Whats the beef with step sides

[fili450r]

For instance I eventually want to build my truck up so I can go play in the dunes in Michigan. Not that I'm hating on people who like to crawl and slowly move through technical trails. It's just not for me, I want to jump and go fast, and if I had 4wd it would just be another thing to break/slow me down.

I get up to Silver Lake dunes, 1-3 times a year....normally my dads buggy and me on my fourwheeler....but still fun as hell out there.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I would just like to point out that if you have an unlocked 4wd truck it's the same thing as a locked 2wd, when it comes down to it your really only powering 2 wheels. I'm also willing to bet a locked 2wd with knobby tires could do pretty much anything you wanted outside of crawling. Sometimes you just don't need the extra weight up front. For instance I eventually want to build my truck up so I can go play in the dunes in Michigan. Not that I'm hating on people who like to crawl and slowly move through technical trails. It's just not for me, I want to jump and go fast, and if I had 4wd it would just be another thing to break/slow me down.

I would also like to point out that the front wheels have a lot more weight over them, and that weight is pretty much centered (unlike the offset fuel tank in the back) so you get more traction than a locked 2wd, and thanks to the more even weight balance it is more likely that you would still be spinning 3 tires rather than 2... on the light end of the truck.

 

[JohnnyO]

I think a stepside looks fine on a regular cab (if that's your thing) but on a Supercab they're just fugly.

 

[Ranger97XL]

I would also like to point out that the front wheels have a lot more weight over them, and that weight is pretty much centered (unlike the offset fuel tank in the back) so you get more traction than a locked 2wd, and thanks to the more even weight balance it is more likely that you would still be spinning 3 tires rather than 2... on the light end of the truck.

Open is open it doesn't matter how much weight there is. If I put 1000lbs. In my bed I'd still be doing a peg legged burn out.

Weight does not equal lsd/locker it just equals more weight

 

[Ranger97XL]

I get up to Silver Lake dunes, 1-3 times a year....normally my dads buggy and me on my fourwheeler....but still fun as hell out there.

Yeah we took my roommates jeep up there last er and beat the piss out of it. It was pretty fun, definitely hooked. I'm hoping I get some work done on my truck so I can bring it up there this summer an get a yearlong pass. Other we'll prolly just be wheeling the jeeps.

 

[edgerunner]

reg beds dent....stepsides dont here's proof

http://www.therangerstation.com/forums/showthread.php?t=67730

 

[Frank The Tank]

I've destroyed both kinds of beds........ lol.

Frank

 

[Shrek666]

I always laugh my ass off when I'm at menards or home depot and watch some idiot who just bought a bunch of 4 x 8 sheets of plywood or sheetrock or pink insulation and try to load it in a step side and on top of it doesn't carry any bungee or tarp straps so they drop the trailgate and load em on a slant. Depending on what they have I'll follow them and get free materials.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Open is open it doesn't matter how much weight there is. If I put 1000lbs. In my bed I'd still be doing a peg legged burn out.

Weight does not equal lsd/locker it just equals more weight

No, you probably couldn't burn out if you had to. Weight = traction. Balanced weight = more traction.

It is harder to spin tires on anything with more weight on it... that is more traction. Why else do people put sand bags in the back of their pickups in the winter? Why else do they increase the weight in the weightbox on the sled as the weight classes go up at a tractor pull? Why don't they just pile all of the weights on the tractor at the same place if balance doesn't matter? (you want to keep them balanced side to side as much as possible, and only enough on the front to keep it down, you want all the weight you can get on the rear drivewheels)

With a 2wd truck and a full 17 gallon tank, the driver side wheel (without the driver) has 100 more pounds on it than the passenger side. Notice that when you spin a rear wheel most of the time it is the passenger side, locking the rear axle elimates this. The engine and transmission are obviously centered between the wheels so the weight is balanced between the two, the wheels are in more equalibrium and less likely be dominant on one side. It is also obviously heavier than a fuel tank which = more traction. In a 4x4 the front wheels are turning under their own power and help loose ground keep moving instead of balling up in front of nonpowered wheels. I have seen 2wd trucks stuck just because of that reason, they couldn't push the crap that built up in front of the front wheels that were not even turning... makes them mighty helpless in a hurry.

Weight has everything to do with it and trying to push the heavy end with the light end will not work as well as a 4x4 that is at least trying to do something with the heavy end.

Not to mention a little thing the Air Force refers to as "Thrust Vectoring" where you can use the front wheels to pull the front end where you want it rather than use them as rudders which only do something when you are actually moving.

I would gladly take on a locked 2wd truck with my open 4x4 with the same tires... I even have a nice snowy field with a tractor close by to pull it out.

The only exception to this is desert racing, which is worthless to worry about in my part of the country. The closest thing we have to a desert is the sand covered streets after the snow melts.

 

[eric17mx]

You could drop the rear drive line and go more places then a 2wd could dream of, just using the front two. Common sense, man this thread is still goin hot lol!

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

No, you probably couldn't burn out if you had to. Weight = traction. Balanced weight = more traction.

It is harder to spin tires on anything with more weight on it... that is more traction. Why else do people put sand bags in the back of their pickups in the winter? Why else do they increase the weight in the weightbox on the sled as the weight classes go up at a tractor pull? Why don't they just pile all of the weights on the tractor at the same place if balance doesn't matter? (you want to keep them balanced side to side as much as possible, and only enough on the front to keep it down, you want all the weight you can get on the rear drivewheels)

With a 2wd truck and a full 17 gallon tank, the driver side wheel (without the driver) has 100 more pounds on it than the passenger side. Notice that when you spin a rear wheel most of the time it is the passenger side, locking the rear axle elimates this. The engine and transmission are obviously centered between the wheels so the weight is balanced between the two, the wheels are in more equalibrium and less likely be dominant on one side. It is also obviously heavier than a fuel tank which = more traction. In a 4x4 the front wheels are turning under their own power and help loose ground keep moving instead of balling up in front of nonpowered wheels. I have seen 2wd trucks stuck just because of that reason, they couldn't push the crap that built up in front of the front wheels that were not even turning... makes them mighty helpless in a hurry.

Weight has everything to do with it and trying to push the heavy end with the light end will not work as well as a 4x4 that is at least trying to do something with the heavy end.

Not to mention a little thing the Air Force refers to as "Thrust Vectoring" where you can use the front wheels to pull the front end where you want it rather than use them as rudders which only do something when you are actually moving.

I would gladly take on a locked 2wd truck with my open 4x4 with the same tires... I even have a nice snowy field with a tractor close by to pull it out.

The only exception to this is desert racing, which is worthless to worry about in my part of the country. The closest thing we have to a desert is the sand covered streets after the snow melts.

More weight does not always equal more traction. When I ran mud tires on the rear of my Ranger in the winter, I found that if I had several hundred pounds in the bed, it wouldn't go anywhere in deep snow and only slightly better on hardpack. Ice made no difference. But when I cut down the weight in the bed to 150#, suddenly I was able to go just about anywhere and still had the ice traction problem (which I might add would stop a 4x4 as well) so I remedied that by the application of chains. Without chains I only got stuck twice, and was able to remedy one of those by DECREASING the weight some more in the bed and shoveling the packed snow from in front of the tires.

I'm not saying that 2wds are better than 4x4s, just that some of your argument is invalid. People use sandbags to balance their truck. I never had to use sandbags in my BII, because of it's design it was fairly well balanced and did not need any additional ballast. 4x4s need balanced too.

And open axles still equate to open axles, weighted or not. Getting the weight balanced over the axle from side to side to account for the naturally heavy drivers side still leaves you with the one-wheel-peel. I had my Ranger well balanced, and most of the time when I'd start spinning, it was about 50/50 as to if it was drivers side or passenger side. Whichever one had the least traction would spin despite the weight. This is why I'm planning on locking the rear of my 4x4 work truck - despite weight it's still an open axle.

You could drop the rear drive line and go more places then a 2wd could dream of, just using the front two. Common sense, man this thread is still goin hot lol!

No, it's still dependent on driver skill. You could pull the rear driveshaft off your Ranger and I'll take my lowly POS 2wd Ranger and I'll bet you I can go anywhere you can. Would you like to bet pinks on that?

 

[Frank The Tank]

That arguement makes no sense........ really.
I'd take your pink slip in a heartbeat.

Just thought I'd throw that out there.

So your saying that those 800lbs of tractor weights in the bed of my truck during the snow/ice storm last year, only helped my 2wd step/side because it balanced which tire got the power in my open diff? It had nothing to do with planting the one tire that was getting power......
Interesting concept, have drag racers figured this out yet??

Frank

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

That arguement makes no sense........ really.
I'd take your pink slip in a heartbeat.

Just thought I'd throw that out there.

Yea, but you know how to drive.

So your saying that those 800lbs of tractor weights in the bed of my truck during the snow/ice storm last year, only helped my 2wd step/side because it balanced which tire got the power in my open diff? It had nothing to do with planting the one tire that was getting power......
Interesting concept, have drag racers figured this out yet??

Frank

I'm saying it CAN help, but pure weight is not everything. You also need good tires and driver skill. Just saying that if you throw 2,000 lbs in the bed of a Ranger it will go better in the winter because you have a LOT of weight is a ridiculous statement, there's more to it than that. Which was what I got out of 85's post, that all you need is more weight over an axle an it'll go better, that's not always the case, you need to use the proper weight for the conditions.

 

[exbass94]

I just wanted to say that I find it interesting that many people bitch about stepsides not being able to carry as much crap due to their smaller size, yet everyone keeps begging Ford to bring the crew cab Ranger to the US, which only has a tiny 5-foot bed.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

I just wanted to say that I find it interesting that many people bitch about stepsides not being able to carry as much crap due to their smaller size, yet everyone keeps begging Ford to bring the crew cab Ranger to the US, which only has a tiny 5-foot bed.

I think more people want them for the diesel motor than anything, lol