Hi guys, finally I finished upgrading my f150 1986 from 2WD to 4WD, it work nice but...

I need some help finding online resources to learn how to drive a 4WD vehicle

I don't have any experience on this, so I appreciated any advise.

Thanks all...

 

Use gas to go, brake to stop, clucth to shift, and dont get stuck...alos if you have to turn...the steering wheel comes in handy....

 

LMAO!

but really you just need to go out there and mess around with your truck. find out what its limitations are and learn from your mistakes. then when you break just build it up!

adam

 

Try 'Off-Road.com' and also a search on 'Bill Burke'.

Always go wheeling with another vehicle and take it slow until you get used to your vehicle. Then still take it slow! Works for me.

 

you mean to tell me there is some other throttle position than on the floor

 

Look at some of the websites put out by 4-wheeling magazines.

 

it's questions like that that make me wanna make fun of you but i'm going to hold my tongue since i am in a good mood

really the ONLY way is to actually do it. be very catious about the terrain and assume nothing! also don't go alone... even if you are with a couple of 4 wheelers at leats then if you get in trouble you have a way to get back. walking 20 miles back to camp in the dark down a mountain SUCKS.... dont ask me how i know.

in the mud momentum is everything. keep up wheelspeed and hit the hole with force. after you get used to the mud push your limits and see how slow you can go. i like getting through a hole as slow as i can when other guys are having to blow through it at 70mph!

on the rocks a spotter, flex, and crawl gear is what will get you through. sometimes a lil momentum will help you bump up over obstacles but most of the time stick to first gear low range. also pick your line before you even start the obstacle and watch the rig in front if possible. a spotter can see 100% more than you can so trust him. if you dont trust him get someone else! a spotter can be the difference b/t making it or breaking it

skinny tires and good horsepower will help you power up hillclimbs just be careful to keep your rear end from sliding sideways on your descent.... this can cause and will cause rollovers.

if you like driving out on sand it can be a little trickey esp in the soft stuff. kepp your momentum up but do your best not to spin. once you break through the surface and start digging you are only working agaist yourself. also use your head... dont sit on the gas hoping to get out when all your doing is diggin your own grave. this also pertains to mud. although sand is a lot easier to dig out cause it isn't weighted down with water!

hope this helps some

-cutts-

 

Yes! those are the basics rules BUT I need information on how drive on sand, mud, hills, etc...

 

Thanks Fishmanndotcom this is avery help full information for novices like me... I know experience is the shot, but I want some advise BEFFORE rolling down the hill... or convert my truck in a submarine in one of the Amazon rivers

 

There are books, and websites out there, you might want to do some reading.

As for basics, I can give a few pointers. I'm a Jeep Guy.

Real basic stuff
Never go alone. Stuff happens, you will get stuck. you need a ride out, bring friends.
Bring a rope. Stuff happens, you will get stuck, or your friend will.
Never use a chain or rope with metal hooks. even a logging chain can be broken by a light jeep trying to yank another out of a really deep mud hole. when it breaks, it flys back like a bull whip.
carry spares. if you don;t have it with you, Murphy's law says it will break.
Carry tools. Seems obvious, but I once took my tools out to add another spare part and forgot to put them back. guess how I discovered they were missing?


Driving stuff.
Mud. -Don't do it. Stuff breaks in mud. It gets into things and screws them up, like axles and transmissions and alternators.
Mud. -You'll do it anyway, Hell, Its just too much damn fun to slide around and kick up a stucky, messy roostertail of genuine Texas Topsoil.
-Mud is like a combination of Ice and snow. Adjust your driving skill like that and you'll maintain better controll.
- when approaching a mud hole, let someone else try it first. Its more fun to laugh at them for being stuck than it is to be laughed at. Just because it looks like it's 3 inches deep doesn't meen jack. I have pictures of the tail lights of trucks sticking out of "little" mud holes. nothing else shows. If you can't convice someone else to be the guinepig, then test the depth first.
-go fast enough across a mud hazard that you can maintain headway, but slow enough that you can maintain steering and breaking.
-spin your tires as you start to loose headway. Mud clogs tires up and kills there ability to grip. a quick hit of throttle will spin them fast enough to clear the tread. Don't keep them spinning though, that just digs you in deeper.

Sand- Fun stuff. You can do just about anything in sand as long as you don't spin the tires.
-Flat tires are your friend. No, really! the less air they have, the wider there footprint is, and the less they sink. This is commonly called airing down. 10 to 15 psi is good for non beadlocked wheels, but be carefull not to put too much side load on the tires, as you can peel a bead off the rim.

Trails- Watch out for that Tree!
-Airing down helps you get better traction
-RPMs are not your friend. If you can't get up it, or over it, flooring it won't do anything except break something expensive.
-think 50 feet ahead. before you drive over an obsticle, see your self on the other side, and pick how you want to end up. Nothing worse than having to back up because getting up that rock ledge means you're now stuck.
-Pick your line so you can go over the obsticle as smoothly as posable. Its Very hard to go over a log by putting both front wheels against it and hitting the gass, but it may feel like nothing but a speed bump if you aproach it from an angle, and go over with one wheel at a time.

 

Thanks for your lines, will help a lot...