How often do you put your truck into 4 wheel drive?

It's not that fragile. The 10 miles per month thing is silly. The only time I ever drive 10 miles in a month in 4WD would be in winter when we actually get some snow-covered roads; and I mean slick roads, not just a dusting. Probably doesn't happen more than a few times a year.

Otherwise, my 4WD use is and has always been brief periods when I need it. I've never had a problem.

 

And yet we see guys on here who don't use it for years then have issues with the actuator. I don't see any reason not to exercise it monthly.

 

If you want to, have at it, but 10 miles per month is overkill.

People posting here about problems with their actuators after long periods of no use, how often do we see that? I'm kind of on and off on this forum, but I really don't recall seeing that often at all; in fact I'm not sure if I've seen that more than once if that. And I'm not including the people who post because they don't get that sometimes you have to move slightly to get it to engage.

On the contrary, I feel like about every other time I log in here I see a post saying, "What's wrong with my 4WD? The manual says to drive 10 miles per month to exercise it, so surely it must be ok to use on pavement. But I'm getting this crazy bucking behavior when turning. Did I get a lemon?".

 

Once a month for 10 miles since day 1

 

I also do the 10 or so miles a month in 4WD Hi, and I’ll put it in 4WD Lo for a minute or so after just to work it. I use it as an excuse to find a dirt road or gravel and do a little cruisin’. Sorry honey, I’ve gotta take the scenic route on the way home, have to exercise my 4x4. Sometimes I wish the manual recommend 100 miles a month

 

I just traded my 2018 Silverado for a 2WD 2019 Tundra (20k miles). I put 107k miles on the Silverado and I put it in 4wd one time for about 1/4 mile.

 

while you're in 4hi, make sure you're not going above 55

 

Hmm. I thought they specify not to engage or disengage over 55mph.

I've driven a good couple hours at a sustained 65ish without any sort of strange sounds, smells or vibrations.

Maybe I should take another read.

 

That's how I interpreted it as well. Just don't shift from 2Hi to 4Hi above 55 mph.

 

Has anyone here tried shifting into 4-H over 55 MPH? I would think that Toyota would electronically disable that if they thought it was a problem.

 

The night I brought my '12 home last year, I cycled in and out of 2hi,4hi,4lo a few times. The first few cycles were slow and noisy. Ever since then, it's been fast and smooth. I don't think the original owner followed the 10 mile guidance and with the low mileage, it did lots of sitting in his garage.

I try to remember to lock it in for the quarter mile leaving my house on occasion. I've never run 10 miles in 4x4... I really don't have a place that I can do that.

 

I used 4x4 in the snow we had last month. Just in and out of the driveway. Last time maybe up a logging road when it was new?
I’d better exercise it more often.
I used own and a 78? Chev with Warn hubs. Hated locking up just for lube purposes.

 

I usually wait until it rains then find a fairly straight road and drive in 4wd. Come to a sharp turn and switch it back to 2wd. Then put it in 4 lo in a random parking lot or even the driveway. Could even do this on dry pavement but better on wet. It's easy to get the 10 miles in.

 

I just go to 4Hi whenever I get onto a dirt or gravel road, even if 4x4 is not needed. That ends up being a couple of times a month, and I don't go anywhere near 10 miles. Maybe 3-4 most of the time. I go into 4Lo only once every few months just to run it there for a little bit. I've never been in a situation where I needed 4Lo, 4Hi has gotten me through just fine.

 

Ohhhh that would make since, I probably read the card wrong

 

No way I'm doing the once a month gig. That is overkill. A handful of times a year should be adequate. If the actuators need that much use to work, then Toyota isn't as good at engineering as I thought.

 

Everyone has thoughts

 

Use it or you loose it. Has nothing to do with Toyota. If you don't use a 4x4 why you get one?

 

If you do engage the 4x4 don’t do it on dry pavement only gravel, dirt, snow, sand ect. It can mess it up. But, it is good practice to turn it to 4 hi now and again so all the gears get lubricated.

 

Did I say that I didn't use 4wd? Pretty sure I actually said I just used it...which...ironically is why I bought one.

 

Yep, my wife's 05' 4Runner won't engage into 4wd from lack of use/exercise. Probably the actuator.