Diesel Pickups in the snow and those front hooks

[CalG]

Certainly you don't think the ENGINE type has anything to do with getting stuck or un-stuck.

It is just so much weight and the motive force to spin the wheels.

Get grippy tires! Hakkapelliitta! The first 3mm of that tread is Sticky!

 

[diesel lover]

And yes at my old job our 2012 f250 had a differential lock as well as other company's are making new trucks that have them from the factory. The difference before and after the locker is night and day but you may need 800 pounds weight over the rear wheels of your truck.

 

[JakeBrake]

I have no idea if this would work on newer trucks, but I have a 2" receiver frame mounted on the front of my '95 GMC 4X4. I find this to be very useful for attaching tow hooks, hitch balls, winches, or anything else that can be attached to a 2" receiver. I had to remove the plastic below the bumper before I could install the receiver. Personally, I don't know why they put plastic below the steel bumper on off-road trucks.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I saw a front receiver job on a truck the other day. Very, very nice job! Almost got out to take a picture.

The plastic is to improve the areodynamics of the vehicle. I slid through a stop sign on an icy road last year, because for all intents and purposes I don't have any brakes at all with that POS antilock system and messed up all kinds of plastic and clips. Pure garbage! All of it.

What's the point of saving pennies in fuel, when you do thousands of dollars of damage when one of these low slung vehicles hits a parking curb?

 

[HHR]

Just about the time that you are truly stuck, and try and give it a little more power, the whole truck starts to shake very violently and you have no choice but to back off on the throttle. Is that the Posi? If so, what good is that? I look forward to your feedback!

What you are experiencing is axle wrap/wheel hop. All that torque from the duramax will cause the spring pack to wind and release violently when traction conditions are marginal. The only thing you can do to correct this is to add traction bars or ladder bars which are solid steel links that run from the rear axle forward to the frame rails.

 

[grsthegreat]

ive towed lots of people out with my F350 diesel and front hooks. I agree that a clevis hook and nylon pulling strap works best. I have a 3" x 20 ' long strap that has a 30,000# rating. and 2 vary strong clevis hooks.

 

[not2old]

What you are experiencing is axle wrap/wheel hop. All that torque from the duramax will cause the spring pack to wind and release violently when traction conditions are marginal. The only thing you can do to correct this is to add traction bars or ladder bars which are solid steel links that run from the rear axle forward to the frame rails.

I experienced this problem with my 1990 F250, 4x4, 460 automatic with limited slip. I found that if I use my left foot to drag the brakes, the wheel hop will go away. The winter of 90/91, when no plows were available, I was asked to drive through a condo complex a number of times through snow that was over two feet deep. I had no problems using this method, and when backing out of a dead end, could see the outline of the whole front of my truck, up to the hood. I was running new BFG Allterrain T/A's 31x10.50x16.5. These are no longer available and the 33x12.50's are not as good.

 

[Fordman1981]

Are front and rear lockers true deff lock or just the BS limited slip? If true lock, is that an OEM option? Oh, and then I almost hit the concrete wall at the end of my drive shed, because after all that farting around in the snow, the disks were frozen and I didn't need the brakes it seems til I got parked inside! Amazing, just how much garbage 70 grand (sticker price) will get ya! PATHETIC!

Don't know about his Titan but a power wagon is a 3/4 ton truck and has selectable diff lock front and rear, an electronic disconnecting sway bar for the best articulation of any factory built truck and a factory 12,000 lb hidden winch.

 

[VTFireftr]

I have 2005 F 250 supercab 4 x 4 with the 6.0 Powerstroke and a 6 speed (manual) transmission. I've owned the truck since new, and it now has 215K miles. I live in snow country - Vermont and have only gotten stuck three times (icy roads). My truck is a tank in snow and slush. Because of the heavy engine and general weight of the truck (7K pounds), plus the long wheelbase - I have an 8' bed, the truck tracks really well in bad weather. I am currently running General Grabber tires and they do well in all conditions - except ice. When I know the roads are going to be crappy, I keep my hubs locked (manual shift 4 x 4 by choice), and I also feel this helps by adding some resistance on the front drive line.

Long ago, I replaced the front bumper with a South Texas Outfitters front end replacement, which includes a receiver hitch. No problems attaching anything.

Not meant to brand bash here, but the GM frames sit much lower than the Ford frames, and this may be a contributing factor to your getting stuck issues.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Are front and rear lockers true deff lock or just the BS limited slip? If true lock, is that an OEM option?

Oh, and then I almost hit the concrete wall at the end of my drive shed, because after all that farting around in the snow, the disks were frozen and I didn't need the brakes it seems til I got parked inside!

Amazing, just how much garbage 70 grand (sticker price) will get ya! PATHETIC!

Yes, factory. It has 33 spline Dana 44 axles with factory Detroit Lockers. The are electronic Lockers. My truck is a very limited one with a factory 2" lift and 34" tires. Took a long time to hunt it out the way I wanted it spec'd.

All the manufactures now offer a true electronic locking rear diff except GM. The have a G80 mechanical locker. It's better than no locker but is very limited. I only engages once wheel spin occurs and automatically disengages at 25 mph wheel spin. About worthless if already stuck.

Chris