4wd stuck in snow

there was probably close to 3' of snow but there was maybe 10" of powder over a crusty layer. Thats what got me, I broke through it and then just sunk to the frame

 

yuck... i hate the crusty layer crap... it really screws you over...lol... id like to try my taco out in some 3' snow... ive got a 6" dropbracket lift so i havent really had a chance to be buried.... ive busted through some 5' snow wakes with no problems but not actually went playing in deep snow... yeah the 13" we had was fresh powder... it was so fun...

i still have yet to try her in serious mud... im kinda scared to though... im afraid my tires are just to wide...plus i have nobody to go wheeling with so if i get stuck... im just screwed...lol...

 

Always go 'wheelin with a buddy!

 

yep thats why i havent gone.... got to have a buddy that has a truck...lol... all my friends have rice burners like i used to have... now im getting into trucks and they still try to get me to go racing or join car audio groups and stuff... i told them the only time i will race is in the snow...hahaha

 

I'm sorry this is off topic but that is expected around here, right?

I am still reading up on the options I have with my 09 TRD Sport. We get snow here in Western PA and I like to drive through it! What is recommended if I find myself in a spot like the OP?

Thanks.

 

FYI - The 09's with the long bed do NOT have the RR locker. That was a big decision for me. I needed the long bed but wanted the locking Rear diff and the long bed was more of a priority for me.

I think the term 4WR is misleading because you really do not have all 4 wheels turning unless you have diff lockers on both the front and rear.

 

You have 4WD. You just don't have 4WClosed Diffs. There's a difference. And no, it's not misleading. Just easily confused.

 

Well on good tip that's saved me a few times. Say you're already in 4x4 and you feel that you are about to get stuck in some deep stuff: kick up the RPMs a bit (not floored, you want to maximize traction, not rooster tails) and then start "swerving" the steering wheel hard right,hard left, etc. Sometimes this helps the tires to bite into new stuff and help to pull you forward, it is also changing the angle that your rear tires are going and helps them to bite and/or get out of the "stuck track" that your in.

Another good tip is knowing when to stop. I've seen people sit and spin their tires when stuck for 30min expecting magic traction to suddenly appear. As soon as you can't make forward/reverse progress STOP! Get out and dig out your rig as best you can, start building road out of branches, call your buddy with a winch, whatever.

Sometimes there's nothing you can do, situation like "RELENTLESS'". When something like that happens all you can do is be prepared: have straps or chain, shovel (not a military backpacking one), ETC.

 

X2 ive seen many guys blow up motors and trannys trying to find this magical traction you speak of...

another tip... if your going from 1st to reverse and back and forth... wait till your rpms have gone back down.... ive seen trannys ripped out of cars of people that didnt know what they were doing....

and i would agree on the maximizing traction not roostertails thing also...
i recently recovered my uncles s10 from his ditch and pulled him up to his garage and even took a shovel and dug him a perfect path for his tire trax... but the first thing he did was kick it sideways, got out of the path, and ended up beside his garage in a deeper snow drift.... so i had to yank him out a second time... he is a bit mentally challenged so i cant critisize him too much... but the second time i got him lined up with his garage i told him just to go very slow... and sure enough he drove right in with no problems... btw it was a 2wd 80's s10 on street tires... in the 13" of snow i spoke of earlier......

but if you are playin in the snow in 4wd and are getting around just fine by all means give her hell...lol...

 

Jeep Rubicon has front and rear lockers stock.

 

laaaaaame

 

Carry a shovel, tow strap and someone to pull you out!

 

And the Dodge Powerwagons have them. Badass fullsize right there; F&R lockers, 33's, rock sliders, full skids, and a 12000 warn winch from the factory. I think read somewhere that the new hummer H3T, and probably the standard H3, have them as an option as well.

 

ok so I just a a 2002 tacoma TRD with 4x4 auto (wish it wasn't) and have no clue if I have the diff locker. I don't have an owners manual to look anything up in either, the only thing in my truck I'm not really sure on what it does is a small nob to the left of the steering wheel with a small red light next to it. I don't have a clue what it's for!

 

If you dont have a 'TRD Off-road' truck, then you dont have a factory rear diff lock. Also, if you had a factory locker there would be a button to the left hand of the steering wheel labeled 'RR Diff Lock'

 

Depends on where you go in WPA, probably. Are you up by Erie and getting hammered from lake effect, or maybe up in the 'mountains' where you get more and it stays longer? Or are you just psyched to tool around in winter? I'm from the Pittsburgh area (grew up in the sticks) and I don't remember dealing with the several feet of accumulated snow the OP got sucked into except for rare big blizzards, especially where you get a base of two feet or snow that sticks around long enough to get a crusty layer that another 12-18" of powder will sit on.

Not having any nerd-knowledge of the nuances of 4x4 options that have already been covered, my advice is ALWAYS CARRY A SHOVEL (or two). And if a little voice in the back of your head or coming from the passenger seat says "hmm, you're about to get stuck in several feet of snow and you have no cell reception and no shovel in the car" - listen to it.

 

From Greensburg so we get the same snow as you. However, I like to tool around on un-plowed parking lots and back roads. I love the snow and love playing in it.

I don't think I'll find myself in 2 feet of snow anytime soon. Actually, I hope I don't see any snow for another 7 months.

 

But if you got the Off Road long bed, you would have the locking diff. Thats why i didnt get the Sport.

 

Next time you get stuck you can try easing on the brake if you don't have the rear lockers. this will help keep all the power from going to just one tire in the rear and allowing you to get a little traction with both rear tires. got mine high centered in some sand in Nov. and after some digging and feathering of the gas and brake she finally came out of there.