I have owned my last 2 wheel drive pickup

[CalG]

You should try out the Hurlimann Prince line of tractors. 335-435-445- (Now the D-F Agro Kid line)

Rear diff lock at the pedal, Front diff lock via hydraulic , Plus front to rear locking at the press of a button (Electric solenoid accuated hydraulic) .

Talk about billy Goat! ;-)

 

[Bearsixty7]

I know RWD with a true locker is better than 4wd with opens for not getting stuck

If I'm paying for 4wd I want a locking rear and center. The only way you get stuck with that set up is to be on the frame. Most people don't want to hear their 4wd system is crap but I've seen it on many a slippery boat ramp. 2wd with a locker drives out and 4wd with no lockers sends all the power to one wheel.

What 4x4 vehicle in 4WD mode sent all power to one wheel?

I do vaguely remember some pickups in the 70's or 80' (I think it was dodge) may have had an open center diff in 4HI and might have done what you are saying, but put them in 4LO and the center diff was locked guaranteeing at least 1 front and 1 rear tire received power. But all the Pickups since the late 80's early 90's do not have a center diff.

 

[TMGT]

For simplicity and reliability I prefer the Torsen differential over a locking or std limited slip for everything but full on off road applications.

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[Bearsixty7]

For simplicity and reliability I prefer the Torsen differential over a locking or std limited slip for everything but full on off road applications.

Sent from my SM-G715U1 using TractorByNet mobile app

I remember reading about those back in the 80's, seemed like the end all be all differential. Are they still made and does any vehicle come with them OEM?

 

[ovrszd]

I owned my last 2wd truck in 1988 I think. Might have been 1989.

 

[TMGT]

I remember reading about those back in the 80's, seemed like the end all be all differential. Are they still made and does any vehicle come with them OEM?

Dodge/ ram has been using them for years (my 07 has one) a lot of other manufacturers use them also including Honda/ acura for their performance models starting back in the 90's.

We used them a lot in drag racing with fwd as they would still let you turn.

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[jyoutz]

Dude... a LSD isn't the same as a push button solid locked differential.

That is still a very poor second choice compared to 4wd. I’m a forester, so I guess I can say that I’m a professional off road driver. I do this every day for a living, and some of the mountain logging roads I travel are unsuited for 2wd even when dry. It’s just silly to even suggest that one rear axle compares to the pulling power (and steering assist) of having a drive axle weighted by the engine. We quit buying 2wd trucks for forestry use back in the 1980s. I recall starting my career in the 1980s and having one of the few 4wds my agency had assigned to me. During the wet seasons and winter, I spent a good part of my day rescuing the folks driving the 2wd trucks. A locking rear diff is better than nothing, but it’s nonsense to suggest that it’s equal to 4wd.

 

[jyoutz]

What about a 2wd tractor?

They are fine for mowing, and doing things when it’s not muddy or snowy. Most of the old style 2wd tractors spent their winters with chains on the rear wheels.

 

[not2old]

I remember reading about those back in the 80's, seemed like the end all be all differential. Are they still made and does any vehicle come with them OEM?

My 1998 V70R (all wheel drive) Volvo came with a Torsen diff and even though it only has 4" of ground clearance is noticeably better in the snow than my 1990 F250 4x4

 

[Hay Dude]

The ONLY place I can think of where 2WD might equal or slightly better 4WD is on really slippery ice BUT, the 2WD would have to have CHAINS on it and at least 1000lbs in the bed.
The chains would bite into the ice that even a 4WD may spin out on.

But how many of us are in that situation enough to justify running around with chains on a 2WD and all the other situations where 4WD is superior to a 2WD with a locker?

Its like 50 situations to 1 where the slippery topography favored 4WD over 2WD with a locker AND chains. For that reason 4WD is the clear choice. Even if it was 3 situations to 1, I’d go with 4WD over 2WD with locker