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

Thanks to all the forum member for responding. Not a bad response for being up 1 night.

What I have learned from the responses is that in most situations, a 2X4 will work, but ideally it is better to have a 4X4 in case you need it, rather than to not have one and need it.

Staying on topic, the motorcycles are out of the question as I cannot haul other people, cargo, extra drivers, shooters, etc. Or have them drive me to safety, or transport me in case of injury. Cycles don't provide shelter from the elements and you can get knocked off of them with a bat of just by shoving you or bumping into you. Not viable for me, my friends, family, and dog.

The bug out of LA detractors, well, I use the above reasoning. It is better to have and not need, than to need and not to have.

Thanks again. Some bright ideas, interesting and valuable facts, and fresh thinking for all to use.
 
The Chef said:
Dodge with a Cummins in 4x4 and a 4 inch lift will get you through just about anything.
Click to expand...

My friend has one with 112K on it and it runs extremely reliably. Has pulled out a number of vehicles from being stuck on the trails. The torque on this is amazing and Cummins has an enviable reputation.:)
 
ERdept said:
My friend has one with 112K on it and it runs extremely reliably. Has pulled out a number of vehicles from being stuck on the trails. The torque on this is amazing and Cummins has an enviable reputation.:)
Click to expand...

Just be aware that a diesel pickup will find the bottom of any mud pit you try to drive through faster than you can say "tow strap". I love diesels, but they are heavy suckers. :thumbup:
 
ERdept It is better to have and not need, than to need and not to have
Click to expand...

Exectly.
I do not have a 4WD vehicle incidently , my Brother however is VP of one of the largest 4X4 clubs here in the SJ Valley , I've gone on quite a few runs with them.

Another arguement for 4X4 , is getting around roads and blockages. What are you going to do if the weather has gone to hell.
To those of us who are lucky enough to live in a big suburban type city like Fresno , I would not have much of a problem , unless I was stuck in the large retail areas or downtown. If you know the roads in your city well that can very much play in your favor in spite of your 2WD vehicle.

One poster was right about older VW bugs - not those flower filled, dainty femme cars they make now but the old school beater bugs , those make excellent off road-bug out vehicles. American Survival Guide had a cool article on converting one into a bug out vehicle some years back.

Personally I want a VW Thing. :D
 
Well, pretty much all that's relevant has already been said here, but since I live in the LA area and have built what I once considered to be my ultimate bug out/camping vehicle, I'll add my 2 cents...

14 years ago I bought a '73 GMC Jimmy (GMC's Blazer) 2WD with manual trans and restored it. It's about as basic a truck as you can get (That's what I wanted at the time). I totally went through it and replaced, restored or repaired nearly everything on it. Took me about two years to complete. I put a new GM crate motor in it, replaced everything else under the hood and removed all of the smog stuff. I lifted it 2" and put 32" tires on it to make it a bit more capable off-road. It does well, but could never go where my '80 Jeep CJ-5 could (I wish I still had it).

Long story short, it's been sitting in my driveway for 2 years now with a dead battery and other maintenance problems (I know, my bad). It has sat for extended periods since I've had it. My 2000 Ford Explorer does almost everything the GMC can do with more comfort, practicality, reliability and safety. On top of that, the Ford is used every day for everything. Maintenance is done regularly and mechanical problems are immediately obvious and are repaired right away. If I had to get away in a hurry, I could load it with what I needed in 15 minutes.

So, the moral of the story (IMHO anyway) is - Don't get a dedicated bug out vehicle. Get something you can use as a bug out vehicle if required that is also useful for other purposes. For various reasons, vehicles that sit tend to rot more than those that are used regularly.

As to the 4WD vs 2WD question, I think 4WD is better and worth the extra expense and maintenance IF you're gonna use the vehicle off road (Or on bad roads) much. I don't understand why some say it's not. 4WD is clearly very helpful in areas where sand, mud, water or snow is to be encountered.

Next year I'll be buying a 4WD Toyota Tacoma as my primary vehicle and selling the Ford and GMC. It will be my third Toyota pickup - I had an '85 4WD and an '86 2WD. I miss them...
 
One common comment from those who worked in Katrina and other such emergencies -- There is a tremendous amount of debris on the streets and roads and you WILL get flat tires !! You must have something to deal with that .
 
mete said:
One common comment from those who worked in Katrina and other such emergencies -- There is a tremendous amount of debris on the streets and roads and you WILL get flat tires !! You must have something to deal with that .
Click to expand...

I wonder if there are runflat tires that will work in case of flats or shot out tires?
 
get a 4x4. I DD a very well built 85 toyota 4runner. For the kind of exploring I do, it performs admirably. While I realize this is not practical for everyone, on the vehicle of your choice I highly recomend at least 33" tires ( a good A/T or M/T) lockers front and rear, a small suspension lift, and a winch, along with recovery points front and rear, skidplates and maybe better bumpers. I prefer 4cyl. engines and lower gearing. 5spd transmissions, fuel injected engines. I like solid axles in the front, but this is only necessary for more hardcore offroading. Bulletproof and basic is the way to go. But above all, equip yourself with the knowledge to fix or recover your vehicle.
-colter
 
I had a 87 toyota 4wd, bought it with 60,000k when I sold it 10 years later
with 275,000 k , damn that was a good truck and it was good on gas, it had the old 22R carbeurated engine. It had no guts on the HWY , but 4 low in the bush it was a mule........Man I wish I still had it.
 
A 4x4 is the difference between you and all the other people leaving town effectively blocking all 4x2 accessible routes.
 
I am suprised no one posted the advantages the low-range found in 4X4s give when slow speeds are needed when navigating offroad, particularly going down hills with rocks or other obstacles.
 
actiondiver, I'll bet it's because 4WD owners take it for granted and 2WD owners don't know what they're missing. :D

I would suspect that the pro 2-wheel comments stem more from geography and/or typical useage than just because one owns one. If it's always worked for you, it stands to reason that it's a logical choice. For 90% of the time I happily use 2WD. It's that other 10% that are the sticky point. If you live in areas of the country that get heavy snow or use your truck for more than highway/gravel road transportation, you may find a real use for four wheel drive. There are places I go in Colorado that you would be hard pressed to reach in a 2WD in the best of conditions much less in muddy, snowy or ice packed conditions. A 4WD can allow you to keep going in conditions that stop a 2WD and will not necessarily get you stuck worse as has been mentioned. It is simply a matter of knowing both your and your vehicle's limitations. There are times when you just need to turn around.

I have a stock 2001 Chevy Silverado Z-71 with IFS and AT tires. No lockers, no lifts, nothing extravagant as it is a daily driver. It cannot go places that the custom (and trailered) rock crawling rigs can go. Nor can it always go the same places that a lifted rig with dedicated mudders can go. However it can go MANY places you simply can't get with 2WD. The thing is, I am familiar with going offroad/rough trails and familiar with my truck. I check out the trail before I drive over it if I can't tell how bad it is before I drive through an unknown obstacle. Like anything else, it's a matter of knowing what you're doing and while no expert, I haven't had to call in a tow truck in the past 15+ years of four wheeling.

The extra expense I've incurred over 90,000 miles with this vehicle are only the additional cost of servicing the transfer case and front differential so I don't fully buy the cost argument other than the initial vehicle cost. Perhaps when it comes time to replace the transmission I'll feel differently but given the use I've made of the 4WD so far, I don't think it will hurt that much. As to gas, I don't think I get significantly worse mileage than a comparable 2WD truck. Although you are carrying more running gear, you're still running in 2WD for the majority of use. I get about 16 mpg around town and 18-19 on the highway. I haven't heard of any full size half-ton extended cab pick ups with V-8s getting a whole lot better than that. If you're looking at an older Toyota four cylinder, you'll obviously do much better in that department.

I think the point about a 4WD getting you into more trouble might be valid but only as it rates to an inexperienced/uneducated driver and as it's not rocket science, that is a problem easily remedied if a driver wants to. I've certainly been stuck and expect to get stuck again but I never would have had the opportunity to get where I was or would have been stuck much further down the trail if I'd been out with a 2WD. If the argument is that a 2WD will keep you from getting in trouble then that is in large part because you won't be able to access all the areas you can with a 4WD and such grand opportunites to get stuck. I'll take the access myself rather than the limitations.

On the whole bug out thing, I tend to agree with the idea that you're going to have trouble getting out at all unless you can take to the air or something. That said, if I were setting up a vehicle designed to get me out in desperate circumstances and unknown conditions I think I'd want the most capable one I could afford.
 
I buy nothing but 4x4's anymore. my last 4 trucks have been 4x4's. I cant live without them. They have saved my ass so many times. I even made the fiance get a 4x4 when she traded her 2x4 in. Plain and simple 2x4's suck in my book.
 
I am surprised that more has not been posted on tires in this thread.
Tires are the difference between getting through and not (in either two wheel drive or four wheel drive). After seeing many people stuck (on road and off) it has become apparent that most of those stuck had highway or all terrain tread (or nearly bald tires). The military has figured out that you need a good mud tread to get through, why not follow their lead? You will do best in mud and snow with a purpose built tire but these give really poor life on road. The best compromise is a highly rated aggressive mud tread tire in the first half of its life. (Tire costs can be minimized by using the first half of the tread then selling the tires and buying a new set). Be very careful to get a tire that will do the job, the cheaper mud and snows are little better than street tires (Some of the better tires are Goodyear and BFG), there are many brands out there and tire brand preference is a highly subjective choice. Ask at the local 4WD club and find out what the best Mud tire with decent highway life is (beware of Interco (Swampers, Boggers etc); they have superior performance off road, but will not last on a daily driver). Competition rock climbing tires also have too soft a rubber compound to last on the street.
An aggressive tread will have abetter chance of getting through deep snow, loose gravel and mud and will give decent performance in powder sand. Street tires will go nowhere in any of the above conditions. All terrain tires will pack up in mud and snow and lose traction.
Be aware that driving technique can have a large impact on whether a given tire/vehicle combination makes it through or does not.
Enjoy!
 
I've had an old 4wd Jeep Commando, spun it off the road twice, when I hit ice, even in 4wd with studded snow tires. Why? Because I was driving too fast. I was overconfident about what 4wd could do. That was many years ago. I've also owned a Subaru all wheel drive wagon, we also had a small fleet of them at work. It normally was in FWD. Loved that vehicle, took better care of it, finally the frame rotted out.

Today, I've got a 2wd full-size Dodge pickup with a cap, weight in back. I don't take it off road, except in dry weather. In winter, I wait for the snowplows to come through first, then pick my way slowly and carefully. It works just fine.

If the snowplows don't come through, then I'm stuck at home, but that is probably an indication of much worse things happening in the world and I'm probably better off at home.

My wife has an FWD Ford Focus, those work very well in snow. People in Scandinavia do winter races with FWD vehicles.

My favorite all-time vehicle was a 1960 Volvo 544 two-door sedan, we used to take that camping up in the Alligash Wilderness in Maine, bombing down logging trails and fire trails...I even got that stuck once trying to cross a creek bed.

As somebody else here says "good judgement comes from experience, and that is usually based on bad judgement." :D
 
I've spent the past two days pulling people out of the snow in what appears to be the third or fourth worst blizzard (22-37" with 40+ mph winds) in Colorado since they started keeping records. I drive an stock '85 Toyota 4x4 truck with Bridgestone Deuller AT Revos, (LT 235-75-R15). I dropped the tire pressure down to 18 psi up front and 24 in the rear.

Many of the stuck vehicles were either 4 x 4's or all wheel drive (AWD). The point is this: It doesn't matter what you're driving, (Toyota ForeRunner, GMC Dually, Kia Sante Fe, Ford F-150, VW Toureg, some big-ass BMW, etc.), if you drive like a jack-ass or on crummy tires...you're hosed. Just swallow your pride, point out the anchor points, and I'll do my best to get you back on your way.

This is my first big snowfall with these tires, so I decided to test them out. I drove without difficulty or inturruption up and down several alleys where the height of the snow exceeded the top of my hood. That's good enough for me. In Low Range, this thing is a total tug boat, which is a good thing, as I also had to travel through roughly 30" of open water at a water main break.

The most capable 4 x 4 I've ever owned was my '74 Toyota FJ-40 Bobtail Land Cruiser. This pick-up is a close second. I've repeatedly traveled over terrain that should be avoided unless your have a spotter. It also hauls a ton of crap in the bed and/or in a trailer. (Can you tell I like my truck? :p )

This truck is my daily driver, as well as, my BOB vechicle. I think this set-up makes the most sense for most people because you may have to bugout from the road/work/etc. I also have a motorcycle and mountain bike dedicated to the same task in the event that approach is preferable.
 
Just having a 4x does not mean much when things are nasty. While it is better than 2x, that does not mean you will neccessarily make it off the shoulder of the highway in the wintertime. If you are pushing snow with your front bumper, your about to be stuck. If you are in sand up to your axles, your about stuck. If you are in mud up to your doors, your about to be stuck.
Even running a nice, lifted, locked up rig, you have to pick your battles, esp. if you CANNOT get stuck. So, while 4x is a nice option, having an Expedition for a commuter does not mean you have too many more Bugout options. Lifted, locked up, good tires, winch would be better, but how many would drive that daily on a 30 mile commute?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top