Rangers in Snow

nomocrap · Jan 4, 2018

2 Wheel Drive Rangers suck in SNOW

bobbywalter · Jan 4, 2018

yes they do.

85_Ranger4x4 · Jan 4, 2018

Even more so if you are not prepared and/or don't know how to drive them.

Good tires, weight and patience go a long ways.

Mark_88 · Jan 4, 2018

85_Ranger4x4 said:
Even more so if you are not prepared and/or don't know how to drive them.

Good tires, weight and patience go a long ways.

Yep..I agree... :icon_thumby:

I used to fill my bed up with snow and that goes a long way to making great traction...sucks on fuel economy but at least it never left me stranded...

adsm08 · Jan 4, 2018

Maybe you suck in snow.

It is a poor workman who blames his tool, don'tcha know.

I will admit that for a 2wd open rear the weight distribution sucks, but it's not insurmountable, if you know what you are doing. I very rarely use my 4x4. Put it in for the first time in two years on Saturday, and only then because I was passing another vehicle and didn't want the rear going sideways.

Plum Ranger XLT · Jan 4, 2018

I got 300 pounds in the bed of my 2008 Ranger 2wd with the manual tranny and get through fine.

RonD · Jan 4, 2018

Laws of physics, and personal experience, show that PULLING a load is easier than PUSHING that same load.

Try pushing a sled up a hill, lol, point made.

Anyway this is why Front Wheel Drives and 4WDs do better in snow, they are both PULLING the load.

Double whammy on a 2WD pickup truck is that it is PUSHING the load AND has no weight on the back wheels to PUSH with.
Front wheels just dig in and get harder and harder to PUSH

Yes, +1 to above, add weight to the bed, behind the axle/wheel wells is best, sand bags and or salt bags are good because you can pull one out and dump some sand or salt under the tires to add some traction.

Snow/winter tires are made of a softer rubber compound, so they stay pliable under 32degF, "all season" tires do NOT, when the tire rubber gets hard you will lose traction in any vehicle
Winter tires wear out very fast in summer heat, soft rubber, which is why "all season" tires can't use that softer rubber.
If you want a "true" 4 season tire...............move to south Florida, period

If just one wheel spins then you have an OPEN differential, easiest wheel to spin gets ALL the power, thats just the way it works.
What you can do when that happens is to get the wheel spinning slightly
Hold out the Park Brake release handle and press down on the Parking brake pedal slowly.
The spinning wheel will get HARDER to turn as parking brake slows it down and some power will get transferred to the other wheel which may get you unstuck.
It is an art, but once learned easily repeated
My Grandfather taught it to me and it does work

Mark_88 · Jan 4, 2018

RonD said:
What you can do when that happens is to get the wheel spinning slightly
Hold out the Park Brake release handle and press down on the Parking brake pedal slowly.
The spinning wheel will get HARDER to turn as parking brake slows it down and some power will get transferred to the other wheel which may get you unstuck.
It is an art, but once learned easily repeated
My Grandfather taught it to me and it does work

Cool...except now I want to get another Ranger just to try this out...

Never got stuck with rear wheel drive...mostly because I learned to drive way up north where it snowed 8 months of the year and we had to drive uphill both ways everywhere we went...lol...

But I did get stuck once in my FWD Ford Tempo...only because the snow was over the front bumper...but even then I managed to back out of what I got into.

det107 · Jan 4, 2018

nomocrap said:
2 Wheel Drive Rangers suck in SNOW

So what else is new-

Doofy · Jan 4, 2018

Good snow tires and some added weight over the rear axle= fairly decent traction in snow.

pjtoledo · Jan 4, 2018

true winter tires with 300-400 lbs in the bed. you will be yelling at Jeeps to get out of the way. (they won't listen)

I had BFG winter salmon KSI tires on my '05 reg cab 2wd. my work kept me on the road no matter what the weather was. those tires handled anything Michigan weather could throw at them. I had similar experience with Blizzaks on my Taurus'

do not put weight behind the rear axle in a small truck, that creates a lifting effect on the front and degrades steering/braking.

if you have a manual tranny, get it in 3rd gear at the lowest speed possible. there is something about the power being smoother or whatever that lessens wheel spin in 3rd.

Captain Ledd · Jan 4, 2018

Oh yeah.

Need the sand in the bed!

91stranger · Jan 5, 2018

I drive a 2wd everyday and we have had a lot of snow lately and I have no issues. It's called "knowing how to drive and what you vehicle needs to drive best in the winter" duh! if you have a 2wd drive ranger then you should know that if you have bald tires then you are not going anywhere. spend the money to get snow tires, they make a huge difference. I have a 2wd with studded half tread tires on the rear and it goes anywhere I need it to. I have no weight in the bed except a second spare tire so I don't have to crawl in the snow to get the factory tire out if needed. I like keeping the bed empty and light so I can use "rear steering" you know give it some gas to get the rear end sliding around a corner. I think that new drivers and people who cant drive in snow need to find a big parking lot and just start diving like a fool, get it sideways and see if you can correct it. learn to control a truck that is fish tailing. I can fish tail back and forth down a mile long road with no issues. this will make you a more prepared driver. good drivers know that once you start fish tailing and lets say you panic and slam the brakes then that is going to make it worse. if you give it gas and turn accordingly you will correct the issue. so recap. 2wd rangers NEED snow tires and good tires on all FOUR tires. if you cant steer around a corner then you will be in the ditch. keep a chain or two with you just in case. I have 45' of chain in my tool box just in case. you may be able to help someone who is stuck and just needs a chain. I keep two chains with me at all times.

RonD · Jan 5, 2018

pjtoledo said:
............................

do not put weight behind the rear axle in a small truck, that creates a lifting effect on the front and degrades steering/braking.

...............................

You want the front to lift up a little if you only have Rear Wheel Drive, the problem with PUSHING the load is that the front tends to dig in to the snow.

But yes, good "heads up" warning that when you change weight distribution in any vehicle handling will change, in the snow or even carrying a heavier load or pulling a trailer in the summer

bobbywalter · Jan 5, 2018

this is a perennial retarded debate.

it depends on what you do.

and tires are absolutely key.

but there is an absolute depending on what you need to do.

many years I drive similar miles as an otr truck driver..JUST TO GET TO WORK. not as a paid occupation. it is a pathetic waste of life.

nobody disagrees if you cant drive a 2wd ranger on maintained roads with good tires, you suck.

if you think you can do what I do with a 2wd ranger. your at the very least....ignorant..

with chains and a locker your not going where I have to go at times....cause I have chains and a locker and barely make it sometimes with 4wd....not a daily thing by any means. but it is what it is.

if your telling me a 2wd does not suck compared to a 4x4 all things being equal....in 8 inches of slushy bullshit....your an intellectually dishonest moron in which rational conversation is not happening. Ron D brilliantly pointed out the facts.

there is no comparing it.

yes. you can get by for the average things just fine in a 2wd.

but 2wd rangers still suck in the snow.

I don't suck at driving. i am not blaming the tool...just recognizing a 2wd is the wrong tool for the job....pipe wrenches make great hammers, but I would rather use a hammer when possible to do hammer stuff.

Rangers in Snow

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