Frazee Ridge, SASS #54171 Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 Evenin Pards: I have two 4WD trucks. A 2009 Ram and a 2011 Dakota. My brother-in-law constantly tells me that I should use 4WD in the summer to keep the parts lubricated or whatever else happens under there (as you can see I am not much of a mechanic). I have only used 4WD in snow, mud etc. Never on a hard surface. Anybody have any thoughts on this? I would appreciate hearing them. I know, I could probably read the owners manual, but that's no fun. Thanks for the help. Have a great weekend. Frazee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badger Mountain Charlie SASS #43172 Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 I turn mine on and drive a short distance just to get the juice going. Put it in low gear and drive for a short distance. That is it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawnee McGrutt Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 If you mean pavement as hard surface, no. Dirt & Rock, go four wheeling I put my truck or Jeep into four wheel drive, in the summer, just for fun. I don't know if it really matters. I lube up the drive train before winter comes around anyways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grizzly killer ,sass life 14516 Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 it helps keep everything lubed in the axles and transfer case. CAUTION drive on grass,dirt,mud,anything but pavement. reason is, the front wheels will turn faster than the rear wheels and cause needless wear on the tires. i run mine (had fwd for about 35 years now) about 5-10 miles a month even in summer. it does not hurt if you miss a month every once in a while. just my opinion. others may disagree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sedalia Dave Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 Never ever put a 4 wheel drive in to the 4X4 mode on hard dry surfaces, especially concrete or asphalt. You can cause major damage to the drive train after only driving a few feet. If you are lucky you will only break the cross piece in a u-joint. I have seen broken axels, shattered knuckles, differentials, and damaged transfer cases from leaving a vehicle in 4-lock on asphalt. This is one time you should read the owners manual, as without knowing the exact type of system your vehicle has, there is no way to give the corrct advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Rick Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 I put my Jeep in both 4-HI and 4-LO at least once a month to exercise the system. Don't know if it helps, but it makes me feel better. But, I only do it on dirt/grass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Four-Eyed Buck,SASS #14795 Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 The HD Chevy we use in the park here is a real stinker to steer in 4WD, especially on pavement(dry). We use 4WD to get out of the pump house area( steep drive), and the well field after rains. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocWard Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 I've been doing it for years. My understanding is it doesn't take much. It is also my understanding that hard pavement is OK for this purpose, so long as you are going in a straight line. Dirt or grass is preferable, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocWard Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 The HD Chevy we use in the park here is a real stinker to steer in 4WD, especially on pavement(dry). We use 4WD to get out of the pump house area( steep drive), and the well field after rains. It is a problem because the front and rear tires are wanting to move at different speeds as you steer, as are the left and right. This causes binding in numerous areas. I could drive my old Grand Wagoneer in 4-high on dry pavement, because it had a viscous coupling in the transfer case that allowed slippage. Other vehicles I've owned, do anything but a straight line on pavement and the steering was problematic. I blew a hub on my 82 Toyota because I had the brakes done at Midas and they packed the bearings in my lockouts with grease like a regular hub, and when I engaged them for snow, they couldn't disengage when I unlocked the hub due to the grease. It sounded like a grenade going off in the cab when it happened. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Four-Eyed Buck,SASS #14795 Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 And how,Doc Now the 4WD Kubota tractor doesn't seem to have this problem. I've accidently had it in 4WD going from point a to point B in the park and didn't notice it at all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sedalia Dave Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 IIRC your Kubota has hydraulic powered front wheels not shaft driven. The hydraulics allow for slippage when one wheel moves at a different speed than the others. I am not aware of too many farm tractors with different size front and back wheels that have the front wheels shaft driven. 4X4 vehicles that have locking hubs when in 4-lock mode have at least 2 wheels mechanically coupled so they have to turn at the exact same rate. It is highly unlikely that the wheels will be the exact same diameter, so over time they will try to turn out of sync but cant so if you are lucky a wheel will slip. If not then things break. If you turn the wheel this happens even faster. Full time 4X4 and AWD vehicles have a differential in the transfer case that allows for the slippage necessary to prevent damage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frazee Ridge, SASS #54171 Posted July 25, 2015 Author Share Posted July 25, 2015 Thanks everyone for the answers. Sounds like I need to do it now and then, and will always do it on grass. Frazee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 Read the owners manual, it says something like shift it and use it once a month for a short distance. You can always arrange to be on grass or dirt at some time in your monthly tasks but a half mile on pavement won't kill anything. Now "once a month" is one of those engineering recommendations to make you think about it if you ever read it. Every 90 days is not a warrantee breaker. But waiting till it rains in LA is not a good idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abilene Slim SASS 81783 Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 My 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee has full time fwd, so it's always on whether I want it or not. I used to have a '97 Jeep GC where I could select full time or part time fwd. My '97 Cherokee Sport has part time fwd only where I have to pull a lever to engage it. It's not to be engaged on dry pavement. Only full time-optioned fwd models are approved for that. The answer for your vehicle is in your owners manual. If you don't don't have one, I'm sure you can download it or look it up on the net. Don't go by what your BIL tells you as all vehicles, even within the same model can be different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy the Avenger Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 I'm a master gm tech I say the only part I ever replace is the front actuator they freeze up front not getting used so 1 or 2 times a month turn it to 4x4 drive slow 1 block then turn off I do rebuild alot of transfer case from people leaving them in auto Auto kicks in 2nd and 4wd a lot when you turn, it kicks in, it kicks out, it goes out Good thing 5 year 100,000 mile warranty Billy the Avenger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Four-Eyed Buck,SASS #14795 Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 We've had the control for the tranny go out on this one in the last year,plus the sending unit for oil pressure. Both big tear downs, but so far no problems with the 4WD system. Guess we engage it enough to keep it lubed up. Chevy HD 2500 that we also use to plow snow in the winter. No gas mileage to speak of, but what a beast! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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