4x4 how often do you use it?

towerace1 · Post by **towerace1** » Tue Feb 23, 2010 3:43 pm

I thought there was a thread about this but I could not find it anywhere! So how often do you use your 4x4? I am asking because I am really thinking about removing the 4x4. I want to keep my beams because they are strong and all the suspension is done. I would like to know how many broncos have 2wd only as well (if you can find it). I just dont see using the 4x4 much at all. Tons of 2wd trucks do just fine in the dunes and mexico. What do you guys think? If there is another thread about this then remove this one.
Thanks guys

philofab · Post by **philofab** » Tue Feb 23, 2010 3:48 pm

I only use mine when pulling a disabled truck or if I manage to get stuck. My truck will just about go anywhere in 2wd but I don't think I could live without 4x4.

Without stretching the wheelbase 2wd is really not going to give you an advantage.

Post by **SteveG** » Tue Feb 23, 2010 3:48 pm

I use mine often enough that I wouldn't want to remove it. And it doesn't hinder the vehicle in any (appreciable) way.

What would be the goal? A Bronco will always be limited by the wheelbase, so unless you're planning on lengthening it you might not get what you're hoping out of it.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Tue Feb 23, 2010 3:48 pm

I use mine. Not a whole lot, but it sure is nice to have when you are stuck, or in an iffy area.

BajaBronco13 · Post by **BajaBronco13** » Tue Feb 23, 2010 3:58 pm

I actually wish I had a TTB under the front of my four door bronco as I think it can be useful when prerunning to either pull out someone you are chasing or to help pull you out of a major stuck.

As those above have said you are limited by the Bronco's short wheel base.

towerace1 · Post by **towerace1** » Tue Feb 23, 2010 4:03 pm

Well psrt of the reason I want to remove it is because the front diff is a leaky mess, and the 4wd is alwayse acting up. Plus just more stuff to break. We will see what we have to do but I dont think i will keep it. I am not looking for a better ride or more travel (I dont think I will use all I have now).
Thanks

bajascott · Post by **bajascott** » Tue Feb 23, 2010 4:29 pm

hey cody, if you are going to ditch the 4wd,are going to loose the t-case as well?seriously,there really isnt much more that will break,as long as you have decent locking hubs,and have good ujoints.i thought about ditchuing mine but to do so was more work.haha
if you take the third member out you will stand a chance of bending the beam( i know it has that massive truss and the chances are alot slimmer,but it can happen.
you also have to take into consideration,re-bound valving if you are one of those that has to be tits on with it.
IMHO i would just keep it 4wd fix the leak and not worry about getting stuck at all........

bajascott · Post by **bajascott** » Tue Feb 23, 2010 4:29 pm

oh yea, i use mine when ever im playing around just cuz i have it!

84Pile · Post by **84Pile** » Tue Feb 23, 2010 4:44 pm

I had a similar thought about ditching my 4x4 a while back but when i realized the cost and / or work of finding and installing a 2x trans, lengthening the driveshaft etc... it didn't look that appealing after all. I came to the conclusion that a 2wd F150/250 would be alot ealier to start with. Plus 4x4 can be a real life saver when you need it.

philofab · Post by **philofab** » Tue Feb 23, 2010 5:20 pm

If you have 4wd and loose a rear gear or drive shaft you can still drive home. If something breaks in the front you can get home in 2wd. I would think it would be less reliable without 4x4.

tcm glx · Post by **tcm glx** » Tue Feb 23, 2010 6:05 pm

Soooo, here is a trick, and I want to think Yikes is the one that mentioned it to me, maybe it was Keifer.

When chasing or running around on the course hard, pop it in 4wd, and you will have the truck pulling you through some of the stuff. I started doing this about 3-4 months ago, and can honestly say it makes a difference, a significant amount of more control on the rig....

Its not a matter of needing it, but it just runs a whole hell of a lot better with it.

MOSS2 · Post by **MOSS2** » Tue Feb 23, 2010 6:57 pm

Just drill a drain hole and drain the oil. Then steam clean it good and plug the hole with some silicone and you are good to go! Problem solved. ( I think I am kidding?) For me the whole point of having a Bronco is to have 4wd. I hate digging, cutting brush and trees and being saved by Suzuki Samurai. Being able to stop in sand washes is a nice feature too.

Dezertbronco · Post by **Dezertbronco** » Tue Feb 23, 2010 7:18 pm

I use mine to pull me thru the turns, I would have rolled mine already had it not been for the 4wd pulling me out of a corner.

magic carpet XLT · Post by **magic carpet XLT** » Tue Feb 23, 2010 9:57 pm

so let me get this straight, you have a leaky diff and therefore want to remove your 4wd setup completely? seems like a pretty silly reason to remove a defining feature of the bronco.

i use 4wd all the time, especially now that i have locking hubs and not drive slugs.

Polarcub · Post by **Polarcub** » Wed Feb 24, 2010 4:14 am

Everyone has pretty much summed everything up well. I honestly use mine every trip out, sometimes to have better control when running in some stuff, other times to pull someone along, or if find the need to make a good hill climb. In all honesty I couldnt justify not having it. I usually lock the hibs and engage 4w when its time. Thew handling is totally different as a few others have said. IMO you will lose more than you gain by going through the effort to convert to 2wd. Just my 2 cents....

towerace1 · Post by **towerace1** » Wed Feb 24, 2010 11:36 am

Well now that I know everyone uses it I'll just keep the stuff. My leak has been fixed multiple times but I'll try again. I have never really needed to use it but I have also not driven the thing very much so I'll keep it in for a while and see what happpens.
Thanks

bajascott · Post by **bajascott** » Wed Feb 24, 2010 11:39 am

towerace1 wrote:Well now that I know everyone uses it I'll just keep the stuff. My leak has been fixed multiple times but I'll try again. I have never really needed to use it but I have also not driven the thing very much so I'll keep it in for a while and see what happpens.
Thanks

where is the leak? i have had no problems with leaks on mine or another i built.i am conserned

rezrider · Post by **rezrider** » Wed Feb 24, 2010 12:00 pm

All depends on where we travel in Johnson Valley. Terrain varies and depicts if 4wd is necessary. Because we don't haul arse going slow through some of the stuff may require it. We stage from my place (The REZ) and go...if going to the small dunes (it's a wash all the way with a dune and dry lake in between) I don't need it until I'm on the dunes...Doing "The Loop" it's needed to climb some of the hills on that trail, slippery shale type stuff along with big rocks requiring crawling speed.

Ian · Post by **Ian** » Wed Feb 24, 2010 11:04 pm

Not to get off topic, but I do agree with everyone that 4WD is great for all the reasons above. I guess my question if more for MOSS2 and Ollie. How much do you guys feel that its necessary to use 4WD to pull you through the turns and problems when pre-running, etc. This is when you have more horsepower than just bolt on goodies to change the attitude of the vehicle in short wheelbase vehicles like Broncos? I'm more used to rolling into the throttle and breaking the tires loose when I need to reposition the vehicle and powering through a problem, rather than pulling through it. Does this make sense or am I just totally off base on this one?

MOSS2 · Post by **MOSS2** » Thu Feb 25, 2010 8:13 am

Ian wrote:Not to get off topic, but I do agree with everyone that 4WD is great for all the reasons above. I guess my question if more for MOSS2 and Ollie. How much do you guys feel that its necessary to use 4WD to pull you through the turns and problems when pre-running, etc. This is when you have more horsepower than just bolt on goodies to change the attitude of the vehicle in short wheelbase vehicles like Broncos? I'm more used to rolling into the throttle and breaking the tires loose when I need to reposition the vehicle and powering through a problem, rather than pulling through it. Does this make sense or am I just totally off base on this one?

I like running in 4wd in the twisty stuff because it allows you to thread the rocks at a higher rate of speed. If you are running 2wd there is really no way to carry the same speed through a turn without drifting the rear out more. Almost all the flats I get is from tagging the rear sidewall on a rock. Also accelerating out of turns in the deep sand washes is so much nicer in 4wd. But you have to be careful if you have a Dana44 and a little HP because the spider gears go pop too if you get too carried away. In VORRA up here a low HP jeep has been giving some High HP class 8 trucks fits in the short courses.

Ken

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