my dodge W250 cummins does grate in the snow

 

Gotta say it. If you are going to a place where there is usually a significant amount of snow, you should have the four wheel drive. Yes a two wheel drive will get around in most cases. A 4X4 will be much better. There isn't enough of a difference in mileage for that to be a factor in most cases. There is also the fact that a 4X4 will have a much better resale. I wouldn't go from a Dmax to a Ford but I'm not buying it. Even the dually will do fine in snow. The driver makes more difference than whether you have two or four wheels in back. You are right they are all comparable in useable power. Get the truck you like the best. You gotta pay for it, you need to like it and not buy it because you were talked into it by someone else.
Stay safe out there.
Ken

 

when i lived in ohio my truck stayed in 2wd most of the winter. The only time 4wd was used was when i was dragging someone out of a ditch. If you know how to drive 2wd is fine. With that being said, i would prefer a 4wd, for those random times when you really need it, because you have a much better chance of getting out of a ditch with 2-4 (open diffs?) wheels pulling you rather than 1-2. that or if you are trying to go on some really slick stuff and cant catch any forward momentum then the 4wd will take care of it.

The major thing is in snow (unless you have a full time 4wd option) your truck should stay in 2wd until you need it. I used to love driving in the snow in 2wd, getting the rear end to spin up and get crazy like i was driving the general lee.

 

I live in Buffalo NY where we average 180" (yes, that is the equivalent of 15') of snow a year. 2wd is "ok" with GOOD tires sometimes. Dually? Lets just say even with 1200lbs of sand bags over my cummins rear wheels, in 2wd my dually was hard pressed to go anywhere. Too much throttle, you sink in and spin the wheels. Not enough throttle, you "find" the deep-spots and get swamped.

If you have NO clue how to drive in deep snow (again, I dont know where you are going or how deep the snow will be..), go with 4x4. I'd rather see you spend a few bucks extra for 4x4, than smash somebody elses car or worse.. you get smashed by a 30k lb snow plow, because you dont know how to handle snow in a 2wd.

The new psd's are AMAZING. They are great trucks, and take dollars to put down numbers that 14liter tractor-trailers are putting down.