Hitting the trails for the first time tomorrow, any advice?

[TampaTremor]

Hello! I am planning on running up to the Withlacoochee Forest in Citrus County Florida tomorrow. I have very limited experience using 4x4, most of the time I would only use it in my Jeeps as necessary. Is that the same approach that I should take in the Tremor? We should be 95% fire roads through the forest? Or should I run in 4H the moment I hit the dirt? Sorry for the newbie questions. I tried searching and may have missed educational threads that I need to study.

I guess my man questions are:

When to engage 4H?
When to engage rear locker?
When to engage 4L?
When to manually lock front hubs?
Traction Control On or Off?

This trip will be a shake down for us to prepare for a few upcoming adventures and really want to get the most out of our truck.

Thanks for any advice or tips.

 

[SuperNewbie]

Hello! I am planning on running up to the Withlacoochee Forest in Citrus County Florida tomorrow. I have very limited experience using 4x4, most of the time I would only use it in my Jeeps as necessary. Is that the same approach that I should take in the Tremor? We should be 95% fire roads through the forest? Or should I run in 4H the moment I hit the dirt? Sorry for the newbie questions. I tried searching and may have missed educational threads that I need to study.

I guess my man questions are:

When to engage 4H?
When to engage rear locker?
When to engage 4L?
When to manually lock front hubs?
Traction Control On or Off?

This trip will be a shake down for us to prepare for a few upcoming adventures and really want to get the most out of our truck.

Thanks for any advice or tips.

Leave it in 2, turn off the traction, and have some fun! You will know when you need 4low when you think you may need to winch out .

 

[Jrod250]

I’m kind of weird so i like to stay in 2wd until I can’t stay in 2wd anymore. If you’re concerned about getting stuck then just engage high range once you get on the trails. Make a few really tight turns to make sure the auto hubs actually engaged. Especially if it’s your first time using them.
4Lo is really only necessary when thing get really hard going and need to go super slow and controlled. 4lo does not actually provide more traction though. Just more torque.
engage the rear locker only when you’re no longer able to make forward progress in 4wd.

 

[WA-TREMOR]

An old timer told me, LOL. Stay in 2H than if you get stuck you can go to your next option 4H, 4L etc. if you get stuck on 4L you’re SOL. Hope this helps. Hope this helps, stay safe and have fun bro.

 

[Big John Son]

I disagree with leaving it in 2H unless 4H is needed. When you get off pavement, air down, throw it in 4H, take traction control off and wheel that pig! If you get stuck in 2H, you could bury the wheels in 2H to the point 4H will then do you no good.

If you get stuck in deep, reverse and forward rocking motion and washing a wider rutt using steering can help you get out.

I'd only manually lock the front hubs if I felt there was a problem. They are only there as an over-ride if the vacuum system fails, which is pretty rare. If it was MOAB, I'd lock them, otherwise... meh.

 

[Briski]

My advice is go with someone experienced (2 vehicles). It’s a lot more fun and you can learn along the way. If you get stuck there are way more options to get out.

 

[Jrod250]

That’s it. I’m leaving. Lol

 

[rhines81]

Toss a couple of 2x4s in the bed that you can use for traction if you get stuck, you'll be fine

 

[Big John Son]

I disagree with leaving it in 2H unless 4H is needed. When you get off pavement, air down, throw it in 4H, take traction control off and wheel that pig! If you get stuck in 2H, you could bury the wheels in 2H to the point 4H will then do you no good.

If you get stuck in deep, reverse and forward rocking motion and washing a wider rutt using steering can help you get out.

I'd only manually lock the front hubs if I felt there was a problem. They are only there as an over-ride if the vacuum system fails, which is pretty rare. If it was MOAB, I'd lock them, otherwise... meh.

Here's Big John Son analogy. You don't put a condom on right before or after...you start with it ready!

 

[Dthiss]

Let us know how it goes.

 

[SuperNewbie]

Here's Big John Son analogy. You don't put a condom on right before or after...you start with it ready!

??

 

[SuperNewbie]

Hello! I am planning on running up to the Withlacoochee Forest in Citrus County Florida tomorrow. I have very limited experience using 4x4, most of the time I would only use it in my Jeeps as necessary. Is that the same approach that I should take in the Tremor? We should be 95% fire roads through the forest? Or should I run in 4H the moment I hit the dirt? Sorry for the newbie questions. I tried searching and may have missed educational threads that I need to study.

I guess my man questions are:

When to engage 4H?
When to engage rear locker?
When to engage 4L?
When to manually lock front hubs?
Traction Control On or Off?

This trip will be a shake down for us to prepare for a few upcoming adventures and really want to get the most out of our truck.

Thanks for any advice or tips.

Oh by the way,

 

[Jking]

The best thing to do is to play with it and learn what it does in different conditions. If its mostly good traction dirt roads with a few mud puddles, you will find a lot of fun in 2wd with traction control off. Of its deep mud everywhere then you may need to use 4wd just to drive around normally. The rear locker is only good for very slow speeds and is to get out of trouble or get through some particularly difficult obstacle. I have always been of the belief that in mud it is best to use 4wd to get out of trouble when 2wd fails. I think you are less likely to get into something you can't get out of and still have fun. But I have lived my whole life in an are a that is technically desert so that may change my thinking.

Whatever you do, you need to get an idea of what the truck can do in its different modes and that can only be accomplished by experimenting and seeing for yourself. Just have fun and try out what you feel comfortable with.

 

[Cococounty]

I’ve taken Trucks some crazy places with just the rear locker engaged and then if it slips throwing it into four low you definitely want to give the truck a little drive time to engage everything don’t wait till you’re stuck to try to engage

 

[HenryFord]

Report please! And share some pictures : )

 

[TampaTremor]

Just pulled in the driveway. The truck performed wonderfully. I will report back with a review and will share a video also.

 

[spmpop75]

Just pulled in the driveway. The truck performed wonderfully. I will report back with a review and will share a video also.

TOTM worthy

 

[TampaTremor]

First off I need to say thank you for all the quick responses to this thread. Not knowing what I didn't know, I feared doing something incorrectly then finding out afterwards that I should have done things differently all along. The goods news is, taking the Tremor off-road is very friendly to newbies. I ran most everything in two wheel and engaged 4H when things appeared to be sticky or softer/deep sand.

There were not many downfalls other than the sheer size of this beast compared to the Jeep I went with, he was much more nimble as expected. The trade off however was the power, what the Tremor lacks in nimbleness it makes up with brute strength.

We are complying videos and hope to have something ready to share by the end of the week. My kids unanimously decided that it was more fun when my wife was behind the wheel. She likes to run full throttle so it seems.

 

[coachhomer]

Hello! I am planning on running up to the Withlacoochee Forest in Citrus County Florida tomorrow. I have very limited experience using 4x4, most of the time I would only use it in my Jeeps as necessary. Is that the same approach that I should take in the Tremor? We should be 95% fire roads through the forest? Or should I run in 4H the moment I hit the dirt? Sorry for the newbie questions. I tried searching and may have missed educational threads that I need to study.

I guess my man questions are:

When to engage 4H?
When to engage rear locker?
When to engage 4L?
When to manually lock front hubs?
Traction Control On or Off?

This trip will be a shake down for us to prepare for a few upcoming adventures and really want to get the most out of our truck.

Thanks for any advice or tips.

Very curious to hear about where you went. Looks like a little over an hour drive from me. I’d love to check out the trail. Any info would be greatly appreciated!

C

 

[Briski]

First off I need to say thank you for all the quick responses to this thread. Not knowing what I didn't know, I feared doing something incorrectly then finding out afterwards that I should have done things differently all along. The goods news is, taking the Tremor off-road is very friendly to newbies. I ran most everything in two wheel and engaged 4H when things appeared to be sticky or softer/deep sand.

There were not many downfalls other than the sheer size of this beast compared to the Jeep I went with, he was much more nimble as expected. The trade off however was the power, what the Tremor lacks in nimbleness it makes up with brute strength.

We are complying videos and hope to have something ready to share by the end of the week. My kids unanimously decided that it was more fun when my wife was behind the wheel. She likes to run full throttle so it seems.

Looks like a fun Ford trip!!! Congratulations