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There's definitely something going on with your truck. 4x4 F-150's are absolutely outstanding off-road and in low-traction situations, especially with a rear-locker. There are very few if any "everyday" scenarios that your truck wouldn't be able to get out of, unless you were on bald tires.
Also please see below for clarifications:
Originally Posted by tomjv
Here's what I'm told:
2x2 = 1 wheel drive (rear, right side wheel) --> 2wd is always 50 / 50 torque split between the two rear wheels. One-wheel spin is a side-effect of an open differential. I'll post a link below with further clarification.
4x4 = 2 wheel drive (both right side wheels) --> 4x4 is torque sent to all four wheels. One-wheel spin in rear, front, or both is a result of open diffs. Again, please see link below with further info.
4x4 with rear diff locked = 3 wheel drive (both rear and front right side) --> 4x4 with rear diff locked is both rear wheels turning in sync, and front wheels receiving 50 / 50 left-right torque split. One wheel can appear to spin in the front.
4L = 4x4 without traction control --> 4L is a drive mode that changes the gearing for increased pulling power at low speeds in a few limited set of extreme circumstances. It would not be used for everyday driving. Traction Control is off in 4Lo, but the primary difference between 4L and 4Hi is the gearing.
4H = 4x4 with traction control --> This is just standard 4x4 for driving off-road and / or in low traction situations. Traction Control is defaulted to on, but can be turned off with the button on the dashboard. 4H uses the standard gearing that is used in 2WD for regular driving speeds.
4A ? Like 4H, but safe (for the car) to use on dry pavement. I use this when I expect slippery conditions and it seems to help. The sound of the transfer case is worrisome. 4A is a drive mode where the transfer case engages a "clutch-like" mechanism to engage the front drive shaft on an "as-needed" basis if the truck's computer determines that overall traction would temporarily be benefited by use of the front drive wheels. Most of the time while driving, 90 - 100% of the torque will be going to the rear, while the front hubs are "engaged" but free-wheeling (front drive-shaft not actually powering them). If the computer sees the front wheels need to provide driving grip, the front driveshaft is temporarily engaged by the transfer-case's "clutch" until proper grip is achieved, and then the truck goes back to sending power to the rear. That's why you can drive this on pavement. Most of the time, the truck is essentially operating in 2WD mode, except briefly when extra grip may be needed.
Here's a link to a little guide I wrote explaining how a lot of this works:
Now granted I have off-road tires, but still, if I can get up this sandy ski-slope of a hill without any problems, there's very few driveways that should present a problem to a 4x4 F-150.
Last edited by Florida_F150; 02-06-2019 at 09:54 PM.
Reason: Corrected a note about Traction Control
I was under the impression that the front differential was a locker? it certainly acts like one when i'm driving around my deer lease and I chatter the front wheels when turning.....
That's just a 4WD thing, although I swear my Ranger was never as bad about it as this truck is. Anything more than a slight turn of the wheel makes all kinds of noises from the front end.
On Fords had found in past 2x2. There version of posi trac is useless. A King Ranch had with a small utility trailer could not pull itself out
of wet grass with just a slight incline. You could hold the pedal down, smoke away was not going to move. Dealership tried on
a lot next door and got the same results. Just said the way Fords are built. The rears will not lock the two wheels like Posi tracks
from competitors. Next truck back to GM worked ok. On next Ford got a f250 diesel 4x4. Yeah it would pull it but sure
made some gear grinding popping sounds. It got traded on 4x4 GMC, dealer said on that one pull in straight line do not
try to turn can damage hubs. ???? Tried it couple times which did pop and jerk. Guess saying both brands have quirks
whether they lock the wheels or not. It may be working as intended. Back to an 18 150, have never engaged 4x4 so no
clue how it performs. Got 4x since was on the limited. Trucks had do not go past 15,000 miles, so basically new when
trade, no worn issues.
On Fords had found in past 2x2. There version of posi trac is useless. A King Ranch had with a small utility trailer could not pull itself out
of wet grass with just a slight incline. You could hold the pedal down, smoke away was not going to move.
I have a Traction-Lock in my 2WD 2003 and it locks 'em right up like it's supposed to. They do wear eventually, which seems to be most people's bias against them. But they work, just like the other brands LSD's do.
Not clear what, exactly, you were driving. One experience in a wet field in one truck isn't much to go on. Based on the dealer comments it probably had an open diff and he didn't even know it. You didn't even say if both tires were spinning. Probably had street tires.
Now granted I have off-road tires, but still, if I can get up this sandy ski-slope of a hill without any problems, there's very few driveways that should present a problem to a 4x4 F-150.
This picture makes that hill look pretty crazy....have you measured the actual slope? I sure hope it's not as steep as it looks! Looks like you would high-side at the top breakover.
This picture makes that hill look pretty crazy....have you measured the actual slope? I sure hope it's not as steep as it looks! Looks like you would high-side at the top breakover.
It's steep, but manageable. I looked at the little meter in the dashboard readout that measures incline and it said 30 degrees when I looked last. (After that I kept my eye on the hill). The top is more rounded than appears in the photo so it's possible to go over the top and down the other side, but you'd want a couple of inches of lift to be safe and not high-center yourself.
But yeah, if my heavy supercrew can get up that hill without any additional traction aids (I didn't add a front Torsen or anything like that, for example) than even a pretty steep driveway should be easy for a 4x4.
4L = 4x4 without traction control --> Traction Control is always defaulted to on in all of the drive modes (2wd, 4Hi, 4Lo, 4Auto). You can turn it off for all modes with the button on the dash, but it defaults to on. 4L is a drive mode that changes the gearing for increased pulling power at low speeds in a few limited set of extreme circumstances. It would not be used for everyday driving.
02-06-2019, 02:05 PM
