Motoring Discussion > Ford Transits- Front and Rear Wheel Drive Miscellaneous
Thread Author: Glaikit Wee Scunner Snr. {P} Replies: 21
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New Wed 1 Dec 10 10:53 
 Ford Transits- Front and Rear Wheel Drive - Glaikit Wee Scunner Snr. {P}
Watched the various stuck vehicles on our industrial estate yesterday. It became apparent that both FWD and RWD Transits were equally useless in compacted snow.
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New Wed 1 Dec 10 10:55 
 Ford Transits- Front and Rear Wheel Drive - Bigtee
FWD Transit may be ok if empty but many are loaded all weight behind, However it's just this daft country that grinds to a halt.

Snow tyres on vans too.!
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New Wed 1 Dec 10 11:01 
 Ford Transits- Front and Rear Wheel Drive - Dave_
>> It became apparent that both FWD and RWD Transits were equally useless in compacted snow

Must be the drivers...

I nipped home and back in the works Sprinter (RWD) last night with no difficulty, partly on some properly snow- and ice- covered roads including a few quite steep hills (Shepshed to the Forest Rock anybody?). I tickled the ESP/traction a couple of times, more to "get a feel" for the road than out of any heavyhandedness.
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New Wed 1 Dec 10 12:08 
 Ford Transits- Front and Rear Wheel Drive - Zero
I had to drive a FWD diesel VW transporter in the ice and snow this morning.

It was, without doubt, the most useless thing in snow or ice I have ever had to pilot. Getting the thing to move without scrabbling sideways was tricky in the extreme.
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New Wed 1 Dec 10 12:10 
 Ford Transits- Front and Rear Wheel Drive - Runfer D'Hills
Soft southerner at the wheel mind.
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New Wed 1 Dec 10 12:18 
 Ford Transits- Front and Rear Wheel Drive - Zero
Don't recall falling bottom over breast in the snow tho my hardy jock friend. But then us southerners did learn to walk before the Neanderthal northerners.
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New Wed 1 Dec 10 12:30 
 Ford Transits- Front and Rear Wheel Drive - Runfer D'Hills
That'll be the same Neanderthals who invented more or less everything you find useful then?

Anyway, I was wearing English shoes at the time. Root of the problem. You try to extend the olive branch but...

:-)
Last edited by: Humph D'Bout on Wed 1 Dec 10 at 12:30
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New Wed 1 Dec 10 12:53 
 Ford Transits- Front and Rear Wheel Drive - Skoda
Tesco delivery van (RWD) came into our wee estate no bother, dropped off at 3 or 4 houses, then couldn't move :-)

I did the decent thing...

"oi mate, give it some welly or you'll never get out of here" ... :-)

My 94p tesco value plastic rubber car mats i took a punt on for the snow were finally useful, i'm buying a box of 'em, great for traction.

I was impressed, he had grit with him. But no shovel! Tried to drive over mine too...
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New Wed 1 Dec 10 13:10 
 Ford Transits- Front and Rear Wheel Drive - Stuu
My Suzuki Carry was nightmarish on snow. RWD with no weight at all over driven wheels made it dicey on to say the least. I was once trundling along on a backroad after a sudden snow storm, the road had a dip to the kerb. Down the dip the back end just drifted away and I was going sideways on full lock.
Came to a standstill and carried on, but no fun whatsoever, van tyres arent made for grip.
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New Wed 1 Dec 10 13:13 
 Ford Transits- Front and Rear Wheel Drive - Runfer D'Hills
A wee trick I was taught and have employed with success on RWD vehicles stuck on snow or ice is to gently pull the handbrake on while trying to set off. It seems to confuse the diff enough not to spin out one wheel and give more equal power to both sides ( or something ) ...works anyway.
Last edited by: Humph D'Bout on Wed 1 Dec 10 at 13:14
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New Wed 1 Dec 10 16:01 
 Ford Transits- Front and Rear Wheel Drive - Cliff Pope
I second that. It also works on FWD if the handbrake acts on the front wheels, as it did on my Renault 4.

I was taught it by a farmer. If a tractor bogs down with one wheel in a muddy ditch, just lock that wheel with the individual brakes and drag it out on the other wheel alone.
It's a somewhat similar principle, but without the precision of individual
L and R brakes.
With the handbrake only half applied, the engine can still force the wheels round, but the one on soft ground cannot spin, so there is still traction on the other wheel. It's a primitive limited slip differential.
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New Wed 1 Dec 10 16:29 
 Ford Transits- Front and Rear Wheel Drive - Glaikit Wee Scunner Snr. {P}
I tried that once decades ago in my Marina (shivers) there was such a bang as the diff caught up with itself........ Had FWD ever since and never needed to carry concrete blocks for traction again. I can usually get moving with FWD by sawing from lock to lock, but on compacted wet snow grip is pretty impossible.
Been digging my car out today from the car park, 20" or so of snow , but given up. Might get my snow socks on once I can get a run at the road.
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New Wed 1 Dec 10 22:22 
 Ford Transits- Front and Rear Wheel Drive - PhilW
"Shepshed to the Forest Rock anybody"
Yep, you must live within a few miles of me at B-o-S???? 3 miles south of Lugabaruga (or something like that!!)
Phil
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New Thu 2 Dec 10 04:42 
 Ford Transits- Front and Rear Wheel Drive - Pat
I know it well Dave, it was a favourite spot for lunch in the car when I was a rep and before going into ARC at Shepshed:) So was Cliffe Hill at Markfield.

Pat
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New Thu 2 Dec 10 07:14 
 Ford Transits- Front and Rear Wheel Drive - Boxsterboy
I saw a Gas company Transit attending a gas leak yesterday in snowy Ashtead. It had snow socks on the rear tyres, which I thought was sensible of the gas co. But I now wonder if it was a fwd one?
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New Thu 2 Dec 10 08:04 
 Ford Transits- Front and Rear Wheel Drive - MD
Gas man came down a rural hill here day before yesterday and lost it big time. Tranny on side in wood. Bone out through skin. Nasty.
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New Thu 2 Dec 10 10:28 
 Ford Transits- Front and Rear Wheel Drive - VxFan
>> But I now wonder if it was a fwd one?

Transit Connect sized Transits are FWD, the bigger Transits are still RWD. IIRC.
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New Thu 2 Dec 10 10:39 
 Ford Transits- Front and Rear Wheel Drive - BobbyG
Our standard sized Transit van is FWD and was no problem in last year's snow, haven't been out this year in it yet.
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New Thu 2 Dec 10 10:41 
 Ford Transits- Front and Rear Wheel Drive - R.P.
Neighbour's full size Transit is FWD - it's been a nightmare for him.
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New Thu 2 Dec 10 10:40 
 Ford Transits- Front and Rear Wheel Drive - ToMoCo
>>the bigger Transits are still RWD. IIRC.

You get a choice. Most are FWD.
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New Thu 2 Dec 10 21:54 
 Ford Transits- Front and Rear Wheel Drive - -
Doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to which end is driven on a Tranny..ooer.

Didn't make loading them any easier, try reversing a RWD chassis cab up a steep slippery deck, twin rear wheel ones are always RWD though and agreed the larger ones seem to be RWD normally, throw in a few high tops to confuse the issue though and you'll deffo have to have a goosey.
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New Thu 2 Dec 10 22:06 
 Ford Transits- Front and Rear Wheel Drive - Dave_
I do indeed Phil. Head for Beacon Hill then the same distance again, roughly :)
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