2 WD vs 4WD TV

I am planning to get a newer tow vehicle.
Currently driving a 2002 Ford F150 two wheel drive,short bed,super cab

Planning on a newer 3/4 ton,probably a Ford F250,but haven't ruled out Chevy or Ram.It will be 8 foot bed and super cab.Do not want diesel
If I buy used it will have less than 50,000 miles on it.
Whatever I buy,I plan to drive it for a long time.

I would prefer a two wheel drive over a 4 x 4 for a couple reasons:
I don't believe that I am going to be in any situations where I will need four wheel drive. If I were to find myself on the road in a snowstorm,I would simply pull over and wait it out. I don't think I would want to tow in the snow even if I did have 4x4.
I think that 2x4 purchase  cost should be a little less because of the lack of 4x4 equipment.
When I did own a 4x4 (more than 30 years ago) the only time I needed 4x4 was when I intentionally put myself in a situation where I needed it,usually hill climbing or mud bogging. I've outgrown that stuff!

I believe that I am going to get slightly better gas mileage with a 2x4,and I feel that having the 4x4 equipment will add maintenance costs over time.
It used to be that tires on 4x4 trucks would wear faster than 2x4 trucks.I don't know if that is still the case.
The problem is that 2x4 trucks seem to be fairly rare here in western Washington.That may drive the price up a little.

Is my reasoning sound or should I settle for a 4x4?
Am I going to get better mileage with a 2x4? I realize it might not be much,but as I plan to keep it for a long time,it could save me some money over the long term.

I have a lot of friends with 2 wheel drive trucks that tow trailers all over the country, all year long. My dad also full times with his trailer in a 2wd truck. If you don't plan on trying to get too far off the beaten path, I don't think you'll have any problems.  Perhaps having a couple of tire chains you can install would be good insurance if you find yourself stuck.

Regarding fuel mileage, 2wd trucks tend to get better mileage simply because they are lighter and lower. My dad and I recently bob tailed together on a 400 mile run. Nearly identical trucks with the exception of his being a 2wd.  He averaged 18 mpg and I averaged 15.

Given your statements above, the only situation I can see that 4WD could be an advantage is something like soft wet grass as your parking site (it's rather slick, of course), or where wheel spin in gravel might be a problem on a hill, since the extra weight and drag of a trailer reduces your truck's capabilities. Of course a 4x4 usually has a bit better road clearance, if that's ever a factor. A limited slip differential might be a bonus sometimes, too. Basically your evaluation is the most valid, though, for your anticipated circumstances.

I'm with you. The mileage difference from 2x4 to 4x4 while not significant, is real. Most of the difference is due to the weight of the 4x4 equipment, which also detracts from the load carrying ability of a 4x4. There is also some MPG lost to the spinning sections of a 4x4 even with the xfer case in neutral. I, like you, have never felt I needed 4x4, but having grown up in N. Il., there have been times when I would have used it, if I had it. Statistically, with all the 4x4 and AWD pickups and SUVs around, most of them have never been farther off road than a gravel driveway, and a great many of them have never even seen 1 of those.

So far, the only time I could have used 4wd pulling my camper is when I was doing something I shouldn't been doing in the first place. I can understand the wet grass/muddy site after a rain thing though.

I've never needed the 4X4 while pulling our TT.  We use 4X4 sometimes when traveling dirt roads in the south and rocky passes in the west.  If you don't need it, I wouldn't get it. 

Thanks for the replies guys!

I've got sales people telling me all kinds of reasons why I need four wheel drive instead of 2x4.

By coincidence,of all of those that have told me I need 4x4,not one of them has had a used 2x4 for sale! They all would be happy to sell me a new one!

Yep, you're doing your own research before buying.  You're miles ahead of 90% of the public who wanders into a dealership and back out with more (or less) than they really need.  Kudos for doing your homework ahead of time.

Evaluate what you're going to do with the truck, and buy accordingly.  2 wheel drive, apples to apples, will have more towing capacity because the truck isn't toting around a transfer case and a second differential.  If you're sticking to paved roads and can sit out bad weather, there's really no reason to incur the extra expense of 4WD.  I bought 4WD because I tow exclusively in the Mountain West, and camp a lot in the forest.  I don't need it 99% of the time, but when I do need it, I REALLY need it. If I was towing exclusively on blacktop, I'd have bought 2WD. 

I'd suggest verifying that your 2wd has a limited slip differential. (not a standard open "1 wheel drive".... those will get you stuck in a hurry)
  Beyond that, I'm right there with you.... I have little need to x 4x4

We bought a 4x4 since we use the truck in mountains without the trailer. There are numerous times in the winter where the major highways we use to leave home require four wheel drive or chains. We also do a lot of back roads without the trailer, and we have definitely used the four wheel drive then. If you stay south in the winter and don't do lots of back roads, you should be fine without four wheel drive.

I am more curious about why you don't want a diesel. The exhaust brake alone is worth every penny of the extra cost when traveling in mountains with the trailer. Then again, maybe you don't do a lot of mountain roads.

UTTransplant said:

I am more curious about why you don't want a diesel. The exhaust brake alone is worth every penny of the extra cost when traveling in mountains with the trailer. Then again, maybe you don't do a lot of mountain roads.

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At this point in my life I do very little traveling in the mountains.That may change when retirement comes in 5 years.

The initial cost of a diesel  is quite a bit higher,and I hate the smell of diesel exhaust.

The smell bothering me is more mental than anything else.
Every time I smell diesel exhaust it takes me back to when I worked on a crab fishing boat in Alaska. I was one that never got over being seasick,and diesel exhaust often triggered the seasickness.

Jeff in Ferndale Wa said:

At this point in my life I do very little traveling in the mountains.That may change when retirement comes in 5 years.

The initial cost of a diesel  is quite a bit higher,and I hate the smell of diesel exhaust.

The smell bothering me is more mental than anything else.
Every time I smell diesel exhaust it takes me back to when I worked on a crab fishing boat in Alaska. I was one that never got over being seasick,and diesel exhaust often triggered the seasickness.

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If you buy a new(er) diesel, you won't have the smell.....or any exhaust smell for that matter.  The DPF / DEF trucks burn amazingly clean, and the soot (which is what you're smelling) is trapped in the Particulate Filter until the truck decides to "regen" the filter.  I can run my fingertip in the exhaust tip of my Ram and it comes out cleaner than it does on my wife's 2015 Camaro. 

That said, the diesel / gasser subject has been beat to death.  Both of the newer diesels and gassers are quite capable.  My personal .02 is that if you plan on towing mostly in lower elevations and flat land, the gasser is probably the better choice as the cost and maintenance are lower.  If you tow out here in the high country where 12% grades at 10,000' elevations happen, the diesel is a no-brainer.  If you tow somewhere in between, it's really up to you.  Either will do the job nicely.

Our opinions do not really matter.  YOUR opinion is the only one that counts.

With that said, you have received very good advise.  For a given model / body style / GVWR, the diesel and 4X4 both add weight, thus subtract from Payload.  Your reasoning is sound.

As Frizlfrack said, your research puts you ahead of 90+% of truck shoppers because you know what you want.

I normally advise a 4x4--just because.  But with your knowledge, background, and experience, you FULLY understand what you are getting into so a 2WD will probably be fine.
I still say get a 4X4...lol ;D

The big advantage of 4wd for most folks is that it lets you get further off the road before you get really stuck.

Jeff in Ferndale Wa said:

The smell bothering me is more mental than anything else.
Every time I smell diesel exhaust it takes me back to when I worked on a crab fishing boat in Alaska. I was one that never got over being seasick,and diesel exhaust often triggered the seasickness.

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As another poster has said, newer diesels that use DEF don't smell, really! We didn't even think about a diesel until they came out with clean ones. I live in an area that has bad mountain inversions (aka smog captured by mountain temperature inversions where the heights are warmer than the valleys), and I value clean air too much to contribute to the smog. That exhaust brake is pretty amazing.

UTTransplant said:

That exhaust brake is pretty amazing.

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Indeed it is.  Set the exhaust brake, listen to it go "bub bub bub bub bub bub bub bub bub" down the hill, and never touch the brake pedal even coming down very steep grades with a heavy load behind you.  Those of us in the high country really appreciate the exhaust brake.

Beyond the great advice from others here to think first about what you're going to use the truck for most of the time....

I'm towing 2WD with a gas V-10 (The Excursion is basically an F250 SUV) and only got stuck once, in the mud hole that was Sleepy Hollow Farm during the 2012 Oshkosh Fly-in. But that year they were even extracting 4X4s from the muck with farm tractors.
Do I dream of a diesel? Only for brief moments when I'm climbing a 7% grade in 2nd gear at 40mph. But there's never been a hill I couldn't actually get over, eventually. Then I just crank up the stereo and enjoy the scenery in my leisurely manner. And, most of my travel is East of the Rockies. As others have pointed out, if I was at altitude most of the time I'd want a turbo diesel.

I got stuck 3 times in one year pulling an 11,000 lb 5W with a 2WD F250 with Limited Slip, and at no time was I doing anything unusual - just camping in campgrounds.
(1) short but moderately steep campground road with loose gravel. Wheels just spun and a sharp turn prevented me from backing out to take another road. Had to get towed by a park range who had 4WD in same truck
(2) Camped on a nice grassy site and it rained the night before leaving. Grass was slick by itself and the ground underneath was clay, so once the grass was torn it was like ice. Campground owner brought his tractor around to get me to the dirt road,
(3) Camped on grass again in a Minnesota lakeside park. It rained hard for 24 hours and the grass was awash, water 2-3" deep.  I hitched up and moved about 5 feet before the wheels began to spin. Another camper with an old International TravellAll 4WD pulled me out to the edge of the campground road.

The point here is that pulling a hefty trailer really tests the traction ability of what is essentially a one-wheel drive (even with Limited Slip). Limited Slip makes sure that a slippage of just one wheel doesn't stop you, but it merely delivers power to the other wheel and you still have basically one wheel pulling. If the ground under both wheels is slick, the spinning just moves from one to the other with LS.

In my opinion, RVers who visit parks with grassy sites or unimproved roads are likely to run into situations where 4WD will be of use. Maybe not "necessary", but worth considering.

I agree with you Gary.  I tow a TT with a Jeep Grand Cherokee and have been saved on loose gravel type roads, soft sand and especially when some sites have had inclines.  It doesn't take much to get stuck.