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Thread: 4x4 vs. tandem

  1. #11

    Cool 4x4

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    It really depends on what the terrain is like where you are. Will it be used in rural, suburban or urban. The reason I ask is for instance a 4x4 will go a lot of places and has a better turning radius than a tandem. Most places that I have been they go with tandems because of weight distribution. ( D.O.T.) I have used 4x4, tandem and the 6x6. For a 60 + foot boom I really like the 6x6, but you need 40 acres to turn it around. Any smaller boom than that and I wouldn't have anything less than a 4x4. per trouble truck for me is a 1 1/2 ton 4x4 40' squirt with a 15000# winch front and back. had one before, go any where. just an opinion. Good luck!

  2. #12

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by kitejkoch View Post
    It really depends on what the terrain is like where you are. Will it be used in rural, suburban or urban. The reason I ask is for instance a 4x4 will go a lot of places and has a better turning radius than a tandem. Most places that I have been they go with tandems because of weight distribution. ( D.O.T.) I have used 4x4, tandem and the 6x6. For a 60 + foot boom I really like the 6x6, but you need 40 acres to turn it around. Any smaller boom than that and I wouldn't have anything less than a 4x4. per trouble truck for me is a 1 1/2 ton 4x4 40' squirt with a 15000# winch front and back. had one before, go any where. just an opinion. Good luck!
    The shorter wheel base on the 4x4'w is a huge plus, when you are sneaking in a tight spot. I've run both and when your dealing with a short stick, 60 or less, I'd prefer the 4x4 over the tandem.
    All the big sticks are gonna come on a tandem, that's a given but you rarely see any distrubution trucks with more than a 55 or 60.
    I think the tandems will go where you want em with the locking differential but you can't manuever them like the single axles. You lock up the differential and all your gonna do is go straight.

  3. Default

    I ran a 6x6 for a little while. It went pretty much anywhere, except tight places, they don't turn well at all. They are also very heavy. Had to get creative anytime I got near a scalehouse

  4. Default

    If you had to get creative at the scale house you need to clean out your tills or get a CDL. We have a few 10 wheelers that have locking rear diffs, Front drive axles and low range. They can get in and out of alot of areas. You will lose some turning radius but it isn't horrible.

  5. Wink

    One thing a tandem axle truck does WAY better than a 4X4 truck is tear the crap out of the customers driveway when turning around. The rear tires really scrub the rock.

  6. Default

    99% of all damage you are going to do to a customers driveway is going to be with your front tires. As long as you aren't cranking your wheels while not moving you can avoid most of that. With the exception of real hot days on brand new black top. You shouldn't be trying to turn around in a cutomers driveway anyhow. Back in and drive out or the other way around. There probably isn't one perfect set up. It all depends what types of terrain you are going to encounter most often.

  7. #17

    Default

    A few years ago we had a 65' high ranger that was a single axel. Chained up it got around pretty good. Broke the axel coming out of a ditch on it once, other than that it was a good truck. That crew also had a 6 by and still doe's. Course when that gets stuck your #ucked.
    If you don't want to tear your trucks up. Hire a cat to make a path a road or drag your trucks around.
    I guess what you need to decide is how much time on road and how much off.

  8. #18

    Cool

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    In the mountains of Colorado there iis NO substitute for 4X4, so it really depends on the terrain and climate of where you are gonna use it... a 4X4 with chains on all corners will go where no tandem dares to go.

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