Experience towing w/ 2WD F250, 2500 or other 3/4 ton

[Nighduckman]

My wife and I recently bought a Jayco Eagle HT 24.5 CKTS fifth wheel. After being somewhat taken in by the marketing and our Ford dealer, we bought a beefed-up F150 that, in the end, was overweight on GVR and the rear axle rating. For safety and out of an abundance of caution, after much research, we traded it in for an F250, gas engine, 2WD. We got the 4x2 instead of the 4x4 because it is a much better fit, height-wise, with our fiver and because we are not going to boondock and only camp in prepared campgrounds with decent roads. I understand we will likely get stuck once in a while, but, will have a tow strap and I understand we can usually count on a nice 4x4 owner to tow us out and/or we have GoodSam towing assistance. Again, we are not going to off road or seriously boondock. We won't be driving the rig in snow etc.

Having said all that, I am curious about the real-world experience of any others who have towed with 2WD. We are comfortable with our decision and know there will be tradeoffs over 4x4 like much lower resale and, potentially, getting stuck occasionally. But, all in all, mainly interested in what other 2WD towers have experienced. Thanks in advance.

[JRMunn]

The OP asked about towing, and it seems that most prefer 2WD. I agree, if that is the only use. But 4WD has benefits beyond towing, such as really rough roads, steep hills, crossing streams, light snow (but not ice), and getting across mud holes. I have used mine for all of this and more in just the past year, as well as for towing a 5th wheel. So one should consider all the uses they expect to be facing before deciding for or against 4WD. This might also help explain the difference in resale value.

JRMunn

[Dave_H_M]

:h RJ, well iffin a person wants to be practical or is looking at some sort of a budget or where he wants to put his bucks, they could buy one of them dirt cheap trucks.

[RJT]

Can't speak directly to the 2wd issue as I have always owned 4wd trucks, but I will mention that I have never had occasion to put any of my trucks in 4wd with the trailer connected. An issue, as someone pointed out, is resale value. 2wd trucks go dirt cheap because people don't want them, at least around here.

[jodeb720]

I have a 03' Chevy 2500hd short bed, crew cab 2wd. I pull my 5er and have been stuck twice in soft sand in the desert twice.

If I were to do it all over, I'd go with a Diesel 2wd - same truck.

Now that I'm in Denver and there's snow, I'm thinking a 4wd wouldn't be a bad thing to have - but after reading this, it makes me wonder.

[JIMNLIN]

My F250 has a rear GAWR of 6340 lbs and a payload of 3,759 lbs...so we have lots of safety cushion and can carry a generator in the bed of the truck if we want. Another reason to go w/ 2WD if you don't need 4WD to get the extra payload etc. over 4x4.

There is no 250/2500 LDT that can carry 3759 lbs as payload in the bed on the rear axles like a truck camper or GN/5th wheel hitch weight. This is just anothor example of the fallacy of a gvwr based payload for "some" gas powered trucks.
Looking at fleet Ford specs on a 2019 crew cab 176" wb 6.2 gas show around 7 lbs difference in dry rear axle weight in a 2wd vs 4wd.

And around 140 lb difference in dry rear axle weight in a same truck above in 6.2 gas vs 6.7 diesel.

The only way the a 250/2500 truck could carry 3759 lbs is with a bed/front bumper mounted overhead rack like we see on Overhead Door service trucks. The rack allows that 3759 lb payload to be spread over front and rear axles.
Running some number on the OP rear axle shows a 6340 rawr. These trucks rear axle are weighing in the 3000-3200 + lb range leaving around 3200 lb for a max in the bed payload.

[wing_zealot]

Just an FYI, the rear GAWR on a F150 w/HDPP is 4800.

[Nighduckman]

Yeah, I guess we got lucky getting the 2WD F250 we did. I live in Virginia and the dealer said he found the only one east of the Mississippi, which happened to be in North Carolina. Not sure if the scarcity means it will be really difficult when it comes time to sell it (not for many years, health willing) or it means the opposite because folks like you are trying to get one.

And I am loving the fact I didn't have to mess with the axles etc. on my trailer to lift it higher. Our '19 F250 2WD fits perfectly, maybe even slightly better than our old F150 did because of a longer and slightly wider bed.

I suppose a Max Tow F150 w/ HDPP would have worked also, but couldn't find one. Also, fully loaded the CAT scales had us over 4,000 lbs on the rear axlewith our last F250 (carrying only a light Andersen hitch in the bed) and I don't think even the F150 max tow with HDPP has a rear GAWR of over 4,500, if that. My F250 has a rear GAWR of 6340 lbs and a payload of 3,759 lbs...so we have lots of safety cushion and can carry a generator in the bed of the truck if we want. Another reason to go w/ 2WD if you don't need 4WD to get the extra payload etc. over 4x4.

[2012Coleman]

humblerb wrote:
Wish I had been able to find a 2WD when we bought our RAM 2500 last year. We don't do and won't do any boondocking, so I will have zero need for 4WD.
In just over a year, I have never engaged the 4WD, even jsut to see what it is like.
It just takes up Cargo Capacity, like the diesel engine does.
And, I assume the ride when empty is better, as romore mentions.
I did get the gas engine and have not had any issues with a 12k+ Fifth Wheel.
Weather in Houston is not a problem, so 2WD works, if you are not getting off the main roads.

That was my wish as well. Shopped for a truck for months and only saw one with 2WD. I've yet to engage the 4WD myself - even forgot to do so when driving on a beach recently.

[Veebyes]

2WD 3500 DUALLY here. 13 seasons. Over 200,000 RVing miles. Been stuck with trailer less than 6 times. Always at a place with a tractor or somebody with a 4WD handy to pull us out. A few other times used brains over power to get ourselves out.

[humblerb]

Wish I had been able to find a 2WD when we bought our RAM 2500 last year. We don't do and won't do any boondocking, so I will have zero need for 4WD.
In just over a year, I have never engaged the 4WD, even jsut to see what it is like.
It just takes up Cargo Capacity, like the diesel engine does.
And, I assume the ride when empty is better, as romore mentions.
I did get the gas engine and have not had any issues with a 12k+ Fifth Wheel.
Weather in Houston is not a problem, so 2WD works, if you are not getting off the main roads.

[laknox]

Likes to tow wrote:
I have never owned a 4WD truck and just like the ride, height, capacity, looks, cost, insurance, etc. of 2WD. I also have a 23' boat and the only time I have needed 4WD was in my back yard trying to put the boat back under a shed. This has happened 3 times as I can remember in over 30 years. 4WD vehicles are more prone to get mechanical issues and it's a waste to have this additional hardware if you don't have a need for it. If you go into remote areas off the main roads then you may have justification for it. Consider what you really do with your truck. I have seen so many 4WD trucks that sit too high to safely pull a 5th wheel.

My '02 D'max 4x4 sits about 2" higher than my brother's '04 F350 4x4 dually. That makes me about 4" shorter than current trucks, near as I can figure.

Lyle

[Likes_to_tow]

I have never owned a 4WD truck and just like the ride, height, capacity, looks, cost, insurance, etc. of 2WD. I also have a 23' boat and the only time I have needed 4WD was in my back yard trying to put the boat back under a shed. This has happened 3 times as I can remember in over 30 years. 4WD vehicles are more prone to get mechanical issues and it's a waste to have this additional hardware if you don't have a need for it. If you go into remote areas off the main roads then you may have justification for it. Consider what you really do with your truck. I have seen so many 4WD trucks that sit too high to safely pull a 5th wheel.

[thomas201]

You can carry a set of tire chains to get you out of the occasional tough spot, if no tow is available. Of course, the first time you "spin" them on in the mud, 4X4 will be looking mighty good! Forty years of coal mine and oilfield lease roads. I carry, or ware, four sets of chains on the CJ2A. Chain up where it is dry, to keep the truck clean.

[laknox]

Nighduckman wrote:
My wife and I recently bought a Jayco Eagle HT 24.5 CKTS fifth wheel. After being somewhat taken in by the marketing and our Ford dealer, we bought a beefed-up F150 that, in the end, was overweight on GVR and the rear axle rating. For safety and out of an abundance of caution, after much research, we traded it in for an F250, gas engine, 2WD. We got the 4x2 instead of the 4x4 because it is a much better fit, height-wise, with our fiver and because we are not going to boondock and only camp in prepared campgrounds with decent roads. I understand we will likely get stuck once in a while, but, will have a tow strap and I understand we can usually count on a nice 4x4 owner to tow us out and/or we have GoodSam towing assistance. Again, we are not going to off road or seriously boondock. We won't be driving the rig in snow etc.

Having said all that, I am curious about the real-world experience of any others who have towed with 2WD. We are comfortable with our decision and know there will be tradeoffs over 4x4 like much lower resale and, potentially, getting stuck occasionally. But, all in all, mainly interested in what other 2WD towers have experienced. Thanks in advance.

Personally, I use 4wd several times a year. One, when we go to our annual boondocker. I don't =need= it to get it, but the road's rough enough that using 4lo makes getting in a lot easier. I also had to use it at a campground where I had to back up a slight incline on hard-packed dirt. Even with the weight of the rig on the rear axle, I started spinning. Dropped into 4wd and backed right in. I also use 4wd on dirt roads, especially when they're washboarded and I have no load. The back end will want to step out on both accel and decel on washboards, and having the front end engaged makes for a much smoother (relatively) ride. Same with towing. I use 4hi on the =maintained= dirt portion of the road into our 'docker site because, even with the FW on, the back wheels =will= bounce a bit. I simply won't have another truck without 4wd.

All this being said, I towed on the farm with 1/2t and 3/4t trucks for decades. Given that we had tractors that could unstick anything, 4wd wasn't really necessary, but it sure would have been nice for the times where you simply =had= to go into a dodgy situation and pray you didn't get stuck. I towed a large GN trailer with my old 3/4t and it would have been nice to have 4wd, especially in a field, but, again, having the tractors around made it unnecessary.

Lyle