two wheels off the pavement and onto the median and got stuck. I had to get a tow truck to get my truck moving. It was embarrassing. The accident was cleared before I got free. That's what I get for being helpful. About a year and a half ago or so there was that freak snow storm in Fort Worth. I had to drive home in that. I'm pretty good in the snow with a 2WD truck and I found it really dicey at times. After all this I said my next truck would be a 4WD for sure. Also, I do go off road more now and need to tow in some areas of North Texas that aren't leveled and what not. 4WD is nice there. My girlfriend's got access to about 500 or 600 acres of land and you need 4WD to reach a lot of it.

Typically the 4WD trucks are 1-1.5" or so higher than the 2WD models. I think the specs officially list them as an inch higher in most cases but then you have to factor in wheel and tire sizes. Usually you get about 1.5" of extra height on a 4WD truck. Maintenance isn't a huge deal on 4WD in most cases. I definitely agree on the E-Locker. Only my 4WD trucks have had it but it was often enough to get me going when I would otherwise have been stuck with a 2WD vehicle. A couple weeks ago though I did get stuck off road in my Super Duty with only a mere 500 miles on it. I ended up having to use 4WD to get unstuck. Most of the time though I'd say the E-Locker is enough.

Yes it will. All truck options be it the transfer case or fancy tech packages increase weight and therefore decrease payload.

The value does hold a little better, but I wouldn't let that really make the decision for you unless you can actually make use of the option, or know you will eventually use it. You do have more choice in trucks, so if it's the "one" for you and it happens to be a 4WD, even if you don't need it I say go for it. Obviously financials play a role here and I won't lecture anyone about that, so I can understand cases where the difference doesn't mean much and cases where it might be too expensive.

Agreed.

Even when I never went off road as a matter of course, I've "needed" it a couple times. I'd consider it a worth while feature on any truck, but I understand why some people don't get it.

I did pretty well in a 2WD in the occasional snow. I've seen idiots in AWD/4WD wipe out where I was fine. Sometimes that equipment gives people a false sense of confidence and they get stupid. Even if you can get by without it, you are better off with better equipment.

You probably see a maximum of 2k back on a 4-5k option. While it is technically true that a 4WD truck holds value better, you pay double the amount of money that you get back for the feature. That's not really sensible unless you make use of it.

If you are going to tow, then you want to go with the 3.5L EcoBoost. While the 2.7L isn't bad, it doesn't make nearly as much torque. Also the 3.5L is faster than the 2.7L. Its 2.7L off the line and the 3.5L catches it and finishes the quarter faster. I know these aren't drag racers, but the terminology illustrates the performance difference. BTW 4.5-5 tons is 9,000lbs. to 10,000lbs. If you are going to regularly tow that much you need to go with the 3.5L EcoBoost on the F-150, or better yet go with an F-250 or F-350. While the F-150 can certainly tow that much, you may run out of payload. Tongue weight comes out of that. Not to mention a nicely option F-150's payload can be pretty low. You can eat up a lot of payload with passengers and a modest amount of cargo.

My rule of thumb is this: If you routinely tow more than two thirds of a a half ton trucks rated towing capacity it's time to step up to a 3/4 ton at least. This way you have a better and more stable towing experience. If you tow only occasionally you can deal with it. If you need to tow a lot, then you'll be glad you sprung for the beefier truck.

Agreed. You also never know what the future will bring. If you keep your vehicles a long time you might want to think about adding versatility to it rather than having to sell your truck and get another one with the features you need later. It might cost you more than 4WD would have from the beginning.

This is an excellent question and a good point. There is some development next to my neighborhood and you wouldn't be able to drive a car or 2WD truck through that area. In fact I went house hunting recently and the 4WD came i handy. The streets were paved and all but there was a ton of mud everywhere from the rain and the vehicles that tracked it everywhere. Essentially I was driving up muddy hills and there was some slippage until I hit the 4WD.

 

depends where you live and what you do with your truck

Up north 4WD is mandatory,I always had that for snow but in TN where I live
now 2WD is what I have owned for years . Towing 2WD is better and offers a tad more capacity .

 

I'd say 2wd with locker. Even if you do some off road with it, the locker will help compensate unlike a limited slip or open diff.

 

I live in Chicago where we get plenty of snow, but we're all paved surfaces. I went 2WD with the LS rear, because I rarely would ever need 4X4. In 4 winters I got stuck once. I got out in a few minutes time. No big loss. One less item to need repairs and depreciate over time. Better MPG. Lighter weight so it's a bit quicker for my lead foot! $4,000 cheaper price was nice too. I paid $24,000 for my 2013 STX 5.0.

 

Honestly, transfer cases in full size trucks tend to be very low maintenance and are brutally strong. The maintenance story line doesn't hold much water.