Four Wheel Drive, Who Needs It ?

[K6ON]

To heck with your Dodge Power Wagon, I'll get there in my 2WD sedan...

 

[PaulT]

What a bunch of inexperienced wusses, we are!

Paul

 

[ski3pin]

Good one Bob! Those Dodges were tough. Any one out there have a copy of this 12 page book about a trip in 1913?

Though Death Valley In A Dodge Brothers Motor Car

Brings back my memories of all the places in the Mojave and Death Valley my Dad took us in a 1957 Ford station wagon.

 

[craig333]

A lot of clearance on those vehicles.

 

[Bombsight]

Only 1200 pounds with mud / snow splitting wheels. Might be something to those two things?

http://www.modelt.ca/faq-fs.html

 

[Tuff Guy 62]

Absolutely epic!

Just have to figure out how to mount a camper.

 

[Foy]

Sweet! I've always favored tall, narrow, self-cleaning tread designs for mud-running, just as did the early vehicle-borne explorationists depicted in the clip.

My first employer, Phelps Dodge (the mining company, not a Dodge dealer), provided its exploration geologists with a fleet of custom-ordered late 1960s Chevy Blazers and Suburbans with 7.50 x 16 10-ply pizza cutter mud tires, two spares, a Ramsey winch, 4-speeds with granny lows, and 3.07 gears. Those trucks could fly down the paved highways in the Basin and Range with those tall gears and still crawl at walking speeds in the mountains with the granny low and low range in the transfer case. How I'd love to have one today!

Thanks for the totally cool link!

Foy

 

[Bill D]

That must have been filmed in Edmonton. I recognize some of those roads and potholes from my commute to work.

 

[chnlisle]

Great Vid! Here's a pic of A Union 76 Station on the old Ridge Route (US99.) There appears to be a '46 or '47 Dodge tow truck under the small 76 and what appears to be a circa 1946 Flexible Bus Coming up the hill.

 

[Smokecreek1]

Yep-they made them better in the old days (and maybe the people were tougher too ! ). Before I got rich (went to work for BLM) my old 61, then later 70 VW went everywhere. When I had long term projects out in the Great Basin and had to hall allot of supplies, I used my Dad's 57 Chev 1/2 ton PU(stick) with a posit-traction rear end !

Smoke

 

[pvstoy]

Pretty wild ride... Just think it was before seat belts, bouncing around or being thrown around inside, at least the driver can hang onto the steering wheel. I learned how to four wheel in a two wheel drive car with a lot of trail and error. Fun times... Thanks for posting up the viedo.

 

[Ramblinman]

All joking aside ... a couple of weeks ago I stumbled across a blog in which a couple traveling the Americas purchased a Sportsmobile for lots of $$$$$ , then converted it from Quigly to Ujoint 4x4 for lots of $$$$$$. Then they wrote in the blog that the truck required repairs to the tune of 7000USD!!!! Thats almost 10000CDN.

This is where it gets good ... on the blog someone asked them if they engaged their 4x4 while in Canada or Alaska to which they replied NO!!

My point of this post - is some of us do not really need 4x4.

This said I will always have one ... and use mine occasionally - but I admit that many of my adventures would not be hampered with a 2x4 only vehicle.

Think of all the money that could be saved for fuel and other stuff

 

[craig333]

I think of all the places I wouldn't have seen, where I'd have turned around because it wasn't worth the risk without four wheel drive. I'd certainly never have seen the Lexington arch in GBNP. As it was it was barely driveable in four wheel drive. Two wheel drive I'd have turned around at the first washout.

 

[Timothy McGowen]

I just ordered my new truck with 4WD just for the insurance factor.

You never know when that surprise downpour or snowstorm might change road conditions.

 

[Happyjax]

I second the "insurance factor" When I get on the road it will likely be alone unless I can meet up with some other WTW members. The last thing I want is to get stuck when FWD was all I needed to not be stuck. Plus I hope to do some winter shooting and I would imagine FWD would be needed then

I think that is the main reason for the truck camper over the van camper. Of course now there is the Sprinter 4x4....... Hmmmmmm
Like I don't have enough decisions to make...lol

 

[Kolockum]

I have a 1928 Hupmobile Roadster and just watching that makes my arms hurt. There was no power steering or power brakes; in fact the brakes on the Hupmobile (and I believe dodge) were marketed as "steeldraulic", ie cable.

Oh and the shocks were just canvas straps wrapped around a torsion spring and the wheel spokes most likely are wood.

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Just watched the video,wow. Don't think all our fancy 4X4/AWD vehicles doing anything like that today.
Maybe some military types. Really liked the scene when the car overturned and was righted,than drove away.
I do have 4X4 but have rarely used it,I think of it as insurance.

Frank