[slowmover]

I decided a few decades ago that unless I lived in a place the local law enforcement used 4WD, that it was only convenience with otherwise constant penalties.

2WD with IFS will be the better roadgoing vehicle versus beam front axle. And rack & pinion steering vs sloppy sector gear types makes for an entirely different truck. It is a distinctly better tow vehicle.

On my 3rd Gen CTD, to replace the limited slip with a Detroit TrueTrac would cover traction issues with also Bridgestone Duravis commercial service traction tires on the Drive Axle.

Most guys in oilfield service (hotshot) go back to 2WD. Roads there are temporary to the drilling rigs. Horrific, some days, after rain and a million pound move has been completed. The Class 8 trucks I drove in that enabled us to engage both Drive Axles and, if things were terrible, to lock the differential to crawl away.

I've tuned the suspension with FF/RR antiroll bars and Bilstein shocks. More is planned.

Steering, handling and brakes are what really matter. I carry pressure-treat 2x10x10 to park trailer, and occasionally, truck. Concrete, asphalt, gravel, etc, are not acceptable bases for longer-term parking according to the manufacturers. A few more pieces to get a rolling start isn't a burden. Just a dirty one, ha!

Look over truck specification carefully. The extremely short-lived "need" for 4WD is offset mightily by avoidance thereof and an occasional tow. I've had occasion to have a travel trailer towed out from mud less than once per decade.

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