When to engage 4WD?

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tomb

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never noticed any hard shifts-but if road is dry i always go back to 2wd
 

huntergreen

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When I have mine in 4-auto and I am on dryer pavement, it shifts up and down harder.
Sometimes I wonder if there is a different issue.

Never noticed harder shifting. I do notice a drop in mpg when running on 4wd auto.
 

CVX20

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Who told you excessive wear??? Its MADE to shift itself into and out of 4WD without human intervention, your 'manually do it' actually makes more wear (not much though) that the automatic mode. Se people still liver in the stone age when it comes to understand modern technology and engineering application. Use it like it is supposed to be used, you'll have NO problems
Not exactly true.The 4wd auto transfer cases burn up clutch packs more often than not.I'd sooner run it myself.I repaired them for a living for 15 years as well as running them myself for twice that long.
 

TomB 1269

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Our front axles use an electromechanical servo to basically engage a spline gear to the other half of the front axle. In effect our front hubs are always locked and turning axle shafts the passenger side is the long side of the axle housing but the short side of the split axle and is turning axle only. The driver side is the short side of the housing but is turning drivers side axle, the differential and the passenger side split axle coming out of the differential. There are 2 different transfer cases, one as an all-wheel drive or Auto feature and the other is a standard part-time. The part-time when engaged, thru gears, etc. basically locks the front drive shaft and the rear drive shafts together turning at the same speed. With the "auto locking" hub feature, i.e. the coupling of the split axle shafts in the front axle you now have front wheels and rear wheels locked together and turning at the same rate. However with open differentials front and rear you will only get opposite corner tires spinning when stuck i.e. left front & right rear or vise versa.
With the All-wheel or Auto transfer case the axles work the same, and will result in the same final condition, i.e. opposite corners spinning. However, the engagement process at the transfer case is done differently, and is thru a clutch assembly. This actual results in an issue where when stuck at a stand still or very low speed the rear axle wheel sensors need to detect slippage before it will lock the clutch at the transfer case to provide power to the front axle. In short the Auto transfer case must spine the rear tires before it engages the front tires. From what I have read this happens whether its in Auto or 4-lock with this transfer case. However, they did state the new trucks have a much better response and tends to show little if any wheel spin to engage the transfer case clutch.
So for those with "Auto" transfer cases, be aware that you are running a system that is very similar to every SUV on the road, and that when it comes to pulling in 4 wheel drive, your system will not perform or take quite the abuse that the part-time transfer case will, as it is working on a clutch system that is most likely electro mechanical in nature and designed to provide some slippage. This slippage, when pushed will cause excess heat and wear and can result in premature failure. It is one of the reasons a lot of all-wheel drive SUVs will disengage from their "locked" mode once the vehicle exceeds 25mph, and that most have warnings about extend use of any low range or locked feature for pulling or attempting to "4-wheel" out of a vehicle stuck condition.
 

carl newton

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So this thread has me wondering about the difference between the ford with locking front hub and the Ram ( along with Chev GMC) and if the locking hub or more the ability to unlock the hub, is better for the longevity of the front transfer etc.


I saw a video where a guy was telling about how the front joints and such get more wear and his replacement hub was what you needed to have the unlock feature.

he goes by the name RamManInc.. on youtube.
 

Ridgerunner665

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My 2018 with the 44-44 transfer case locks when in 4wd lock.... no spin to engage, complete with some steering bind in sharp turns.

Even in 4wd auto...less than a full rotation of the rear tires before the front end engages.

2018 Big Horn 5.7 Hemi with 3.92 gears and the limited slip rear.... bought just last week, but still new on the lot.

Used it to get my deer stands and blinds the same day I brought it home... no deep mud, but soft slick on the top muddy cow pasture and some sorta steep hills....it handled it all like a champ and I got to see the various 4wd modes at work first hand.

If it'll do that, it'll do anything I'll ever ask of it... because that and boat ramps are about my only use for 4wd.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
 
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Ridgerunner665

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I've had some off road toys over the years... I've seen a few front output shafts sheared off.

Me thinks the clutch will prevent that.

I've broke 5 or 6 New Process 205's.... but had a 1979 Chevy full time 4wd with a New Process 203 that I drove hard as a daily driver for 14 years...it never missed a beat.

The 203 wasn't the **** many say it was... I'm betting the 44-44 isn't either.

Don't interpret that to mean I'm saying the 44-44 is a rock crawling t case.... it isn't... but it'll be ideal for the weekend warriors that are just getting a little mud on the tires and pulling a boat once in a while.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
 
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Ridgerunner665

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Also.... there are all wheel drive super cars pushing insane amounts of horsepower (650 to 1,200+ hp) to the front wheels.... through a clutch pack.

Backhoe brakes.... essentially a clutch pack.

Plenty of examples.

So clutches aren't necessarily frail.

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Toddbigboytruck

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I have a similar truck. I drive 2wd 98% of the time 4x4auto when the roads are covered in snow al though I don’t like the lag the back tires will stat to spin a second the the front take over.. 4x4hi. Haven’t needed it 4x4low used 5 times in backing the trailer in to hard places
 

ram1500rsm

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My 2018 with the 44-44 transfer case locks when in 4wd lock.... no spin to engage, complete with some steering bind in sharp turns.

Even in 4wd auto...less than a full rotation of the rear tires before the front end engages.

2018 Big Horn 5.7 Hemi with 3.92 gears and the limited slip rear.... bought just last week, but still new on the lot.

Used it to get my deer stands and blinds the same day I brought it home... no deep mud, but soft slick on the top muddy cow pasture and some sorta steep hills....it handled it all like a champ and I got to see the various 4wd modes at work first hand.

If it'll do that, it'll do anything I'll ever ask of it... because that and boat ramps are about my only use for 4wd.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
I think we have a couple of long threads dedicated to the 44-44 where people who have it have shared their experiences. Its not fun being stuck in light snow or mud because your transfer case clutches are slipping when they should be locked hard. Fortunately for you guys we have a forum member who has developed a wiring harness that is plug and play that fixes the issue. Check it out. It'll help you get the most out of your 44-44 transfer case. Without the clutches locking there seems to be a lot of heat which translate into burned cases. It has happened already and its not a matter of if it'll happen , but when it'll happen.

While the 4auto concept is good for those who dont understand when to use 4x4, the 44-44 is not a transfer case you want to have for semi/more aggresive offroad. Said by the same dudes who have it. But the harness i mentioned can address that. No slip means a happier truck in the offroad trail that doesn't get stuck in silly conditions with literally no heat so a longer lasting transfer case.

Example with the harness

 
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Addicted2fishing

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If I know the roads are going to be bad I keep it in 4x4 high even in the city when turning sharp corners.

If the roads in the city are sporadic in conditions I leave it in 2WD.

If I’m driving on straight roads and they are sporadic I leave it in 4x4 high. Sometimes snow blows across farm fields and create drifts.

The only real issue you’ll get is when you turn sharply on dry ground when 4X4 is engaged. If driving in a straight line you’re pretty safe for the most part. I’m not a mechanic so take it for what it’s worth [emoji2369]


Tiped on ifone using Tapatalk and auto correct. Can’t you tell?
 

Rick R

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I don't have an automatic 4wd. Mine is either 2wd, 4wd lock or neutral. I'f found that using 4wd on dry pavement causes the drive train to bind up, so I only use 4wd when 2wd is not sufficient to get traction.
 

bchap05

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Basically when it snows or ice. I don't need to use it most of the time but figure its good to use it occasionally and it definitely helps with acceleration. Express so I just go 4wd Lock
 

Taylor513

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[QUOTE Fortunately for you guys we have a forum member who has developed a wiring harness that is plug and play that fixes the issue. Check it out. It'll help you get the most out of your 44-44 transfer case. /QUOTE]


Do you or anyone have a link to the wiring harness that you're referring to?

Edit: I was able to find the member, disregard
 

runamuck

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I use 4wd auto when driving in the snow or heavy rain. have done quite a bit of driving on snow covered mountain roads already this winter and have had good luck with my ram and the wildpeak 20's that came on it.
 
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