Now have a 90 2WD am looking at a 07SLT 4WD. Sorry for the stupid question but are the 4WD's really just 1 wheel drive front and 1 wheel rear?

 

Only if you consider the 2wd to be one rear wheel driven!!

Basically the transfer case locks the front axle and the back axle together, so the rest is up to the differentials. You'd have to be in a very odd situation to get only 1 front and 1 rear wheel spinning though. But you can put in a LSD or locker in the rear and a LSD or selectable locker in the front if you want 4 wheels always driven.

 

yes your right. without a locker you got one front wheel and one rear wheel spinning. and the best part is it's the 2 wheels with the least traction.
i read that a 2x4 with a locker will go 95% of the places a 4x4 will go.
my father just bought a new mazda (ford) 2x4 with a locker in the rear. he was parked on a sheet of ice on the drivers side. i asked him to giver' when he pulled out. the rear tire on the ice barely spun before the locker kicked in. nothing but smoke from the wheel on the pavement. i was totally impressed.

 

Its not that simple Mazda!!! In order for 1 front and 1 rear wheel to spin, they'd have to be on equally low traction surfaces and the other 2 wheels would have to both be on high traction surfaces. Thats a tough situation to get into! Just remember that with the axles locked, the 2 loose wheels can't spin at different rates from each other, just from the other wheels on the axle. If both rear wheels and 1 front wheel are on high traction surfaces and 1 front wheel is on low, that one wheel won't spin. If one entire axle is on a low traction surface and the other is on high traction, you won't spin.

Locked axles start becoming necessary in 4 wheel drive when you start getting offroad and get tires completely off the ground!

And as for the 2x4 with a locker comment, I'd put that more in the 65-75% range.

 

how about a sand road at a 25 degree angle up. sorry slt i'll stick with my 95%. i quoted that figure from the bible (consumer magazine).

 

On a road like that, I'd love to have my 4 wheel drive so the front can pull me up the hill rather than push! Sure a locked 2wd could probably do it fine as well, but sand roads at a 25 degree incline sure don't make up for 95% of the off-road conditions! If you want to play the name a situation game, how about on an icy road? That locked 2wd will fishtail like theres no tomorrow whereas 4x4 will go straight in the same situation.

 

big time fishtail. thats the thing i don't like about them. i warned dad about that. i told him it's not like driving my truck with the open diff. but the low maintenance for the locker over the 4x4 is worth the trade off for him. he is not going to bury it in the back woods.
which reminds me i buried the mazda in a swamp about a week ago. would have given my left n-- for 4x4 or a locker. took me 3 hours to get out, no trees to hook onto for the jackall. guess it's not a virgin anymore.

 

i would never buy a 2wd truck. might aswell get a car. i recently broke something (i think chain) in my t case and i really miss 4x4. even though i have welded spiders(the ultimate locker). it just wont wade the snow like it used to

 

Okay 2wd with a locker will can go somewhere like 50% that 4wd can when 4wd is needed. NO WHERE NEAR 95%. Trust me I had a 2wd with a locker for years, I couldn't take it I had to make mine 4wd.

Now in sand you can get one front and one rear spinning very easy with 4wd. And for 2wd with a locker your just going to dig.

If you dead set on the 2wd with a locker. A few tips. Speed is your friend, keep your momentum up. In some areas once you stop your dead. If you park or stop, do it on a hill so you can roll down. Lower tire pressures will help. Keep a shovel on you at all times.

 

know where your at blue. that 2x4 sucks big time. looked at the swamp and thought no problem until i got stuck, then i'm looking for a lever to pull and there's nothing there. crap that was a bad show.