What happens to 4X4 once you put in park

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crash68

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@denis Laouenan not sure about in 4X4 Low, probably not. @Brandon-w knows this transfer case and how it works really well.
 
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denis Laouenan

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I don't watch anymore and can't stand the comments, they all say it happens to idiots or drunks, that hurts. I used to laugh as well. Days after the event I still couldn't believe it had happened to me. After doing it so many times. Still I learned few things from it.
 

LouM

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Nope that piece of garbage 44-44 T case disengages completly with the factory programing as soon as you put it in Park.
My 15 almost ran over me on an icey driveway and a steep slope the first winter I had it.
Once I put Brandons kit in it it would stay engaged as long as the key was on.
 

Fediej

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That is the Borg Warner 44-44 transfer case. Even though the setting states 4X4 Lock it doesn't engage the front wheels unless slippage is detected.
Slipped enough to go down the ramp...
 

RLJ10X

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I have Brandon's Switch in my truck. I'd swear it's a front locker. I was nose down on a steep downhill gravel surface with my truck 2 weeks ago. I put it in 4 Low, and hit Brandon's switch. The truck lurched rearward when I hit the gas. That is one product that absolutely works!

Why not put a 4 wheel line lock in your truck? Then you know all 4 are locked up.
 

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I'm sure many of you have seen that tiny little pin that "parks" an auto transmission. I'd never use park for holding any weight on a ramp. Brakes only.
 

2016-Ram 3500

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If you want to be sure about your truck why not simulate this on a lift if you have access or lift the front while trying to turn the front wheels - on a level surface of course.

I think the wheel chocks idea is the safest backup plan but if that ramp is that slippery maybe its time for some corrective action or another ramp.
 

johndoe123123

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The question is really does 4wd remain engage in park, so all 4 wheels offer rolling resistance. Since the mechanic transfer cases with levers, I don't know if this happens in park. It's a crapshoot. It would not be hard to test with a floor jack and spinning the front wheels though as the park pawl will default to the rear.

I usually do park + parking break. Finally, when solo the solution is to get tire chalks. 2x4s work, but I use the big rubber ones I use to park the boat trailer and keep it from rolling. 'rubber wheel chock' on Amazon.' Stick them under the front wheels.
 

odinjunior

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Yikes, this is a scary scenario. I always thought if I engaged the parking brake while in 4WD that I had at least 3 wheels locked up.
 

Marshall

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If you are alone, wheel blocks sound kind of redundant, you have to get out to use them.
The parking break should hold your truck, but if full of rust and water, maybe not.
I see people back the rear ends into water sometimes, These are not made to do silly crap like that.

My late brother inlaw was telling me a story abut a new Buick car, it has a button on the consul and Mrs pushed it while on the hiway. Damn near wrecked them as it locked the wheels up .
I can't comment on the transfer case, but I would try your parking brake while driving slow and see what happens.
Put your truck in park on a hill, and see if it rolls, it it does, than you know what is wrong.
 
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Justin33

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I know when I stop at a hill in drive my truck will roll back I still haven’t figured out why it does this.
 

Elkman

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Most vehicles have a feature where the transmission will not allow the car or truck to go backward when in Drive. Sometimes it is advertised as hill start assist but most vehicles have some form of this regardless. The parking brakes only apply to the rear wheels and with electric activated parking it is likely only the rear wheels as well that are locked.

If the electric parking brake mechanism fails to engage the brakes or the pawl in the transmission when in park fails then a vehicle can slide backwards down a slope. For both to fail implies that there is some fault with the auto park mechanism and the electronic parking brake mechanism and the it failed. Not unusual for some bean counter to have a dual system modified to a single integrated system so only one part in the link needs to fail. On steep hills I rely on heavy duty wheel chocks and not the brakes and the transmission being in "park".

McDonnell Douglas did this with the hydraulics on their infamous DC-10 planes where a single part failure resulted in the plane going down and the deaths of everyone onboard. The same thinking went with these people when their president took control of Boeing and the 737 Max was the result.

When I used an inflatable boat for my scuba diving I needed to have the rear brakes repaired once a year as the salt water did enough damage to prevent them from operating properly. It was part of the cost of my diving.
 

LouM

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In the OP's original issue. The tires slid on the wet ramp it would not have mattered what he did.
When he put that truck in park it disengages the 4wd system so there is no braking on the front drive train
as a conventional 4wd system would have provided. The parking brake being on would have held the rear tires
and the transmission park pawl would have held the rear tires. Once the transfercase disengages nothing is holding on the front axle.
 

7milesup

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McDonnell Douglas did this with the hydraulics on their infamous DC-10 planes where a single part failure resulted in the plane going down and the deaths of everyone onboard.
If you are referring to the crash in Sioux City, your statement is completely false. The "single part" was the entire turbine fan section of the #2 engine. Yes, it did take out the hydraulics, but Al Haynes and his crew managed to get it to KSUX and onto a runway, without any conventional controls. The mere fact that they made it to the airport at all was a miracle. 185 survived and 112 perished, but without the incredible airmanship and CRM in that cockpit, no one would have survived. Studying that crash was part of my training and how to utilize CRM.
 

Tim7139

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The question is really does 4wd remain engage in park, so all 4 wheels offer rolling resistance. Since the mechanic transfer cases with levers, I don't know if this happens in park. It's a crapshoot. It would not be hard to test with a floor jack and spinning the front wheels though as the park pawl will default to the rear.
If your transfer case has the 4 auto option the front wheels are not engaged while in park.
If your transfer case does not have the 4 auto option the front wheels remain engaged.

Neither option causes all 4 wheels to lock, due to the function of the differentials.
 

Tim7139

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In the OP's original issue. The tires slid on the wet ramp it would not have mattered what he did.
When he put that truck in park it disengages the 4wd system so there is no braking on the front drive train
as a conventional 4wd system would have provided.
The same thing would also happen in drive without throttle application, in the stock configuration the clutches do not lock 100%.
 

Tim7139

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Sorry for my lack of knowledge, something I find important when towing a boat to the ramp is what happens to the 4X4 when you put in park and leave the truck to go get your boat on the trailer. I fear that in park only the rear wheels are locked regardless of the 4X4 selection and leaves you with braking and locking only to the rear wheels, those that happen to be the most on fouling weeds etc. If the rear wheels loose grip and you are not in the truck to push the brake pedals you're done. I boat mostly alone and I don't have someone staying in the truck while I steer the boat on the trailer. Thanks for your input.

A "brake pedal depressor" is likely the next best option to finding a boating buddy. It's a bar that presses up against the seat to keep the brake applied. Just don't kick it on the way in or out.

On any grade you'll not want to rely on the parking pawl, and you'll want to engage the parking brake before shifting into park.

You can only expect the park pawl to engage one wheel, though factory and after market options can cause more wheels to be engaged.
 

johndoe123123

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Again, trucks don't just roll away immediately in most cases. There's sufficient time to toss wheel blocks under the tires. Grab the ones for the trailer and block the wheels.
 

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