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If you have alot of straight roads it's not so bad, where it will bind and jump is in tight turns. If road conditions are slick that will allow slippage in the drivetrain and all is well. I'm not peranoid with my 4x4's, when I feel I need it I use it and haven't destrioyed one yet. When your wheeling in the mountains, it's usally dry, but you still lock in 4x4 to climb steep area's, pass over rocks and what have you and you also make turns and it doesn't hurt it. The 4x4 system will let you know if it doesn't like what your doing, it will try to bind and start jumping when turning. If it does this, you need to be in 2-wheel drive, but if it takes the turn ok, then the surface is such that it will allow some slippage in the system and 4x4 is fine. I recomend you run it in 4-wheel drive at least once a month in both ranges to keep it freed up and working properly. I put mine in low range and just back up and down the driveway a few times if nothing else. Out on the road I put it in 4 high on a strectch of straight road and let it roll for acouple of miles. Here in northern Ohio, straight roads aren't hard to find, we have miles of them. Where I'm from in W,Va, straight roads don't exsist, but plenty of places to keep the 4-wheel drive working properly. A lot of guy's buy a 4x4 and don't engage it but once after 10 years and get mad cause the shift motor is gummed up or hubs won't lock or whatever. Keep the 4x4 system maintained and use it often. Like I say, the driveway works if no where else.
R031Kona, thats a mean looking boulder basher of a ranger you have there, it looks really sharp and rugged. The trailmaster 4" with 31's is a great combo, throw a Detroit tru-trac lsd in the rear and that thing should climb a tree if it can reach the first branch ha ha.