2011 Ram 1500 Plowing Traction Issues

[Ratket]

Chains and the problem would be solved. Since that is out and you already bought the lsd... I would find a cheap set of take off rims.. give treadwright tires a call and get a set of their guard dog tires with their kedge grip. " The tires will prolly run you like 500-600$. Toss them on a spare set of rims and run them during the winter. I ran two sets of their tires on my Chevy Silverado 1500, They hook better than anything else and they are affordable. I ran them in -15 temps up to 125temps. Only reason I don't have them now is 1- they don't make a 20" and 2- I know they are great on 1/2 ton and under vehicles.. not sure how a 10k 3/4 ton truck would do.. may eat the tires rather fast. How ever my brother has them on his 3/4 ton ford with no issues but I have read some horro stories of people with 3/4 and above having problems with the tires.

 

[drittal]

Just throwing this out there. I don't know the plow type, OP is using but is it set up right? How heavy is it how tall/wide is it. Correct size for truck.

This. If the plow is too big, the problem might be just not enough truck.

 

[dunney]

Thank you Ratkat and Drittal for your responses.

I seriously thought about getting another set of rims and skins. That may be an option for the future, but that'll easily be another 1-2 grand that I'm not willing to spend just yet.

The plow is a 7 and a half foot Fisher set up. Very nice but very heavy.

We just got snow for the first time this year, and it looks like I may have found one more part of the problem - my 4WD does not engage. Now that I have installed the LSD, both rears spin, but nothing up front. Mother f....

I did some research and I'm going to start looking at the actuator and connecting cables and hoses.What a pain in the a$$. Has anyone had this problem recently?

 

[loveracing1988]

Put the front on the truck in the air and engage 4wd and see if by turning one tire another tire and/or the driveshaft spins. If so the front actuator is good and the problem is in the transfer case.

 

[dunney]

Put the front on the truck in the air and engage 4wd and see if by turning one tire another tire and/or the driveshaft spins. If so the front actuator is good and the problem is in the transfer case.

Excellent idea. I am hoping to put this up on a lift tomorrow or the next day and see what I get.

I DID get a "Service 4WD" light last year, but it went away, so I assumed everything was OK. If the problem didn't go away, why would the light?

 

[dunney]

Put the front on the truck in the air and engage 4wd and see if by turning one tire another tire and/or the driveshaft spins. If so the front actuator is good and the problem is in the transfer case.

Hey, I finally got around to putting the truck up in the air. When I put in 4WD, it engages, but rather weakly, if that's possible.

The front drivers side tire spins, but the passenger front barely moves. It's rubbing a little bit against the jack stand, but I figured it should still spin; it barely moves. The drivers side spins like a bat outta hell (the rears also because of the new LSD).

Also, if I spin the driver's side front tire in the air, the passenger front does not move. But if I spin the passenger side front, the driver's side spins in the opposite direction - how can this be?

Does this now lean more towards the transfer case? Or do you think it is an intermittent actuator? I'm going to take it off and clean it up and see if I find anything.

We had the truck out on the icy driveway the other day, and when I gunned it, only the rears spun. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!!

 

[drittal]

It isn't spinning because it's rubbing the jack stand. It's an open diff. If you hold one side the other will spin. Same goes for when turning by hand. The side rubbing won't turn opposite way because it's rubbinh, even slightly.

 

[dunney]

It isn't spinning because it's rubbing the jack stand. It's an open diff. If you hold one side the other will spin. Same goes for when turning by hand. The side rubbing won't turn opposite way because it's rubbinh, even slightly.

Thanks Drittal. That makes sense. But why wouldn't either front spin when I was trying it in the driveway? I didn't have the plow on. Shouldn't ONE of them spin?