Bug out Vehicle, Is 4X4 necessary or is 4X2 OK?

Sorry!
I am not trapped in a major metro area for a reason, However if this were to occur on my home ground I would drive cross country to get past the jams.
Enjoy!
 
It seams the strongest detractors of 4X4 own 2 wheel drive trucks. I would eliminate their responces as invalid because they don't have the experience of driving both types. As far as more costly to mantain and more prone to breakage just take a look at the thousands of 4X4 vehicles for sale that have at least 100,000 miles on them driven by soccer moms and dads for years. Talk to the people selling them and ask about maintenance costs. Yes there is another pumpkin and a transfer case to drain and refill every few years, and yes an alignment costs a bit more, but that is about it.

Whether you need four wheel drive or not is all in what you plan to do with your truck. For me I couldn't head out to feed cows today because of the mud without four wheel drive. I can't even back up to the hay without it much less drive across the pasture. In addition 4 wheel drive allows me to not spin the tires (and create ruts) while I'm feeding. Do I ever get stuck? Oh yeah. Stuff happens. Will 4 wheel drive go anywhere? Not at all. It is just another tool in the box.

I'm adding this link for Californians. The Sierras are sure dry.
http://video.dot.ca.gov/
 
10k to spend? How about a 3X3? http://www.imz-ural.com/gearup/

bike01.jpg


probably not what you're looking for... but it's a cool bug-out rig!
 
rebeltf said:
A worse case scenario has just taken place. Several , large U.S. cities have taken direct hits from nuclear bombs , it is unclear who , how or why at this point but several million of your fellow Countrymen have just died. You live in the greater metropolitan area of L.A in California.
In less time than it takes to cook a microwave pizza several million of your fellow Angelinos are in blind panic mode. Highways , freeways and city streets are hopelessly gridlocked , police and emergeny crews cannot move for the life of them. You were working in Riverside today and all you can think about is getting home to your wife and child in Altadena and how you are going to make it to your brother's cabin some three hours away.
Now tell me if in that scenario (which could happen , just change the nukes to an earthquake or tsunami or plague etc etc) you could have need of a 4x4.
Not saying you could not make do with a regualar drive vehicle either though , or a bicycle - Hell at that point anything would beat shank's mare.
Click to expand...

It is this exact scenario that has me wondering if a bug out vehicle has any worth at all. Frankly, if an entire major metropolitan area decides to empty out all at once, I don't think it much matters what you're driving, you'll probably be stuck anyway.

For the west coast, I'd rather invest in a boat for my bugout vehicle, and then hope the reason for bugging out doesn't include a tsunami or typhoon (which are mercifully of low probability).

If you have the money and time for it, and the interest, becoming a small plane pilot and then owning your own plane might be a good insurance plan.

Even better would be a helicopter.

But we're rapidly climbing in the cost department now.
 
4WD doesn't help anyone bug out of L.A. any better on a Friday afternoon. I have doubts it would fare much better in the event of a disaster.


I'd think they have an advantage if you know you'll actually need 4WD.
 
akennedy, That is a nice ride!

If one person is involved, sidecar for lots of supplies.
Good mpg, plus the extra gas can! nice.

The Tsunami, earthquake, Nuke scenario is pretty much a Horror Show no matter what vehicle and what equipemnt you have.
it's Rock vs. Hard Place. Staying may end your life, leaving may just prolong the agony.

I think it would be prudent to simply plan on going, 1 mile, 5 miles, 10 miles....but knowing that at some point, you will be ditching your vehicle and hoofing it the rest of the way.

I would rather have 4x4 than NOT, but, it is not going to be any kind of Magic Carpet Ride out of harms way, as someone has already said, just another tool in the box.

Bottom line would be take the most durable, rugged, dependable vehicle you have, use your wits, pick good routes, away from da sheeple.

And always bring a siphon hose and spare can. there will be lots and lots of stranded vehicles to siphon from. Don't forget: to get that last bit of fuel, poke a hole in the gas tank underneath.
 
2dogs said:
It seams the strongest detractors of 4X4 own 2 wheel drive trucks. I would eliminate their responces as invalid because they don't have the experience of driving both types. As far as more costly to mantain and more prone to breakage just take a look at the thousands of 4X4 vehicles for sale that have at least 100,000 miles on them driven by soccer moms and dads for years. Talk to the people selling them and ask about maintenance costs. Yes there is another pumpkin and a transfer case to drain and refill every few years, and yes an alignment costs a bit more, but that is about it...
Click to expand...


It seems the strongest proponents of 4x4 own one, I would eleminate their responses as invalid because they are prejudiced toward their own vehicles, the majority of which never venture off the pavement, owned by soccer moms and wealthy execs. See how silly this line of thinking is?

If changing fluids every couple of years and doing an allignment is the only maintenance you do to your 4x4, good luck. I've owned my share of both 2wd and 4wd, and even a few fwd. And I've worked a lot of wrecks involving 4wd's. I'm saying that within reason, you can go pretty much anywhere in a 2wd that a 4wd can go. I've done it for many years. I've also driven a variety of military 4wd's, jeeps, Dodger powerwagons and ramchargers, Willys, and more. I know what they can do and what it costs to maintain and repair them. I have also gone places in my 4wd jeep using only 2wd that you would not believe. And in sand, a 2wd is plenty if you lower the air pressure and don't have aggressive tire treads.

Most 4wd's are garage queens, and you pay extra for all the extra drive components, get worse gas milage all the time, even in 2wd. Call a dealer for the price on a new transmission for a 4wd truck, or a rebuild. Compare that to a 2wd transmission.

I'm not saying don't buy one. I'm just saying think it through.

Codger
 
As was mentioned before not all 4wd are the same. MOST 4wd have what you would call open diff front and back but what most people dont know is that most of them also have an open transfer case. What it realy means you dont have the 4wd that you think you do. As for me i rather have a 2wd truck with a positraction rear diff. Another BIG thing to remember is 4wd is not used to get you places its used to get you out of places where the 2wd gets stuck. I got a VW camper and let me tell you i drove it places where jeeps got stuck. There is a reason for that. I know my car gets stuck easy so i watch where im going. The guys with the jeep thought that cause the drive a jeep nothing can stop them so they hit every mud hole and every rock they could to have fun. Guess what both got stuck asking me to help them come out. My answer was that im not using a VW to pull a jeep out of the mud cause im going to dig my self in. But i would stop a ranger on my way out to come and help them. So they dicided to call me names. Guess what i didnt tell the ranger that they are stuck out in the desert. There stupid behvior dont mean that i should take a chance and get stuck too.

Sasha
 
Codger64 what can i say as always you are right. I cant but agree with you 110%. Wait till you try and keep up with a vw baja bug out in the mountains they climb like moutain goats.

Sasha
 
Codger you can try to twist my response all you want but it stands true on it's own. Maybe you have had trouble with your four wheel drive components on a regular basis, but I haven't. The same is true for my friends, most of whom own 4X4s. Reread my post please.

Four wheel drive is the solution to very few problems. It's biggest problem is some people who see something different than they drive and have no tolerance for that. Here PC California that is commonplace. Bottom line, buy what you want. If it turns out you don't like it then sell it.
 
2dogs, I was not twisting your response. I was pointing out that it was itself twisted in it's logic. Refer to teh post title and rethink:

Bug out Vehicle, Is 4X4 necessary or is 4X2 OK?

In my opinion, a two wheel drive vehicle is ok. Few people trying to evacuate because of a disaster, natural or manmade, are going to be doing recreational rock crawling or mud hogging or dune blasting. Most will use primary or secondary roads which are almost always improved, if also somewhat crowded. Unimproved roads are also for the most part passable to two wheel drive traffic, at least the ones that go anywhere. Beyond that, only a go-go-gadget heleocopter hat will get you further faster. With respect to you and your friends who mostly drive four wheel drives. My 19 year old Cheyenne truck has three hundred thousand miles. All mine. My 1966 F-100 Ranger has 97,000 miles. My 1964 F-100 Custom Cab has 210,000 miles. I can get any of them stuck. I can also get them unstuck. And I can drive in such a way as to not get them stuck.

Codger
 
Well if you'll be bugging out across farm feilds and such get a 4 x 4.

If you'll be driving on roads get something you can sleep in, as every time folks "bug out" from hurricanes and stuff it seems they mostly sit in traffic.

Hell the guys on ten speeds towing shopping carts make better time.

FWIW I live in an area known for "lake effect snow" . In over 30 years of driving and never owning a 4 x 4 I have never got stuck or gone off the road.

I do a lot of hunting, skiing, camping, tow a boat and so on. Also i have a job where when we get bad weather I still have to report for duty.

I drive a mini van lol.
 
I have both. A Jeep Cherokee 4x4 and a Ford F-150 4x2. I have taken both of them on the same trails in the Sierra Nevada Mtns. and been able to go the same places with both vehicles. I have never "needed" 4x4 to get me through any trail I have been on. That being said.......My bug out vehicle is the Jeep. Why?......it's a 4x4. Period. Don't know if i will ever need it to bug out with.......but IF I do need it....nothing will replace having it. I think your 4x2 with good tires and a winch will get you where you want to go 99% of the time. But what is going on that 1%.......what situation will you be in, for that 1%? I don't know.......I will tell you this....I have owned the Jeep new since 1996, and the maintenance on the 4x4 part has been negligable. I have changed the oil in the front diff 4 times....thats it. nothing else has been different. Buy a 4x4 in decent shape and the maint. should be about the same. P.S. The 4x2 has been stuck in some pretty rinky dink mud....the 4x4 has not., but then again. do you want to get out, hook up the winch to "something" and pull your truck out, or do you want to reach down and pull a lever and drive out?

John
 
My bug out is my 4X4 Jeep Cherokee. 71k miles and I am still waiting for something to go wrong. Since they only made about 1.7 million of them, axles are pretty easy to come by.

Mine is no driveway queen, especially since it is paid for. I think 4X4 is essential anywhere there is bad weather or bad weather and inclines, but I could get by with 4X2 in more arid parts of the country. Ground clearance with good approach and departure angles is actually a bit more important against most obstacles than having all four wheels able to go, especially if the differentials don't lock on command.

That said, for me, it is a rather have it and not need it situation than vice-versa, especially in Oregon.
 
Four wheel drive may not be a necessity, but no matter which you choose, a Hi-Lift jack is.
 
A cliche heard often here in Australia is 'this country was opened up by holden FJ's (the local GM standard sedan).' Which were 2WD and used by the old timers to negotiate all kinds of sandy desert tracks.

I'm also reminded of a local bloke where I live who drives his standard sedan up the beach (with fat tires the only mod) where only 4WD's dare tread.

But this is a thread about bugging out and my choice of vehicle would be a diesel Toyota 'Troopie' personell carrier 4WD. Up north in Western Australia they are the vehicle of choice by all those who negotiate the wild country up there. Closely followed by the Toyota tray back 'ute' (that's pickup to the rest of you).

But this is very location dependant of course.....

Thinking about this a bit more I guess if I was planning on bugging out with a vehicle I'd have my intended destination (and how to get there) already scoped.
 
Reasons to get 4x4:
If used properly can make large difference in traction.
Can be much safer in slippery conditions.
Can mean getting somewhere or not.
Often have higher clearance which can make a huge difference.

Reasons not to get 4x4:
Uses more gas.
Not needed in many conditions.
Codger was right - you can get yourself in deeper trouble with one, especially if you have not had much experience.

Whatever you get make sure you have tools and practice to get unstuck.

If you live in a large city seems to me best idea would be to store your bug out vehicle out in the country with your emergency gear and by a cheap motorcycle to get to it with. May be worth spending the extra $$ for the 4x4 on the motorcycle since none of it will do you any good if you can't get out.
 
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