Anyone else here scrap with RWD in a climate were there is snow? Check in.

I originally didn't buy my pickup with the intent to collect scrap metal, I got it a few years ago because I kept needing to borrow my friends' trucks and I needed to haul off tree branches and bushes at my old house basically I kept needing a truck etc... So I paid cash for a used good running pickup and I put about 300$ worth of new suspension into it - I work on my own vehicles.

Turns out RWD pickups all else equal - (same truck 4x2 vs same truck 4x4) have more towing capability and payload capacity because of less curb weight and they get better fuel economy - BUT far less traction when things get ugly and cold, but I grew up driving RWD vehicles - although not trucks.

My car is AWD.

I put far more faith in good semi aggresive tires than 4 wheel drive for winter driving.

I suppose if I scrapped where I have to go off the road most of the time I would consider a 4x4 truck when I replace this one. It snows here alot and we get blizzards etc... but it never sticks around long like out east where it's around all winter.

I might just have to stick with 2WD cause they cost less but still hold their value better than cars cause you can make $$ with them and the other benefits - fuel economy etc... I'll see how it does this winter, I do have a set of snows I am going to have put on soon. I also have 4 60lb bags of sand in the garage, although I cut one open - dropped a cast iron tub on it. Fortunately that was the only thing that had damage, better that than my foot or the wall etc...

I use my Ford E150 RWD van for service calls and with a good set of all terrain tires I'm usually fine. All of my tools are behind the front seats for the most part so that there is room in the back for equipment we might be installing. I also have tubes of sand that you mentioned if need be. For really bad days the F250 4x4 is used.

Originally Posted by KzScrapper

For really bad days the F250 4x4 is used.

Now that I think of it, I probably won't look for scrap when it's that bad anyway - like when the trash people don't show up cause the side streets are so bad etc...

I've been stuck 2 times in my life, once with bald tires in a snowstorm with my first car 76' Olds Regency 98 and back in 2015 in my own driveway for about 15 minutes because I mistook my AWD car for a Jeep.

Good tires on a rear wheel drive truck will get you where you need to go most of the time. I've had to be pulled out one time in all the miles I've put on rear wheel drive trucks. I'd just keep a chain with you in the truck just in case, but I doubt you'll need it. A $20 chain is cheap insurance if something does go wrong and you need a little yank

In the metropolitan areas I think a two wheel drive with weight in the box would work most of the time. A 4 x 4 out here is good insurance as long as your ego does not get involved.

Originally Posted by matador

Good tires on a rear wheel drive truck will get you where you need to go most of the time. I've had to be pulled out one time in all the miles I've put on rear wheel drive trucks. I'd just keep a chain with you in the truck just in case, but I doubt you'll need it. A $20 chain is cheap insurance if something does go wrong and you need a little yank

Great advice.
Just threw the chains in the cab today, So far it has only served to help others, but my day may come. Best use for them so far is to put under a tractor trailer who couldn't get going parked way off the road in the soft snow.
I'm also driving in storms to work, to start moving the storms mess during the storm.so most of my winter driving is worst possible conditions. I really enjoy it...imagine that?!?!