Stuck in snow

[4xdad]

One thing I had to tell my missus is 4wd don’t mean 4wheel stop

 

[4xdad]

And don’t drive in 4wd on dry pavement

 

[Buck416]

I've got a 2020 1500 and got stuck in 6-12 inches of snow (packed by the tire tread, maybe a little ice?) after parking and starting to drive off again on a dirt road. 4WD high was not enough to get the car moving and I needed a push out. I could not engage 4WD low b/c I wasn't moving. Would locking my axles have helped?

I was under the impression that I wouldn't need chains, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

Any ideas?

TIA.

MB, Ive been plowing snow 36 yrs now from 2 inches of snow to 4ft drifts up to mirrors stuck but once in 4 inches glare ice underneath. Shifting into 4 low stop truck, shift, you can feel when it engages, it literally feels like it wants to lift itself u soon as you hit throttle. You may have a transfer case issue or quite possibly electronics wouldnt allow the shift while in motion .

 

[barr0208]

after last winters record snow fall 6+ feet in the yard never got stuck and the wifes cherokee trail hawk was awsome as well.

 

[Ironhead3]

I have fairly new Wildpeaks. From what I heard they should work pretty well in snow. Would 4wd low not be advantageous in this situation/. Sorry, I'm new to all this so just thought it might help out some.

First off, there is no need to apologize that you are new to all this - everybody on here had to learn and get experience at one time.
All depending on the conditions, in some cases 4 LOW is an advantage, such as heavy deep mud, but in other cases, it is a disadvantage, especially in some types of snow or slippery conditions.
As already stated, 6" of snow isn't usually a problem, but if it has already been packed down by traffic, is becomes very slippery as soon as your tires spin on it. 12" of snow, unless it is light and fluffy, will almost always cause issues with stock a stock height truck with stock tires unless you can keep momentum up, but if you stop, then you usually would have to back up in your tire tracks to gain momentum again to go ahead. Momentum of your truck is always helpful in any conditions in my 40+ years of driving.
Also already stated, 4 LOW really raises the torque to the wheels, and the truck will spin with anything other than the lightest throttle application, and then you are back to the packed slippery snow I already mentioned.
4 HIGH with the Traction Control on is an advantage in some cases, which is hard for me to believe being an "old school" wheel spin and momentum driver, but it has gotten me out of spots that I wouldn't believe if I didn't experience it myself. I have 35-12.5R20 Mud Terrains (yes I know there will probably be a few remarks about mud tires in snow, but I have never owned a set a winter tires in my life, and we get lots of snow, ice, freezing rain, etc where I live) on my 19 Classic, and last winter after a big storm I was, as I do every chance I can get, playing in the snow and tried to cross a windrow from a plow. I was just going easy (my first mistake) and got stuck. My first instinct was 4 LOW, which didn't help me at all. I put it back in 4 HIGH and left the traction control on, and after a few forward/reverse moves it came out. I was pleasantly surprised.
The biggest advantage to any and all off road driving conditions, whether snow, mud, rocks, etc. is experience and ability of the driver, which comes from a lot of off roading. I started with old four wheel drives in the late 70's, and I still learn things every time I go out.
Good luck in your future drives, and it won't be long until you realize some of the things you learn will really help you out. Just be safe and careful.

 

[4xdad]

Pack your recovery gear too

 

[TomB 1269]

These trucks have a feature that will allow them to rock themselves out. If you are in 4Hi and step on the throttle and rev past 3500-4000RPM and let off the pedal it will know it is stuck. Step on the pedal again and bring it to 3500 (it will not go any higher) and it will automatically vary RPM between 3000 and 3500 to rock you out.

You must remain in the same gear. No need to shift D to R.....

I found this a couple of years ago in a situation in which only backing out was an option. I un- hooked the car I had just gotten loose and out of the way and hopped in my truck to back it out of nearly 20 inches of snow with the top 3 at least being blow on it with a snow blower. I jumped in hit the throttle and she ran up over 4000. Let of to give it another go and this time RPMs stopped at 3500 and started varying between 3500 & 3000 with my foot on the floor.

This was done with factory wrangler tires about 1/2 to 2/3 worn. I now run Cooper Discoverer AT3 "4S", a true 4 season tire. I had its previous version on a 2005 F150 and it was a beast in the snow.

With the capabilities these Rams have and my Cooper Discoverer AT3 "4S", I am comfortable with fresh fallen snow (fluffy stuff) up and over 30 inches. I figure she's good to at least 36 inches, however you can't carry any real speed (I like to roll about 20mph) as I have the sport front end and it likes to plow the snow and cover the windshield.
The storm that morning I had to be running anywhere between 22 to 30 inches deep depending on road contour. I even punched a drift that I did not quite see that morning that covered the engine hood with 4 to 6 inches of snow...Had to stop and clean it off again.... And I was only traveling about 15-20mph..........

It was the December storm in the Albany NY area 2 years ago. Snow totals in town (and measured in my backyard) came in around 26inches.

FYI, these trucks even with open diffs will act like they have lockers in 4high due to the traction / ABS system. I pulled a tree/weed with about a 3 inch diameter truck that pulled up a root ball about 4ft in diameter and 3 to 6 inches deep in my yard on grass at an angle that sloped about 3 ft down over a 4 or 5 foot run and was pulling passenger rear high driver front low. Not only did I not spin a tire, but I never even "burnt" the grass.

PS, I do have the 44-44 transfer case, i.e. does NOT have 4Auto........

 

[Wild one]

I grew up in Saskatchewan long before cell phones,after you walked home several miles at -20 or colder to get a tractor,you learned to drive in snow or mud,lol. Wheel speed in mud,no speed in snow,in snow you wanted to go slow enough,that once it started to buck,you could stop,back up a few feet ,then ease back into again. All with a rear wheel drive peg leg 1/2 ton,and if the old man had to rescue you,you were in trouble,lol

 

[huntergreen]

We get a lot of heavy wet snow by me . I’ve driven through 12 inches of this with out issue. I question whether the op was actually in 4WD. Might have been a mechanical issue.

 

[TestPilot57]

Most 2019 to current new style Ram 1500s have an automatic 4wd selection, while most Classic 1500s don't. Automatic 4WD engages when excessive rear drive wheel spin is detected. It prevents getting stuck in "most" situations. When its not slippery only the rear wheels are engaged.

Both my 4th and 5th gens had this. I almost never used the 4WA(uto). If I thought there was half a chance of needing all 4 I would put it in 4WL(ock). The problem with 4WA is that you have to start spinning before the front axle kicks in. Often, that takes your edge of momentum off and you don't make it.

YMMV

 

[TestPilot57]

My Ram 1500 4wd exists for only 2 reasons, get stuff from Home Depot and get me thru deep snow. I use 3PSF tires, never let me down, even in snow over 18 inches. But it helps to know how to drive in the snow.

Not all 3PSF tires are equal. My Blizzak DMV2s are at least twice as good as my Grabber ATXs. Both are 3PSF.

 

[4xdad]

An issue I have witnessed with a1500 sport and is that if the front engages under power and then catches traction it can grenade the cvs my buddy has had this problem twice but he drives like a twit sometimes

 

[tuckerdog1]

This might help, but I'd use much thicker rope & more than just 4.

Rope Snow Chains - Emergency Hack

If your car is skidding or gets stuck in snow here is a great way to fix this. Tie some pieces of rope around your tires and rims of your traction wheels. No...

www.youtube.com

 

[TestPilot57]

With the capabilities these Rams have and my Cooper Discoverer AT3 "4S", I am comfortable with fresh fallen snow (fluffy stuff) up and over 30 inches. I figure she's good to at least 36 inches, however you can't carry any real speed (I like to roll about 20mph) as I have the sport front end and it likes to plow the snow and cover the windshield.

With my '20 I got belt slip driving in deep-ish snow (12-15"?) at 25 MPH. Enough that I got a "low battery" warning. Slowed to 10-15 for a couple miles and got it dried out and re-charged. I posted it on here but no one seemed to believe it. Don't know what else it could have been. I do have a 5" lift and 35" tires - maybe that allowed enough to get underneath and up into the engine compartment.

 

[runamuck]

I have driven my laramie thru several deep snow situations by just using 4w auto. If skidded off the road and wanting to use 4lo, be sure to just feed in the gas till you start moving and not spinning tires. 4lo is hardly ever needed. my oem tires are the wildpeak at3 20's and they have been great for traction. I have been thru snow up to the running boards several times with no trouble. slow is the key word. I keep one of those old army shovels in my road emergency kit along with a tow rope. sometimes you may need to to clear some snow out of the way to get a start.

 

[turkeybird56]

I have driven my laramie thru several deep snow situations by just using 4w auto. If skidded off the road and wanting to use 4lo, be sure to just feed in the gas till you start moving and not spinning tires. 4lo is hardly ever needed. my oem tires are the wildpeak at3 20's and they have been great for traction. I have been thru snow up to the running boards several times with no trouble. slow is the key word. I keep one of those old army shovels in my road emergency kit along with a tow rope. sometimes you may need to to clear some snow out of the way to get a start.

Think I have used 4Lo engaged to actually move twice. Once at neighbors, real wet, muddy, and had OEM SRA's and I just got out. 2nd time, went to a meeting, and it had rained "ICE". I had to make it up an incline to get to a road away from restaurant to head home and there PPL spinning out all over and ramming into center concrete barriers, going off road. Here I was chugging along at 20 mph. Also had I think friggin SRA's on truck, but I rather get there at 20 mph, then do 40 mph and slam a concrete barrier. PPL down here HAVE NO CLUE how to drive on roads like that.

 

[392DevilDog]

I use 4wd low all the time. It is great for cruising the drivable trails in our state forests. Especially the downhill descents. But, it is just as great for going up. In the slippy stuff you can just let it idle so as not to spin...you know tread lightly.

Lots of interesting opinions here.

Just for info.

”Brake Lock Differentials (BLDs), which are incorporated into the Electronic Stability Program (ESP) algorithm. BLDs apply braking force to an axle's spinning wheel in order to provide an equal amount of torque to each wheel and deliver greater traction for rock-crawling over severe off-road terrain. A separate set of BLD calibrations is designed for off-road operation and automatically activates when driving in 4 Low”

 

[turkeybird56]

I use 4wd low all the time. It is great for cruising the drivable trails in our state forests. Especially the downhill descents. But, it is just as great for going up. In the slippy stuff you can just let it idle so as not to spin...you know tread lightly.

Lots of interesting opinions here.

Just for info.

”Brake Lock Differentials (BLDs), which are incorporated into the Electronic Stability Program (ESP) algorithm. BLDs apply braking force to an axle's spinning wheel in order to provide an equal amount of torque to each wheel and deliver greater traction for rock-crawling over severe off-road terrain. A separate set of BLD calibrations is designed for off-road operation and automatically activates when driving in 4 Low”

I grew up in the stuff, been stationed Northern Tier, Been around Europe in it (dreaded white chit), but do not miss it. Guess spoiled being in TX as opposed to up North (except for freak 2021 Snow/Ice storm with -5F we had here). Been up mountain sides, and down monster trails in Humvee's also, M151 jeeps, old M88's (Chevy Diesel trucks) and such. Learned a long time ago, slow and steady is where it's at. I luv the PPL down here whom buy huge maxed out, optioned 4 X 4 trucks and think because it says 4 X 4, that in the winter, and the road conditions are not good, U can drive like it is a summer's day, lol.

 

[4xdad]

When it’s slippery I drive like an old man because I am one you use 4wd and lockers to get me out of trouble not into it upside down in the ditch means a cold walk home or your going to be late for work happened to my jeep that’s why I have a pw now plus the jeep was to small and whimpey it was my wife’s car lol

 

[4xdad]

I usually only use 4low to climb or go down steep hills if you can break the tires loose you are at the max of traction if you are spinning your tires in low catch traction expect a problem maybe not the first time but it’s been known to happen front u joints and cv axle’s don’t like shock loading