Hello, . On a friends 1996 Yukon 4x4, he was parked on a hill facing across the hill. Over night, some snow fell, not more than a foot or two.. When he went to move in four wheel drive, both uphill tires rotated and he could not move. I was parked next to him in my Toyo Landcruiser (left the Chevy at home). The Toyo does not have limited slip or lockers. The Toyo moved with no problem or tire slip.
I thought Chevy/GMC four wheel drive, like the Toyo Landcruiser was corner to corner tire rotation not any front and any rear.. The Yukon did not have locking or limited slip. P Merrill
if both the front tires are spinning and the rears aren't... the xfer case is very definately busted. a GM 4wd system should operate the same as a landcruiser one if both have open diffs.
Hey, Gremlin, you are correct, both the front and rear tire on the right side of the Yukon rotated. I assume that is not normal operation? I will be replacing my old 1982 Chevy soon with a newer used Chevy 4x4. I have seen a lot of posts about the newer 4x4 operational problems and have held off the purchase. My friend and I take trips together, he takes the Yukon, I take the Landcruiser. Last New Years, we were in Yosemite CA when they closed the road due to snow. The only things moving from our lodge were my old Landcruiser and a Hummer. There was an Avalanche, my friends Yukon, A BMW, a Little Lexis, and a Benz 4x4, all were stuck or could not get enough traction to pull the hills and get out until they plowed the road. I want to make sure my new (used) truck doesn't become one of the bystanders. What is the best year for 4x4 in a 1500 or 2500.
I have often found that the driver is more important then the car in snow and ice.
Sure there are differences between different types of 4X4's but with out knowing the differences between the tires on the vehicles and the ability of the driver, it is hard to tell if the Yukon was really out of the running.
Once upon a time ......... I saw two young men and a young lady trying to get a two wheel drive car to back out of a parking space in a snow covered lot. The space was ever so slightly up hill that in dry weather it would be considered flat. One guy was driving and the other two were pushing. Wheels spinning and much grunting and groaning. I offered to help and told the young man to let me drive. He was less then pleased, grumbled and moaned but did yield the drivers seat. I gently backed out without spinning the tires, without them pushing at all.
So it is possible you could have gotten the Yukon to move and your friend would have had trouble with the landcruser. All things being equal such as tires and the like.
I think you would want to make sure to get a limited slip (G80 code (I think) on sticker in glovebox) in the rear then look at replacing the front with a (part-time?) locker (a very common mod, there are many different kinds)
nope, that's normal... it just happened that the tires on the same side didn't have enough traction.
To me, the driver is the biggest factor, followed closely by tires. a driver with a digital foot (either on or off... I know many people like this) will get stuck waaaaay more often than a person that knows the meaning of finesse. same with tires, somebody with with a set of BFG AT K/O's will be much happier than a person running the god awful Firestone Steeltex tires many trucks came stock with.
as for years, get one with a manual xfer case... encoder motors are very expensive to replace.
Thanks Guys, for the help I have been off roading in a 4x4 or a 2x with positraction since I began to drive over 34 years ago and joke I can put a 2x with posi places most can't put a 4x.. His tires were duelers, mine were BFGKO 33's . My buddy is a horse guy but generally does pretty good with his rig getting it in and out. I think the rest of the crowd was from someplace in LA. Not a scratch on those other rigs and they shined like the day they came off the showroom floor.
I tried to unstick the Yukon but the throttle is touchy compared to the Landcruiser or my older Chevy. I tried a trick I use with the Landcruiser or on my Chevy k2500 and that is to set the parking brake all the way down, then turning the front tires, I can pivot the rig one way or the other a bit, then I release the brake and begin rolling. What was strange is the parking break stopped the rear tire, but the right front still rotated independently.
It reminded me of a Jeep Cherokee I say years ago at a car show. They lifted the front right tire off the ground engaged the 4x4 and the jeep tire just spun and no other tires moved. They did the same thing with a Chevy full sized Blazer and it pulled off the block.
Since I only drive the truck 2-4,000 miles a year, when I buy, I will be getting a Chevy K1500 or K2500 1998 or newer. I am a bit concerned with the k1500 as I understand they are still having problems with the tranny. I pull a 20 foot pontoon boat and use the 4x4 to go in and out of lakes that do not have paved or improved ramps. Otherwise, I use it around the farm for hauling things and carrying loads. I am a bit old fashioned, and a tad sentimental so I will probably put my trusty old 1972 Warn 8000 on the front just in case.
So, beginning with 1998, what Chevy/GMC trucks had the best 4x4 systems
I am sure your land cruiser operates in essentially the same function as the Yukon. What happened is that the differential in his truck is open, which causes traction to go from the wheels that grip to the wheels that slip. If he had some kind of a differential locking function in the snow then at the very least both his rear wheels and one front wheel would have been spinning.
Again, anyone with a manual lever for the transfer case. Do NOT get a push button system. If you go K2500 then you'll have the 4L80E transmission and wont have to worry about the boat much. If you get the 4L60E we can help you bring your transmission up to snuff so you don't have to worry.
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