So, having never had a 4X4 before, I have to ask, when is it advisable to be in the various gears, 4L, 4H, 2H, etc. What is used for what applications? Road/Hwy vs max traction (ice/slope/mud/etc.)

Thank you

 

The manual explains this in general.

4H is for slippery conditions, not dry pavement.
4L is when you need traction in slow, sloppy areas. If you turn on dry pavement in 4L you'll likely break something.

If you don't have a manual, owner.ford.com to download a PDF.

 

Thank you for this, just the basic info I was seeking. So, 4H on slippery/icy driveway/road, but 4L if stuck in mud and driving in a straight line.

 

4l, almost never. Only if you are planning to crawl through rough terrain or dig yourself out of deep snow. max speed is about 30 (due to gear reduction), not meant for driving.

4h ONLY when you are on slipper surfaces. Not at all advisable to be in 4h if your front wheels are not able to slip on surfaces such as a gravel road, mud, snow, sand, etc. Basically, not when on dry pavement.

If you never drive in those situations, then you will be in 2h 99.5% of the time you own the truck.
It's not a bad idea from time to time to get on a dirt road or something so you can drive it for a few minutes in the 4x4 modes. The verdict it out if that makes a difference in longevity. When you engage the 4x4 modes, it allows differential and transfer case fluids to coat the gears that won't otherwise get splashed.

Your owners manual has instructions of how to engage the modes. If you have an older vehicle without a manual, you can download from Ford. Search google for something like "1994 f150 owners manual"

 

Yeah you wont really need 4L unless you are actually offroading. I sometimes use it when I need to get my trailer into a tough spot camping just to give me the extra torque at the wheels, but most of the time 4H is plenty.

 

I’ve never needed to use 4lo.

Youll be in 2wd all the time except in ice/snow/mud. Don’t use 4wd on dry pavement ever.

I use 4hi around town when roads are snowy. I’ve used it on the highway a couple times before going about 40-45 when the roads where snow covered.

You won’t stop any faster, but the truck will grab better when cornering / turning and you won’t fishtail around corners.

It’s a good idea to turn on 4wd every month or so to keep it in good working order. Find somewhere with low traction, or gravel, or, you can turn it on and off briefly if you’re going 100% straight. Just don’t try to turn at all.

 

This is the answer.

The owners manual actually goes into great detail of when you should use all modes, when not to use it, what to expect (noises), and how to shift between the gears.

Basically 4H if you are in a situation where the wheels can spin (ice, snow, sand, mud, loose dirt...never seen rain so bad it required 4H but i guess if you are driving through 4 inches of water, go for it).
4L, ive used once in my life and it was in an off road situation that if i didnt make it out, i could total the truck...but 4H probably wouldve worked fine

 

No wonder why GM got rid of 4L on their normal T-case on the 1500. No one uses it.

 

So many today come from All Wheel Drive (AWD) vehicles into 4X4 vehicles and don't understand the differences.

True 4X4 is an old, yet relatively inexpensive and simple system that hasn't changed much in over 100 years. We now use electric motors to engage the 4X4 and lock the hubs which used to be done manually. And very few trucks have solid front axles anymore, but other than that it is pretty much the same.

4X4 HI range should be used sparingly and only as needed to get through rough patches. There are very few times when it should be used on pavement or any other hard dry surface. When 4X4 is engaged the transfer case is sending equal power to front and rear axles forcing them to turn at the same speed. Which is fine when driven in a straight line, but when you corner each wheel takes a different path and would normally turn at 4 different speeds to get there.

If 4X4 is engaged the inside wheels are traveling the shortest distance yet are at the same speed as the outside wheels. They need to slip on the ground slightly. If traction is too good, it puts the drivetrain in a bind. It is rare to have a catastrophic failure, but it is possible. Most likely you cause excessive wear to the drivetrain resulting in premature failure. Depending on how often this happens, and how sharp you're cornering the parts failure could be years down the road. Since the damage isn't usually apparent immediately many guys seem to think it is OK to drive in 4X4 on pavement. Those guys are why I won't buy a used 4X4.

All low range does is reduce your gearing by a factor of somewhere between 2:1 to 4:1. It depends on the vehicle. I think most F150's are around 2.7:1. This is helpful when pulling heavy loads off road. The ultra-low gearing makes it possible to go up steep inclines with very low engine rpm. It also means you can go to 1st gear, low range and creep down steep inclines and never have to touch the brakes. Low range does not generally help get you through mud or snow. In fact, most of the time in those conditions HI range is better. You need wheel speed to sling mud out of your tires.

Low range is not good on snow or ice. The increase in torque getting to the ground makes it more likely to spin. In fact, starting in High range and 2nd gear is the best way to get started on slick ice or snow.

Many newer cars and SUV's use AWD. It is a newer, more complex and expensive system that will send power to all 4 wheels and will account for varying wheel speeds and is safe to use on any surface. It is great on wet pavement, dry pavement or typical snow and ice. It is pretty good in mild mud or sand. Actually, much better than 4X4. But it can't handle severe off-road conditions. That is where true 4X4 is better. Ford, and some other trucks offer the option on some trucks to have AWD and 4X4. That is only an option on the higher end trim packages from Ford.

 

My wife's Hyundai has an AWD system. It's really nice but it lacks the 4L range. It can apply the clutch system in the transfer case 100% to mimic a traditional 4x4 system but that's about it. My pickup has 4A, which is an AWD system as well, but I wouldn't want to use it full-time. This is because the more torque you demand from the system, the more the system is going to apply the clutch in our transfer case, the less it's going to tolerate slip between front and rear drivelines. Knowing all this, I did have my pickup in 4A while up in the Tahoe area and it did great on the varying dry/wet/snow/ice pavement surfaces there. In past years, I have had manual 4x4's and when in the same conditions, I'd lock the hubs and drive around in 2H unless I needed 4H. Then once in 4H, I'd be very careful about turns... due to the driveline binding problem.