Mud, sand, snow
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Mud, sand, snow
Well I finally have my self a 4x4 (05 F150 FX4) and I was wondering if anyone could give me some pointers on when I should use 4lo, 4hi. What speeds can I use them up too and in what conditions should I use one or the other.
Kevin
Kevin
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I do not get is san much at all but sand eats up power a lot and you should use lowrange to ease tranny strain. In mud, it depends on the mud and if it is heavy and thick, you might use low range but needs hear can vary with vehicle. In snow, I use hi range because traction is usually limited and excessive wheel torque can make it harder to control. When I plow though and snow is deep and traction is good I will use lo range.
Last edited by IB Tim; Dec 6, 2005 at 09:37 PM.
Lead Driver
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From: Senoia, GA
usually 4 hi will get you through as long as you retain stock size tires. use lo range if you need that extra low end grunt like pulling a stump out of the ground or hauling a loaded trailer up a steep incline.
now if you are having wheel speed problems with hi range and you feel your tires arent spinning fast enough or your motor is gettting bogged down, use 4 lo and manually shift your tranny into 2nd gear, this helps a lot!
-cutts-
now if you are having wheel speed problems with hi range and you feel your tires arent spinning fast enough or your motor is gettting bogged down, use 4 lo and manually shift your tranny into 2nd gear, this helps a lot!
-cutts-
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Read the owner's manual 
Regarding mud, it's very difficult to say. Depends on the mud. I usually keep my truck in 4LO, but I'm out on fire roads on a side of a mountain. If you go through mud puddles, usually your best friend is inertia, and 2WD at WOT is the best
Through sand, I kept it at 4HI.
In snow on the roads, I kept it at 2HI. Off road in the snow I've used both 4HI and 4LO. Never have been stuck *KNOCK ON WOOD*.
Tires will make a big difference when off roading.
Regarding mud, it's very difficult to say. Depends on the mud. I usually keep my truck in 4LO, but I'm out on fire roads on a side of a mountain. If you go through mud puddles, usually your best friend is inertia, and 2WD at WOT is the best
Through sand, I kept it at 4HI.
In snow on the roads, I kept it at 2HI. Off road in the snow I've used both 4HI and 4LO. Never have been stuck *KNOCK ON WOOD*.
Tires will make a big difference when off roading.
Post Fiend
Joined: Nov 2001
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From: Coutts Canada
Its the tires (then the motor, or vice versa depending on how big of a motor your unning)that will determine what gear/speed to run in, as a bigger tire will require lower gears, as will a grippier tire.
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Originally Posted by willf
Read the owner's manual
Through sand, I kept it at 4HI.
Through sand, I kept it at 4HI.
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Post Fiend
Joined: Sep 2000
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From: Oregon
You are correct rammboss. I think snojob is just given inaccurate information at this point because he's a diehard chevy guy making a feeble attempt to snipe us Ford guys...
I mean, c'mon, everything he posts is wrong. Nobody is that dense, it has to be on purpose. Right...?
I mean, c'mon, everything he posts is wrong. Nobody is that dense, it has to be on purpose. Right...?
Last edited by proeliator; Dec 6, 2005 at 01:36 PM.
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From: South Dakota
Good deal, I thought maybe I was wrong. Then again I don't have many options for wheeling sand in South Dakota. I haven't been posting on here much, but seems like Snojob is wrong on everything he says.....
Laughing Gas
Joined: Aug 2004
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From: Roseburg, OR
AirTran, with the stock tires, unless you're absolutely going to flog that truck (which I know you're not, it's an '05. Be nice to that truck 
), you can just put it in 4-hi and leave it there until you're back on the pavement. YES, you should read your owners manual, but I think you're probably good to shift-on-the-fly between 4-hi and 2wd up to a pretty good speed.
If I were you (and maybe not everyone is going to agree with this), the only time I'd use 4-lo is if you need to crawl over an obstacle or up a really steep incline, or if your motor is just not revving in to the power band. But I'm guessing your tires aren't going to grab enough anything to bog you down.
), you can just put it in 4-hi and leave it there until you're back on the pavement. YES, you should read your owners manual, but I think you're probably good to shift-on-the-fly between 4-hi and 2wd up to a pretty good speed.If I were you (and maybe not everyone is going to agree with this), the only time I'd use 4-lo is if you need to crawl over an obstacle or up a really steep incline, or if your motor is just not revving in to the power band. But I'm guessing your tires aren't going to grab enough anything to bog you down.
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From: GR, Michigan
If you are getting enough RPM and torque in Hi range on sand then that is fine to use. However when I've run the large dune faces I've always used Lo range because it keeps the momentum better with an auto tranny, with a stock engine, and with taller tires. With my old supercharged Bronco I could run pretty much anywhere in 2wd Hi range, I'm sure the 5.13 gearing helped too.
All I can say is experiment. Different type of terrain call for different tactics at times. Experimentation is fun anyway, when the terrain gets too easy to traverse try something else that makes it tougher again
All I can say is experiment. Different type of terrain call for different tactics at times. Experimentation is fun anyway, when the terrain gets too easy to traverse try something else that makes it tougher again