Got a new '03 at clearance pricing - $24900 for a 2wd quad cab SLT long bed 6spd with limited slip rear differential. I never would have thought that I would buy a 2wd truck but there it is in the driveway.

It occurred to me that I really never used the 4wd on my previous trucks (very rarely anyway) and that I should tailor my equipment to the use intended to optimize efficiency. I would not think of skiing behind my flats fishing boat (has a tunnel and wouldn't work at all) so why would I want to spend money on a 4wd which would never get used? They do look much better but that is not justification for spending the extra money. If I really wanted to go down the beach a lot, then I can get an old beat-up toyota or something to do that with. If I lived in Alaska or somewhere I would use 4wd a lot, that would be different. In south TX, it never snows or gets icy. Plus I think the Dodge 4wd should employ manually-locking hubs to disengage the front differential. Just my opinion though.

 

Congrats on the new truck. Nice job of getting a sweet price too.

 

Just my humble opinion... But time to invest is a very good quality heavy tire chain. Something with heavy links and Vbar tread. Tire chains work in far more than just snow. for me, It had just rained, the road was clay based I had a camper on and towing a utility trailer with an aluminum boat on top. I was having some difficulty but my buddy was stuck (2wd 1/2 ton) I ran a chain from the utility trailer to his truck and all four wheels of mine were spinning and we wern't going anywhere. I chained up my rear and pulled the whole works up the hill and out. It made a mess of the road but they sure worked well.

The reason for the heavy links, is the possable spinning will pull a poor quality chain apart...