# ? about 4 wheel drive



## Frostysnow (Dec 21, 2004)

This is kind of one of those rookie questions. Do i need to take the truck out of 4 wheel drive before i park it and turn the truck off?


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## makplow (Nov 2, 2005)

Hi frosty, NOPE !!!!!:waving:


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## Mowerpan (Jan 31, 2005)

Nope but I always do so I don't forget it is in 4wd and start drivin on clean roads, turning.


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## yooper.mi (Jul 13, 2005)

I always leave the truck in 4 wheel drive defrost set so there is nothing to shift or adjust when it is frosty cold outside. Just have to start warm up and everything is set to plow no cold transfer case to try to get 4 wheel.


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## lorentzlawnsnow (Aug 9, 2005)

austin, if you need any help with anything give me a ring. i'll do all i can to help get you started.


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## RamesesSnow23 (Jan 4, 2004)

Frostysnow said:


> This is kind of one of those rookie questions. Do i need to take the truck out of 4 wheel drive before i park it and turn the truck off?


No but i usually do for the reasons mentioned above, I will forget its in 4 wheel and drive off on clear roads.


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## meathead1134 (Nov 12, 2004)

cja1987 said:


> No but i usually do for the reasons mentioned above, I will forget its in 4 wheel and drive off on clear roads.


I'm opposite I forget to put in 4x4. I was trying to push some sonw on a slight incline when I lost traction and wouldn't move. I forgot to pull the level in the T case. I did this twice in 1 storm. Anohter dumb blonde moment damit I have to stop doing those


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## makplow (Nov 2, 2005)

meathead1134 said:


> I'm opposite I forget to put in 4x4. I was trying to push some sonw on a slight incline when I lost traction and wouldn't move. I forgot to pull the level in the T case. I did this twice in 1 storm. Anohter dumb blonde moment damit I have to stop doing those


yea meat, I call them senior moments myself.


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## ljrce (Dec 12, 2004)

my plow truck staysin fourwheel drive ll the time but my blazer that is going to be getting a plow on it and i only haev it in 4 wheel drive when i need it and never park it in 4 wheel drive


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## frostservices (Nov 19, 2005)

Hey Frosty 
I wouldn`t worry about taking it out,but be careful where you park ,I have a 92 chev 3500 it`s got a lever on the floor but the front axle is still shifted electrically and when you shut the truck off it comes out of 4x4 then when you start it up again you gotta wait for it to reengage it`s,its a very bad setup which I hate cause if you have to leave your truck on a steep hill thats slippery it will come out of 4x4 and away it goes,something to watch out for.
Seth


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## SnoFarmer (Oct 15, 2004)

Plow on and in four weel drive. Nothing worse than getting a lot of snow and being stuck in 2 wheel, as is takes a couple of feet for some 4wheel drive syestems to engage. If the pavement is dry it's very easy to disengage it.


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## basher (Nov 13, 2004)

I don't even shut my truck off when I'm plowing. I carry a keyless remote for when I stop for coffee. I don't want it to not start, or have a locking hub fail to engage, plus I figure the battery could use the charge time. I've had too many stupid things happen over the years. I disengage 4x4 on dry primarys only.


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## DugHD (Nov 1, 2005)

frostservices said:


> Hey Frosty
> I wouldn`t worry about taking it out,but be careful where you park ,I have a 92 chev 3500 it`s got a lever on the floor but the front axle is still shifted electrically and when you shut the truck off it comes out of 4x4 then when you start it up again you gotta wait for it to reengage it`s,its a very bad setup which I hate cause if you have to leave your truck on a steep hill thats slippery it will come out of 4x4 and away it goes,something to watch out for.
> Seth


Seth , are you sure it comes out of fourwheel drive when u shut the truck off?


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## PremierLand (Jun 11, 2004)

can you drive and turn 4x4 on, and can you drive and turn it off. or should you come to a complete stop? I always stop and move it in/out of 4x4, but my bro said you can do it if your doing under 45?


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## SnoFarmer (Oct 15, 2004)

With a Dodge you can shift in or out of 4 wheel at any speed as long as you are not spinning or skiding..

I've engaged the 4 wheel drive at 80 mph before with
no problems at all.:waving:


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## jsbmaine (Dec 21, 2005)

PremierLand said:


> can you drive and turn 4x4 on, and can you drive and turn it off. or should you come to a complete stop? I always stop and move it in/out of 4x4, but my bro said you can do it if your doing under 45?


I "shift on the fly" but keep it under 35 to put it in. I don't like to go much over 45 with the 4wd in anyway, because it makes the front end vibrate too much. Then again, my truck has 185k on it......

Also depends on the hubs you have. My 93 chevy doesn't even have "hubs" really, it is engaged by way of a solenoid in the front drivetrain. If you have manual hubs, or a system like mine you should be fine. However, with some automatic hubs you have to back up to get the hubs out of 4wd...

Sorry if that doesn't make sense.


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## frostservices (Nov 19, 2005)

DugHD said:


> Seth , are you sure it comes out of fourwheel drive when u shut the truck off?


 Yeah its coming out when you shut it off,I`m sure alot of other guys with the same setup will confirm that. If you shut it off with lever in 4x4 come back start the truck up and try to move it will just spin in 2wd you gota set and wait about 15-20 seconds for it to reengage.
Seth


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## frostservices (Nov 19, 2005)

Oh yeah and you don`t hurt to be moveing to engage or disengage as long as your not spining I ussually just let off pull lever back and when its engaged you can get back into it again. Just be careful some trucks take 15-20 seconds to fully engage.
Seth


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## lorentzlawnsnow (Aug 9, 2005)

those trucks that take so long to engage actually use a thermal actuator. very flawed design. so when you park it, the actuator loses juice, thus losing heat and disengaging. you'll notice that when it's cold out, they take longer to engage. if you have a vehicle under 8600 gvw they came out with one that actuates electronically. otherwise you're screwed. i put a manual actuator on mine made by posi lock. works great. positive engagement instantly. i would recommend it to anyone with this style actuator.


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## frostservices (Nov 19, 2005)

lorentzlawnsnow said:


> those trucks that take so long to engage actually use a thermal actuator. very flawed design. so when you park it, the actuator loses juice, thus losing heat and disengaging. you'll notice that when it's cold out, they take longer to engage. if you have a vehicle under 8600 gvw they came out with one that actuates electronically. otherwise you're screwed. i put a manual actuator on mine made by posi lock. works great. positive engagement instantly. i would recommend it to anyone with this style actuator.


 My gvw is 9200 can you use the manual actuator on a truck with that gvw? I guess now that I think about it I wonder if it will stay engaged if you turn the key to acc with the engine off?
I`ll have to try that. Sorry to hyjack the post. 
Seth


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## PlowingHD (Dec 12, 2005)

A posi -lock would work ok, but the newer actuator which uses an electric stepper motor works the best, the old design thermal linear actuator, which uses nitrogen gas that expands, thus sliding the fork, has been disconitnued by GM- what a blessing. The only real downfall to the electronic version is that you have to run the one wire harness to the ball switch on top of the transfer case to reverse the motor. If you own a 98- newer GM truck, it already has the updated unit. HD


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## lorentzlawnsnow (Aug 9, 2005)

actually, the thermal actuators are still the part a dealer will give you if you have a vehicle over 8500 gvw. the electric actuators are not available for these models. just went through all of this a few weeks ago.


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## Brian Young (Aug 13, 2005)

If you have manual hubs just leave the hubs locked in and take it out of 4wd (like on dry roads)


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## unimogr (Feb 18, 2004)

Anyone using the GM locking rear differential? How is it actuated? Any problems with them?


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## MickiRig1 (Dec 5, 2003)

My Ford has all manual 4x4 engaging. The hubs are locked anytime 4x4 may be needed. If it's needed I just reach down and pull the shifter lever into 4x4 mode. The 4x4 light comes on and on I go.. When I park it at the end of the event,and replowed my drive, it is in 4x4 cause we have had enough,time to take a nap. I get up,have coffee think about who else needs plowed / cleaned up,has cash.


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## itsgottobegreen (Mar 31, 2004)

SnoFarmer said:


> I've engaged the 4 wheel drive at 80 mph before with
> no problems at all.:waving:


Why do I have the feeling it was a company truck that you tried that in


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## SnoFarmer (Oct 15, 2004)

itsgottobegreen said:


> Why do I have the feeling it was a company truck that you tried that in


 Yep! My Company truck!!:waving: 
Let's see, full time 4 wheel drive.(shift on the fly) The driveline was already spinning at 80mph. Well, I need to shift in to 4 wheel at 80mph for my safety and that of the motorist around me. There was NO clashing of gears. It made no noise at all. It just slipped right in to gear.


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## itsgottobegreen (Mar 31, 2004)

SnoFarmer said:


> Yep! My Company truck!!:waving:
> Let's see, full time 4 wheel drive.(shift on the fly) The driveline was already spinning at 80mph. Well, I need to shift in to 4 wheel at 80mph for my safety and that of the motorist around me. There was NO clashing of gears. It made no noise at all. It just slipped right in to gear.


That is why you really need to trust your employees. They always try to do stupid crap like that when your not looking.


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## SnoFarmer (Oct 15, 2004)

itsgottobegreen said:


> That is why you really need to trust your employees. They always try to do stupid crap like that when your not looking.


 It's my company. my truck,:waving: MY stupid???
No really! It will not hurt a late model truck that is in good mechanical condition to be shifted in to 4 wheel drive at any speed.:salute:
\
And at 18yr old you need to have a little more experience with vehicles before you call some one stupid for how they operate there own vehicles...

I belive I'm being goated along....


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## PlowingHD (Dec 12, 2005)

I agree with snofarmer, most all chain drive aluminum case transfer cases are synchronized in HI range, and are designed to be shifted at any speed


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## SnoFarmer (Oct 15, 2004)

PlowingHD said:


> I agree with snofarmer, most all chain drive aluminum case transfer cases are synchronized in HI range, and are designed to be shifted at any speed


 I agree.. 
Most of the gear driven ones like the Dodge NV241HD's are synchronized too.


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## PlowingHD (Dec 12, 2005)

Just reading back thru the thread, I think lorenz lawn and snow got took, Ive installed the newer style actuators in the 3/4 and 1 ton trucks, just takes a spacer and a different wiring harness.


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## MickiRig1 (Dec 5, 2003)

I really wonder why you need to engage the 4X4 at 80 MPH? If you need it at that MPH you are a _flaming fool!_ In slick conditions you can go like the wind in 4X4, but you have no better control or stopping distance then anyone else! Your driving a _TRUCK_ not a sports car designed for speed.
Your going to get your 15 minutes of fame by killing some people or yourself in a spectacular crash if you keep it up!


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## lorentzlawnsnow (Aug 9, 2005)

plowinghd it may just be in the earlier models, but the wiring harness was not there on mine to splice into, this is why it wasn't available.


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## SnoFarmer (Oct 15, 2004)

MickiRig1 said:


> I really wonder why you need to engage the 4X4 at 80 MPH? If you need it at that MPH you are a _flaming fool!_ In slick conditions you can go like the wind in 4X4, but you have no better control or stopping distance then anyone else! Your driving a _TRUCK_ not a sports car designed for speed.
> Your going to get your 15 minutes of fame by killing some people or yourself in a spectacular crash if you keep it up!


 Thanks DAD!!!! :salute: 
The Speed limit was 75mph so I was going 5mph over so, settle down there big boy..... 
You assumed it was slick it was not it was a nice sunny day...
You assumed that I was trying to stop, Wrong!!
Really,I thought it was 4 wheel DRIVE brakes??

I couple of semi's mere entering the roadway slowing things down and making the traffic move over and slow down fast so I thought it would be a better Idea to use 4wheel drive and drive thought the median instead of getting into a accident. so fool settle down and don't be so quick to flame.


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## itsgottobegreen (Mar 31, 2004)

SnoFarmer said:


> And at 18yr old you need to have a little more experience with vehicles before you call some one stupid for how they operate there own vehicles...
> .


No trying to start a fight. But I am 20 (didn't realize my profile still said 18) I have plowed snow in IL, MA, MD, PA. Since I was 14. So I might know a few things about vehicles, 4x4 and plows. See my equipment list.

The point I was trying to make, is that employees usually don't have repect for your equipment since they don't own it so they don't care how they treat it. I have had more stuff broken by employees that I can remember. I have found myself abusing a few friends equipment when helping them out in a bind.


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## SnoFarmer (Oct 15, 2004)

itsgottobegreen said:


> No trying to start a fight. But I am 20 (didn't realize my profile still said 18) I have plowed snow in IL, MA, MD, PA. Since I was 14. So I might know a few things about vehicles, 4x4 and plows. See my equipment list.
> 
> The point I was trying to make, is that employees usually don't have repect for your equipment since they don't own it so they don't care how they treat it. I have had more stuff broken by employees that I can remember. I have found myself abusing a few friends equipment when helping them out in a bind.


 I agree.. Yes, It's hard to find employees that will take care you your equipment. 
Just remind them, if it's broke they can't work. payup If there abusing the equipment fire them.


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