How are you guys winter driving

[conoco]

All you with 4x4 are you leaving it in 4 on the highway or leave it in 2. My neighborhood inhave to be in 4 unless the roads are plowed. I can get away with 2 on the highway most winter. There are days here in alaska that I would have to be in 4 on the highway. Just dont wanna blow my pumpkins or something else.

My truck runs solid in 4wheel but I have not driven it past 50 in 4. I have been to scared. Also do you all leave your hubs locked all winter? Or can you even if you are in 2 most time? It would be a pain in the ass to stop on the side of the highway to lock my hubs if I needed 4 all the sudden.

How are you guys doing it?

[too much stuff]

Back when i drove my 70 as a daily, i would leave the hubs locked in most of the time in winter. If the roads were good or i was going a long distance i would usually unlock them.
I see you are in eagle river, my brother just moved from there to wasilla.

[gmc684x4]

I would vary leaving my hubs locked as well long trips i would unlock them leave them locked most of the winter depending on how much snow i had to play in
Did this with my 68 69 70 and 70 4x4 trucks
Dry pavement is what can be hard on your transfercase in 4x4

Driven to Haines as slow as 5 miles an hour pushing over 2 feet of snow and black ice

[truckster]

If there's any likelihood of snow I lock the hubs. I don't want to get out in the snow to lock them.

[conoco]

Originally Posted by too much stuff

Back when i drove my 70 as a daily, i would leave the hubs locked in most of the time in winter. If the roads were good or i was going a long distance i would usually unlock them.
I see you are in eagle river, my brother just moved from there to wasilla.

Your brother should like it! The entire state outside of anchorage is pretty awesome! Winters are a little long but summers make it all worth it.

Thanks for the advice I very much appreciate it. When you were driving your rig if you had to be in 4 on the highway would you drive it 60-65? The roads are good most of winter but there are times when its dumping pretty good or the roads are icy. I would want to be in 4 in those situations but should I stay at 50-55? Or be ok at regular highway speed, which for me is 65 lol.

[conoco]

Thanks everyone. I appreciate it!

[Greasey Harley]

I keep my hubs locked in all winter. Makes the ol' NP205 chatter and chime and make a racket at anything over 55mph. Makes all kinds of noise at 80mph...but I can barley hear it over the wind and road noise. The thing pops right into 4wd any speed, any time. Sometimes, it's tough to get it out of 4x4 though. Better than the other way around.
I don't drive over 60 mph in 4wd. Not because the truck won't do it, but because it's dumb to drive fast on slick roads.

[57taskforce]

Make sure your front drive shaft and U joints are greased up good. You wouldn’t want that neglected slip joint to come apart at speed. It gets messy when that happens .

[mrein3]

FWIW, if you place a chopper upside down on the NP205 shifter, most of the noise goes away. A glove will work too.

I put the plow on my truck this week. It will be in 4wd until April. However it never sees the highway. WAY too much salt.

[truckster]

Originally Posted by mrein3

FWIW, if you place a chopper upside down on the NP205 shifter, most of the noise goes away. A glove will work too.

I put the plow on my truck this week. It will be in 4wd until April. However it never sees the highway. WAY too much salt.

What kind of chopper?

[Ol Blue K20]

Originally Posted by truckster

What kind of chopper?

I was wondering too.....

[mrein3]

Originally Posted by truckster

What kind of chopper?

Originally Posted by Ol Blue K20

I was wondering too.....

The normal, leather one with the wool insert.

[dz1087]

Right now I'm driving with the air conditioning on!

Been in the upper 80s most of this week down here...

[Ol Blue K20]

Originally Posted by mrein3

The normal, leather one with the wool insert.

I didn't know those were called choppers. I learn something new every day.

[best view]

Dz1087 I hope your drinking plenty of water mine is frozen

[best view]

Dz1087 I hope your drinking plenty of water mine is frozen

[HO455]

I was raised in North Idaho the son of a logger. I was taught "Hubs out on highway, Hubs in when off road. And to stay in 2wd until you can't go any farther, then you'll know you can get out in 4wd."
Once I asked why not leave the hubs locked in all the time and the reply was locking the hubs 100 times is easier than changing one U-joint in the front axle

[bhc41051]

My K10 can handle most anything except.... Sits in the garage all winter

[special-K]

When I look at how much the rear driveshaft u-joints spin on every RWD, the little bit the fronts get spun seems trivial to me. I still use them sparingly. But if the roads are bare to covered in random areas I run locked in to gain shift on the fly. I've seen vehicles that never had lock-out hubs get great service out of their u-joints. The biggest issue with those is never engaging them to spin for the better half of a year of driving.

[mrein3]

Originally Posted by Greasey Harley

I keep my hubs locked in all winter. Makes the ol' NP205 chatter and chime and make a racket at anything over 55mph. Makes all kinds of noise at 80mph...but I can barley hear it over the wind and road noise. The thing pops right into 4wd any speed, any time. Sometimes, it's tough to get it out of 4x4 though. Better than the other way around.
I don't drive over 60 mph in 4wd. Not because the truck won't do it, but because it's dumb to drive fast on slick roads.

Originally Posted by Ol Blue K20

I didn't know those were called choppers. I learn something new every day.

Years ago I swapped my three-on-the-tree transmission for a th350. I love the th350 at the boat ramp in the summer but miss the clutch when I want to shift the t-case into and out of 4wd.

With the th350 I have found a procedure that works all the time to get the truck out of 4wd:
Get on a level spot.
Back up about 5 feet.
Put the transmission in park.
Shift the t-case into 2wd.
Back up another 5 or so feet.
Get out and unlock the hubs.

I think choppers is a local term. When you have a set you have a pair of choppers. All choppers are mittens but not all mittens are choppers.

[yuccales]

"How are you guys winter driving" With 2wd and 4whl drum brakes...very carefully!

[Ol Blue K20]

Originally Posted by yuccales

"How are you guys winter driving" With 2wd and 4whl drum brakes...very carefully!

we got decent snow in Forest City last weekend. I drove very carefully!

[Fbks_Cruiser]

I just locked the hubs 2 weeks ago. They will probably stay locked until March. Then I’ll just shift the tcase from 2wd to 4wd as needed. Shifts in and out easy on the fly as long as the driveline is loaded. In other words I just let off the gas pedal, and pop the shifter. Don’t wait till you’re stuck to engage 4wd, engage it before things turn to crap! I’ve had lots of 4wd drive rigs over the years. Up here my 4runner stays in 4hi all winter, highway or city. Roads just dont get so dry that I worry about it. I’ve never had a driveline component wear prematurely.