My Grandad was vehemently anti 4x4 for the longest time. Always said it was nothing but trouble, extra parts waiting to break. He could get a 2wd pickup into anywhere anyone needed to go. But he has tons of stories about McGyvering his way out of stuckholes too.
About 1990 when he went to order a new Ford truck my dad talked him into a 4x4. He hasn’t had a 2wd since. In fact now that his last two trucks have had the shift on the fly knob on the dash he puts it in 4wd about any time he turns into a pasture.
Those front wheels turning make a big difference if you need to get through a long enough stretch that you can’t rely on momentum. Plus you don’t have to have the bed full of sandbags or something to add traction in case you actually need to haul something. A 4x4 with lockers in both ends is a whole other animal as well. My 1979 Bronco has Traclok limited slips front and rear and it’ll go like a billy goat.
