when off roading, would putting the truck in low gear 1 (all the way to the right for autos) and then 4x4 low yield any better tracion, or power to the wheels?

 

When i'm on the trail i always use manual low. In our trannies drive 1st only has a one way clutch holding the rear i think sun gear so when slowing down you have no engine braking, which means better gas mileage. In manual 1st there is a clutch band that grabs the drum on the one-way clutch to hold it in both directions which gives you engine braking and another holding device so as not to wear out the one-way clutch as fast. Especially off-road since there is a higher torque load normally being put on the tranny and drivetrain.

EDIT: Also when you need alot of power and wheel spin it prevents upshifts that would occur in drive.

 

....so...yeah, it'd work out nice??

i've just never tried it...

 

i always use first gear on my manual tranny, i used to be able to used 1st and 2nd, but until i can regear, 2nd will get me stuck. but i dont do any high speed stuff anyways so it works for me

 

i use drive

 

Yup, 4 Low and drive.....only stuck once and it was due to a high center.....

 

It's made to be like that. 2nd is there for 2nd gear starts on snow, ice or otherwise slippery stuff. I never did understand the 1st thing, as you always take off in first anyway. it prevents shifting up -- so maybe when towing something and you are reaching that shift point or whatever.

I use drive anyway. Now I have the choice of any gear -- manual!

 

As was said, forcing the transmission into 1st (and only 1st) gives you a lot more engine braking. Engine braking is very important off road as it is easier to modulate than the brakes. This makes for better traction when going down steep, loose inclines. It also removes the funky (IMHO) 3-channel ABS systems we have from the equation. I believe it's even more effective w/ a manual trans as you can slip the clutch for even more modulation, especially when climbing. But you take what you can get w/ an auto..

1st gear + 4Lo results in one helluva lot of traction off road. I was astonished the first time I tried it out. A week or two after I bought my truck (my first ever 4x4), I was dying to try it out. I found an unmaintained road out in the middle of nowhere. I had been through it before on the bike. By picking my lines I was able to avoid most of the major hazards. Of course this time I did the opposite: I aimed for the hazards! Before I knew it I had the truck burried up to the middle of the door on the driver's side. I had the two passenger side wheels on solid ground and the two driver's side wheels burried in slop. The wheels in the dry were practically in the air and had zero traction. I was just sitting there spinning the wheels in all gears in 4Hi. .. That's about when I started to worry. I was out in the middle of nowhere, alone, w/ no winch, come-along, or even a tow-strap. As a last ditch efford I dropped it in 4Lo and said to myself "Let's see what this does.." That truck just about leaped out of the ditch. It was like it got a good swift kick in the tailgate! Fawkin' amazing!

4Lo + 1st gear is pretty darn cool!

 

the only time i got stuck was in a place i shouldnt had, it was one of my first times out and i was lookin around and it was a field full of slop. i thought, donut city, but i was wrong. it was slop sludge city. i went in slow(my problem) but i didnt want to go fast because i was afraid something was gonna drag. how deep do you have to go to get something dragging or hitting? i prob shouldve dropped my air pressure but i didnt think it looked like anything. i guess i shouldve just pinned it but i was too scared i was gonna kill my truck

 

As i said earlier, in manual 1st it adds ANOTHER holding device in 1st gear so it is distributing the load more in 1st gear. Off-road is alot more demanding torque wise than easy driving on the street. I never come out of manual 1 unless on an access road to get to the trail.

And there is only so much engine braking from an auto tranny and a 2.3 (correct me if i am wrong) low range.

 

I always use 1st but I dont have 4X4. 1st works really well in the mud and I hardly get stuck

 

Just to add a bit to that, a 5R44E/5R55E has the coast clutch applied in three instances only:

manually selected "1" position: 1st gear only/engine braking
(safety lockout above calibrated speed)

manually selected "2" position: 3rd gear only/engine braking

OD cancelled: 1st through 4th gear allowed/engine braking in 4th gear only

 

I knew someone would know, is the coast clutch a holding member for the rear planetary correct?

 

in my experience ive gotten no extra power when in mud while in 1st... but then again i was in some thick stuff.

 

on the tougher rock sections I go 4lo and 1st (auto) and just 4hi and Drive any other time.