How long in 4WD?

It's probably been addressed before, but there a kabillion posts on here. I was wondering how long have you have kept in 4WD with no problems? Days? weeks? a couple months? I'm just curious because we are in a cold snap, and the roads have been a sheet of ice for days. I'm wondering about you extreme climate types.

 

Just use it as you need it suited. You aren't hurting anything, in fact it will probably help keep the actuator working better.

 

I didn't search but won't be a problem. I've had my truck in 4wd for a week or so at least. And this ^

 

The limiting factor on a part time 4WD is conditions. High traction surfaces coupled with tight turns causing the driveline to bind up is where things start to wear out prematurely. Otherwise, drive on.

 

5 or 6 days

 

If you lived in the desert or somewhere without paved roads, it could be in 4WD forever. The restriction is dry paved roads and turning (binding) on hard/ dry surfaces.

 

^^ This

 

or snow

 

If the snow is year-round, yes... oh, for sure in the Great White North, eh?

 

Yeah , no

The snow doesn't need to be year round , my point was you could leave it in 4WD for as long as there is snow on the ground / roads , in my case that can be a day to weeks at a time

 

How about hard ice with occasional small patches of dry pavement?

 

Fine

 

i would just cycle it here n there so the actuators dont get stuck in the 4wd position like they can if they arnt used to put it into 4wd here n there.

 

Makes a world of difference on ice, the dry pavement bits you don't notice unless extensive/on a corner. You're fine

 

THIS!!

other than taking it out to park or something i have had mine in 4wd for about 10 days driving in snow.

 

Been in 4WD for a week, guess it's time to pop it out and become a mere mortal of a truck again.

 

In MN, I left it in 4wd for months at a time, except when heading into a parking garage. They call them parking "ramps" up there, which threw me off, initially, btw.

Quirky Norwegishians and Scandalewvians.

 

All winter. Just kick it in and out when the weather changes. The 97 only had 285,000 miles on it when I sold it never had any problems with any thing, 54K on the 11 no issues there either.

 

The more you use 4WD the happier this truck is!

 

If there's snow on the roads.....leave it in 4WD. It won't hurt anything.

You just need to be fully aware of the 4WD system and the situations that could bind up the driveline. When or if it does bind up - you need to know NOT to force it and how you can release the bind up.